Ring of Fire: Fighting Every Step of the Way

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Trial By Combat Tuesday Week 4 March Kent Racecourse 4159 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.14 A weakish dark match nonetheless shows good chemistry between Roy Edison and the debuting Steven Parker (who's been unemployed the past couple years. Don't know why, judging by this. With scripting these two could likely do interesting things. Roy picks up the win to keep him happy. [I]Roy Edison defeated Steven Parker by submission[/I] RATING: D+ Double-P comes out to shill ROF Magazine, as we've now begun to produce one. RATING: C The PPV itself begins with a massive video showcasing everyone who'll be in competition. Basically a way of giving the undercard a little more rub. RATING: C+ [B]Buff Martinez vs. Johnny Highspot[/B] The gamble pays off! We keep this short and sweet out of respect for Johnny's stamina and Buff picks up the win as an actual main event candidate, but this was a better match than I expected which shows just how far Johnny's come. A nice little quarter-hour. [I]Buff Martinez defeated Johnny Highspot by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Matthew gets to return the promo favours on Davis, hyping his various title reigns, his position as Wrestler of the Year just a few months ago, and so on, but promises victory nonetheless. RATING: B- [B] Black Eagle vs. KC Glenn in a ladder match[/B] Another test for potential PPV breakouts here doesn't work as well. Eagle gets a quick win in what's only an acceptable match, but it's good exposure. [I]Black Eagle defeated KC Glenn when he retrieved the prize.[/I] RATING: C+ The camera then comes to me as I announce that not only is Don and Sammy's contest Submission Only, it's also a Twenty-Minute Challenge – if neither man gets the job done in twenty, it ranks as a loss for both men in the record book! RATING: C [B]British Samurai vs. Don Henderson[/B] Proving once again that old-school technical wrestling can pop the crowd, these two fantastic competitors go out there and, in 17:46, tear the metaphorical roof off the Racecourse. Absolutely incredible work; Don again works the moonsault in, Sammy lands the DDT, and multiple submission holds culminate in a rolling battle of reversals – Samurai Stretch to Deathlock to Stretch to Deathlock to Stretch to Deathlock to Stretch... and finally to Deathlock with a finality that Sammy just can't counter. With the crowd screaming approval, Don scores the win. [I]Don Henderson defeated British Samurai by submission.[/I] RATING: A [B] Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon[/B] Amazing as it sounds, Joey and Dragon maintain that standard with a fast-paced high-flying brawl of a fight where both men break out absolutely everything in their arsenal. In the end, it's a top-rope Dragon Drop that carries the day. [I]UK Dragon defeated Joey Beauchamp by pinfall[/I] RATING: A [B]Davis Wayne Newton vs. Matthew Gauge in a 30 Minute Iron Man match for the ROF Championship[/B] Ye gods. Davis and Matthew don't let me down, either! Using a story we borrowed from the O'Curle/Flash match on Sunday, Matthew goes one up early on and Davis, infuriated, fights back. It's all submission work here as Davis scores the second fall with an STF counter to a Russian legsweep, and keeps the hold locked on as time ticks away to make Matthew tap a second time. [I]Davis Wayne Newton defeated Matthew Gauge by two falls to one.[/I] RATING: A At the very end of the show, Jaime Quine comes out to the ring where Davis is acknowledging the fans. There's a long silent moment where they look at each other... Then she smiles, they kiss, and the crowd pops one final time as we go off the air. RATING: B Fantastic show. Absolutely fantastic. I think tonight may well be our best 'overall' card ever, though the PPV portion was slightly outdone by Champion's League. OVERALL: A

[Marcel Fromage]

Great show! Getting 3 A rated matches in a row like that is really tough, because I always find that the crowd comes down a bit after one great match before they're ready to give the same rating to another. So congrats on that!

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;363560]Great show! Getting 3 A rated matches in a row like that is really tough, because I always find that the crowd comes down a bit after one great match before they're ready to give the same rating to another. So congrats on that![/QUOTE] Has to be said, this is the PPV of my ROF that I'd love to own on DVD. Sure, Champions League had the A* MOTY, and is rated better, but that last-three-match section... I really like it. Trying to save these big matches for PPV is hurting my TV ratings, though - but that should hopefully mean that by the time I hit National I'm also solid elsewhere. I need to get back into the posting swing, though... I'm about three PPVs ahead right now, and picking up speed.

[Phantom Stranger]

USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 4 March Ostrava Arena 1077 in attendance Our dark period saw a three-way match between Remmy, Kadonomaro and El Leon's recent opponent, Mr Lucha III. His Third Strike carried the day against Kadonomaro in just under eight minutes. Match wasn't bad, considering none of these guys have much practice leading a match. [I]Mr Lucha III defeated Kadonomaro Kamisaka and Remmy Honeyman when he pinned Kadonomaro Kamisaka.[/I] RATING: C- Also in the dark, Wanda scored another win over Huntress Makiko with the Blonde Ambition. Good work here. [I]Wanda Fish defeated Huntress Makiko by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Nigel Svensson[/B] Kicking the DVD off is a USPW standby match that, as ever, delivered strongly. While both men can do better, they were let down by a flabberghasted Bernie Evans who barely recognised anything outside of the Kitoaji Lariat in time to call it before they'd moved on. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Another repeat of Walker's music video. I'm really trying to get him into the main event picture fast. RATING: C+ [B]Red Dragon vs. Ruud van Anger[/B] Bad choice for a matchup, as these two just don't click. They did the best they could under the circumstances, though, and Dragon got the win out of it. But it was all very 21CW. [I]Red Dragon defeated Ruud van Anger by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ [B]East and West vs. Team WLW[/B] The new Team WLW pairs Bairei with Dean Daniels. As you'd expect from these four men, it's great stuff, and I'm glad; we should be able to convey some of Bairei's tricks to the younger grapplers before he leaves us outright. A really smooth battle enhances East and West's aura as Nichiren forces Dean to tap to the Total Lock – a major step in the young man's career. [I]East and West defeated Team WLW when Nichiren Amagawa made Dean Daniels submit.[/I] RATING: B- Anna then did the shirts thing. RATING: C+ [B]SK Walker vs. El Leon for the USPW National Title[/B] Leon was always going to lose this, but he made sure he still got rub out of it. Ten minutes of this had the crowd in the palm of their hands. This is what spot monkeys dream their matches look like; every high spot – and the match was nothing but – contributed to a story and made both men look good. Fantastic work. [I]SK Walker defeated El Leon by pinfall[/I] RATING: B+ During that match, we cut to show Toby watching the match backstage, looking sour. RATING: E+ [B]Merle O'Curle vs. Rolling Johnny Stones vs. Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship[/B] Another good solid match to round off the show, not quite on a par with the prior ten minutes but still well worth watching. It is, of course, predictable at this point, and yes, Steve ate the submission to allow Merle to retain. But none of these matches have yet seemed samey, which is good. We'll see in future, though. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Rolling Johnny Stones and Steve Flash when he made Steve Flash submit.[/I] RATING: B Very nice work here with a show that should improve our Czech standing more than a little. RATING: B-

