Phantom Stranger Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 ROF: Masterclass Tuesday Week 4 May Kent Racecourse 4516 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.13 A decentish dark match; KC Glenn goes through Steven Parker in a two out of three falls match with two straight falls. Not great, but an OK start for the dark. [I]KC Glenn defeated Steven Parker by pinfall[/I] RATING: C [B]Hot Fuzz vs. Blood & Bling[/B] I have no idea why this was so weak, but it was. Can't be helped. Keith picks up the victory here with a pin over Groucho; nice to see him go forward. Maybe that was the weakness, though; he's been signed by CPW, so hopefully he'll start to improve shortly. [I]Hot Fuzz defeated Blood & Bling when Keith Adams pinned Groucho Bling[/I] RATING: C- Davis cut a promo putting Joey over as a great friend and a great challenger. RATING: C+ [B]Mario Heroic vs. Nate Johnson in a ladder match[/B] Oh, tonight is just not going as well as it should be. Nate and Mario did well, but somehow just didn't get over enough, as Nate snatched the prize away at the top of the ladder after fifteen minutes. Wish we were doing better... [I]Nate Johnson defeated Mario Heroic when he retrieved the prize[/I] RATING: C+ Joey's promo was next, promising that the championship would end up around his waist. RATING: C [B]British Samurai vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] Thankfully this pulled us a little way out of the doldrums, though it was nowhere near what it should have been. Nonetheless, Sammy regains a little of his momentum as he locks the Secret Samurai Stretch in for the win. [I]British Samurai defeated Hugh de Aske by submission[/I] RATING: B- A quick hype video concentrates on the respective finishers of Joss Thompson, Matthew Gauge, and UK Dragon before their match RATING: C+ [B]Joss Thompson vs. Matthew Gauge vs. UK Dragon[/B] FINALLY. These three had a little under twenty-five minutes to work with and they worked it like crazy, with so many falls and submissions broken up at the last second. In the end, the newcomer got the breakout win in a great match. [I]Joss Thompson defeated Matthew Gauge and UK Dragon when he pinned Matthew Gauge.[/I] RATING: A [B] Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp in a 30 minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship[/B] Simply beautiful work from these two, stepping up their game against each other again. This marks the third MOTYC from ROF in 2011, as Joey and Davis work the stip heavily. It takes twenty minutes for the first fall, as Joey finally gets a pin after hotshotting Davis across the top rope, coming off the far ropes and getting the Breeze Block. With his back to the wall now, Davis steps up his game, taking increasingly wild risks and somehow failing to score a fall or go down another when the risks fall short. A fourth Breeze Block attempt in the twenty-ninth minute is met with a sharp dropkick and Davis locks on the STF, but Joey refuses to tap for over sixty seconds. In the closing moments of the match, however, the Breeze taps and the match ends as a draw. [I]Davis Wayne Newton drew with Joey Beauchamp at one fall apiece[/I] RATING: A* Davis and Joey stand off for a long moment before Joey raises Davis' arm in salute. Moments later, Davis returns the favour. RATING: B- So overall a good solid show due chiefly to the last two matches. I'm pretty happy with this, though it's a depressingly low buyrate for such a good main event. Can't help but wonder if not being able to finish the TV shill had something to do with that. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday, Week 4 May Ostrava Arena 1340 in attendance Another weak dark match as Nadia and Raven see how well they can pop the crowd now. It's crap, despite the chemistry, but at least it's dark. Raven scores the fall here. [I]Raven Nightfall defeated Nadia Snow by pinfall[/I] RATING: D [B]Billy Robinson vs. JD Morgan[/B] I need to get HAVE BILLY'S MATCHES SCRIPTED tattooed on the inside of my eyelids. This was only average, and should have been excellent. Billy picks up the win over the veteran here, though. [I]Billy Robinson defeated JD Morgan by submission.[/I] RATING: C The Walker hype vid hits again, getting a much bigger pop than I can understand. RATING: B- [B] East and West vs. Team WLW[/B] Pretty good, this; would likely have been excellent if Marc had been performing at the same level as Nichiren did, but that can't be helped. Sometimes they just don't bring their A game. A nice quick win for East and West who're still slowly clawing their way up the card, this time with Nichiren making Dean tap. Good work. [I]East and West defeated Team WLW when Nichiren Amagawa made Dean Daniels submit.[/I] RATING: C+ Anna works the shirts for a cheap pop. RATING: C+ [B]SK Walker vs. Chojiro Kitoaji vs. El Leon vs. Pit Bull Brown for the USPW National Championship[/B] This was actually better than I expected, as another part of my program of teaching Brown to work better and as part of the build for the other three, who get extra rub just for facing the former champ – especially in Walker's case, as Ray called for Brown to eat the Kessel Run and be pinned. Nice work and a good sign for Walker again. [I]SK Walker defeated Chojiro Kitoaji, El Leon and Pit Bull Brown when he pinned Pit Bull Brown[/I] RATING: B [B]Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle[/B] Bout three, and Don's two-nil down at the beginning. Bernie still can't keep up, but Don and Merle don't need it nearly as much as others, and Danny does a good job with the emotional side of things. It's their best match together yet, and one of the best matches in USPW history. It probably counts among the top fifty matches I've ever booked. And it does so in under twelve minutes as Don fights through it all and scores the victory with a Celtic Wreath. [I]Don Henderson defeated Merle O'Curle by submission[/I] RATING: A [B]Rolling Johnny Stones vs. Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship[/B] A good solid match here overshadowed by the two before it – but I expected it to be, if I'm honest. I just wasn't willing to put Don and Merle beyond the title; the promotion's too close to being all about Merle as it is. Bringing Don over was in part to stop that. Still, Johnny looks good, Steve looks good, and Johnny retains. Nice enough. [I]Rolling Johnny Stones defeated Steve Flash by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Yeah, I'm happy with this. We're really getting the USPW guys over now. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 June Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.93 Our first show on Euro Cable Sports 1. Here's hoping this works for us; we'll begin with a nice enough dark match between Makiko and Ki, as Makiko schools the former champion before felling her with the Tokyo Express. I'm confident our womens' division is – slowly – getting better. [I]Huntress Makiko defeated Anna Ki by pinfall[/I] RATING: C- Double-P works the shirtgun again. May have to change this during Edgeware shows, which is a shame. RATING: D+ [B]The Stunners vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles[/B] This is our effective debut match on the program, and thankfully it's one of our better tag matches. The superbomb splash carries through for another successful defence and Brandon gets another pinfall victory here, this time over Extraordinario. Good stuff, really.[I] The Stunners defeated Extraordinary Men when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Extraordinario Jr.