Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 4 September Plaza la Navarre 965 in attendance A good news start to the show as our regular dark match, active once again, gets a better reaction than before. These two have really got the hang of wrestling each other; it's not chemistry, it's just experience. Nigel put it away, once again, with the running knee drive. [I]Nigel Svensson defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]Dean Daniels vs. Seiji Jimbo[/B] This match, like so many USPW matches, has nothing to do with anything beyond giving people a chance to strut their stuff. It went a little under seventeen minutes before Seiji blocked the Cradle Piledriver, took Dean to the floor, and hooked in the Seiji Ocean Lock. Nice work that continues Seiji's development. [I]Seiji Jimbo defeated Dean Daniels by submission[/I] RATING: C+ [B]The Riot Act vs. East and West vs. Los Leyendas vs. The Force in a ladder match for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] Weak, but I expected that. I'm taking a gamble here, as the goal of this thing was to give East and West a plausible way of grabbing the titles, but I need to begin developing their reputation in Europe, and getting the title away from the weaker teams so they can concentrate on other feuds seemed like the best idea. That also tells you more or less what went on; Marc Speed rushed the ladder just after Jonni Lowlife dispatched El Leon from the top, coming up behind Jonni to powerbomb him off and scramble up to claim the belt. [I]East and West defeated Los Leyendas, The Force & The Riot Act when Marc Speed retrieved the titles[/I] RATING: C- Backstage we saw Simona Cox assault an arriving Chojiro Kitoaji RATING: E+ [B]Chojiro Kitaoji vs. S.K. Walker for the USPW National Title[/B] Considering his injuries, Chojiro – still in street clothes – put up a good long fight before snatching a brief moment and, with Walker on the apron, hitting a sunset flip powerbomb to put Walker through the announce table before collapsing himself, leading to a count out. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji drew with S.K. Walker when both men were counted out[/I] RATING: C+ Another backstage shot; Simona walking, looking frustrated after two title losses in one night for the Force, when a car screeched to a halt beside her. A masked figure slammed into her as the passenger door swung open and she was bundled inside before the car raced off. RATING: D- [B]Pit Bull Brown vs. Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship in a two out of three falls match[/B] Man, Brown's dragging us down. What is it with these 21CW hires that they can't keep the pace up after they start rolling? Jillefski once again tips the balance in the Pit Bull's favour, and Steve just can't get past it, losing in two straight – and dubious – falls. [I]Pit Bull Brown defeated Steve Flash in two straight falls[/I] RATING: C+ The Force appear on the big screen where Jed goes on a massive rant against whoever kidnapped Simona. RATING: E+ Not a bad show, overall. Usual complaints. We're getting there, though. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 October brings with it the usual major news; UCR have brought in Skull deBones, which really surprised me; Haruki Kodo has announced his plans to retire, which means I need to figure out what evening I can spare to settle down and watch his best matches again; EXODUS2010 survives its first tour, though Extraordinario dropped his TV title last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 October The Cobra Den 812 in attendance RATING: 0.35 Death from Above reunite for the opener, taking on Los Hijos, and bombing utterly; the match just fails to work on close to every level. Eagle hits the New Jersey Turnpike on Capitao to end things. [I]Death from Above defeated Los Hijos when Black Eagle pinned Capitao Brasil Jr[/I] RATING: D- [B]Don Henderson vs. Hidekazu[/B] At least the first match on the show made up for it. Don and Hidekazu unleashed their usual furious technical action as the broadcast began, showing that just because you're a submission oriented wrestler doesn't mean you can't wrestle a fast-paced match. And it just kept on going, too, with everything pointing to a time limit draw until, finally, Don turned a tilt-a-whirl into a brainbuster, stepped forward, and set the Scottish Deathlock in for the win. [I]Don Henderson defeated Hidekazu by submission[/I] RATING: B Dragon hit the ring next to hype his main event tonight against his fellow Code of Honour challenger, Matthew Gauge RATING: C+ [B]Hugh de Aske vs. El Critico for the ROF TV Championship[/B] Hugh wasn't happy about losing here, but he's really started to develop; it's time he was looking to break into the main event section of the card. Which meant that he and Critico had an opportunity to go at it hammer and tongs, with Hugh eventually losing clean to get the TV Championship back in circulation. And Hugh's just signed with the SWF, too, so it's definitely time we looked at where we want to position him. [I]El Critico defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ We ran a quick hype video for the Code of Honour main event, showcasing the three men involved RATING: C [B]British Sanurai vs. Buff Martinez[/B] Buff, in any case, proves he can do better than last week as he steamrolls Sammy, who looked pretty happy to be pushing Buff a little after I told him about the Martinez nerves. It took him 12:40 to put Sammy away, and all of it was good. [I]Buff Martinez defeated British Samurai by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- [B]Matthew Gauge vs. UK Dragon[/B] A little under half an hour for this main event, and both men put together a pretty good match – both can do better, but I'll accept this and I'm sure it's helped us build anticipation and sell PPVs. As with Knights of the Ring, Matthew went for the Dragon's weak spot, slowly forcing him to knuckle under as he targeted his back before applying the Proton Lock. [I]Matthew Gauge defeated UK Dragon by submission[/I] RATING: B Joey closed the show out mocking Buff Martinez, pointing out that he just wasn't the kind of wunderkind Joey is, waltzing in to claim the ROF title in short order. RATING: D One of our best northern shows, I think. The build continues. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 1 October Lubuskie Arena 1000 in attendance Nigel and Remmy clash again, nine weeks straight. The reaction isn't quite as good as last week in the Plaza, but I do think we're getting there. The running knee drive carries the day once more. [I]Nigel Svensson defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Bairei Yasujiro vs. Rolling Johnny Stones[/B] A lengthy and underpar match sees the first new USPW champ finally overcome Bairei. They should definitely have gone better, but this happens, sometimes. Still, Johnny gets another win. [I]Rolling Johnny Stones defeated Bairei Yasujiro by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- Backstage, Jed accused Ruud of having abducted Simona, which Ruud adamantly denied. This led to a massive row. RATING: E+ [B]East and West vs. Los Leyendas for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] One of their weaker matches, which is to say, better than last week's ladder match. I think a lot of the problem was that Nichiren just wasn't firing on all cylinders, and that meant his final hot tag sequence fell a bit flat, though the Five Point Stretch on Ultimate Phoenix still looked pretty good. [I]East and West defeated Los Leyendas when Nichiren Amagawa made Ultimate Phoenix submit[/I] RATING: C Backstage again, and S.K. Walker crosses gloves with Seiji Jimbo, insinuating that the WLW crew might've taken Simona. Again the denial, again the furious argument. RATING: E+ [B]S.K. Walker vs. Seiji Jimbo[/B] Very good work here, with Jimbo playing teacher for the older wrestler and a quarter of an hour's battle getting the crowd roaring their approval before the Kessel Run allowed Walker the victory. [I]S.K. Walker defeated Seiji Jimbo by pinfall[/I] RATING: B Brown and Jillefski begin to boast of the champ's dominance, before being interrupted by an angry Merle O'Curle. Shouting angry people is the primary theme this week, it seems. Nadia gave Merle a lot of backup, and her style seems to be rubbing off on the quiet Irishman. Along the way Merle mentioned that he had Brown in an Iron Man match tonight, and called Jillefski's sanity into question if he was going to keep making these tough matches for his charge. RATING: E+ [B] Pit Bull Brown vs. Merle O'Curle for the USPW World Championship in a 30 minute Iron Man match[/B] Danny Jillefski proves to be slightly slicker at interfering than Nadia Snow is at cutting him off, and that leaves the match to roll to a one-all draw, with Jillefski spending all of his time just preventing O'Curle from getting the submission. Great match that really showcases the cheating heel champ angle. [I]Pit Bull Brown drew with Merle O'Curle at one fall apiece[/I] RATING: B- Damn good show for Europe, and as such I'm pretty happy. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 October Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.39 Los Hijos and The Animals duel again in another miserable abortion of a match. This time it's El Bestia Purpura's Beast Bomb that carries the day, laying out Capitao Brasil Jr. [I]The Animals defeated Los Hijos when El Bestia Purpura pinned Capitao Brasil Jr[/I] RATING: D- Again, the dark is also used to run a quick hype video for Buff Martinez and Mario Heroic. It gets a better reception than the prior match. RATING: D+ [B]The Stunners vs. Hot Fuzz in a two out of three falls match for the ROF Tag Titles[/B] Short but (comparatively) sweet as Hot Fuzz overcome their lack of chemistry to continue building some degree of respect for the tag belts opposite the Stunners. Keith Adams takes the first fall against Black Eagle in the first minute, but the Stunners quickly rally, evening the score with a superbomb splash at six minutes in. Things slow down then, but eventually Brandon suplexes Keith and Edward out of the ring in rapid succession. Eagle then vaults into Brandon's arms and Brandon sends him flying over the top rope with a fallaway slam to take out both members of Hot Fuzz. Brandon quickly goes to the outside himself, and the resulting brawl sees the final fall end in a double count out. [I]The Stunners drew with Hot Fuzz at one fall apiece with the final fall drawn[/I] RATING: C+ [B]El Critico vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Extraordinario Jr vs. Johnny Highspot vs. KC Glenn vs. Nate Johnson for the ROF TV Championship[/B] A good bit of multi-man match work to give our undercard exposure and tuition at the same time. As always, this is something of a spotfest, but at length Critico gets the Critical Mass on Nate Johnson during a period where no one can reach him in time to break up the pin. [I]El Critico defeated Daniel Black Francis, Extraordinario Jr, Johnny Highspot, KC Glenn and Nate Johnson when he pinned Nate Johnson[/I] RATING: C+ Don and Nadia then hit the ring. Don pointed out that, once again, Critico held gold when Don didn't, and went on to say that he'd proved he was beyond the TV Championship. After all, he'd worn almost all the gold that had turned into it, and was the first man in Ring of Fire to unify titles. He challenged Critico to a match next week at Code of Honour. RATING: C+ [B]Buff Martinez vs. Mario Heroic[/B] After a match like this I'm not sure Buff could really be said to have anything to fear. Buff and Mario turn out to have incredible chemistry, and as such a match as short as last week's battle with Sammy is streets ahead of it. The El KO is waiting for Mario Heroic around the twelve minute mark, but getting there was a great deal of fun. [I]Buff Martinez defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall[/I] RATING: B+ I took that opportunity to announce that at Code of Honour we'd have a ten-man Battle Royal, with the winner getting a title shot against El Critico the following week. RATING: E+ [B]British Samurai vs. Davis Wayne Newton[/B] The lack of chemistry between these two has been conquered many times in the past, but this turned out not to be one of those times. Sammy put on a fantastic portrayal of a man out to prove himself after losing to Buff last week, but after a little over twenty-six minutes Davis countered the Secret Samurai Stretch into the Newton's Cradle to pick up the win in what was, nonetheless, a good match. [I]Davis Wayne Newton defeated British Samurai by pinfall[/I] RATING: B Joey then came out and cut a promo where he challenged Buff Martinez at Code of Honour, saying that 'the cool breeze will roll over your dead dreams of being the best, and I'm going to show you how far from that you are'. Buff promptly hit the ring to take him up on it. RATING: C+ The show ended with a montage of wrestlers set to perform at Code of Honour: Davis, Dragon, Matthew, Don, and Critico. RATING: C Could've been better, but more than adequate. Incredible rating for this one, though; we've broken the record again. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Another working agreement inked, this one with RIPW. Talking to Ota's lined me up three talent trades for the battle royal; a fourth is coming in from RIPW. Joss Thompson's letting his 21CW contract lapse – they aren't big enough for him. Another strike in the battle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 2 October Plaza La Navarre 1000 in attendance Nigel and Remmy go round again, with Remmy again falling to the running knee strike. As with last time we were at the Plaza, this gets a pretty good response. [I]Nigel Svensson defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]The Force (Jed High, Toby Juan Kenobi & S.K. Walker) vs. The Riot Act & Steve Flash[/B] Continuing the Simona kidnap arc while bringing Steve in to see how many tips he can impart, this ended up being the battle of the singles stars, with Walker being the real star of the match. When he had Flash almost beaten, however, Jed tagged in blind and was met, during his dive, with a Flash Bang which put him down for a pinfall out of nowhere. One of the better matches I've gotten out of Jed and Toby. [I]The Riot Act & Steve Flash defeated The Force when Steve Flash pinned Jed High[/I] RATING: C+ A man in a full-body black suit hit the ramp and cut a vicious promo through some kind of voice distorter, explaining that the Riot Act was the wrong tree to bark up; that he was, in fact, responsible for Simona's kidnap. RATING: E The Force promptly rush him, but get cut off by Dean Daniels and Chojiro Kitoaji while the masked man makes his escape. RATING: E [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Billy Robinson for the USPW National Championship[/B] I need to go back to having Ray lay Billy's matches out for him. He's just not developing fast enough. Accordingly, this was indeed pretty poor, but Chojiro handled it pretty well, eventually laying out Billy with the Kitoaji Lariat. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Billy Robinson by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- Danny Jillefski then cut a promo warning the crowd that use of the Celtic Crossface was now barred in the promotion. RATING: F [B]East and West vs. Los Leyendas for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] Again, not as good as they can do, but they didn't have much time and I wanted a draw to make Los Leyendas look more of a threat than their card position would suggest. Nichiren wasn't too keen on that idea, and I think that weakened it, but on the other hand Marc Speed hit more aerial tricks than I've seen him go for before now and the overall story went pretty damn well; one of Marc's top-turnbuckle moves, a shooting star press, laid out referee Kazuko Hiroyuki by accident and Seiji Jimbo appeared at ringside, sliding a pair of chairs into the ring. Marc grabbed one and Leon another as Jimbo and Bairei slid into the ring and laid out Nichiren and Ultimate Phoenix with their signature moves before rolling clear. Confronted with apparent evidence of chairshots, Kazuko disqualified both teams. [I]East and West drew with Los Leyendas when both teams were disqualified.[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Pit Bull Brown vs. Merle O'Curle in a two out of three falls match for the USPW World Championship[/B] This was good. Merle worked the new stip excellently, nearly going for the Crossface on a number of occasions before breaking off and rolling clear to come at the problem again from another direction. Brown got the first fall after one such dithering, hitting the Dog House Piledriver, and Merle came back to win the second when a charging clothesline allowed Merle to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker... and step into the Scottish Deathlock, the signature move of Nadia's other client in Ring of Fire, which got probably the pop of the match. Jillefski's cheating ways, however, allowed Brown to low blow Merle and roll him up for the final fall to carry the match. On commentary, Bernie Evans questioned why Merle kept getting title shots when Jillefski was obviously so scared of him winning. [I]Pit Bull Brown defeated Merle O'Curle by two falls to one[/I] RATING: B- Good show all told. There were weak spots, but they're weak spots I now know about and can deal with. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 Prediction key for Code of Honour: TV Los Hijos vs. The Animals El Heroe Mexicanoe vs. Extraordinario Jr vs. KC Glenn Nate Johnson vs. Johnny Highspot in a Ladder Match East and West vs. The Stunners Hidekazu vs. Mario Heroic Hugh de Aske vs. Keith Adams Daniel Black Francis vs. Edward Cornell Code of Honour: KC Glenn vs. Nate Johnson 10-Man Battle Royal Mayhem featuring Capitao Brasil Jr, Citizen X, Daniel Black Francis, Edward Cornell, El Bestia Purpura, Extraordinario Jr, Fox Mask, Johnny Highspot, Keith Adams and Roy Edison Don Henderson vs. El Critico The Stunners vs. The Showstealers Buff Martinez vs Joey Beauchamp Davis Wayne Newton vs. Matthew Gauge vs. UK Dragon for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 October Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.34 Once again, Los Hijos go up against the Animals in our dark match, this time with a script by Optimus that turns the match into something that's merely disappointing rather than a debacle. Capitao Brasil gets the win over Amo del Gato with the Inverted Figure Four again. [I]Los Hijos defeated The Animals when Capitao Brasil Jr made Amo del Gato submit[/I] RATING: C- We kick off the actual broadcast with me interviewing Davis about his match tonight. Davis talks himself up excellently and gets the crowd pumped in one of the very best promo segments we've ever run. RATING: B [B]El Heroe Mexicanoe vs. Extraordinario Jr vs. KC Glenn[/B] A triple threat to trial our newest signing. While weakish, it wasn't too bad – I get the feeling that once Heroe and Glenn actually have a decent recognition factor on TV we'll get better reactions from this kind of thing. For now, however, Extraordinario lays both of them out with successive Siempre Peleandos and pins Glenn for the win. Pre-PPV show issues as ever; who do we use, who do we conserve? [I]Extraordinario Jr defeated El Heroe Mexicanoe & KC Glenn when he pinned KC Glenn[/I] RATING: C [B]Nate Johnson vs. Johnny Highspot in a Ladder Match[/B] Just to see if the stip would boost these two to even greater heights. It didn't, but their chemistry meant it was still a pretty good use of our time as the show continues to improve. Johnny even worked in the frog splash from the top of the ladder before scrambling up again to grab the prize. [I]Johnny Highspot defeated Nate Johnson when he retrieved the prize[/I] RATING: C+ [B]East and West vs. The Stunners[/B] Matthew and I informed the fans that as part of our deal with USPW we'd brought these two fine stars back into the ROF fold for one night only, to hold a champions vs champions match. We ran it out to 17:59, when Brandon covered Nichiren as the legal man following a superbomb splash, but this was a truly fantastic tag match that made Marc and Nichiren look like stars. [I]The Stunners defeated East and West when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Nichiren Amagawa[/I] RATING: B Mario came out next, informing the crowd that he was feeling bored and as such was setting a five minute cap for himself. His opponent? Hidekazu. Matthew and I debated how stupid you'd have to be to set that challenge as Hidekazu made his way to the ring. RATING: D+ [B]Hidekazu vs. Mario Heroic[/B] This one went to the time limit, but I need to praise these men. If you can get that kind of crowd reaction in only five minutes, you have to be good. [I]Hidekazu drew with Mario Heroic when the time limit elapsed[/I] RATING: B- [B]Hugh de Aske vs. Keith Adams[/B] Hot Fuzz' senior member proved no match for the Crossbreed Pirate, as Hugh got the Cut-Throat driver in only a little more than eight minutes to walk away with the pin. Not too bad, though, but it proves that Hugh needs a little more work before he can call the match like a main eventer. [I]Hugh de Aske defeated Keith Adams by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B] Daniel Black Francis vs. Edward Cornell[/B] As main events go, this was the wrong choice. I don't know what went wrong here, but they just didn't produce a good match at all. When the opening triple threat does better than you, there's a problem. Edward got the win at the top of the night, though, with a triangle choke. [I]Edward Cornell defeated Daniel Black Francis by submission[/I] RATING: C- We closed the show out with a hype video for Joey vs. Buff, pitching it as UCR vs. 21CW. We ended the show all wrong, suffice to say. RATING: D+ A very poor show by our current standards. Shame, really. Let's hope Code of Honour makes up for it. Our rating remains above where it was only two months ago, though – proof that we're still growing. OVERALL: C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 ROF: Code of Honour Tuesday Week 3 October Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.11 Be interesting to see how this does. We've gone to two hours of PPV; might need to start looking at padding our psychology-based roster. Our dark match between broadcast and PPV: KC Glenn and Nate Johnson, with Nate pulling out a win after a... let's call it a reasonable... match. [I]Nate Johnson defeated KC Glenn by pinfall[/I] RATING: C The PPV proper starts with two men in the ring; Petey Barnes and Adam Matravers, the Show Stealers! To the accompaniment of a big pop, they talk themselves up and promise a hell of a battle against the Stunners tonight to prove just who is the best team in UK professional wrestling. Given the Stunners have already wrestled, they pick up instant heel heat here. RATING: C+ [B]10-Man Battle Royal Mayhem featuring Capitao Brasil Jr, Citizen X, Daniel Black Francis, Edward Cornell, El Bestia Purpura, Extraordinario Jr, Fox Mask, Johnny Highspot, Keith Adams and Roy Edison[/B] This was always going to be a gamble, and it didn't pay off as well as I'd hoped. Roy Edison opened eliminations early, hitting the Patent Pending Roundhouse on Purpura within thirty seconds and picking up the pin and doing the same