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ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 April Hall Green Cricket Club 1595 in attendance RATING: 0.56 Our next PPV is only next week, so the build is necessarily short. A mixed tag opens the dark this week, with Jaime Quine partnered with Capitao Brasil Jr, facing KC Glenn and long-time ROF worker Miss Information. It was weakish, but exposed everyone to what everyone else could do, and Glenn got the Sunshine Band on Capitao to win. [I]KC Glenn & Miss Information defeated Jaime Quine & Capitao Brasil Jr when KC Glenn pinned Capitao Brasil Jr[/I] RATING: C- Double-P once again rounded out the dark with the shirts gun. RATING: C The show itself kicked off with Dragon hyping his match the previous night and his skills. RATING: C [B]The Stunners vs. Hot Fuzz for the Tag Titles[/B] By the standards of the tag division this was pretty solid. It ran just under twelve minutes and we saw Brandon pin Edward after subjecting him to the superbomb splash, with Eagle going on to cut off Keith's rescue attempt. Not too bad. [I]The Stunners defeated Hot Fuzz when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Edward Cornell[/I] RATING: C+ Davis then came out and informed us that last week, he defended one of his championships; Sunday and Monday he defended the other three times, and that next week at Premier League he'd defend here again. He went on to promise victory whoever faced him. RATING: B [B]El Critico vs. Fox Mask vs. Mario Heroic for the TV Championship[/B] I have no idea what went wrong here. By the standards of all three men, this was weak. The finish saw Fox Mask duck the Hero Attack and get the Fox Hunter on Mario, but as he picked himself up the Critical Mass levelled him. [I]El Critico defeated Fox Mask and Mario Heroic when he pinned Fox Mask[/I] RATING: C [B] Nate Johnson vs. UK Dragon[/B] We were all over this match on commentary; could Nate last the full twenty again? Would he get exceptionally lucky and score a pin out of nowhere? Nate rose to the occasion, showing a few tricks he's evidently been working on as time went on, and he lasted... and lasted... and lasted... but the Dragon Drop claimed him just over eighteen minutes in. [I]UK Dragon defeated Nate Johnson by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Dragon then got on the mic, demanding that Davis take him on and saying he'd proved his worth two shows in a row now – by beating Joey and by succeeding where neither Sammy nor Don could. RATING: C Davis promptly hit the entrance ramp and accepted, laying down a promo on fire to warn Dragon what he was getting into. RATING: B- [B] Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] Bloody hell. Hugh always does well with Davis, but I did not expect this or anything like it. They just went all out, and the heat of the evening to date carried it all the way to glory. Simply put, they brought the house down, with Hugh really showing great flair before the Newton's Cradle ended things in the champion's favour. [I]Davis Wayne Newton defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall[/I] RATING: A* Fantastic show, simply fantastic. We only just put the prices up in the Midlands, too, but we gave the fans their money's worth tonight...Needless to say, the rating spiked yet again. OVERALL: B+

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USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 1 April Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance A surprisingly good dark tag match from the ladies, here, with Anna Ki teaming with the dominant Huntress Makiko against USPW owner Wanda Fish and up and comer Jaime Quine. It's good stuff, and the degree of push all four women have received to date leaves the crowd uncertain who I'll book to win. The pop for the KO Kick that lays out Makiko and ends things leaves me convinced I'm doing the right thing here. [I]Jaime Quine & Wanda Fish defeated Anna Ki & Huntress Makiko[/I] RATING: C [B]SK Walker vs. Kirk the Turk for the USPW National Championship[/B] Walker carries Kirk to the best performance of his career thus far, then flattens him with the Kessel Run as his strong build continues. [I]SK Walker defeated Kirk The Turk by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Grabbing the microphone, Walker then delivers a pretty good promo on his recent unstoppability. RATING: C And then, appearing on the big screen, Toby Juan Kenobi cuts a blistering promo against Walker taking his place in the tag division, and warns him that Toby has another tag partner, bringing in El Leon – who was tag champion with Toby in EXODUS2010. They challenge Walker and Jed to a title match. RATING: E+ [B]Bairei Yasujiro vs. Hector Montez[/B] Bad luck stains the return of ROF legend Montez as he and Bairei don't work well together, so the win with the Hijack Suplex doesn't go down as well as we might have hoped. Still, there's always next week. [I]Hector Montez defeated Bairei Yasujiro by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ [B]Dean Daniels vs. Pit Bull Brown[/B] Keeping the Pit Bull in the public eye and giving him another win with Jillefski's aid to keep him groomed for the future. Basic stuff, but enjoyable. [I]Pit Bull Brown defeated Dean Daniels by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ Anna does her thing with the shirts. RATING: C+ [B]East and West vs. The Riot Act[/B] A good solid little match here. Ruud's still not happy about losing to East and West, so for once I gave him a compromise, with this bout ending in a double DQ – Jonni throwing a chair to Nichiren and then superkicking it into him, with Marc simultaneously delivering a low blow to Ruud – who wasn't happy about this either; evidently the push he's getting in UCR is going to his head here. Can't be helped, but it's another reason to be glad I have Hector back. If Ruud gives me too much trouble I can bring back the Low Lives. [I]East and West drew with The Riot Act when both teams were disqualified.[/I] RATING: B- [B]Merle O'Curle vs. Steve Flash in a two out of three falls match for the USPW World Championship[/B] Another good solid contest marks Merle's twentieth successful defence. Merle picks up the win here in two straight falls, but thanks in no small part to Nadia's actions at ringside. Good stuff. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Steve Flash in two straight falls.[/I] RATING: B+ Yeah, pretty solid stuff here, with more of the roster getting further over. If only Hector and Bairei had done well together... OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

Premier League Prediction Card TV: Velocidad & Roy Edison vs. Daniel Black Francis & Hidekazu El Critico vs. Steven Parker for the TV Championship The Stunners vs. Extraordinary Men vs. Hot Fuzz vs. Capitao Brasil Jr & El Bestia Purpura for the ROF Tag Titles Anna Ki vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional title Fox Mask vs. KC Glenn in a Ladder Match Premier League: Nadia Snow vs. Raven Nightfall Johnny Highspot vs. Nate Johnson in a ladder match Buff Martinez vs. Mario Heroic Hugh de Aske vs. Matthew Gauge Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon in a 30 minute Iron Man match for the ROF Championship

[Marcel Fromage]

TV: Velocidad & Roy Edison vs. [B]Daniel Black Francis & Hidekazu[/B] [B]El Critico [/B]vs. Steven Parker for the TV Championship [B]The Stunners [/B]vs. Extraordinary Men vs. Hot Fuzz vs. Capitao Brasil Jr & El Bestia Purpura for the ROF Tag Titles Anna Ki vs. [B]Jaime Quine [/B]for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional title [B]Fox Mask [/B]vs. KC Glenn in a Ladder Match Premier League: Nadia Snow vs. [B]Raven Nightfall[/B] Johnny Highspot vs. [B]Nate Johnson [/B]in a ladder match [B]Buff Martinez [/B]vs. Mario Heroic Hugh de Aske vs. [B]Matthew Gauge[/B] [B]Joey Beauchamp [/B]vs. Joss Thompson [B]Davis Wayne Newton [/B]vs. UK Dragon in a 30 minute Iron Man match for the ROF Championship