[/I] RATING: C+ Davis then cut a solid promo, accompanied by Jaime who did her best to amp the effect by looking good, as they proclaimed themselves the Champion Couple of ROF. Victoria Stone and Sean McFly were mentioned. RATING: C+ [B]Matthew Gauge vs. Edward Cornell[/B] This 'second generation' - I know it isn't really - battle was not what I'd hoped. Still, the win will give Matthew a little more momentum as we move forward – but this should have been better. Edward still has some way to go. [I]Matthew Gauge defeated Edward Cornell by submission[/I] RATING: C Joss came out next and claimed his right to challenge Davis at Graduation. Joey then hit the ring and pointed out Davis hadn't beaten him, saying he should get another shot. The argument turned into a brawl that had to be sorted by Davis and Dragon hitting the ring to pull them apart. RATING: B- [B]Nate Johnson vs. Johnny Highspot for the ROF TV Championship[/B] Best match of the night thus far, which unfortunately says little. Nate retains with the Natural Order in a reasonably good bout, though. [I]Nate Johnson defeated Johnny Highspot by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- [B]Buff Martinez vs. Fox Mask[/B] And finally the crowd wake up! Buff and Fox have known each other from their early UKW days and the chemistry they have together shows. A quick match drags the crowd to their feet and pulls approval out of them, as well as allowing Buff to regain a little momentum – which he'll need for our title scene soon enough – as he gets the El KO. [I]Buff Martinez defeated Fox Mask by pinfall[/I] RATING: B+ [B]British Samurai vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] OK, maybe it's time to look at elevating Hugh with a strong program. Sammy and Hugh get the crowd even more involved through our main event, as they pretty much save the show in twenty-seven minutes; Sammy tries to ground Hugh's airborne hijinks with submission holds, technical takedowns, and similar old-school techniques, which prompts the SWF star to display his power side, punching, kicking, slamming and throwing his way clear again. Ultimately, however, there's one hold he can't beat, as Sammy twists in a suplex to land on his feet and hook in the Secret Samurai Stretch and make Hugh tap. [I]British Samurai defeated Hugh de Aske by submission[/I] RATING: A Whew. Saved by those last two matches – I'm going to have to remember Buff and Fox as a matchup – and enabled to put together something great. Edgeware doesn't quite react the way most of our venues do and I keep forgetting that, but at the moment it'll be some time before I'm past it in the south. Needless to say, this is a new record audience; in addition to the two thousand in attendance, we pulled in forty-six thousand five hundred viewers. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 1 June Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance Another Kirk/Remmy scripted bout in the dark lets Remmy pick up a win with his flying legdrop. Somewhat 21CW in quality. [I]Remmy Honeyman defeated Kirk the Turk by pinfall[/I] RATING: D+ [B]The Force II vs. The Riot Act for the USPW Tag Titles[/B] Jonni wasn't really paying much attention tonight; his timing went off as a result. Walker's good, but not good enough to haul this all the way back. Still, Ruud was the guy who had to eat the double-team at the end and the match was... acceptable. [I]The Force II defeated The Riot Act when SK Walker pinned Ruud van Anger[/I] RATING: C Toby joined Jed and Simona, and the three engaged in urgent, hushed conversation as they made their way back up the ramp. RATING: E+ [B]Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Nigel Svensson[/B] These two are capable of much better, but they had to pull the crowd back into it first. A good solid quarter-hour gives Chojiro even more momentum as he lands the Kitoaji Lariat and pins Nigel to roll on forward. [I]Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ [B]El Leon vs. Mr Lucha III[/B] A good way to spend ten minutes, here, as the two luchadors perk the crowd up still further, with Leon getting the win again as he tries to build his momentum further up. [I]El Leon defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Anna works the shirt gun again. RATING: C+ [B]Steve Flash vs. Hector Montez[/B] Worked Hector a little longer than he has the gas for, but we'll get by. Both of these men are beyond 40, and we're not exactly building for the future here, but Steve gets the win with the Flash Bang in what was still a perfectly acceptable match. Not bad at all... [I]Steve Flash defeated Hector Montez by pinfall[/I] RATING: C+ We rolled the Walker hype vid again as his build continues. RATING: C+ [B]Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle[/B] A fine main event, really, even with Bernie left floundering desperately on commentary. Merle gets the win yet again with the Celtic Wreath. The score stands at three to one in the Irishman's favour. [I]Merle O'Curle defeated Don Henderson by submissiom[/I] RATING: B+ Another good solid show, another step forward. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 June The Cobra Den 1000 in attendance RATING: 0.93 A good solid dark match to kick us off; Hidekazu schools Steven Parker and Roy Edison, and the results are nice and solid. By the end Edison eats a tilt-a-whirl powerbomb from Hidekazu and takes the loss. I actually enjoyed this one, given Hidekazu's recent form and Roy's relative inexperience. All this despite Hidekazu phoning it in. Roy's short Historical Japan run appears to have given him some understanding of how to work a puro match. Hidekazu defeated Roy Edison and Steven Parker when he pinned Roy Edison RATING: C Double-P came out to work the shirts routine again RATING: C The show begins, and as the credits fade we see Davis and Joey talking in low tones backstage. We can only hear a few muffled words, mostly Davis' comments – something about having worked with a man in CGC and thinking Joey's being too hard on him. RATING: C+ Jaime Quine vs. Wanda Fish for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional Championship A little under ten minutes gave us quite an enjoyable match here and Wanda's patience has finally been rewarded by pulling a win out over the champion and grabbing the belt for herself. Let's hope she can make it work. Wanda Fish defeated Jaime Quine by pinfall RATING: C+ Nate Johnson vs. Capitao Brasil Jr vs. Extraordinario Jr for the ROF TV Championship Not bad work here; may have to repeat this with more of a focus on the flying. It's Nate's all-round ability that gives him the win here, though Extraordinario takes advantage of the opportunity to show off some neat new mat tricks along the way and Capitao is borne to a reasonable match – and even avoids losing the match, as it's Extraordinario who ends up taking the Natural Order and being pinned. Nate Johnson defeated Capitao Brasil Jr and Extraordinario Jr when he pinned Extraordinario Jr RATING: C+ Hot Fuzz vs. Blood & Bling Weak. Weaker than I'd wanted, which is a real shame, but hey. Give it time – rebuilding this tag division is always tough. Edward got the pin here following a neat little counter-spot against Groucho's running dropkick. Hot Fuzz defeated Blood & Bling when Edward Cornell pinned Groucho Bling RATING: C A quick cut backstage shows Davis consoling a tearful Jaime. RATING: C Buff Martinez vs. KC Glenn A nice solid match here; KC puts up resistance and looks good doing it, and Buff gets the win and shows what he can do, particularly showcasing a brutal-looking big boot before going for the El KO. Buff Martinez defeated KC Glenn by pinfall RATING: B We then ran a hype video for the UK Dragon RATING: B- Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Joss Thompson Dear God. It's weird; sometimes you look at people and, yeah, they're definitely not clicking like they might, a little off, their communication's maybe stilted – but nonetheless the match is great. This was one of those times – and it's not like either of these guys wanted to sell, either. The Cobra Den still exploded with praise, leaving me wondering if it's time to do something new with Brandon; he certainly seemed comfortable working the half-hour stretch of the main event. I'm very happy with this and Joss continues to look strong. Joss Thompson defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by pinfall RATING: B+ Not a bad show; took a little longer to get going than I'd have liked and the tag division definitely needs... something. I'm honestly not sure what. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 2 June Ostrava Arena 2000 in attendance Another double-dark-match week here; I really need a bunch more of these guys in CPW, assuming CPW can take it. We begin with Kristabel Plum giving Miss Information a quick pounding to a Crippler Ray script. It's pretty solid, which gives me hope. Sammy's protege is almost by definition a pet project. Kristabel Plum defeated Miss Information by pinfall RATING: C Following this Bairei gave Kirk the Turk a lesson, and I realised that I should've had Ray give Kirk a quick talk here too. This was flat-out poor, so I hope Kirk at least picked something up. Bairei obviously gets the win here. Bairei Yasujiro defeated Kirk the Turk by pinfall RATING: D The DVD, as often happens, opens with a Walker video. He's getting a hell of a pop these days. RATING: C+ East and West vs. European Union Good solid tag work here, helping East and West build while giving Nigel and Crusher the extra technical tuition they need. It's Nichiren who gets the win, Nigel who concedes it. East and West defeated European Union when Nichiren Amagawa made Nigel Svensson submit. RATING: C+ SK Walker vs. Hector Montez for the USPW National Championship Ahh, that natural understanding these two have together... I suspect that even his loss here helps Hector more than a little, it being a really nice, enjoyable match. SK Walker defeated Hector Montez by pinfall RATING: B Anna then works the shirt gun as ever. RATING: C+ Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle Don pretty much needs the win here to stay in contention, and clearly, therefore, grabs it. Another excellent match hindered only by Bernie, who just can't keep up and flubs a couple of the more unusual moves Merle's learned touring with INSPIRE. Good stuff, though. Don Henderson defeated Merle O'Curle by submission RATING: B+ El Leon vs. Mr Lucha III A quick luchador cooldown match here. El Leon gets the win as he needs the momentum now, rather than having the chance to build it up later. It's solid stuff, but not great – doesn't have the time to be. El Leon defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall RATING: C+ Rolling Johnny Stones vs. JD Morgan vs. Pit Bull Brown vs. Steve Flash in an Elimination Match for the USPW World Championship Good enough way to close out the show. Morgan goes first to a Dog House Piledriver; the remaining three last a while longer, then Flash gets the Flash Bang on Brown, Johnny lays Steve out with the brainbuster, pins Steve, then pins Brown. Good stuff, though. Rolling Johnny Stones defeated JD Morgan, Pit Bull Brown, and Steve Flash by elimination. RATING: B- Bad ending – should've paced things better. Damn. But a reasonable show. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 June Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 1.00 We put Roy and KC Glenn together in the dark with an Optimus script. Simple logic; Roy needs work but has excellent technical skills; KC needs work but has excellent flying skills. They can both show the other some of what they need to know, and we can get a pretty good match out of it as we go. KC dominates and scores with the Sunshine Band to collect a victory, but this is good stuff. KC Glenn defeated Roy Edison by pinfall RATING: C+ Double-P then works the shirts as ever while we wait for the show to cue in. RATING: C Extraordinario Jr vs Groucho Bling Back to building some tag issues by means of singles matches, we put two team captains together for a ten-minute solo bout to open the show. I'm glad I did; granted, Extraordinario wasn't really pulling out all the stops the way he can, but this was great stuff, particularly for people with their roster position. The crowd loved this and the Siempre Peleando actually got a really good pop. Extraordinario Jr defeated Groucho Bling by pinfall RATING: B Davis hit the ring next and appealed to Joey Beauchamp, assuring him that Joss Thompson wasn't trying to take his spot, that anything Thompson managed he'd manage by his own skill. He then pointed out to Joss just how good Joey was and reminded them that he considered them both friends and asked them to ease off. RATING: B- Nate Johnson vs. Black Eagle in a Ladder Match for the ROF TV Championship After that rollercoaster start this was always likely to be a bit weak, but that's cool; it's good enough. Nate retains with a pretty good match against the Eagle, once again getting the flip piledriver from the top of the ladder. Nate Johnson defeated Black Eagle when he retrieved his title RATING: C+ Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske Having decided to start moving Hugh back toward the main event after recent developments, I started the path by allowing him to battle to the time limit against Davis. Picking up a time limit draw against the champ is good, and this was a great match. Hell, the only thing that really hindered it was that Matthew Morris' commentary got left behind as they picked up the pace in the last five minutes. Still great stuff that'll pop ratings and give us some drive forward. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske when the time limit elapsed. RATING: A Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon And a fantastic main event to top out the show, actually leaving Davis/Hugh behind as these two other greats use their own chemistry to blow the roof off Edgeware Hall. Sure, this was a deliberately top-loaded show – I'm a little worried about some lacklustre ticket sales across the board, and this should help push us back into the public eye – the weakness, again, was Matthew, but I think my kidding him at the start about getting lost previously didn't help him get back into stride. Another MOTYC, though, and I'm happy about it – especially as it gives Joey more momentum from his win, heading into... Joey Beauchamp defeated UK Dragon by pinfall RATING: A* The show closed with a hype video recapping Joey/Joss/Davis' actions and statements of the last few weeks, closing with the announcement that the Graduation main event would be a triple threat starring the three. RATING: B- Beautiful show, over all. The stacking really helped; I can't see this not pulling us up a level. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 3 June Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance Our dark match this week saw Red Dragon get an easy win over Remmy, who wasn't really playing at full speed. On the plus side, he didn't need to – these two just have that instinctive grasp of working together that comes from great chemistry. As matches go this was still weak, but the goal of the dark contests is development; Dragon is definitely getting better with his armlocks. Red Dragon defeated Remmy Honeyman by submission RATING: C- Anna worked the shirts as we started the show. RATING: C Billy Robinson vs. Kadonomaro Kamisaka This was nice. I mean, Ray had to script it and Billy was clearly miles ahead of Kadonomaro, but this was still a good solid opening match for the DVD, and Billy picked up a nice win. Billy Robinson defeated Kadonomaro Kamisaka by submission RATING: C+ The Force II vs. The Exodites for the USPW Tag Titles Good work here, with Walker being the shining light on this one. The match really came to an abrupt, chaotic halt when the ref lost control, with Simona losing her temper and scolding all three male Force members about their issues and the wrestling degenerating into brawling. The Force II drew with The Exodites amid total confusion RATING: C+ The Walker hype video again. For the first time, the reaction begins to flag. RATING: C JD Morgan vs. Nigel Svensson Another good exchange. I mean, really I hope for better, but this was good and something to work with in future. Nigel gets the win over the veteran with that lethal running knee drive of his, and the fans react pretty well. Nigel Svensson defeated JD Morgan by pinfall RATING: C+ Hector Montez vs. Mr Lucha III Oh, I'd hoped this would be better. Hector controls, Hector shows off, Hector puts the jobber away. Nice enough but below the rest of the night thus far. Hector Montez defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall RATING: C Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle The score stands at three to two in Merle's favour, and the tension is high. They have twenty-four minutes to play with. Merle has held the Ring of Fire title multiple times, the UKW crown twice, and the USPW World Championship once. Don has never held a promotion's top title, and has everything to prove here. And prove it he does, as both men once again leave Bernie in the dust and Jillefski grudgingly concedes that maybe Merle and Don deserve to be considered at the same level as his client, the Pit Bull. Beautiful stuff. Don Henderson defeated Merle O'Curle by submission RATING: A An end result that leaves this looking like a very sound show overall, despite this being mostly due to the stellar main event. I'll take that for now; Don and Merle get to meet for the decider at Graduation and then they both move back into the title picture with a hell of a lot of momentum. Should shake things up well. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 Well, I did say this wasn't dead, and it wasn't; but it's taken me a while to get around to posting the next bit, though I've got a good fourteen pages in Word left to go (of a near four-hundred page dynasty, thus far) before I need new items. Nonetheless, it's PPV time again! Prediction key: TV: Capitao Brasil Jr vs. Velocidad Hidekazu vs. Roy Edison in a Submission Match The Stunners vs. Blood & Bling for the ROF Tag Titles Nate Johnson vs. Johnny Highspot in a two out of three falls match for the ROF TV title El Heroe Mexicano vs. Phoenix III Edward Cornell vs. Hugh de Aske in a Classic Cage Match Graduation PPV: East and West vs. Dos Phoenix Black Eagle vs. Blood Raven in a Ladder Match Mario Heroic vs. SK Walker Matthew Gauge vs. Steve Flash Buff Martinez vs. UK Dragon Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle in a 30 Minute Ultimate Submissions Match - Bout Seven in a Best of Seven Series Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 June Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance RATING: 0.97 Another very weak dark match; Capitao Brasil Jr and Velocidad were given ten minutes and total opportunity to call proceedings as they saw fit, chiefly so I can get a handle on how Brasil works when he has to do something for himself. He gets the win with an inverted figure four; it's not what you call good, however. [I]Capitao Brasil Jr defeated Velocidad by submission[/I] RATING: D Double-P then did her job and popped the crowd again with the shirt gun. RATING: C [B]Hidekazu vs. Roy Edison in a Submission Match[/B] Another attempt to use as few main eventers as I can in the pre-PPV show. I can get away with using a few, but I'm trying not to – outside of the angles. These two did pretty well with a script here, and Roy scores a win with the armbar. Not bad, I thought. [I]Roy Edison defeated Hidekazu by submission[/I] RATING: C+ We followed that up with a hype video about the main event tonight. The pop was solid. RATING: B [B]The Stunners vs. Blood & Bling for the ROF Tag Titles[/B] I honestly don't know what's going on with the tag title scene. All these matches the last few weeks... I've been trying new things, pairing them off in singles matches occasionally as a test, putting them up against wrestlers from outside the division. I just can't get forward momentum as a tag grouping. I'm not sure what's going on there. This... this was just barely adequate, and considering everyone but Blood Raven has already pulled off vastly superior singles matches for me, I'm not sure what happened here. Blood Raven just hasn't had the chance to yet. Awful stuff, but the Stunners score another win. [I]The Stunners defeated Blood & Bling when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Groucho Bling[/I] RATING: C Buff hit the ring to challenge Dragon. RATING: D Dragon was right behind him, accepting the challenge for Graduation. RATING: C [B]Nate Johnson vs. Johnny Highspot in a two out of three falls match for the ROF TV title[/B] One of their weakest-received matches to date. I'm beginning to think that Hall Green just isn't a good venue for us; the problem is that at the same time we're having issues with Edgeware Hall. Nate was dominant here, scoring both falls. I enjoyed it, at least. [I]Nate Johnson defeated Johnny Highspot by two straight falls[/I] RATING: C+ [B]El Heroe Mexicano vs. Phoenix III[/B] Remember what I said about the tag division? Case in point, here, as these two finally got the crowd vaguely interested, Phoenix scoring the fall with a lovely high velocity legdrop. [I]Phoenix III defeated El Heroe Mexicano[/I] RATING: B- [B]Edward Cornell vs. Hugh de Aske in a Classic Cage Match[/B] And our main event, at least, isn't entirely awful. Nice enough work and a nice enough pop for the cut-throat driver that finished things, but this just didn't work as well as I'd hoped. Clearly a new strategy is called for. [I]Hugh de Aske defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Weak show. Weak, weak, weak. I definitely need to get back to using our main eventers for these. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 ROF: Graduation Tuesday Week 4 June Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.18 An actually reasonable tag bout in the dark, as East and West drag Dos Phoenix' best match to date out of them. Maybe I'm still missing something, then. Nichiren scores the submission over Phoenix II, and I enjoyed this. Ah, well; it's on tape, and USPW pick up a win to make the brand look a little better. [I]East and West defeated Dos Phoenix when Nichiren Amagawa made Phoenix II submit[/I] RATING: C+ [B]Black Eagle vs. Blood Raven in a Ladder Match[/B] It's entirely possible I've just located the issue with B&B's performances; this was lacklustre, especially by Eagle's standards. He scores the win here, retrieving the prize, but I'm left to lament the time spent. [I]Black Eagle defeated Blood Raven when he retrieved the prize.[/I] RATING: C We ran a big-screen video recap of Merle/Don for folks who don't follow USPW. RATING: B- [B]Mario Heroic vs. SK Walker[/B] This was a good solid use of fifteen minutes, at least. Walker pulls out the victory over the ROF stalwart, but barely. [I]SK Walker defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall[/I] RATING: B- Davis cut a quick promo about the main event, hyping Joss and Joey. RATING: B [B]Matthew Gauge vs. Steve Flash[/B] Finally, Ring of Fire pulls one back, as Matthew applies the Proton Lock to Steve and forces him to tap after sixteen minutes of excellent technical competition. [I]Matthew Gauge defeated Steve Flash by submission[/I] RATING: B- [B]Buff Martinez vs. UK Dragon[/B] For all the lacklustre build to this, this was great. Buff and Dragon have excellent chemistry together and they cut loose very well, with Buff showing some new tricks in terms of throws and eventually landing the El KO for a well-deserved victory. My night gets better immediately. [I]Buff Martinez defeated UK Dragon by pinfall[/I] RATING: A [B]Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle in a 30 Minute Ultimate Submissions Match[/B] We may well have peaked too early – this is a genuine MOTYC, despite the awkward selling, despite Matthew being hopelessly lost in the intricacies, with Merle being an absolute gent and making his friend's career, scoring only one fall with the Celtic Wreath but tapping to the Scottish Deathlock, the Proton Lock, and the Secret Samurai Stretch. Fantastic match. [I]Don Henderson defeated Merle O'Curle by two falls to one[/I] RATING: A* Don and Merle shook hands in the centre of the ring, prompted by Nadia, and raised each other's arms in salute. RATING: C [B]Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson for the ROF Championship[/B] They knew they'd never equal what had gone before, I suspect, but they pulled out all the stops anyway. Joss starts to get a few cheers from the ROF faithful before the end and shows some real improvement, but it's not to be his night. Thrown over the top rope with a fisherman's suplex toward the end, Joss is just too far away when Davis turns back and catches the most dangerous Breeze Block we've seen hit to date right in the sternum. The pinfall, then, is academic. [I]Joey Beauchamp defeated Davis Wayne Newton and Joss Thompson when he pinned Davis Wayne Newton[/I] RATING: A We go off the air with the competitors, their girlfriends,and others celebrating together in the ring. RATING: C+ A good solid show to save the night. I can be relatively happy with that. Our buyrate hits a new high, though only by a small margin. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel Fromage Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Great show. :) How are you getting Henderson in a 30-minute submission match? He tires in 16 minutes for me. Every match he has (near enough) is on that mark to try and get his stamina up, but it just won't seem to budge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 [QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;383640]Great show. :) How are you getting Henderson in a 30-minute submission match? He tires in 16 minutes for me. Every match he has (near enough) is on that mark to try and get his stamina up, but it just won't seem to budge.[/QUOTE] I noticed it had risen a grade round about the point he first got pushed past upper midcard status - it must have been before the first Commonwealth Cup, which is about a year and a half ago now, but I can't remember exactly when. He made it to twenty fine, then twenty-five, then thirty, and then I started booking him that way. I don't have more than a couple of guys who can go more than thirty, so I haven't tested further. Probably wouldn't work anyway. I'm currently nearing the end of August in booking and it's gotten very, very weird all of a sudden. For a start, I - somehow, I'm not sure - hit National at the start of August and am dreading the financial impact. This has led to a collapse of the brand split ahead of time and various other things, and... it's all gorn complicated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel Fromage Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Without wishing to spoil my diary too much, I've also just hit National (couple of diary months away). It's not affected me financially too much because I'm still making marginal profits each month - and I was worried about the financial impact. Problem I've got is lack of star power - crowds have visibly dropped by about 1000 per show, and I'm guessing that's the reason. Unfortunately, unless Tommy Cornell suddenly decided to leave TCW, there's probably no UK wrestler that can give me that needed star power!! The only major UK players I've not got are Joss Thompson and Dark Angel, and neither of them has more popuarity in the UK than my current workers. National is definitely going to be tough work in the UK!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 Yeah, I'm having the stars issue too. On the plus side I've got one or two folks due for much stronger representation, but it's still going to be tricky. Mostly, though, it's cutting the roster due to an ended brand split that's giving me issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 4 June Ostrava Arena 1273 in attendance Beginning to seriously wonder whether we should stop running the Ostrava. Anna and Ochiyo Iijima duel in the opening dark bout, and it's awful – but a lot of that awkwardness is due to the simple issue of bad chemistry. It's not that they're not working against each other, it's that they pretty close to can't. Weak stuff, but at least Iijima's improving and Anna gets the win for a little extra momentum. Anna Ki defeated Ochiyo Iijima by pinfall RATING: D The second dark match was actually very solid; Dean Daniels does click with Remmy Honeyman, who's probably the most capable employee still to be being used as job fodder, and these two facts make for an enjoyable match. Sooner or later Remmy's going to end up rising above the omnijobber role he came to us touting – but not tonight, as Dean gets back on track with the cradle piledriver. Dean Daniels defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall RATING: C+ East and West vs. European Union It's kind of depressing that I can almost entirely rely on the USPW tag scene to outdo the theoretically greater talent levels in ROF. On the other hand, it's useful. Crusher and Nigel have both been developing recently and show off that improvement tonight, and they get a rare reward; Marc Speed's face meets Nigel's running knee drive, and it's good stuff. European Union defeated East and West when Nigel Svensson pinned Marc Speed. RATING: C+ Walker hits the ramp, and as we change up from his music vid, cuts a forthright promo talking up his performances to now. The reception's good. RATING: C+ SK Walker vs. Billy Robinson for the USPW National Championship Billy would be a good national champ these days; he's developed massively since the last time he had singles gold, and while Walker outshone him tonight, Walker's really starting to advance to the point where he should hopefully be positioned for a World challenger role soon enough. This was a pretty satisfying match, with another Walker win on top. Good stuff. SK Walker defeated Billy Robinson by pinfall RATING: B- Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Pit Bull Brown Weak, this. Shame; they can do better, but here at least they aren't. I think Brown wants pushing back up, and as such he's dragging his feet when asked to do the job. Chojiro takes advantage but the match should've been better. Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Pit Bull Brown by pinfall RATING: C Anna works the shirts. RATING: C+ Rolling Johnny Stones vs. Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle vs. Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship Good stuff as ever. The fans were pissy at the ending – the ref had to throw it out – but it keeps everyone relatively strong and will build hype for the rematches. Rolling Johnny Stones drew with Don Henderson, Merle O'Curle and Steve Flash when the referee lost control RATING: B+ Good enough overall, I thought. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 July The Cobra Den 1000 in attendance RATING: 1.01 A weak dark match here; I have to remember that, tempting as it is to have Kristabel teach Nadia in the ring, they don't work well together. Kristabel gets the win here in what we'd call weaker than 21CW. Ironically, so is 21CW's output these days. Kristabel Plum defeated Nadia Snow by pinfall RATING: D Double-P moves on to work the shirt gun. RATING: C British Samurai vs. Keith Adams A good solid match kicks off the show. Sammy is unlikely ever again to be champion, but he's still a tremendous asset to the company – his understanding of the core fundamentals is equalled or surpassed by few, and these need passing on – and draws a lot of water. He beats a small-name tag competitor here with the Secret Samurai Stretch and keeps his rep up a little, making his losses mean that little bit more to the men who cause them. British Samurai defeated Keith Adams by submission RATING: B- Joey hits the ring next, looking around with a big goofy grin on his face and the belt slung over one shoulder. “You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this,” he says. “It's been more than a year since I last held the belt. TV time was something we were talking about getting when I last held the belt – most of you haven't seen the Breeze on top. “Well, get used to it – I'm back, I'm the best Ring of Fire has to offer, and I'm going to prove it every day...” RATING: C Nate Johnson vs. Groucho Bling for the ROF TV Championship Maybe I shouldn't have booked this one for the Cobra Den, as it didn't go down nearly as well as you'd hope. Worthwhile match, though, as far as Nate's reign goes – he racks up another satisfactory defence. With a little more work, this could become a great reign... Nate Johnson defeated Groucho Bling by pinfall RATING: C Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hugh de Aske Continuing Hugh's build, we return to a man he has