within ten seconds further to Capitao Brasil Jr. Fox Mask, however, promptly hit him with the Fox Hunter and put him away. Daniel Black Francis got Citizen X with the Dreadlock Drop and then Johnny Highspot hit the frog splash on X, putting the RIPW representative out of the picture. Cornell and Adams teamed up, getting the Stiff Sentence leg lariat/leg sweep combo on Highspot as he stood up but it didn't last long – Fox Mask struck again, landing the Fox Hunter on Adams to a good pop – Fox's UKW time has made him something of a name in the UK. Extraordinario Jr got the shock of the battle royal, getting the Siempre Peleando on Daniel Black Francis to cover and pick up the win and leave us with only three men in the ring. Edward dodged the Fox Hunter and used his momentum to roll Extraordinario up for the pin before ducking another Fox Hunter and hitting the Rough Ride to pin Fox Mask and put him away for the win. I don't think we'll be repeating this experiment, but I'm glad I know now. [I]Edward Cornell won a 10-man battle royal mayhem. Extraordinario Jr, Fox Mask, and Daniel Black Francis joined him in the final four, with Fox Mask being the last elimination.[/I] RATING: C A hype video next with a montage of the stars still to be featured in the PPV; Davis, Dragon, Matthew, Don, Critico, Buff and Joey RATING: C [B]Don Henderson vs. El Critico[/B] This boosted my spirits after that somewhat lacklustre start. As ever, Don and Critico raced through to the twenty minute mark without a deciding fall, but there are no time limits on PPV, and so the battle raged on – and, again, if anyone ever tells you you can't get fast paced submission wrestling, force them to watch this. Don finally countered a sunset flip attempt into the Scottish Deathlock to pick up the win. [I]Don Henderson defeated El Critico by submission[/I] RATING: B [B]The Stunners vs. The Showstealers[/B] Shortish match due to tiredness constraints. I'd hoped to make this a title match and have my boys defend, but Petey exercised his veto on that one, so we just went for it all out, with the Stunners putting on a show with all their double-teams but being pulled up short by the slight experience edge Matravers and Barnes have together. Petey eventually got the win, flattening Eagle with the X-Press. [I]The Showstealers defeated The Stunners when Petey Barnes pinned Black Eagle[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Buff Martinez vs Joey Beauchamp[/B] A lack of chemistry between these two, I think. But they overcame it, pulling together a match that had the fans back on their feet and roaring their approval. Buff gave Joey a run for his money and looked to put it away on a number of occasions – but Joey knows better than anyone what a strong debut can mean to a ROF career, and shut Buff down to deny him with a series of brutal Breeze Blocks. Good work by both men, chemistry notwithstanding. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Buff Martinez[/I] RATING: B- Another video recaps the build to tonight's main event. RATING: B- [B]Davis Wayne Newton vs. Matthew Gauge vs. UK Dragon for the ROF Championship[/B] Fantastic. Great work, this, truly great work. Once again both Davis and Matthew targeted the back of Dragon as his obvious weak point, but once again it wasn't the Dragon who found his shoulders pinned to the mat; after Matthew floored him with a superplex, Davis realised there was an opening, and got the Newton's Cradle on Gauge while Dragon was unable to intercede. A great match, this one. [I]Davis Wayne Newton defeated UK Dragon and Matthew Gauge by pinfall[/I] RATING: A A good show that will give us the build we need in the Midlands and elsewhere. The move to Euro Your Demand looks to have been a smart one – our buyrate has elevated greatly off a fairly weak PPV. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 DJ Reason's out of 21CW, too – they're really starting to run out of steam, I think. Though their TV show and monthly supercard was pretty solid this time around... but not solid enough, I don't think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted December 31, 2007 Author Share Posted December 31, 2007 “You're sure about this?” Sammy asked, looking up at me from the title belt he cradled in his hands. I nodded. “With the new signing for the Jillefski thing on USPW, it'd be stupid not to. I thought we'd kick it off at Premier League, five weeks away. Gives us nearly ten shows to build them. I've made overtures to the other obvious candidate, given we now own USPW.” The boss looked back down at the belt and sucked in his breath. “I don't know, Terry,” he said. “Using USPW to steer the whole company... it seems like the tail wagging the dog.” “Think of this as just being the catalyst,” I suggest. “We've been planning this a long time.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 USPW Standard Bearers Sunday Week 3 October Lubuskie Arena 1000 in attendance A slightly shorter dark bout than usual for Remmy and Nigel still saw the usual result. Neither man is quite as over in Poland as elsewhere, sadly, but the result's still fine for a dark match. [I]Nigel Svensson defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- The reason it was shorter; a second dark match saw Miss Information tie up with Nadia Snow as we finally get back to incorporating women's wrestling. It's weak, it has to be said – very weak – but I can't help but think that it can be built on once they get momentum. Maybe that's just me deluding myself; we'll see. Miss Information, the multi-time UCR Women's Champion, gets the win with a nice butterfly suplex and a rollover into a pin. [I]Miss Information defeated Nadia Snow by pinfall[/I] RATING: D- Jillefski shows up at the start of the webcast, heaving a sigh, and announces that tonight's main event will see Pit Bull Brown face the gauntlet that is Rolling Johnny Stones and Merle O'Curle in sequence, with the title on the line in both bouts. “As even you must have figured out,” he snaps to the camera, “I don't own USPW. Not any more.” RATING: E [B] Chojiro Kitoaji vs. SK Walker in a Shoot Fight for the USPW National Championship[/B] Bernie tries fruitlessly to tease the name of the owner out of Jillefski during this match, and also explains that the cage is there at Chojiro's request to keep the Force from interfering. It's more good stuff from Chojiro and Sergei, and the crowd are heavily into it. Walker fails, however, to put Chojiro away in this environment. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated SK Walker by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- A panning shot across the audience slows and focuses in on a platinum blonde in the front row. RATING: E+ Jillefski, watching the monitor, yells out in disgust and storms across to the rail, where he argues with the blonde at volume and almost incomprehensibly for a couple of minutes. She doesn't lose her composure at any point. RATING: F- [B]East and West vs. Los Leyendas for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] Just not as good a grouping as they have been here, for some reason. Still, it's an acceptable ten minutes that gets the fans back into the show after the previous couple of segments, ending when Marc takes Leon to the mat with a cross armbreaker. [I]East and West defeated Los Leyendas when Marc Speed made El Leon tap out[/I] RATING: C The disguised man hits the ring again, where he calls for an interviewer. Miss Information comes out, and they cut a quick promo where he lays down the rules the Force have to follow if they want to see Simona again: win the tag titles back, and wait for further instructions. RATING: E [B]The Force vs. The Riot Act[/B] With Ray doing the scripting, this wasn't as bad as I'd feared. It would've helped had Jonni been feeling it tonight, which he wasn't, but it was still an OK use of time, running a quarter of an hour before Toby laid out Ruud and hit the Star Destroyer for the win. [I]The Force defeated The Riot Act when Toby Juan Kenobi pinned Ruud van Anger[/I] RATING: C- [B] Pit Bull Brown vs. Rolling Johnny Stones for the USPW World Championship[/B] A tough if short fight here, as Brown and Stones prove evenly matched – which means Jillefski can make all the difference in the world, as he does to help Brown get the Dog House Piledriver and put it beyond question. [I]Pit Bull Brown defeated Rolling Johnny Stones by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]Pit Bull Brown vs. Merle O'Curle for the USPW World Championship[/B] Here, Brown's tired and Jillefski can be countered by Nadia. Merle thus quickly begins to dominate, turning the tide and rebuffing Brown's every counter. Around fourteen minutes in Merle catches the Secret Samurai Stretch out of nowhere, forcing Brown to submit and securing himself the belt for a second time. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Pit Bull Brown by submission[/I] RATING: C+ Watching this, I expected this to do much more poorly overall than it did; I'm just thankful this wasn't televised, as I suspect the ratings would have died. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 October Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.40 We continue the two-dark-match structure; Los Hijos once again battle the Animals, with Huracan Sandoval Jr picking up the win over El Bestia Purpura in a weak match. [I]Los Hijos defeated The Animals when Huracan Sandoval Jr pinned El Bestia Purpura[/I] RATING: C- The second dark match saw Miss Information, current UCR Women's Champion, take on April Appleseed, two-time former NOTBPW Women's Champion. Again, not great, but neither are these people's accomplishments in the ring well-known to the fans in Edgeware Hall. I do anticipate these getting a little better. It was Sammy's protege who again picked up the win; there's a lot more upside to her doing so, as April's likely to start looking to retire soon. [I]Miss Information defeated April Appleseed by pinfall[/I] RATING: D We kicked off the show proper with UK Dragon formally asking me if I would book the Champions League main event as a one-on-one match between Davis and he for the title, with no one else interfering, as he'd been the man who didn't lose in both prior matches. I agreed that it was time he got a clear shot. RATING: C [B]Kristabel Plum vs. Wanda Fish[/B] 'Hey, isn't that the blonde chick Jillefski was yelling at?' Matthew asked as Wanda made her way to the ring, leading to me executing a spit take. When I got control of myself, I coolly said “That's the owner of USPW, yes. She also wrestles occasionally – Matthew, do you actually watch wrestling?” Both of these girls are new signings, and their natural chemistry together shows why they've become legends in womens' wrestling. I think our women's division money match has been found, especially as at present Alicia Strong is too busy to sign for us. Great work by both women overcame the 'unknown' factor they face in the UK and inside ten minutes they put together an excellent match, ending with the Dish of the Day to allow Wanda to pick up the pin. [I]Wanda Fish defeated Kristabel Plum by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ I took the opportunity, then, to explain that in association with USPW we were proud to announce the ROF/USPW Interpromotional Women's Championship, the first holder of which would be crowned at Champion's League. The question now was – who'd actually take part in that match? A series of matches on Fighting Fit and Standard Bearers shows would determine that... RATING: E [B]El Critico vs. Edward Cornell for the ROF TV Championship[/B] Good work from both men that I think, under the right circumstances, could be even better. Cornell played the role of determined challenger well, and he and Critico tried out a lot of interesting new tricks with each other, but in the end it was Critico's old standby of the Critical Mass that carried the day. [I]El Critico defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ Joey and Don are seen backstage, with Don – flanked by Nadia – lighting into Joey for having 'more breaks than you deserve'. It became clear that Don wanted to prove he deserved the treatment Joey gets, and eventually they agreed they'd each find a partner for a main event tag tonight. RATING: C+ [B]Buff Martinez vs. Nate Johnson[/B] This is a 'can't pick up the pace' show, I think, which is no particularly bad thing when the pace is this solid – but I'd like to see it get that little bit better. Apart from anything else, this is what the fans have come to expect – this won't give us much UK traction. Nate celebrates his slow move up the roster by taking on a main eventer, while Buff gives us another pretty solid performance to maintain his pace and pick up a little more momentum when he hits the El KO. Not much else to be said, really. [I]Buff Martinez defeated Nate Johnson by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Don Henderson & UK Dragon vs. Joey Beauchamp & Davis Wayne Newton in a 30 minute Iron Man Tag match[/B] A good main event here; not, perhaps, quite as good as combinations of these guys can do on their own but still pretty good. And some interesting things came of it, with Joey and Davis showing a friendship before the match started that quickly turned irate when Dragon got the Dragon Drop on Davis and pinned him to go up, before Joey managed, eventually, to put Dragon down with a Breeze Block to Dragon's injured back and a cover for the pin. A lot more was unleashed by the time this was done – Don breaking out a gutwrench-spin out neckbreaker combo on Joey, for one – but nothing else scored a fall, and the two teams ended up on par. [I]Don Henderson & UK Dragon drew with Joey Beauchamp & Davis Wayne Newton at one fall apiece[/I] RATING: B+ I really need to remember to trust in my main event crew to take the show up a notch. This definitely worked out OK. Once again we hit a new record rating, bouncing back well from last week's slump. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 4 October Plaza La Navarre 905 in attendance Our beginning dark match sees new signing Huntress Makiko take on Nadia Snow, producing a 21CW effort as she begins to build momentum and goes over Nadia with the Tokyo Express. Nadia's young and has plenty of time to develop, so I'm not worried that as yet she's weak – we can build her into something special as we go. [I]Huntress Makiko defeated Nadia Snow by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ A second dark match saw April Appleseed do battle with Kristabel Plum, and I'm very glad this was in the dark; the sheer degree to which these two have no chemistry is painful. Kristabel gets the win to give her some momentum back following her loss to Wanda, but this is awful. [I]Kristabel Plum defeated April Appleseed by pinfall[/I] RATING: D- Kicking off the webcast the Force challenged East and West to a match 'in accordance with the extortion' RATING: E+ [B]Nigel Svensson vs. Remmy Honeyman[/B] The perpetual dark match gets out into the light once again, but isn't as good as it has been. Nigel goes over here to only a lukewarm crowd reaction. This is probably the last time these two get paired for a while; time to get back to their diversity of opponents. [I]Nigel Svensson defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Billy Robinson vs. Dean Daniels[/B] Because, frankly, Billy needs more exposure. He and Dean put on a fantastic display of technical wrestling with the aid of a Crippler Ray script. Really nice work ends with Billy locking in the Capital City Crucifix and picking up the win. [I]Billy Robinson defeated Dean Daniels by submission[/I] RATING: B- East and West hit the ramp to formally accept The Force's challenge for next week. RATING: E [B]Pit Bull Brown vs. Steve Flash[/B] A time limit draw to get Steve back in people's minds. Still not what you'd call great work from Brown, who's really started to lose it past his initial push. Still, we'll take what we can get right now. [I]Pit Bull Brown drew with Steve Flash when the time limit expired.