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 April Kent Racecourse 4645 in attendance RATING: 0.58 A weakish dark tag here saw Velocidad team with Roy Edison against Hidekazu and Daniel Black Francis, and while the veterans defeated the younger men handily – Daniel getting the pin on Edison – it saw proof that Velocidad and Edison are both improving, which is a lot of the reason for this. Reasonably happy with it. [I]Daniel Black Francis & Hidekazu defeated Roy Edison & Velocidad by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- Double-P then pulled shirt duty again. RATING: C At the top of the show we allowed the lucky recipients of the shirts to pop them on and give us free merch advertising by running a five-minute highlight package of Davis/Dragon at last year's Match of the Year. RATING: B [B]El Critico vs. Steven Parker for the TV Championship[/B] Man, I wish this had gone better, but I'd have to call it weak. Critico goes over Parker again, coming very close now to a half-year reign with the title. Beyond that, poorer than I'm comfortable broadcasting. [I]El Critico defeated Steven Parker by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]The Stunners vs. Extraordinary Men vs. Hot Fuzz vs. Capitao Brasil Jr & El Bestia Purpura for the ROF Tag Titles[/B] Pretty good work here given that Keith wasn't really at his best, but Brandon was the star of the show and picked up another solid win, pinning Purpura (who refused to re-sign when his contract came up and gets an opportunity to do the job here.) I'm reasonably happy with this. [I]The Stunners defeated Extraordinary Men, Hot Fuzz, and Capitao Brasil Jr & El Bestia Purpura when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned El Bestia Purpura.[/I] RATING: C+ Joey hit the ring next, talking up a new arrival in Ring of Fire and saying he'd requested the honour of being his first opponent during Premier League tonight. “Maybe you've heard of him,” Joey smirked. “Joss Thompson.” RATING: C [B]Anna Ki vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional title[/B] More weak work here, sadly – not at all happy with this show so far – but we have a title change, as the KO Kick fells Anna. [I]Jaime Quine defeated Anna Ki by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B] Fox Mask vs. KC Glenn in a Ladder Match[/B] This picked things back up a bit, though this show is still going to be far weaker than I'm happy with. Fox controlled well and eventually pulled out the victory here, but Glenn showed just how far he's come since I signed him If it had only been a little bit better... [I]Fox Mask defeated KC Glenn when he retrieved the prize.[/I] RATING: B- A little dubious when I consider the places we're most popular, but good enough to give us an overall boost headed into Premier League – and it's a new ratings record despite its weakness. OVERALL: C+

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Premier League Tuesday Week 2 April Kent Racecourse 4645 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.18 Despite good chemistry between them, Nadia and Raven's dark match is extremely weak. Raven scores the win to move a little higher up the pecking order, however. [I]Raven Nightfall defeated Nadia Snow by pinfall[/I] RATING: D- [B]Johnny Highspot vs. Nate Johnson in a ladder match[/B] A good opening quarter-hour bout gives Johnny and Nate some much-needed further exposure. The crowd seemed satisfied seeing Nate pick up yet another win over Johnny, as the tide has entirely turned since this rivalry began a little over a year ago. [I]Nate Johnson defeated Johnny Highspot when he retrieved the prize.[/I] RATING: B- We cut backstage to see Davis, who promises that he'll retain his title once again. RATING: B- [B]Buff Martinez vs. Mario Heroic[/B] These two connect in the ring, and that definitely helped here as they put together a good solid match that kicked the crowd's enthusiasm up another notch. It took Buff a while to gain control, but once he did he romped home with the El KO, picking up the victory at 17:32 [I]Buff Martinez defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall[/I] RATING: B A quick hype video follows for Joey. Strangely, it doesn't go down as well as I'd hoped. RATING: C [B]Hugh de Aske vs. Matthew Gauge[/B] A goodish match, but perhaps one that should've gone on before Buff and Mario. Still, a good quick match that sees Matthew regain a little momentum after his loss to Davis two weeks ago when he makes Hugh tap. I need to find someone for Hugh to get a few wins over, I think. [I]Matthew Gauge defeated Hugh de Aske by submission[/I] RATING: B- [B]Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson[/B] A fantastic first appearance by Thompson. A little over a quarter of an hour saw these two put on a great show which built and built as each man became more and more frustrated that they couldn't put the other away, culminating when Humphrey stopped the match for fear of their health. [I]Joey Beauchamp drew with Joss Thompson when the referee threw out the match.[/I] RATING: B+ We ran a quick montage of Dragon's preparations for this match over the past week. RATING: B- [B]Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon in a 30 minute Iron Man match for the ROF Championship[/B] I think this might match up to their Champion's League encounter. Matthew and I scrambled to keep up with this on commentary as these two just absolutely went for it, with Davis countering the Dragon Drop into a Newton's Cradle for a quick pin early on. A while later Dragon, in desperation, borrowed Petey's Future Shock to even the score, and then turned up the pressure. The last thirteen minutes were a series of rapid-fire near falls where Dragon kept trying to go over and really got the fans to feel he might make it; in the end, however, Davis managed to turn a schoolboy into an STF somehow – he really lost me as he did it – and Dragon tapped with thirty seconds to go. Neither man actually acted for the last thirty seconds; instead, Dragon ceded the match, shaking Davis' hand in salute. [I]Davis Wayne Newton defeated UK Dragon by two falls to one[/I] RATING: A* Another really solid PPV; another sign we're on the way up. The addition of Thompson, as well as providing a lot of new main even combinations, means I have the potential depth to make the pre-PPV shows a little less nervewracking, assuming I prepare for them carefully. This is also our biggest buyrate by around two thousand customers. OVERRALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 2 April Ostrava Arena 1720 in attendance Somewhat startlingly, Remmy won our opening dark match. Sadly, neither he nor Kadonomaro should've been allowed to call this – next time they get a script handed to them. [I]Remmy Honeyman defeated Kadonomaro Kamisaka by pinfall[/I] RATING: D- [B]East and West vs. European Union[/B] Not a bad tag opener here. Good work by both teams culminated in Nichiren applying the Total Lock to force Nigel Svensson to tap out, but there was a lot of raw potential on display here. Good work. [I]East and West defeated European Union when Nichiren Amagawa made Nigel Svensson submit.[/I] RATING: C+ Walker and Jed hit the ring and told Toby that they'd give him his title match... but not just yet; he'd have to give them time to scout these Exodites. RATING: C+ [B]Dean Daniels vs. JD Morgan[/B] JD comes in just under Sammy's age restrictions and I felt I needed to strengthen the USPW talent pool. Morgan being unemployed he was a natural signing, and gets the Cross Atlantic Stretch to defeat Dean. Good enough for an opener but we'll have to get more in time. [I]JD Morgan defeated Dean Daniels by submission.[/I] RATING: C+ Wanda pulls shirt duty, partly as a way I can test the degree to which she's got over. It doesn't get nearly the reaction of the more popular Anna. RATING: D- [B]Hector Montez vs. Mr Lucha III vs. Red Dragon[/B] Weakish, but good enough triple threat designed to let Hector demonstrate his veteran savvy, eventually sending Dragon to the floor and laying out Lucha with the Hijack Suplex. [I]Hector Montez defeated Mr Lucha III and Red Dragon when he pinned Mr Lucha III[/I] RATING: C A music video next, hyping Walker. Same as ever. RATING: C [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Pit Bull Brown[/B] Because I like to change things up, we wheeled out what looked like the usual Pit Bull squash bout, but Chojiro actually battled on and pinned the former champion after dodging Jillefski's interference and getting the Kitoaji Lariat. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Pit Bull Brown by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- [B]Merle O'Curle & Steve Flash vs. Rolling Johnny Stones & Bairei Yasujiro[/B] Another changeup, more or less, and one I shouldn't have gone for. The main thing that can be said for it is that Steve not only got the rare win but scored the pinfall over Johnny. [I]Merle O'Curle & Steve Flash defeated Rolling Johnny Stones & Bairei Yasujiro when Steve Flash pinned Rolling Johnny Stones[/I] RATING: C For Europe, this was OK, but could and should have been better. OVERALL: C+