great chemistry with – a man who is one of our other brawling/puro specialists. The results are great, particularly with the less-than-quarter-hour they were given to work with. A good back-and-forth match sees the Cut-Throat Driver marginally beat the Backdrop Driver – but that margin turns out to be enough. Hugh de Aske defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by pinfall RATING: B+ Buff Martinez vs. Mario Heroic You know, this was just meant to be a quick show-your-stuff match for Buff before kicking off the feud that'll take him to Summer Games. But Buff and Mario have that fantastic way of working together and they let it all hang out, and with seventeen minutes Buff got to show all of his stuff while Mario also made himself look great. I really enjoyed this; and the El KO ended things almost too early. Buff Martinez defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: A Buff promptly grabbed the microphone and told Joss Thompson he was putting him on notice, citing Joss' clear use of pull with the former champ to beat Buff to the title shot. That, Buff felt, wasn't fair – and he was going to prove it. RATING: B- Davis Wayne Newton vs. Edward Cornell in a two out of three falls match The story we fed the crowd was that Davis had requested this following his title loss; a win over a Cornell would go a long way to making him feel better, and if it was two out of three no one could tell him it was a fluke. Hence our main event this week, where Edward did his best – and did great, actually; fantastic match – but lost in two straight falls to the two-time ROF champ. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Edward Cornell by two falls to nil. RATING: A A fantastic show, particularly for the Cobra Den. Shouldn't be stacking the cards quite so much, probably, but we need to consolidate our position on Euro Cable 1 right now. As luck would have it this delivered us our best rating to date, too. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 1 July Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance One of those dark matches that gives you hope this week; Mr Lucha III picks up a needed win over Kirk the Turk in a bout that isn't utterly appalling, suggesting we'll have something in future. Kirk's definitely picking up some new tricks during his time with us, too. Mr Lucha III defeated Kirk the Turk by pinfall RATING: C- The Force II vs. Team WLW for the USPW Tag Titles It's time to get some momentum back into the shifting politics of the tag scene, and accordingly it's Dean who picks up the win here, countering a Sky High into his cradle piledriver while Bairei and SK Walker duel elsewhere. The titles change hands, Walker still looks excellent and maintains forward momentum, and we get a really enjoyable match out of it to boot. Team WLW defeated The Force II when Dean Daniels pinned Jed High RATING: B- Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Nigel Svensson This match just keeps coming back, as it always makes both competitors look good. Nigel picks up something of a shock win here, blocking the Kitoaji Lariat and locking in the hyper-extension arm lock he's feared for, and the crowd pops even louder than for the title change. Nigel Svensson defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by submission RATING: B Backstage, Walker and High talk in low tones. RATING: D East and West vs. The Riot Act Showcasing the other long-term tag division staples here we get another very solid match to cheer the crowd up and a rare victory for Marc Speed specifically as he forces Jonni Lowlife to tap to the Cross Armbreaker. Nice work. East and West defeated The Riot Act when Marc Speed made Jonni Lowlife submit RATING: B- Flanked by Simona, Toby approaches El Leon backstage, ending their tag team, citing a desire to succeed in singles. El Leon seems annoyed that there was no warning, and accuses Toby of actually just wanting to switch partners, which Toby denies. RATING: D- Billy Robinson vs. Hector Montez vs. JD Morgan vs. Pit Bull Brown vs. Red Dragon Turns out a large block of our upper midcard can't handle multiman matches as well as our lower card tag teams, which is a real shame. Hector gets the win here over Brown in what should've been a better match, considering the degree of investment. Hector Montez defeated Billy Robinson, JD Morgan, Pit Bull Brown & Red Dragon when he pinned Pit Bull Brown RATING: C Walker, High, and Toby cut a group promo promising future success for the Force. RATING: D Rolling Johnny Stones vs. Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle for the USPW World Championship Shame, really, that Bernie once again wasn't able to keep up with this. A pretty enjoyable match, though, and Merle lies down and takes the pin, which gives Don that little extra push here... Rolling Johnny Stones defeated Don Henderson and Merle O'Curle when he pinned Merle O'Curle RATING: B- Well, it was a pretty good show overall. Just a couple weak spots, and that's to be expected. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 July Aston University Sports Hall 1000 in attendance RATING: 1.04 Huntress beats Cherry Bomb in the dark again. Good enough for the dark. Huntress Makiko defeated Cherry Bomb by pinfall RATING: C- To hype the crowd pre-broadcast, Double-P works the shirts again, to a very good reception. RATING: C+ Blood Raven vs. KC Glenn I enjoyed this, definitely. I figure it's just that these two haven't really become known quantities to the ROF crowd yet that kept the reaction down, but this was good enough for a show opener. KC put the Raven away when he tuned up the Sunshine Band. KC Glenn defeated Blood Raven by pinfall RATING: C+ Hugh hit the ring after that and challenged Davis to a match, pledging to defeat the 'former champ'. RATING: C That was always going to get a reaction from Davis, who instantly appeared and agreed. RATING: C+ Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske As ever, these two put on a great match. The only real limitation here was that they only had twenty minutes to work with, during which time they fought to a standstill, neither able to keep their opponent down for long enough. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske when the time limit elapsed. RATING: B+ Nate Johnson vs. Daniel Black Francis for the ROF TV Championship A rare appearance for Daniel here, and the match isn't too bad – we kept it too short for Daniel to have issues, which is also why it didn't take off to quite the level it could have, I think. The Natural Order picks up the win. Nate Johnson defeated Daniel Black Francis by pinfall RATING: C+ Buff then appeared on the big screen, promising Joss Thompson once again that Buff would keep coming until he'd proven that Buff, not Joss, deserved that title shot. RATING: C+ Wanda Fish vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional Championship Rare TV time for two of our most talented female competitors and they don't let me down, using their history and chemistry together to produce a fantastic contest. The Dish of the Day carries... well, the day... and Wanda retains. Wanda Fish defeated Jaime Quine by pinfall RATING: B- Mario Heroic vs. UK Dragon Chemistry issues keep this from being as good as it could be, but don't prevent it from being very enjoyable, as both veteran high fliers pull out all the stops. The finish sees Dragon counter a superplex attempt into a top-rope Dragon Drop. Good enough. UK Dragon defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: B Joey promptly hits the ring, announcing that he's chosen UK Dragon as his challenger next week at Summer Games. RATING: C Good enough show, but I'd hoped for better. Once again we break ratings records. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 2 July Ostrava Arena 1960 in attendance A truly beautiful dark match, better than I'd dreamed it would be – or this would've been on the main card. The debuting El Mitico Jr goes up against El Leon and in under ten minutes they blow the crowd away. I smell a main card match or two in this youngster's near future. El Leon defeated El Mitico Jr by pinfall RATING: B- JD Morgan vs. Nichiren Amagawa It shocks me that this was a match I could've moved down for Mitico/Leon. Nice and solid, but by no means brilliant. Nichiren gets a solid win with the Amagawa Total Lock, though. Nichiren Amagawa defeated JD Morgan when he made him submit RATING: C+ SK Walker vs. Hector Montez for the USPW National Championship Seems like the past half a year or so has been a good time to be a midcard champ; I just haven't changed them, until that final Continental Sports show for ROF. And this is no exception; Walker picks up another good win – and great match – with the Kessel Run. Definitely enjoyed this one. SK Walker defeated Hector Montez by pinfall RATING: B Walker then grabbed the mic to talk himself up. RATING: C+ Team WLW vs. European Union for the USPW Tag Titles This was weaker than I'd hoped for, but it worked insofar as it gave Dean another pinfall and Team WLW another win. Beyond that, not great. Team WLW defeated European Union when Dean Daniels pinned Crusher von Steinberg RATING: C Anna then worked the shirt gun. RATING: C+ Rolling Johnny Stones vs. Don Henderson for the USPW World Championship Half an hour of intense wrestling that nonetheless grips the crowd less than Walker/Montez. Which says something about our USPW title scene at present. After the long battle, Don gets the tilt-a-whirl powerbomb and slaps on the Scottish Deathlock, securing his first ever major title. Don Henderson defeated Rolling Johnny Stones by submission RATING: B- Weaker than I'd hoped for, but at least vaguely acceptable. OVERALL: C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Summer Games prediction key: TV: Johnny Highspot vs. Steven Parker Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Edward Cornell Blood Raven vs. KC Glenn Groucho Bling vs. Phoenix II Nate Johnson vs. El Heroe Mexicano for the ROF TV Championship Extraordinario Jr vs. Matthew Gauge Summer Games: Keith Adams vs. Phoenix III British Samurai vs. Daniel Black Francis Wanda Fish vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional Championship Buff Martinez vs. Joss Thompson Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon in a Last Man Standing match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 July Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance RATING: 1.10 Ah, another pre-PPV show. Let's hope this one works well enough... Our dark match was expected to be weak, but it was about Steven Parker and Johnny Highspot trying to teach each other a couple of tricks. It deserved to be a dark match, and as it turns out, these two can't work together well. Still, Johnny's been needing a win for a while. Johnny Highspot defeated Steven Parker by pinfall RATING: C- Double-P then gets the crowd back on side with the shirt gun. Not sure how long this is going to take to get her over, but she's mostly working the dark, so that makes sense. RATING: C+ Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Edward Cornell A nice solid match here between two tag captains. It runs about a quarter of an hour before Edward gets a Rough Ride and covers Brandon for the pin, with the fans seeming pretty into it. Edward Cornell defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by pinfall RATING: B- We then ran a hype video 'paid for by the fans of Buff Martinez' in a nod to Petey's old character that I hope a decent number of our fans got, designed to detail Buff's grievances against Joss Thompson and reminding viewers to see the end result on PPV tonight. RATING: B- Blood Raven vs. KC Glenn Good, but not good enough to keep the levels of energy going among the fans. In just shy of twelve minutes KC tunes up the Sunshine Band and gets a good pinfall. KC Glenn defeated Blood Raven by pinfall RATING: C+ Another hype video next, this time for Hugh de Aske's PPV clash against Davis in his goal to 'prove himself' RATING: C+ Groucho Bling vs. Phoenix II Ack. Bad chemistry killed the promising bout. We avoided 21CW territory, but barely – still, on the plus side, Groucho pulled one back for his team, landing the Bling Thing for the win. Groucho Bling defeated Phoenix II by pinfall RATING: C- Nate Johnson vs. El Heroe Mexicano for the ROF TV Championship They only had eight minutes and they don't work well together, but this still pulled us back up, ending up an acceptable midcard match despite all that. Nate scores the Natural Order to retain – this time. Nate Johnson defeated El Heroe Mexicano by pinfall RATING: C+ Extraordinario Jr vs. Matthew Gauge I enjoyed this, and while we've known Matthew to be capable of great things for some time it's good to see that Extraordinario continues to develop, too; it'd be nice if some of the crop of new lucha wrestlers I've brought in over the past four years showed what's necessary to hit main event level. Extra plays the plucky underdog, launching attack after attack; Matthew draws on his father's training to pull off a convincing veteran, and the story becomes one of the youngster who just might pull off the big win... until Matthew overcomes his frustration at not being able to put him away and coldly, calculatingly, goes to work. Matthew Gauge defeated Extraordinario Jr by submission RATING: B Joey closes out the show with a pre-taped promo, promising to put UK Dragon through everything it takes to beat him last... man... standing... RATING: C+ Good enough show pre-PPV, I thought, saved by an excellent main event and a solid opener. Another record rating, too, which is becoming a standard thing on PPV nights. Factor in the live attendance and sixty thousand people watched this. Our first show on this network had eight thousand five hundred fewer viewers, and it was only seven weeks ago. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 ROF: Summer Games Tuesday Week 3 July Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.22 Another weakish match in the dark; Phoenix III gets the win over Keith Adams. Mostly developmental work for the pair, here. Phoenix III defeated Keith Adams by pinfall RATING: C- Wanda took her turn with the shirt gun. RATING: D British Samurai vs. Daniel Black Francis The PPV proper kicks off with the best match Daniel Black Francis has ever been part of. His time with UKW and ROF appears to have taught him some new tricks, but Sammy controls and scores with the Fisherman's Suplex in the end. British Samurai defeated Daniel Black Francis by pinfall RATING: B+ Then we ran a hype video showcasing Dragon's career to date. RATING: B- Wanda Fish vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional Championship Now this was good stuff, and the PPV audience will hopefully take to these women the way the Kent Racecourse crowd did. The Blonde Ambition puts Jaime down for the pinfall. Wanda Fish defeated Jaime Quine by pinfall RATING: B- Buff Martinez vs. Joss Thompson I expected this to be good. I didn't expect this; I think both men took the angle as having an underlying point, and not only their personas but the wrestlers portraying them really wanted to pull out all the stops here. A really, really good match ends when Buff gets the El KO out of nowhere in just under twenty minutes. Buff Martinez defeated Joss Thompson by pinfall RATING: A Buff rises to celebrate, and then Joss spins him around and sinks him with the Clean Cutter, standing over the body and looking furious. RATING: C+ Davis was shown backstage next, cutting a promo where he promised a return to prominence after dispatching Hugh. RATING: C+ Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske And, while we know these two can perform, in my opinion they outdid themselves here. An absolutely blinding match that should've been on last – if I had any interest in devaluing the Championship. Highlights included an early Cut-Throat Driver attempt being turned into an STF with Davis' usual panache and the finish itself; a second cut-throat driver that scored after Hugh slammed Davis spine-first into a turnbuckle to prevent a counter. Hugh de Aske defeated Davis Wayne Newton by pinfall RATING: A* Stunned, Davis collects his thoughts for a few moments, then walks over and offers Hugh his hand. Hugh looks at it scornfully, laughs, and rolls out of the ring. RATING: C+ Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon in a Last Man Standing match for the ROF Championship Good hard work here; it didn't quite match Hugh and Davis, but it definitely wasn't far behind. Both men played the stip hard, with a lot of near-counts and some truly sick spots. By the end blood was soaking through Dragon's mask, which made for a hell of a visual. He hit the Dragon Drop from the top turnbuckle and just collapsed; neither man made it to their feet for the ten count. Joey Beauchamp drew with UK Dragon when neither man could answer the ten count RATING: A Man, that was a satisfying show. Not our best, but damn good. And our buyrate pops by a full two thousand, despite equalling our highest attendance – for the first time ever, a Ring of Fire event outdoes UKW's PPV buyrate. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 3 July Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance Every so often, it strikes me. Two thousand packed a German arena to see our secondary brand tonight. When I took the job, twenty to thirty people were interested in our home area. Hell of a difference a few years can make. A quick dark tag saw Anna Ki and Kristabel Plum put Miss Information and Cherry Bomb away comfortably, Plum pinning Miss Information. I'm now sure we're seeing development among the weaker of the ladies. RATING: C El Mitico Jr vs. Mr Lucha III A multi-generation lucha bout kicks the show proper off. It's short and sweet without much time to get going, but even with that problem the pair of them put together a pretty enjoyable match, the Third Strike carrying it for Mr. Lucha. Nice stuff. Mr Lucha III defeated El Mitico Jr by pinfall RATING: C+ We ran a quick hype vid for the new champ, but it didn't do as well as I'd hoped. RATING: D Billy Robinson vs. JD Morgan JD and Flash both have the same issue; they're long in the tooth. I knew that when I signed both of them, though, and really do not care. Their job here, and they understand it, is to pass on as much of their learning as they can. In just under ten minutes Billy and JD put another good solid match together before the Capital City Crucifix gave the younger man his due. Definitely worth showcasing. Billy Robinson def. JD Morgan by submission RATING: C+ Team WLW vs. The Riot Act for the USPW World Tag Titles Clean, quick, simple draw ending with a double countout. Dean was the standout here, and I'm hoping to push him forward again once Bairei ends his time with us, but for now this was just designed to do the job sweetly and smoothly. Team WLW drew with The Riot Act by double countout RATING: C Kadonomaro Kamisaka vs. Steve Flash Kadonomaro needs to listen to Steve more, I think. This was 21CW at best, and frankly I pretty much expect Steve Flash to do better no matter what he faces. Still, it worked, and Flash scores a win. Steve Flash def. Kadonomaro Kamisaka by pinfall RATING: D+ SK Walker vs. El Leon for the USPW National Championship Another pretty basic ten minute title match with Walker once again scoring the pinfall to retain, but it's worth it; the crowd got heavily into it and El Leon showed me once again how much he's improved over time, both in terms of his ability to brawl and his mat skills. We'll make him an all-rounder yet. SK Walker defeated El Leon by pinfall RATING: B- Anna then worked the shirt gun while people recharged their drinks before the main event. RATING: C+ Don Henderson vs. Rolling Johnny Stones for the USPW World Championship Man, Bernie just isn't as good as he needs to be. Good stuff here, though with a very splendid final match as the go-home. Don even worked in that moonsault of his, and then finished off the challenger with the Scottish Deathlock Don Henderson defeated Rolling Johnny Stones by submission RATING: B+ A good solid show, by the end; our closing bouts always seem to leave the audience happy at the end. It's just a question of how to punch through to the next level now. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 July The Cobra Den 1000 in attendance RATING: 1.25 Our first dark match saw Makiko pick up a win as payment for schooling Raven. Not bad stuff again, but not great by any means. Huntress Makiko defeated Raven Nightfall by pinfall RATING: C- Next in the dark, a match I apparently can put on TV safely; Daniel Black Francis against Roy Edison. Daniel put Roy away very, very quickly but let Roy showcase his improvement at the same time; I was pretty happy with this. Daniel Black Francis defeated Roy Edison by pinfall RATING: B- Jaime Quine and Double-P finished off the dark period with an argument. Again, just about getting their faces out there to some degree. RATING: D Buff kicked the show off in the ring, cutting a pretty vicious promo on Thompson's attack on him at last week's pay-per-view. After a couple of minutes Joss came out and told Buff that, hey, the match had been damn close and he didn't feel Buff deserved his win. They eventually agreed to lock up again in the main event. RATING: C+ The Stunners vs. Hot Fuzz for the ROF Tag Titles A quick quarter-hour tag bout put on another reasonable showing, with all four men putting in their best effort. Eventually a Superbomb Splash went awry; Cornell cut off Brandon's rescue attempt with a Rough Ride, then pinned Eagle while he was out on the floor, and suddenly Hot Fuzz had the tag belts for the second time. Hot Fuzz defeated The Stunners when Edward Cornell pinned Black Eagle RATING: C+ KC Glenn vs. Matthew Gauge Ah... chemistry issues prevented this from doing any better than it did, sadly, but all they managed was something that would put 21CW to shame, not something worth being on the show. On the plus side, Matthew picks up another win, which has to be worth something. Matthew Gauge def. KC Glenn by submission RATING: C- Davis came out to the ring next, microphone in hand. Immediately he demands that Hugh explain himself, citing the refusal to shake Davis' hand at the PPV last week. “A man loses, wants to pay his respects, he doesn't need them thrown back in his face!” Hugh appeared on the big screen in response to retort. He pointed out Davis' knack for befriending rivals, reminding us all that Joey once conceded a title opportunity to Davis – and Davis held the belt as a result. He accused Davis of wanting everyone on his level on his side so that he'd never have a legitimate defence again, and pointed out that last week he defeated a two-time ROF champion and should be considered a potential contender himself. RATING: C Nate Johnson vs. Johnny Highspot for the ROF TV Title Lovely work here; I pushed Johnny a little, asking him to work longer than his stamina usually allows for, but given that there was only a minute of that it pretty much played into the finish, with Nate capitalising on Johnny's lower speed to land the Natural Order and retain. Nate Johnson def. Johnny Highspot by pinfall RATING: B- Buff Martinez vs. Joss Thompson Nearly eight minutes longer than their match at the PPV last week, and they gave it their all again. Thompson was fired up, determined to show last week had been an accident, and that gave weight to it when he kicked out of the El KO. Buff looked shocked – Joss capitalised by landing the Clean Cutter, but Buff kicked out in return and the battle began again. Eventually Joss hit a top turnbuckle dive into the Clean Cutter, laying Buff out for easily long enough to cover and pick up the win. I was very happy with this; looks like they're both going to be very solid signings. Joss Thompson def. Buff Martinez by pinfall RATING: A Well, it was a stellar main event, but it wasn't enough to pull us beyond a typical show reception. Still and all, especially here in the Cobra Den that's enough to get us looked on more favourably. And again our rating skyrockets, though I'll be honest and say I have no idea why or how. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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