[/I] RATING: C The Riot Act got in on the act, putting their own case for a tag title shot soon. RATING: D- [B]Merle O'Curle vs. Rolling Johnny Stones in a two out of three falls match for the USPW World Championship[/B] Good work again by these two to help us pick the pace back up and make something of the show. Merle gets the win in two straight falls, but I'm pretty sure that Johnny's developing pretty well, which is going to help us in time to come. Around now Johnny's our most viable contender for Merle's title. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Rolling Johnny Stones by two straight falls[/I] RATING: B- As European shows go, this was pretty good, and I'm confident that our standing's improved. I find myself wondering if we'll be able to upgrade to a bigger network when our TV deal runs out sometime next year. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 ...And April's announced she's going to retire in a month. OK. Well, I guess we can work with that... Surprised the hell out of me that it'd be so soon, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday, Week 1, November The Cobra Den 752 in attendance RATING: 0.36 Two months til my next review. I think I've got retention of the job in the bag, but you still get nervous. This year has kinda been the Year of the Gamble, and while they've mostly paid off, they've paid off as long-term investments – we're slowly approaching a power level in Europe, for example. I'm not sure I'd say the overall product at this point is as good as it was this time last year. I predict it's going to be a long time before we move beyond the Cobra Den, and it's a hotbed of traditional wrestling fans. They don't much like incorporating women into the product. So we have to make them at least happy to see our women wrestlers. The dark match tonight featured Huntress Makiko, Kristabel Plum, Wanda Fish and Miss Information squaring off, with Makiko picking up a win over Plum. Audience reaction kept this firmly at 21CW levels, but for these girls that's enough to gain them some momentum. [I]Huntress Makiko defeated Kristabel Plum, Miss Information & Wanda Fish when she pinned Kristabel Plum[/I] RATING: D+ The show proper kicked off with Davis hyping the Champion's League main event against UK Dragon. He really put it over, and I was happy with this one. RATING: B- [B]Hidekazu vs. El Heroe Mexicanoe[/B] A quick match to give Heroe a little more exposure, and a weakish match as he was off his game. Hidekazu continues to perform well and put Heroe away with the tilt-a-whirl powerbomb in a technical showcase. [I]Hidekazu defeated El Heroe Mexicanoe by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]El Critico vs. Roy Edison for the ROF TV Championship[/B] Again not as good as I'd hoped. Critico and Roy performed... OK, but between a lack of real exposure to these fans and other factors they just didn't get the reaction I wanted. Critico hits the Critical Mass and puts Roy away in a quarter of an hour, getting a stronger reign out of this at the very least. [I]El Critico defeated Roy Edison by pinfall[/I] RATING: C Matthew Gauge then hit the ring, challenging Buff Martinez to a match. I expected slightly better reactions to this from the crowd, I must say. RATING: D [B]Buff Martinez vs. Matthew Gauge[/B] Buff wasn't performing at the level we've seen him reach tonight, but that didn't matter; this time-limit draw still popped the Cobra Den crowd significantly and gave the show's energy a real boost. Good work from both men. [I]Buff Martinez drew with Matthew Gauge when the time limit expired[/I] RATING: B- Another hype video for tonight's main event featuring Joey and Hugh; again, not received well at all. RATING: D- [B]Hugh de Aske vs. Joey Beauchamp[/B] Oh, God. This wasn't good. This SHOW wasn't good. One of the weakest matches I've seen from Joey in quite some time here leaves me very glad that Joey/Hugh isn't on the Champions League docket. This was... acceptable, just about, but Joey at least gains some momentum from scoring the pinfall. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ As shows go, this... well, it did the job. In the North, putting on something this weak is still good enough to drive us forward, and it's not quite bad enough to drag us down elsewhere. But I'm not particularly happy with it... OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 Bad news for the USPW wing of the company; Ultimate Phoenix won his match at CZCW last night... but did so with a broken neck, thanks to Jimmy P. He'll be out for over a year, the doctors are telling me. Not happy. Web dirtsheets are now making a case for me pushing KC Glenn hard over the next few years. He's a good wrestler, but I'm going to let him try to find his own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 1 November Plaza La Navarre 1000 in attendance Another dark pairing designed to debut and build some anticipation for our women wrestlers takes place here, as Anna Ki defeats Raven Nightfall with a Ki-DT in what was, in part due to a total lack of momentum, a real 21CW case. Hopefully that'll improve as they get into gear. [I]Anna Ki defeated Raven Nightfall by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ The webcast itself opened with Wanda Fish asserting her authority within USPW, and announcing that as of tonight, the Celtic Crossface was a valid move within the promotion once more. RATING: E [B]East and West vs. The Force for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] One of the better matches we've wrung from the Force despite Toby not really feeling it tonight, as Marc and Nichiren really make everything they do work while getting the best out of their own spots. Nichiren seems to be picking up a lot of speed in what he does in the ring, too, and strung together an impressive dropkick sequence for a submission specialist, ended when Toby made a blind tag in and hit an impressive running big boot. Jed eventually took Marc down with the Star Destroyer and got the inevitable win to continue the Simona storyline, providing the Force with another title reign to add to their resumes. [I]The Force defeated East and West when Jed High pinned Marc Speed[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Jaime Quine vs. Ochiyo Iijima[/B] And once again we get a 21CW match for the same reasons as the dark match; it's all about providing the start of the momentum the women are going to need. Jaime gets the win here with her fearsome KO Kick. [I]Jaime Quine defeated Ochiyo Iijima by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ [B]El Leon vs. Remmy Honeyman[/B] Taking fourteen months out of trying to get Los Leyendas over is clearly not a wise plan, especially as Leon is the older of the two. Accordingly I'm letting him strut his stuff on his own, and he goes over here in one of the better matches Remmy's been a part of, with Leon buttoning things up via the Split Second Justice. [I]El Leon defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: C The Force then appeared on the big screen and demanded Simona's release. Being all fired up appears to work for them, as it gets a pretty good reaction for a 21CW promo. RATING: D- [B]Billy Robinson vs. Steve Flash[/B] See? Technical wrestling can get you over without needing to cut a great promo! Billy and Steve put on what's got to be in the top 5 matches of the new USPW, garnering a fantastic reaction in just under eleven minutes and powering Steve's momentum onward as he slips clear of the Crucifix and hits a Flash Bang on the rebound. [I]Steve Flash defeated Billy Robinson by pinfall[/I] RATING: B [B] Merle O'Curle vs. Bairei Yasujiro for the USPW World Championship[/B] Age is starting to catch up with Bairei, and while he's still got some gas in the tank this was probably his last shot at proving he deserves to be a top title contender. Still, his new role is already beginning, as the weakness of this bout demonstrates where we need to be going with him. Merle gets the win with the Celtic Crossface to reaffirm his move. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Bairei Yasujiro by pinfall[/I] RATING: C Seiji Jimbo closed the webcast out with a promo, promising great things to come. RATING: E A worthwhile show, by and large, as we definitely leave the Plaza with more hype than we began. Given the risks involved in launching the womens' division, I wasn't sure that would happen. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 Bumfhole is not a name you'd expect to see on a movie marquee, but it's gonna happen; Zimmy's off to film Clutch Control. Around the time it's due out I make a note to talk with local news stations and see if we can use some of the public attention to wrestling to provide a little extra in the way of viewers. It's not all good news, though, as Eric Tyler's sticking with 21CW and so the war isn't going anywhere. Indeed, he's likely to concentrate further; his strangehold on the DaVE Unified belt was broken last night when Big Cat Brandon overcame him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 November Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.38 More dark damsel work sees Cherry Bomb debut against Kristabel Plum, stringing together another 21CW match before the Plum Tucker carries the day for Kristabel. Not great, but not bad. We'll see how the women do over the next month or so before I start to worry. [I]Kristabel Plum defeated Cherry Bomb by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ A second dark match, and KC Glenn works against Roy Edison. These guys have momentum and exposure on their side, albeit not much, and produce nothing that works any better; more 21CW pre-show stuff. Roy gets the win with his lethal-looking armbar finisher. [I]Roy Edison defeated KC Glenn by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ Kicking off the show, Sammy makes to introduce his new manager – another steal from 21CW, as Double-P Phoebe Plumridge returns! It's weakly received, as ever, but I'm hoping to see more from this in time. RATING: D- Hugh promptly hits the ring himself, getting into an argument with Sammy about how he should be the one with a manager, he's the one going places, etc. Still weak, but that's all stuff to work on. RATING: D [B]The Stunners vs. Hot Fuzz in a two out of three falls match for the ROF Tag Titles[/B] Well, this was not something I expected. The first fall saw Brandon and Eagle hit stereo suicide dives through the ropes, something I never expected from Brandon. It also saw Brandon send Keith Adams to ringside with a fallaway slam just as Eagle hit the top rope for a suicide New Jersey Turnpike, rolling Keith back inside so the champs could pick up the first fall. Edward quickly pulled one back, twisting the backdrop driver into a roll-up, and as the match continued past the fifteen minute mark things heated up before Edward landed the Rough Ride on Black Eagle and scored the pinfall to claim his first ROF gold. [I]Hot Fuzz defeated the Stunners by two falls to one[/I] RATING: C Another backstage visit sees Joey Beauchamp and Anna Ki meeting back up with each other 'for the first time since you blew outta UCR, Breeze'. They flirt cheerfully and 'rekindle' their relationship. RATING: C [B]El Critico vs. Mario Heroic for the ROF TV Championship[/B] Finally we pick up some steam, with the two competitors putting on a fantastic match with many near-falls before the ring bell ended things – the time limit is a harsh master. [I]El Critico drew with Mario Heroic when the time limit elapsed[/I] RATING: B- Buff appeared on the big screen, next, and laid down a challenge to Matthew Gauge – their draw last week leaves him wanting to settle the question of who's better. Next week? RATING: D Matthew immediately hits the ring and, looking up at the screen, tells Buff he's on. Matthew has more support in the ROF crowd and a better command of the mic, and the interest picks up. RATING: C [B]Huntress Makiko vs. Wanda Fish [/B] Not bad, this, but not as good as I'd hoped. Makiko and Wanda put on a good enough show for a short match before the Huntress ended things with the Tokyo Express. [I]Huntress Makiko defeated Wanda Fish by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]Davis Wayne Newton vs. Don Henderson[/B] As is often the case, I could rely here on my main event to pull things back. Davis and Don put on a fantastic match worthy of being a title challenge. They kept going until we were forced to ring a bell for the end of the show, the match itself being ended in that way just after we went off air. [I]Davis Wayne Newton drew with Don Henderson when the show ended[/I] RATING: A Good enough show, here. Again, at the moment some of what we're doing is bringing all our recent hires to the attention of our audiences and trying to get them a little more over. It all takes time. Considering the weak start, I felt my 250th booked show had a pretty good feel and rating. OVERALL B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 2 November Lubuskie Arena 1000 in attendance Dark match again: Nadia Snow and Cherry Bomb producing utterly lacklustre results. Not sure why, either, but Cherry gets the win. [I]Cherry Bomb defeated Nadia Snow by pinfall[/I] RATING: D [B]Anna Ki vs. Miss Information[/B] Current UCR champ Miss Information takes on four-time UCR champ and the woman she beat for it the last time. For some reason these two just don't work together well even after all that time, though, so the opening match on the webcast is more than a little 21CW. Anna gets the win here with the Ki-D-T, though. [I]Anna Ki defeated Miss Information by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ The big screen shows the man clad entirely in black, who removes his headgear – to reveal Bairei Yasujiro, who grins. As he grins, Seiji Jimbo steps into frame. They announce themselves as Team WLW and say that all the Force have to do to get Simona released is lay down in a tag title match tonight. RATING: E+ [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. SK Walker for the USPW National Championship[/B] While this isn't up to the level of their best stuff, it's pretty good stuff here. Walker teaches Chojiro a little about the finer points of selling and Chojiro repays him by eating a Kessel Run and losing the belt. We have a new champion! [I]SK Walker defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ Walker walks backstage with the belt over his shoulder and joins Jed and Toby in solemn contemplation. RATING: E+ [B]East and West vs. The Riot Act[/B] East and West coax another good match from the Riot Act, keeping the crowd buoyant after the title changeover. Ultimately this is a vehicle to let the Riot Act pick their speed up again as it sets up for Marc Speed to eat the Rubber Bullets Bomb so Ruud van Anger can pin him, but it's good stuff on the way. [I]The Riot Act defeated East and West when Ruud van Anger pinned Marc Speed[/I] RATING: C+ [B]The Force vs. Team WLW for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] A quick farce of a match garners only lukewarm reaction, but Jed lays down, expecting to be pinned – and then Seiji adds insult to injury by slapping on the Seiji Ocean Lock and applying pressure as Bairei goes up top to hit a moonsault. Total match time: 1:37 [I]Team WLW defeated The Force when Seiji Jimbo made Jed High submit.