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 April The Cobra Den 986 in attendance RATING: 0.58 In the dark this week Kristabel was pulled down to 21CW levels by Ochiyo Iijima, but picked up the win with the Plum Tucker. Hopefully it's just part of the learning process. [I]Kristabel Plum defeated Ohiyo Iijima by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ Operation Popularise Double-P continues with the shirts. RATING: C [B]El Critico vs. Roy Edison for the TV Championship[/B] A really bad opening for the show proper, as I tried giving Roy another chance to strut his stuff and see what he'd learned. Evidently PGHW provide him with careful scripts. This was pedestrian 21CW fare with little to redeem it, but at least it was less than ten minutes. Critico scores the win to celebrate a half-year with the title. [I]El Critico defeated Roy Edison by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ We bounced back somewhat by airing a highlight reel from last night's main event. RATING: B- Davis followed that up with a promo, giving respect to Dragon as someone who'd truly taken him to the limit twice and saying that he looked forward to his next title defence in six weeks time – whoever got the shot. RATING: B- [B]Fox Mask vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] More or less a gauging match here, with Fox showing off a few new kick based spots. Solid but unremarkable fare, the sort of thing that Hugh needs to rise above soon. The pirate on the rise scores the win with the Cut Throat Driver in the end. [I]Hugh de Aske defeated Fox Mask by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Don Henderson vs. Edward Cornell[/B] A good lengthy technical display here, with Don putting Edward through his paces. I'm still hoping to build Edward up a little further soon, but he's not quite as good as I'd like. Yet. Don picks up the win with a Scottish Deathlock following a superplex. [I]Don Henderson defeated Edward Cornell by submission[/I] RATING: B- [B]Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson[/B] We informed the fans that Joey had requested another shot at Joss to prove himself, and with the main event they really went at it again – and the fans here in the Cobra Pit, at least, loved it. Thompson pieced together a lovely string of dropkicks I hadn't seen from him before, Joey flattened him with the Breeze Block, Thompson kicked out, and in the end Joey had to go to the 450 Splash to get the win, but this was at least as good as their last encounter. Nice work that ends Joss' short debut angle. We'll see how he works with the rest of the crew soon. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Joss Thompson.[/I] RATING: B+ A good solid show considering how awful the opening match was. Have to remember not to do that again. OVERALL: B-

[Phantom Stranger]

USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 3 April Bayern Stadion 1856 in attendance I put Billy up against Kadonomaro in the dark, with a Ray script. The result was surprisingly good; really solid stuff, considering, and I suspect some of Billy's tips will have stuck. The reward for the veteran was a quick win. [I]Billy Robinson defeated Kadonomaro Kamisaka by submission[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Jaime Quine vs. Wanda Fish for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional Title[/B] Best women's title defence yet, for obvious chemistry related reasons. Wanda does well, and both she and Jaime make the most of the extra DVD exposure, but Jaime retains with the KO Kick. [I]Jaime Quine defeated Wanda Fish by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- [B]The Force II vs. The Exodites for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] Not bad here, and just about everyone is showing real improvement. Walker's still looking too good for the rest of this division, but for the moment he needs the momentum – which probably also tells you what's coming to the Exodites, at least this time around. The Death Star Run floors Toby and Walker gets the pin. [I]The Force II defeated The Exodites when SK Walker pinned Joby Juan Kenobi[/I] RATING: C+ Walker helped Toby up at that point and the pair, along with Jed and Simona, cut a promo promising continued dominance by the Force. RATING: D- [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Hector Montez[/B] So it looks like Chojiro's rise is going to be counterpointed by good chemistry with a lot of workers along the way. In only ten minutes Chojiro and Hector really got the crowd into it before the younger man slipped clear of the Hijack Suplex and landed the Kitoaji Lariat for the win. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Hector Montez by pinfall[/I] RATING: B Anna worked shirt duty again. RATING: C+ [B]JD Morgan vs. Mr Lucha III[/B] Not great, but as much as anything this was about featuring two wrestlers who need the European exposure. Morgan controlled easily and forced Lucha to tap swiftly. [I]JD Morgan defeated Mr Lucha III by submission[/I] RATING: C [B]Merle O'Curle vs. Pit Bull Brown vs. Rolling Johnny Stones vs. Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship[/B] Well, this did better than I expected, which I assume is down to the improvement Brown and Johnny have been making in UKW as much as anything. A really good hard-fought battle lasted until Merle slapped the Celtic Crossface on to Steve Flash – but Johnny felled Brown with the brainbuster and got the three count before Steve tapped, giving us a new USPW World Champion. [I]Rolling Johnny Stones defeated Merle O'Curle, Pit Bull Brown and Steve Flash when he pinned Pit Bull Brown.[/I] RATING: B Good show overall, I'd say. OVERALL: B-

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ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 April Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.62 A weak women's tag to begin the dark period, but deliberately weak; Cherry Bomb and Nadia Snow need all the teaching they can get, and taking a drubbing from Wanda and Makiko seems to be the best way to give them a little bit of a start on it. It's Makiko who records the deciding fall, toppling Cherry with the Tokyo Express. Good enough for this point in their development. [I]Huntress Makiko & Wanda Fish defeated Cherry Bomb & Nadia Snow when Huntress Makiko pinned Cherry Bomb.[/I] RATING: C- Double-P then rounded out the dark period taking another turn with the T-shirt gun. RATING: C Kicking off the show proper, Joey Beauchamp came to the ring, throwing his candidacy into the hat for the title shot at Masterclass after putting Joss Thompson behind him. Matthew Gauge got fired up and came out to dispute that; this led to a fairly major argument which Matthew eventually suggested they settle in the ring tonight. RATING: C+ [B]Blood & Bling vs. Dos Phoenix[/B] Dos Phoenix are known to every student of lucha; Blood and Bling are the other two new signings in another tag team initiative for ROF, Groucho Bling and Blood Raven. This wasn't a great ten minutes, but then it was four men coming in cold and trying to warm up the crowd. In a way I'm surprised it did as well as it did, and the legendary lucha pairing got the win when Phoenix II pinned Blood Raven with his Northern Lights suplex. [I]Dos Phoenix defeated Blood & Bling when Phoenix II pinned Blood Raven.[/I] RATING: C- [B]Edward Cornell vs. El Heroe Mexicano[/B] Continuing the tag exposure with this singles match, Edward gets a nice, entertaining-enough win with a double-chickenwing pinning predicament. Not bad; work still needs doing for both of these guys but they're good. [I]Edward Cornell defeated El Heroe Mexicano by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]British Samurai vs. Daniel Black Francis[/B] More good work here; we kept it short enough not to exhaust Daniel and Sammy picks up a little more momentum, as well as showing Daniel a little bit more of the ROF style. A fisherman's suplex eventually scores the pin in Sammy's favour. [I]British Samurai defeated Daniel Black Francis by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- [B]El Critico vs. Nate Johnson for the ROF TV Title[/B] Once upon a time I believed that one day Critico would be positioned to win the ROF Championship. I honestly don't think that would be wise, now; he's good, but not quite good enough. Still, his TV championship run has garnered him a good following and every company needs solid veteran midcarders. Critico retains again here, but we're hyping the fact that with over half a year sitting pretty, Critico's reign must surely be due an end soon... [I]El Critico defeated Nate Johnson by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ Davis then hits the ring again, and informs the crowd that he'd be happy to wrestle Matthew again, he'd be happy to wrestle Joey again, and he'd be happy to take on whoever else can step up to the plate. He then promised victory. RATING: B- [B]Joey Beauchamp vs. Matthew Gauge in a two out of three falls match[/B] Joey and Matthew never set the arena on fire the way some matchups do, but they never stink up the joint either. So it was here, as Matthew trapped the confident Oxonian with the Proton Lock early to take the first fall, only to have Joey knuckle down to work and really fight back, scoring a fall with something resembling the Newton's Cradle and finally finishing things by rolling a near-unconscious Matthew back into the ring and covering after hitting the top-turnbuckle-to-the-outside Breeze Block. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Matthew Gauge by two falls to one[/I] RATING: B A weaker show than I'd hoped, but only marginally. Have to push harder next time – though with the record rating this time, we might not need to. OVERALL: C+

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USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 4 April Ostrava Arena 1340 in attendance An even bigger match along the same womens' development principle. The skilled side this time: Anna Ki, Jaime Quine, and Wanda Fish, with Wanda scoring the pin. The losers: Cherry Bomb, Ochiyo Iijima, and Raven Nightfall, with Raven taking the pin. [I]Anna Ki, Jaime Quine and Wanda Fish defeated Cherry Bomb, Ochiyo Iijima and Raven Nightfall when Wanda Fish pinned Raven Nightfall.[/I] RATING: C- [B] European Union vs. The Riot Act[/B] A reasonable contest that could've been better, but Crusher's nursing a leg injury which slowed him slightly. The Riot Act controlled and got the pin on Nigel with a Rubber Bullets Bomb. [I]The Riot Act defeated European Union when Jonni Lowlife pinned Nigel Svensson[/I] RATING: C The usual SK Walker hype video ran next. RATING: C+ [B]SK Walker vs. Hector Montez for the USPW National Championship[/B] Hector and Walker mesh pretty well, which helped them put on a pretty good match. Walker's climb upward continues as he defeats the Mexican legend with the Kessel Run. This young man is becoming a USPW star rapidly... [I]SK Walker defeated Hector Montez by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- [B]Jed High vs. Toby Juan Kenobi[/B] Nothing much to say about this one; a short sweet contest to keep the Exodites/Force tension running and make Toby a little more of a threat as the Kenobi Kutter sinks Jed. Simple but effective enough. [I]Toby Juan Kenobi defeated Jed High by pinfall[/I] RATING: C Anna does her shirts thing again. RATING: C+ [B]Rolling Johnny Stones vs. JD Morgan for the USPW World Championship[/B] A perfectly acceptable match to start Johnny's defences off, running a full half hour before Johnny got the pin. Good work on both sides. [I]Rolling Johnny Stones defeated JD Morgan by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- This... was not great. There were points where I felt it should have been better, but it can't be helped. All I can do is hope to claw forward next time. OVERALL: C