[/I] RATING: D+ The Riot Act promptly destroy the new champions in an assault that lasts longer than the match. RATING: E+ [B]Merle O'Curle vs. Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship[/B] Holy crap. Steve and Merle's natural chemistry, plus the crowd's riled desire to see sportsmanship, and their great skill all combine to provide us with the single best match in new USPW history. In just under 27 minutes these two leave the audience speechless and Bernie flummoxed while trying desperately to keep up before, in the closing seconds of the webcast, the Celtic Wreath forces the East Coast legend to tap out. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Steve Flash by submission[/I] RATING: B+ Well – that pretty much cemented this card as being one of the very best we've put on in Europe so far. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 November Aston University Sports Hall 1000 in attendance RATING: 0.40 A dark tag bout between the ladies here, as Anna Ki joins forces with Raven Nightfall – showing fantastic chemistry together as she does so – to face Jaime Quine and Huntress Makiko. It's a 21CW match again, but as I've said many times – that happens under these circumstances. Anna pins Quine to win the match in ten minutes. [I]Anna Ki & Raven Nightfall defeated Jaime Quine & Huntress Makiko when Anna Ki pins Jaime Quine[/I] RATING: D+ [B]El Heroe Mexicano vs. UK Dragon[/B] Kicking off the broadcast is a quick match to get Dragon a little more heat. Heroe does surprisingly well for his inexperience, but there's no question who'll win this one and the Dragon Drop finishes after a really entertaining ten minutes. [I]UK Dragon defeated El Heroe Mexicano by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- We followed that up by a hype video for next week's Champions League clash between Dragon and Davis RATING: B- [B]Buff Martinez vs. Matthew Gauge in a two out of three falls match[/B] Really nice work by these two. Buff gets the first fall early with an El KO and Matthew looks to come back shortly after with the Proton Lock, evening the score. Eventually the pair get counted out in the third fall, however, as a superplex counter sees both men crash to the outside and lie there, apparently unconscious, for another draw. I think their PPV clash should do well off this build. [I]Buff Martinez drew with Matthew Gauge at one fall apiece with the third fall ending in a double count out[/I] RATING: B- [B]Kristabel Plum vs. Wanda Fish[/B] We find ourselves down a gear here as Kristabel and Wanda do their best but can't quite match the pops to this point – but this is still an excellent and well-received match. Kristabel gets the win again here to maintain her momentum. [I]Kristabel Plum defeated Wanda Fish by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ Hugh de Aske appears next, challenging Sammy to a match at Champions' League. It falls a little flat. RATING: D [B]El Critico vs. Extraordinario Jr for the ROF TV Championship[/B] Fantastic work here; they only had eight minutes and they made it mean more than any of the show to date, getting an incredible reaction from the crowd before the Critical Mass put it away to continue Critico's run of dominance. Lovely work here, though. [I]El Critico defeated Extraordinario Jr by pinfall[/I] RATING: B [B]Joey Beauchamp vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] And in our main event we step up another level again, as Joey and Hugh whip the crowd into a frenzy with both men doing their level best to pull out something new. Joey faces a very full main event scene, and knows he has to produce to keep himself at the top; Hugh knows he needs to break fully into the main event scene or flounder. The result is highly enjoyable for twenty-five minutes before Joey pounces with the Breeze Block and picks up the win to cement his position going into Champions League. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall[/I] RATING: B+ Phoebe then hits the ring, in tow with Sammy, and accepts Hugh's challenge. Weak reception here, but that's not the point; the point is to help Sammy with his interviews and get Phoebe over. RATING: D All told, I'm very happy with this show. We put together a good solid even card and I expect this to garner us a few extra buys for Champions League. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 4C are now looking for a new booker as Chris Caulfield's walked away from the job. An interesting opportunity, but again – not one I'm particularly keen on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 3 November Plaza La Navarre 1000 in attendance A dark match to kick off sees Kristabel Plum score a win over Ochiyo Iijima in a match that was surprisingly well-received; we're getting better reception for this, I think. Not bad work. [I]Kristabel Plum defeated Ochiyo Iijima by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B] El Leon vs. Dean Daniels[/B] Beginning the main webcast, El Leon faces probably his toughest challenge to date, and they put together a pretty good match before the Split Second Justice eventually carries the day. Leon really is starting to get over based on his skills alone. [I]El Leon defeated Dean Daniels by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Nigel Svensson[/B] I didn't expect this to be as good as it was, but it turns out that these two just gel perfectly in the ring. With only ten minutes to get over, they put on a great match that ends with the Kitoaji Lariat but elevates Nigel as well – purely by his association with it. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- There followed a promo by Jed, Toby and Simona where they vowed that Team WLW would regret their actions of the past several weeks. RATING: D- [B]Pit Bull Brown vs. Steve Flash[/B] Now this was good. Steve puts up a hell of a fight against Brown and Jillefski and – to the shock of the audience – overcomes the odds when the Flash Bang hits out of nowhere. Thus far, this show has been pretty good. [I]Steve Flash defeated Pit Bull Brown by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- We then announced a match for Champions League: Anna Ki, Huntress Makiko and Kristabel Plum will do battle for the Interpromotional Womens' Championship. RATING: F+ Jed, Toby, Simona and Walker all hit the ring and promised a return to dominance and a tide of vengeance incoming. RATING: E+ [B]SK Walker vs. Billy Robinson for the USPW National Championship[/B] Once again Billy comes through with a fantastic match, helped by Walker's usual charismatic intensity in the ring. Really good work leads to a strong first defence for Walker as he finally finishes Billy with the Kessel Run. [I]SK Walker defeated Billy Robinson[/I] RATING: B [B] Merle O'Curle vs. Rolling Johnny Stones for the USPW World Championship[/B] Not as good as you'd hope after the matches to this point. Possibly this kind of thing is just feeling a little stale to the crowd; we need a few more people at world championship level to open this field up, but until we get them there, this is what we have to work with. They do good work, as ever, but not good enough to get a really solid reaction out of the crowd. Give it time, I suppose. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Rolling Johnny Stones by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ And another pretty strong card by USPW standards. Hopefully we can capitalise on this in 2011. Man, 2011. I can't believe it's coming. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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