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Where Are They Now? Yep, I pretty much spent the first of May poking around the Internet catching up on the careers of those who've passed through our gates. Kinda curious to see what effect, if any, I've had on people no longer with the company. Only ever with us for talent trades, [B]Adam Matravers[/B] is a fairly major player with UKW, but one who's only ever held gold once, as part of a tag team with Leo Price. He and [B]Phoebe Plumridge[/B] are still getting on well, but no closer to tying the knot. His matches are pretty solid. [B]Amo del Gato[/B] has occupied a bottom-rung role at SOTBPW for almost his entire career, rising for a couple of months in 2009 to hold their #1 Contender belt before dropping again. He teams with Charron occasionally as [B]Club Enigma 2000[/B], a rather outdated gimmick. His matches are uniformly less than stellar, but he's got a solid following due to gimmick and longevity. [B]Art Reed[/B], another talent-trades-only man, had a solid run with UKW, but now divides his time between DaVE and BHOTWG; in DaVE he's a solid midcarder who's held tag gold twice (along with his single tag title run in UKW alongside [B]Merle O'Curle[/B]), while with the Burning Hammer he's on the bottom rung. Like Adam Matravers, his matches are worth watching but seldom anything stellar. [B]Arthur T. Turtle[/B] works with both 21CW and MOSC. In 21CW, he's a fairly major player who nonetheless spends his time curtain jerking; in MOSC, he's a midline wrestler who's never made his mark. The promise I saw in him, sadly, seems to have failed to materialise; his success amounts to a very short 21CW midcard title run and a slightly longer tag run with Rave as Trance's replacement. Currently teaming with Geordie Jimmy Morris, his work is, well... 21CW. [B]Byron[/B] eventually returned to UCR. No gold since 2007, but he's one of their key figures. His work is weak, but good enough to pop the European crowd. [B]Citizen X[/B], another talent trade veteran, holds down roles within 4C, CZCW and RIPW. Within America he's a solid enough midcarder; with Insane Machine he's a former CZCW tag champ as part of yet another [B]Team Rex[/B], and over in 4C he currently holds tag gold with Too Hot. His work ranges from 21CW to acceptable. [B]Donny Damage[/B] is still UKW's road agent and seems to be loving the job. [B]El Bestia Purpura[/B] is a curtain-jerker at MPWF looking to rise up the ranks. No titles as yet, he barely having started, and his work is still mediocre, but there's been a slow improvement over time. [B]El Hombre Biblico[/B], another former talent tradee, is propping up UKW's undercard as an enhancement talent. His matches are consistently on an acceptable-midcard level, which may be due to his being put up against the big guns of UKW. Despite his tag team with UKW booker Fumihiro Ota, he's never held gold. [B]Eric Future[/B] has become a fixture in the independent scene, pulling matches that even 21CW wouldn't be happy with but winning most of them. Speaking of [B]Ota[/B], he's still UKW head booker. Having let all his other commitments lapse, the California native and one-time TCW hot prospect resides permanently in the UK now, and from last May until this February he was the UKW champ, but lost it to [B]Merle O'Curle[/B]. His matches are generally very solid, though they don't reach the peaks the ROF main event scene has become accustomed to. He remains a close personal friend. [B]Gino Montero[/B] has become one of the very best talents wrestling in the world today, and it's painful as a result to see him sticking to purely touring with Burning Hammer, being restricted by the touring contract to jobber status. His matches are prevented from reaching the level they could by his status. As with ROF, I think Burning Hammer and his other prior employers have tried building him in tag teams, but both [B]A Pair of Aces[/B] with Lobster Warrior and [B]Red Alert[/B] with Gonzalo Rubio appear to have fallen through. [B]Gob Narfi[/B] has been on the indy circuit since I let his contract lapse, and has taken only a few such bookings. He hasn't teamed with Rhys since leaving ROF, forming a duo with The Minor Annoyance instead. His matches are appalling. [B]Greg Gauge[/B] is still under a developmental contract with RIPW, the contract that took him away from us. Where his brother has a couple of Burning Hammer tours under his belt and currently sees involvement in the ROF main event scene, Greg has had a stint at the top of RIPW but has since slipped to the upper midcard. His performances are still only what I'd want from a midcarder; his brother's more challenging schedule has sent him streets ahead. [B]Huracan Sandoval Jr[/B] is working his way up in MPWF, currently in a solid midcard position. With Apprentica Jr he's their current tag champion, working under the name '[B]The Real Main Event[/B]'. His best work is, to me, acceptable midcard stuff, his worst 21CW. [B]Jon Michael Sharp[/B] has been on the indy circuit for a while, tagging with a wide variety of other wrestlers. His win-loss record comes down on the loss side, but only barely; his best work is 21CW, his worst awful. [B]Jonathan Faust[/B] is in the upper midcard of UKW, where his style evidently fits better than for us. After leaving us, he was [B]El Leon[/B]'s first tag partner in EXODUS2010, before Leon ditched him for Toby. It didn't last long and his work has overall been uneventful, pulling down OK matches and mostly losing. [B]Justin Blackham[/B] is out of wrestling, and has been since we allowed his contract to run out. [B]Kelly Martin[/B] is still working the indies as he has been since I let him go. He still hates me and shoots on me a lot when he manages to get an interview. Employed almost solely to lose, he's like Sharp in that he no longer teams with his brother but works tag matches with a wide variety of other workers. He has never once achieved a 21CW match. [B]K'Lee Hawkins[/B] is still friendly with [B]Johnny Highspot[/B] but only works indy shows these days, mostly teaming with Cannonball Logan. Occasionally his matches hit 21CW heights. Also working the indies, [B]Lance Martin[/B] is one of those who actually gets to win the bulk of their matches. Teaming with a wide variety of allies, he has, like his brother, never reached 21CW heights. [B]Magnifico[/B] now tours with WLW on a semi-regular basis, attending every other tour. His work outside ROF is very solid, though he hasn't won a title since 2006. Almost exactly the same can be said of [B]Marcos Flores[/B], though his matches are a shade better. [B]Martin Heath[/B] signed with 21CW at the start of the year. Until just last week he's been used as a jobber, though one occasionally used in title bouts; his first victory came last week as part of a tag unit, paired up with Nightmare as [B]The Heavy Smokers[/B]. His last good match was working for us; he produces work that's weak by 21CW standards. But he's working regularly, so that's something. [B]Mitch Naess[/B] is now the voice of TCW. Like Justin Blackham, [B]Peaches McCream[/B] is not currently actively involved in wrestling. [B]Petey Barnes[/B] has yet to hold a title outside ROF, but his UKW career has him positioned in the higher echelons of that promotion. His work is still solid, but slightly less than it was with ROF. Maybe it's just promotional differences. [B]Rhys Vali [/B]has not wrestled since mid-2010, having built up a steady stream of losses of appalling quality on the independent circuit. I can't entirely blame him for stopping. [B]Seiji Jimbo[/B] is an active midcarder with PGHW. Still friendly with myself and Bairei, he's in regular competition for the PGHW Historical Japan and Glory Tag Crown titles, but has yet to win them. His ringwork continues to be solid to excellent. [B]Stardust Phil Cox[/B] took 2008 and 2009 out after a short indy run, then returned to wrestle one match at the start of 2010.Having lost all but his final match after leaving ROF, he appears to have given up the ghost. Like the Martins, he has yet to reach 21CW quality. [B]Tigre Salvaje Jr[/B] is a career jobber for SOTBPW. Every so often he picks up a few wins and nearly gets a push, and he's always in action, but he looks set to stay at opening level. His work occasionally reaches levels I'd be happy with, but his greatest achievement is a short run as #1 Contender, thanks largely to a backstage friendship with ROF newcomer [B]Phoenix II[/B]. [B]Walter Morgan[/B] is a former UKW tag champion alongside Leo Price, renewing the [B]Wigan Bulldogs[/B]. He's a solid midcarder for them who's improved remarkably since he left us. If I had the room on the roster I'd put him in my upper midcard happily on the basis of his performances with UKW.

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ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 May Hall Green Cricket Club 1612 in attendance RATING: 0.54 We expanded the women's dark tag even further, making it four to a side. Anna, Makiko, Wanda and Jaime made up one side, while Kristabel agreed to help Nadia, Raven and Cherry with tag psychology on the losing side. Ultimately Wanda pinned Cherry in a 21CW match, but I have hopes that these will improve in time. [I]Anna Ki, Huntress Makiko, Jaime Quine and Wanda Fish defeated Cherry Bomb, Kristabel Plum, Nadia Snow & Raven Nightfall when Wanda Fish pinned Cherry Bomb[/I] RATING: D+ Double-P then brought the mood back with a shirt gun segment just pre-TV. RATING: C [B]El Critico vs. KC Glenn vs. Nate Johnson vs. Steven Parker for the ROF TV Championship[/B] It looked like a stacked deck against the Mexican, but he prevailed once more, pinning Glenn marginally ahead of Nate's pinfall on Parker. Mostly this was about exposure for everyone, and it served that purpose well enough. [I]El Critico defeated KC Glenn, Nate Johnson and Steven Parker when he pinned KC Glenn[/I] RATING: C+ [B]The Stunners vs. Dos Phoenix for the ROF Tag Titles[/B] A little better than their debut match as Dos Phoenix set out to capitalise on early momentum and capture the titles, only to be turned back by a less experienced but younger and hungry team. Brandon laid Phoenix II out with a top rope fallaway slam before launching Eagle into Phoenix III to cut him off and allow Brandon to pin II. Good work all round. [I]The Stunners defeated Dos Phoenix when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Phoenix II.[/I] RATING: C That was followed up with a hype video for Joey. RATING: C [B]Blood & Bling vs. Extraordinary Men vs. Hot Fuzz vs. Daniel Black Francis & Hidekazu[/B] Now this was a much more solid tag bout, in spite of Groucho not really going for it at full tilt. In just under ten minutes this got the crowd cheering before a blowout sequence in the centre of the ring left the path open for Cornell to roll up Groucho for the win. [I]Hot Fuzz defeated Blood & Bling, Extraordinary Men and Daniel Black Francis & Hidekazu when Edward Cornell pinned Groucho Bling[/I] RATING: B- Joss then hit the ring and laid a challenge down, saying he was determined to overcome 'the face of Ring of Fire, British Samurai'. Not too shabby work, considering he has to publicise himself more first. RATING: C [B]British Samurai vs. Joss Thompson[/B] Poor chemistry here, but poor chemistry mostly overcome by skill – as always with Sammy. A perfectly acceptable knockabout ten minutes ended when the Clean Cutter scored the clean pin over Sammy. [I]Joss Thompson defeated British Samurai by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- [B]Joey Beauchamp vs. Buff Martinez[/B] By main event standards, this was awful. By Joey/Buff matches, this was very poor. By Joey matches in general, it was pretty much abysmal. Joey gets the win and Buff's slams are looking better, but that's all I'd say about it. Not happy with this. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Buff Martinez by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ Not happy with this show, not in the Midlands. We need to deliver better here. OVERALL: C+

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USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 1 May Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance WLW's big event of the tour is evidently going on, and right now I can't pull enough rank to get my boys back. Accordingly tonight we went with a few long matches; in the dark, however, Hector Montez shines, schooling Kadonomaro Kamisaka in what he actually made a pretty good match. Kadonomaro showed some real development, too... [I]Hector Montez defeated Kadonomaro Kamisaka by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- Walker kicks off the DVD with a strong promo. RATING: C+ [B] SK Walker vs. Billy Robinson for the USPW National Championship[/B] Try as he might, however, Walker couldn't put Billy away. I didn't call on Ray here and, while Walker was the clear star of the match, I'm not sure you could really claim he was pulling all the weight. Between the pair of them this was a great match all the way to the time limit. [I]SK Walker drew with Billy Robinson when the time limit elapsed[/I] RATING: B- [B]European Union vs. The Exodites[/B] Not a great match here, I'm afraid. But not bad, considering, and El Leon's development continues, which I'm glad of as I chose this match to elevate him a little – the lower-card luchador gets the Split Second Justice and swiftly pins Crusher von Steinberg at the end. [I]The Exodites defeated European Union when El Leon pinned Crusher von Steinberg[/I] RATING: C Walker hit the ring again and celebrated with a tense and edgy Toby. RATING: C+ [B]Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle[/B] You can imagine the huge pop. Merle's in the ring early, pacing around, and then the pipes hit over the speakers and Don emerges. Yes, that's right – Don Henderson has gone across to USPW. Partly this is to solve a couple of problems that have been nagging at me, partly to give USPW a little more legitimacy, and partly I was just sick of waiting to see Don and Merle tie up again. They performed just as well as you'd expect them to – they blew the hell past the standard established by their prior bouts, showing that both men have really improved in the last three years – and nearly provided the second time limit draw of the night, but right near the end Don got to introduce Merle to the tilt-a-whirl powerbomb and scored a pinfall to end the match. [I]Don Henderson defeated Merle O'Curle by pinfall[/I] RATING: B+ After a long pause, Merle offered Don a hand, and after a few moments, the Highland Hitman shook it. Moments later, they embraced, with shared manager Nadia Snow grinning wickedly. RATING: D- [B] Rolling Johnny Stones vs. JD Morgan vs Pit Bull Brown vs Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship[/B] Not too shabby, this, though not great – that said, I swear JD Morgan's still learning, and Brown ate another Brainbuster to keep Stones rolling forward. For now it'll do. [I]Rolling Johnny Stones defeated JD Morgan, Pit Bull Brown and Steve Flash when he pinned Pit Bull Brown[/I] RATING: C+ A good show, and a great start for Merle and Don's rekindling of their old friendly rivalry. I'll be happy to see results like this continue in Europe. OVERALL: B-

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ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 May Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.58 Another training six-woman tag, as Jaime Quine, Anna Ki and Kristabel Plum roll over Cherry Bomb, Miss Information and Nadia Snow with Kristabel pinning Cherry. Some improvement seen, but not much, yet. A 21CW affair, much as expected. [I]Anna Ki, Jaime Quine & Kristabel Plum defeated Cherry Bomb, Miss Information & Nadia Snow when Kristabel Plum pinned Cherry Bomb[/I] RATING: D+ Double-P does her shirt gun thing again. RATING: C [B]The Stunners vs. Blood and Bling for the ROF Tag Titles[/B] A good solid match here where the veterans – Blood and Bling show that they can help both Brandon and the Eagle improve a lot of their tricks. It's a short match, with only ten minutes, which I suspect is really why it didn't set Edgeware Hall all the way on fire. Good solid pop, though, and Brandon picks up another pin on Blood Raven after an inverted piledriver. [I]The Stunners defeated Blood & Bling when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Blood Raven[/I] RATING: C+ Joss hit the ring to talk about his respect for CGC colleague Davis Wayne Newton and put across their friendship, hinting that he'd love a title shot against his friend soon. RATING: B- [B]El Critico vs. Mario Heroic for the ROF TV Championship[/B] Not a great match, but decidedly not a bad one either. Mario falls to continue Critico's incredible run here as we look to switch TV providers in the near future. [I]El Critico defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Joss Thompson vs. KC Glenn[/B] For a ten minute filler match, this was fantastic. Not a question of chemistry here, just a question of the sheer skill on display, and Joss and Glenn did good work here before Joss sank KC with the Clean Cutter for the pin. [I]Joss Thompson defeated KC Glenn by pinfall[/I] RATING: B A quick segment backstage sees Joey and Anna flirting happily. Once again I resort to dragging my women competitors over by brute force and main eventers. RATING: C [B]Davis Wayne Newton vs. Steven Parker[/B] Hey, look, another ten minute filler match. And another pretty good one – sure, Davis was so blatantly a better performer, but we expect that. In a little under eight minutes the Newton's Cradle rolled the champ to another win. [I]Davis Wayne Newton defeated Steven Parker by pinfall[/I] RATING: B [B]Joey Beauchamp vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] Twenty-six minutes remained for this, and I think Hugh realised that this was another shot at proving to me that he deserves to be counted among the main eventers. It wasn't nearly as stellar as his last bout with Davis, but I didn't expect it to be. What it was was a perfectly acceptable final match for the show, and even – if barely – a perfectly acceptable match for two of my top guys. (Which Hugh, currently, doesn't qualify as.) While it didn't pull us any higher, it did well enough to leave me happy and Joey picks up still another win. Great stuff. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall[/I] RATING: B Yeah, I'm happy with this one. Maybe next time we'll punch a little higher, but this was good. OVERALL: B-

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USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 2 May Ostrava Arena 1925 in attendance An old familiar dark match; Nigel destroys Remmy in a pretty good ten minutes. It's an interesting way to measure them. Hopefully more improvement is coming. [I]Nigel Svensson defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]Jaime Quine vs. Anna Ki vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Raven Nightfall vs. Wanda Fish for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional Championship[/B] Not as good as I'd hoped for, but really, as ever, this was about teaching the weaker wrestlers. Jaime gets the win over Raven here. [I]Jaime Quine defeated Anna Ki, Huntress Makiko, Raven Nightfall, and Wanda Fish when she pinned Raven Nightfall[/I] RATING: C- Walker's music video then aired to its usual pop. RATING: C+ [B]The Force II vs. The Exodites for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] As ever, Walker's the clear standout here. As ever, El Leon eats the pin. And as I'd hoped, this was ten minutes well spent, particularly in terms of getting the show back on track. Worth doing. [I]The Force II defeated The Exodites when SK Walker pinned El Leon[/I] RATING: C+ Anna then did shirt duty. RATING: C+ [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Dean Daniels vs. JD Morgan[/B] A really nice triple threat with two veterans and Chojiro. Really, this was all about continuing to build Chojiro, so it's no wonder he gets the pin on Morgan, but it was a nice solid match that I'm glad we had on the card. I enjoyed this. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Dean Daniels & JD Morgan when he pinned JD Morgan[/I] RATING: B- [B]Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle[/B] Yes, it's a rematch. As a matter of fact, we told the crowd, Merle requested another Best of Seven series to see if, this time, he could get the advantage. While this wasn't quite as fantastic as their first match, it was still very, very solid, and Merle picked up a good, enjoyable win with the Celtic Wreath. We'll see how this builds from here. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Don Henderson by submission[/I] RATING: B [B]Rolling Johnny Stones vs. Bairei Yasujiro for the USPW World Championship[/B] If Bairei had been on form tonight, this could have been fantastic. As it is I'm very glad it wasn't a title changeover, because for the main event this was very, very weak. Johnny retains and Bairei moves further from title bouts. Ah, well. [I]Rolling Johnny Stones defeated Bairei Yasujiro by pinfall[/I] RATING: C I'd hoped for more from this, particularly after the penultimate two contests. But it can't be helped. OVERALL: C+

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ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 May Aston University Sports Hall 1000 in attendance RATING: 0.58 Close to a go-home show for Masterclass, this, as next week we're going showless while I negotiate for a new program with a new network. Fingers crossed. A weakish triple threat for the womens' title dominates the dark period; Jaime, Wanda and Makiko all grapple, with Jaime coming out on top having felled Makiko. [I]Jaime Quine defeated Huntress Makiko and Wanda Fish when she pinned Huntress Makiko[/I] RATING: C- Double-P does her shirts thing and it does inexplicably badly. RATING: D+ [B]Blood & Bling vs. Dos Phoenix[/B] Despite Groucho not really bringing it tonight this was good enough, though I'm hoping for more from these four as they establish themselves for our crowd. Blood Raven again finds himself pinned after Phoenix III's High Velocity Legdrop. [I]Dos Phoenix defeated Blood & Bling when Phoenix III pinned Blood Raven[/I] RATING: C Joey promptly hits the ring and repeats his challenge to Davis. RATING: C [B]El Critico vs. Extraordinario Jr vs. Johnny Highspot vs. Nate Johnson for the ROF TV Title[/B] Dear God, we just can't get going tonight. Reasonable match, though Johnny was a bit tired by the end and hit his remaining spots late, which dragged things down a bit – but the ending stunned everyone, as Extraordinario finds himself flattened by Johnny's spike DDT, Critico runs Johnny over with the Critical Mass – and Nate Johnson spins Critico around, ducks a punch, and gets the Natural Order, pinning the champion to pick up the belt. [I]Nate Johnson defeated El Critico, Extraordinario Jr and Johnny Highspot when he pinned El Critico[/I] RATING: C [B]British Samurai & Matthew Gauge vs. Joss Thompson & UK Dragon[/B] A general workout for much of my main event here, keeping everyone in the audience's minds. Joss got the shock win in the end with a Clean Cutter to Matthew. Nice enough work. [I]Joss Thompson & UK Dragon defeated British Samurai & Matthew Gauge when Joss Thompson pinned Matthew Gauge[/I] RATING: B Joey comes out for his match tonight, but before his opponent appears, Davis hits the ring, accepting his friend's challenge for the title at Masterclass. RATING: B [B]Joey Beauchamp vs. Mario Heroic[/B] Ah, this was good. Mario works better against Joey than Hugh did last week, and the pair of them provide a fantastic half hour of wrestling for our main event, before Joey pulls out another pinfall for the win. I really enjoyed watching this one. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall[/I] RATING: B+ We closed the show out with a hype video for Masterclass, showcasing much of our big name scene. RATING: C+ Good enough, I thought, overall. Just wish those opening matches had done a little better. OVERALL: B-

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Negotiation went pretty well; we'll be on Euro Cable Sports 1 as of next week, reaching a lot more homes. They couldn't get us on immediately and I probably should've given it longer than I did, but it can't be helped.

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USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 3 May Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance Interesting dark match here, in that we used Ray's script for Kirk and Remmy to wrestle. It ended up being 21CW in quality, which gives me a basic grounding in where they both stand. Weak, though, but Kirk gets the sneak rollup win, which at least showed something [I]Kirk the Turk defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ [B]Jaime Quine vs. Wanda Fish for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional[/B] Turned into a catfight so vicious the ref called a draw at just under ten minutes, but by God the crowd were into this. Very happy with it overall. [I]Jaime Quine drew with Wanda Fish when the ref threw out the match.[/I] RATING: C+ [B]The Force II & The Exodites vs. East and West & The Riot Act[/B] Eight-man tag fun! Walker was easily the hottest prospect in the match, naturally enough by now, but this was good stuff with a lot of spots we hadn't seen before. Some really interesting work here that culminated when Walker got the Kessel Run and the pin on Ruud. [I]The Force II & The Exodites defeated East and West & The Riot Act when SK Walker pinned Ruud van Anger[/I] RATING: C+ Another quick hype video for Walker follows. RATING: C+ [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Mr Lucha III[/B] Bloody hell. There aren't many combinations where a virtual unknown can be one of the participants and get this kind of crowd reaction when they only have six minutes to do it in, but Chojiro and Mr Lucha just stepped up a notch and blew the crowd away. Not chemistry, just skill. Really good stuff. Needless to say, though, Chojiro pretty much squashed him. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Anna worked the shirts. RATING: C+ [B]Red Dragon vs. Steve Flash[/B] Disappointing, this. First time in a while Steve's sheer experience hasn't overcome weak chemistry. Reasonable work under those circumstances only, Dragon seems to be learning, and a Flash Bang gives Steve a little more cred. [I]Steve Flash defeated Red Dragon by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- [B]Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle[/B] Bout 2 of the Best of Seven series, and Don and Merle pulled out all the stops with almost half an hour to work with. They left Bernie standing – again – and produced something really very special. The finish saw Don level Merle with a full nelson suplex and go to the turnbuckle for his moonsault, only to be cut off with a top rope DDT, dragged to the middle, and made to tap to the Celtic Wreath. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Don Henderson by submission[/I] RATING: B+ Another good solid show, and I'm sure we're looking better through Europe as a result. OVERALL: B-

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I'm working a real gamble here. We've set up a tiny promotion with donations from our fund, called [B]Cornerstone Pro Wrestling[/B]. [B]Dean Daniels[/B] has the book and [B]Ed Monton[/B] is the nominal owner and, likely, road agent. Sounds weird, I know, but I want it to have nothing to do with us right now. In time we'll be positioned to make it a developmental system officially. The thing is... The UK needs a developmental league. So long as Tyler's got the book at 21CW, it's going to be his ego trip and useless for that. Ring of Fire needs to put on strong performances with each and every show; we can't afford to spend much time on developing new hopes. CPW is being tested; if it can stand on its own feet for a while, it'll be what we need and we'll take it under our wing. Fingers crossed, guys.

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Masterclass prediction card: KC Glenn vs. Steven Parker 2/3 falls Blood & Bling vs. Hot Fuzz Mario Heroic vs. Nate Johnson in a Ladder Match British Samurai vs. Hugh de Aske Joss Thompson vs. Matthew Gauge vs. UK Dragon Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp in a 30 minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship