Phantom Stranger Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 4 July Ostrava Arena 1534 in attendance A spectacularly good dark opener sees Remmy Honeyman overcome Hector Montez. These two have incredible chemistry together, gelling like few others, and if Hector wasn't so close to the end of his career we could probably build to something the stuff of legends. In just six minutes they blew the home crowd away, making me wish it'd been live. Remmy Honeyman defeated Hector Montez via pinfall RATING: B+ European Union vs. Kirk the Turk & Red Dragon A 21CW tag match here, but as with most of my dark matches it's intended as a training ground for those involved. Dragon's definitely improving, and Nigel scores the win over Dragon with that running knee drive of his. I'm confident that Nigel will eventually be a major player. European Union defeated Kirk the Turk & Red Dragon when Nigel Svensson pinned Red Dragon RATING: D+ Bairei Yasujiro vs. El Leon vs. El Mitico Jr. vs Kadonomaro Kamisaka vs. Marc Speed vs. Mr Lucha III in an Elimination Match Eight minutes to get everyone into the ring and only ten to finish the match, but virtually everyone learned something and it was a pretty good match. Kadonomaro ate a Yasujiro Suplex and went in the first two minutes before Marc took El Mitico down with that cross armbreaker of his. Mr Lucha III laid out El Leon with the Third Strike but ate a Deadly Heel Hook from Marc to be the third eliminated, and then Bairei pinned Leon to capitalise. With only Marc and Bairei remaining the pace slowed, but a double-chickenwing from Marc turned into a pinfall situation and the East and West member came out on top. Marc Speed defeated Bairei Yasujiro, El Leon, El Mitico Jr, Kadonomaro Kamisaka and Mr Lucha III by elimination. RATING: C+ Anna then worked the shirt gun to an unusually warm reception. RATING: C+ Dean Daniels vs. Pit Bull Brown A good solid match for one I basically threw together at the last minute. I gave them twenty minutes, told them to make each other look good and end with a draw, and they did not let me down. Brown seems to be slowly adjusting to his new role on the card. Dean Daniels drew with Pit Bull Brown when the time limit elapsed RATING: B Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Steve Flash A very mild comedown from the prior match, this was still damn good and kept the crowd thoroughly pepped. The Flash Bang capitalises to keep Steve strong with a second consecutive win. Steve Flash defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by pinfall RATING: B- A quick SK Walker video next to keep him in people's minds despite the lack of room on the card. RATING: C+ Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle for the USPW World Championship Weird to think that four and a half years since Merle was ROF's biggest player and Don merely a strong tag perfomer, we see Don emerge with a kayfabe 'slight edge' over Merle. I've felt from the start that Don was someone to give the big strap to eventually, and the problem was simply that Ring of Fire developed, if anything, faster than he did. With USPW as a secondary role, we've been able to remedy that – and Don and Merle going at it tonight is part of us making that look legitimate, as Don picks up another win over the Celtic Crippler. Don Henderson defeated Merle O'Curle by submission RATING: A Well, there were complaints from the peanut gallery about Dean lasting twenty minutes and Kadonomaro getting pretty much any air time, but that doesn't change the fact this was still one of our best-received USPW shows to date. I can't wait for further development. 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 1 August Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 1.21 A good solid dark match to begin sees Jaime tie up with Wanda Fish in a title match that goes to a draw with a double count out. Their chemistry helps them to a pretty enjoyable match. Wanda Fish drew with Jaime Quine when both competitors were counted out RATING: C+ After a staredown with Jaime, Double-P works the shirts. RATING: C As the show begins, Davis comes out and faces down Double-P, clearly angry over Phoebe's water-based assault on Jaime last week. In a bid to distract him, she offers him a match against British Samurai, which is accepted. RATING: C+ Hot Fuzz vs. Dos Phoenix vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles A short but enjoyable match here, despite our usual tag issues and Keith Adams not really feeling it tonight. Another example of a multi-man match to bolster skill, and all six men seem to take to that., but Hot Fuzz are just too strong and Edward gets a pin on Phoenix II to finish. Hot Fuzz defeated Dos Phoenix and Extraordinary Men when Edward Cornell pinned Phoenix II RATING: C+ A quick hype video spliced together from the weak spots of the Stunners' tag work, essentially aiming to make a quickie feud out of their title loss. Both men are over enough that I felt it should've done better, but it can't be helped. RATING: D Black Eagle vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith Nice work here despite the rocky start, with both men giving it their all and Brandon even pulling off a couple of dropkicks. Toward the end he sends Eagle to the outside with a fallaway slam, hits the far ropes, and comes through the ropes in a suicide dive to wipe them both out – and from there on Eagle's resistance drops and it's all Brandon, who just destroys Eagle before putting it away with the inverted piledriver. A very satisfying ten minutes. Bulldozer Brandon Smith defeated Black Eagle by pinfall RATING: B- Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon And I threw this in purely because the champ hadn't had a match since the PPV, too... Both men need momentum right now, and as such, both men get it, with the match lasting til the twenty minute limit despite both men's hard work. And somehow, this was one of the best matches we've ever produced, blowing away my expectations. Not, of course, that I'm complaining. Joey Beauchamp drew with UK Dragon when the time limit elapsed RATING: A* Backstage we see Davis chatting in quiet tones with Jaime, no doubt promising vengeance on Double-P's client. RATING: C Nate Johnson vs. Velocidad for the TV Championship I wouldn't have put this on after Joey and Dragon if I'd known quite how hard they were going to work on this. Believe it or not, Velocidad held up his end of this match pretty well before falling to the Natural Order, and does look to have developed since his last match, but the winner was never really in doubt and it's probably good that I kept it short. Nate Johnson defeated Velocidad by pinfall RATING: C+ British Samurai vs. Davis Wayne Newton And so it comes to this, in the main event; and 'this' isn't as good as I'd hoped where the champ's match was better. Still, it's very good despite their chemistry issues, and seeing a fisherman's suplex turned into an STF at the finish was excellent. Plus, of course, an ROF main event submission victory always does feel right. Davis Wayne Newton defeated British Samurai by submission RATING: B+ So there we have it; different match order would've made for a better show, but this was still definitely satisfactory. I think we're still on the way up. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 On the way up is right. With the feedback from that show the Radio Times called to run a feature. “We feel you can't even be called a cult phenomenon anymore,” the guy said. “You're a legitimate phenomenon on the national level.” I can't quite believe it. I've been on the phone since with the European Sports Network, and believe it or not, they've decided we're big enough in Europe to give us a slot. ROF: Over There will debut on Sundays at 9pm in September. With luck I'll be able to strike a deal with CPW to go developmental at that point; I aim to end the brand split, ditch dead weight, and rotate hopefuls down into CPW soon. We also have our first three competitors on written contracts; Nate Johnson, Black Eagle, and newcomer Ernest Youngman. It's just... weird. I didn't expect to be in this position for some time. Truth be told I'm not sure we'll be able to maintain it; we'll have to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 USPW: Standard Bearers Sunday Week 1 August Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance A very, very stacked card here – I don't want to blow it with the B-show and get us in trouble, plus if things go well we'll be wrapping up CPW very shortly. We'll see how this goes... Our dark opener saw JD Morgan school the Red Dragon, with the ending coming from a double-DQ spot over some Morgan-led confusion with a steel chair. Nothing actually happened, but a lot looked like it was going to. JD Morgan drew with Red Dragon by double DQ RATING: C- Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Nigel Svensson Very good work by these two as ever, with the Kitoaji Lariat once again carrying the day. I was definitely pretty happy with this, and I suspect Chojiro is, too. Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall RATING: B Anna works the shirt gun. RATING: C+ Wanda Fish vs. Kristabel Plum for the ROF/USPW Womens Interpromotional Title A good close-fought match producing a pretty good result. This definitely kept me happy as we really see the women's division working well here. Wanda, of course, picked up the win here. Wanda Fish defeated Kristabel Plum by pinfall RATING: B- SK Walker vs. El Leon for the USPW National Championship As with our upcoming main event, no particular chemistry here, just two great workers, and it shows as they pull the crowd reaction up a notch again before Walker completes his eighteenth defence of the National strap. Hard to imagine someone else doing so well here. SK Walker defeated El Leon by pinfall RATING: B We followed that up with Walker's hype video, and got only a lukewarm reception, considering. RATING: C Don Henderson vs. Steve Flash for the USPW World Championship in a 30 minute Iron Man match Scratch that no particular chemistry comment – these two don't work too well together. Comparatively, that is, which means this was still the match of the night, ending with the score at two Deathlocks to one Flash Bang, giving Don a solid win. I'm happy with this. Don Henderson defeated Steve Flash by two falls to one RATING: B+ Another very solid show, as calculated. Nice work by everyone involved. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 CPW signed on the dotted line. This is going to get busy for a while, though we start simply enough – Standard Bearers has been axed. As of now, the brand split is dead. Getting to this size is a headache. Sammy and I have spent valuable booking time reviewing tapes, arguing, debating, considering, and figuring out who to cut and who to hand to developmental. It's going to be a long tough road from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 August Hall Green Cricket Club 1351 in attendance RATING: 1.37 A slapdash show this week, which likely accounts for the lacklustre showing in terms of attendance. We're honestly not sure how all this will go, and a lot of story arcs being built are needing to be rejigged. Our dark match saw Roy Edison go down to Marc Speed's Cross Armbreaker; a good solid match, and one I enjoyed, to remind our home audience of Marc. Marc Speed defeated Roy Edison by submission RATING: C+ Joey began the show proper in the ring, discussing USPW's folding briefly and wishing those former ROF employees who'd had work there the best. He then stated that he was looking forward to a new title challenger at Proving Grounds and issued an open challenge for that position... RATING: C+ ...and Don Henderson emerges, USPW World Championship over his shoulder, to inform Joey that Ring of Fire had claimed the title belts and title holders of USPW as the company that bailed Sam Strong out of debt's right. He suggested they make Proving Grounds the last fanfare of the World Championship and unify it with the ROF Title in a hell of a main event. RATING: B- Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Ernest Youngman These two have very different styles, and what I was hoping for... well, it didn't quite happen. Brandon dominated ****ily before folding Ernest up with a backdrop driver. Bulldozer Brandon Smith defeated Ernest Youngman RATING: C Buff Martinez vs. Mario Heroic Seems like it's currently my curse to run the most stellar of matches well before I should. If I'm honest I have no idea how this ended up as good as it was, even with the known factor of these two's excellent chemistry. In just under fourteen minutes they turned in an incredible performance that's definitely strengthened Buff as the winner, and likely Mario even in his loss. Buff Martinez defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: A* Walker emerges, announcing that he figures another title unification is in order. But he has the TV title in mind, and tonight – and, hey, there are ladders around, and two titles to hang above the ring, so how about it Nate? RATING: B- Nate Johnson vs. SK Walker in a Title Unification Ladder Match A really nice quarter-hour battle plays into both men's strengths, and features a worked botch as a centrepiece; Nate attempts the Natural Order from atop the ladder, loses his footing, and both men crash to the mat, with Nate breaking Walker's fall. Walker capitalises and grabs the belts. This is my third unification match for a midcard belt in four and a half years; time to stop. SK Walker defeated Nate Johnson by retrieving both titles RATING: B- Davis makes his way to the ring for our Iron Man main event, and Merle O'Curle follows him, evidently to assess him. Davis looks more than a little worried by this. RATING: C Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske in a 30 Minute Iron Man match Very, very nice work, not quite up to their best but still damn well executed. As the clock ticks down, the score stands at two to one in Davis' favour, but he keeps eyeing up Merle, evidently distracted, and Hugh capitalises, rolling him up to even the score with only seconds to spare. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske at two falls apiece RATING: A The show goes off the air as Davis and Merle stare each other down. RATING: C+ Damn fine show overall, as it turns out. I suspect that if Buff and Mario had run later we'd have had even better press, but ultimately you can't complain about these things. A phenomenal ratings hike again; Radio Times hits on a Tuesday, and I guess the article persuaded a few subscribers to tune in. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 August Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 1.30 I'm having horrible trouble estimating what to run dark these days. Fox Mask and Mr Lucha III organised a pretty good bout in the slot this week, with the Mask scoring a win but both men looking pretty well. I do like the Fox Flip Off DDT as a finisher, has to be said. More than the Fox Hunter, if I'm honest. Fox Mask defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall RATING: B- Double-P then runs the usual shirts game. RATING: C Hot Fuzz and Dos Phoenix vs. Team WLW, Crusher von Steinberg & Nichiren Amagawa A massive tag bout to open the show. Wasn't as good as I'd hoped for, but, again, some learning took place, I think, with so many veterans and so many youngsters. Dean Daniels scores the pinfall over Phoenix III with his cradle piledriver, heightening the tension on commentary over who'd win the likely tag unification bout. Danny Jillefski – the new third member of our announce team – and I got very steamed about that. Team WLW, Crusher von Steinberg & Nichiren Amagawa defeated Hot Fuzz and Dos Phoenix when Dean Daniels pinned Phoenix III RATING: C Billy Robinson vs. Don Henderson Ah, the Shooters, together again. Sort of. Don really looked the better of the two, but that does befit their current positions, and the match itself was good if unexceptional before Don finished things off. Don Henderson defeated Billy Robinson by submission RATING: B- We played a quickie video package for the unification match to capitalise on Don's momentum. RATING: B- UK Dragon vs. Ernest Youngman Another sub-par match, felt like, though Youngman's yet to have more than seven minutes to work with, and we're already seeing improvement from the, uh... young man. Note to self: Find out whether that bloody pun of a name is meant to be a freakin' gimmick or something. Dragon controls and puts him away fast. UK Dragon defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C Davis appears on the big screen and calls out Merle O'Curle for his 'interference' in the prior match. RATING: B- SK Walker vs. Groucho Bling for the ROF TV Championship Ten minutes and smooth, in one of Groucho's better matches for us so far. I wonder occasionally if it rankles with him that Elmo's SWF world champ right now, but there's not a lot I can do if it does. A good enough performance ends as ever – with the Kessel Run. SK Walker defeated Groucho Bling by pinfall RATING: B- Matthew Gauge vs. Merle O'Curle in a Submission Match A first-ever meeting, and one that left me very, very happy with the contest. Merle plays the arrogant vet extremely well, and Matthew can work the talented youngster for a while yet. The match started slow, picked up speed extremely fast, and ran almost twenty-five minutes before Merle finally managed to put the younger wrestler away. Merle O'Curle defeated Matthew Gauge by submission RATING: B+ Nadia passed Merle the mic at that point and the Celtic Crippler issued a challenge to another man he's never faced, Davis Wayne Newton, for Proving Grounds. On the big screen, Davis accepted. RATING: C I'd hoped for slightly better than this, but I can live with it. Once in a while, anyway. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 PPV Predictions Card: TV Billy Robinson vs. Ernest Youngman Edward Cornell vs. Steve Flash Wanda Fish vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF Womens Championship SK Walker vs. Extraordinario Jr for the ROF TV Championship Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon PPV: Keith Adams vs. Nichiren Amagawa Hugh de Aske vs. Matthew Gauge Joss THompson vs. Mario Heroic Buff Martinez vs. Rolling Johnny Stones Davis Wayne Newton vs. Merle O'Curle Don Henderson vs. Joey Beauchamp in a Title Unification Bout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 August Kent Racecourse 4439 in attendance RATING: 1.31 A pre-PPV show again, and hopefully not too weak a show. There's a lot to this one, including a bit of a gamble with Davis. But we'll see how it goes – right now I'm trying to make more of my men into household names fast. Our dark contest sees Billy Robinson school Ernest Youngman with Optimus supplying the script. It's good work and Ernest gets a little more time, allowing us to see a bit more of what he can do. Definitely worth doing. Billy Robinson defeated Ernest Youngman by submission RATING: B- Double-P follows up with more shirts work. RATING: C+ As the show proper begins, Davis discusses his match with Merle O'Curle, listing Merle's accomplishments and comparing them to his own – unfavourably. He says he feels so confident about their PPV match... RATING: C+ ...that he's going to wrestle the Fighting Fit main event against UK Dragon first. And my God, the pop this got us. RATING: B Edward Cornell vs. Steve Flash Goddammit, Edward! You want to be in the main event, you learn to call a damn match. That's not what I'm seeing here, and I swear to God that Steve knows how to do it. This was just plain bad, and I actually found myself begrudging not only the time but giving you the pinfall victory. Edward Cornell defeated Steve Flash by pinfall RATING: C Wanda Fish vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF Womens Championship This, on the other hand, was as worthwhile as ever. Both women are looking strong and getting known, and the title defence had the crowd pretty happy as we ended the first half-hour. Eventually Wanda landed the Dish of the Day to retain, but I'm definitely happy with this. Wanda Fish defeated Jaime Quine by pinfall RATING: B- SK Walker vs. Extraordinario Jr for the ROF TV Championship Lovely work by both men here, as ever from these two – best TV title match we've had in quite some time. Walker retains again, but his title run's likely coming to an end soon. SK Walker defeated Extraordinario Jr by pinfall RATING: B Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon Holy crap, man, these two can always go. This wasn't another MOTYC, quite, but that was all due to the ending, which ROF fans think of as a buzz-kill; Merle, still 'obviously under the influence of the loose kind of attitude USPW fosters' ran in and killed both men with chairshots, drawing the double-DQ. The heat at that point was amazing, but it's not a trick I'm looking to repeat. Davis Wayne Newton drew with UK Dragon by double disqualification RATING: A Davis makes his way back to his feet and faces off with Merle. The two look ready to go at each other right then and there, but the locker room empties as the show ends; Sammy, Buff, Ernest, Don, Hugh, Mario... all people willing to stand up for the ROF way. The two combatants are forced back apart. RATING: B- There we go! That's the kind of show I want to be putting on with the new level of attention on us... OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 ROF: Proving Ground Tuesday Week 4 August Kent Racecourse 4439 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.22 A quickie match while everyone hits the concession stand; Nichiren Amagawa forces Keith Adams to submit. Astonishingly weak, not sure why. Nichiren Amagawa defeated Keith Adams by submission RATING: C Jaime takes a turn working the shirt gun, mostly so I can gauge how she's doing with the fans. RATING: D The PPV goes live with Hugh de Aske in the ring. He reels off a list of complaints – the unification match robbing him of a title match he proved he deserves being top of the list – and offers an open challenge to anyone in the back to prove his mettle. RATING: C+ Matthew Gauge hits the ring at speed. RATING: C Hugh de Aske vs. Matthew Gauge Not bad at all; a little under eighteen minutes proves theat these two are solid main eventers, but also proves neither of them should yet be asked to call a match as a leader. Hugh scores the pin with the Cut-Throat Driver to help build his reputation. Hugh de Aske defeated Matthew Gauge by pinfall RATING: B- Joey is seen backstage next, discussing Don Henderson, their past matches, the importance of both titles, and other such things. He gets the crowd popping huge for the main event. RATING: B Joss Thompson vs. Mario Heroic And Joss continues to get better. For the second time his win is foreshadowed by a Clean Cutter opening with a top turnbuckle dive; the crowd pops big, and the match keeps the crowd pepped. Worth doing. Joss Thompson defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: B Buff Martinez vs. Rolling Johnny Stones RJS is being cut, and this is likely his last match with us – I'm not tolerating someone on his level asking for a Davis or Joey level payday. Naturally enough, therefore, he's made to do the job, leaving Buff still looking strong. The El KO hits in just over thirteen minutes. Buff Martinez defeated Rolling Johnny Stones by pinfall RATING: B Davis Wayne Newton vs. Merle O'Curle OK, chances are we just peaked too soon. The story leading into this was great and Davis played the injured, exhausted, arrogant legend well, with Merle reverting to that cold, calculating crippler image. The resulting match got the crowd screaming themselves hoarse and popping for just about everything, culminating when Davis, having been on the eventual losing end of almost every exchange until that point, somehow got the Newton's Cradle in answer to a Celtic Wreath. So very, very worthwhile, and only twenty minutes... Davis Wayne Newton defeated Merle O'Curle by pinfall RATING: A* Don Henderson vs. Joey Beauchamp in a Title Unification Bout ...OK, my bad. We didn't peak. Holy God, we just got two MOTYCs out of one card, and one of those featuring a man who'd already wrestled twenty-five minutes earlier. This was a tough match to book, as I genuinely feel we may have reached a point where Don could carry the company for a while at least; but Joey needs a strong reign to re-legitimise him as a champion, and Don's had more defences. Thus it was that, in the end, Joey went for the Breeze Block, slipped clear of the tilt-a-whirl counter, came off the ropes and hit the Block clean for the pin. Fantastic match again; this blew me away. Joey Beauchamp defeated Don Henderson by pinfall to unify the belts. RATING: A* Joey celebrates in the ring with both belts, and Anna and Davis come out to join him. RATING: B- Absolutely fantastic show. I loved this, and I'm so glad it'll be in my hands on DVD shortly. I can breathe easy again, I think; for a while at least our national claim is solidified. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel Fromage Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Excellent show! You're ahead of me in managing two A* matches one after another. :) Congrats on the DOTM nomination too. You deserve it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 [QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;392843]Excellent show! You're ahead of me in managing two A* matches one after another. :) [/QUOTE] The lack of hiring boundaries gives me the slight talent pool edge, it has to be said - but yeah, this is an ROF PPV I'd love to own for real. By the way - how's Humphrey doing for you? His reffing hit A* for me about a month ago in-game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 22, 2008 Author Share Posted March 22, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 September Middlesborough Hall (Northern England) 1658 in attendance RATING: 1.26 A very 21CW opening match; Ernest and Nigel Svensson again showing that more needs doing before Ernest can work the main card reliably. Nigel scores the win, as someone who can. Nigel Svensson defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: D+ Double-P then works the shirtgun. RATING: C Team WLW vs. Hot Fuzz in a Title Unification Bout Very short, very sweet, and all about getting the unification done smoothly before Bairei's contract elapses at the end of the month. Edward scores the submission over – for some reason – Dean. Hot Fuzz defeated Team WLW when Edward Cornell made Dean Daniels submit RATING: C Joey comes out next to hype his match last night and promise a continuing series of victories for his championship reign. RATING: C Remmy Honeyman vs. UK Dragon Oh, we're just not starting at all well tonight, which makes me kind of uneasy. Remmy's coming along, though, and Dragon scores another satisfactory win to keep him strong. UK Dragon defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall RATING: C+ Davis then appears on the big screen, crowing over his victory against Merle last week. He continues, saying that as far as he's concerned it's now back to business – and he calls out Hugh over the issues they've been having. Seems as far as he's concerned they're far from over. RATING: B- SK Walker vs. El Leon in a Ladder Match for the ROF TV Championship A little under a quarter of an hour continues Walker's streak of excellent matches, showing that Leon can rise to his level at the same time. Definitely happy with this one, and the champ retains to work another day. SK Walker defeated El Leon when he retrieved his title RATING: B I grab the stick and announce that, with Don defeated, Merle the loser in his last championship challenge, and a lot of the other obvious contenders occupiedI'm making the main event tonight a number one contender's match for the PPV – and to ensure it produces the worthiest contender, I'm making it two out of three. RATING: D Joss Thompson vs. Matthew Gauge in a two out of three falls Number One Contendership match Well, well... Joss looks to be still developing, and considering he's already producing this kind of result I'm damn happy with that. It's all in Matthew's favour early on, with the Clean Cutter top-rope evolution being countered into a sitout bomb for the first fall. Joss nods slowly at the pause, evidently taking stock of his opponent, and steps up his game. The next fall goes hard and fast for quite some time, with Matthew working a cagier ground-based style and allowing Joss to slowly tire himself – at which point he switches to a grounded style of his own, throwing sharp hands and stiff kicks, trying to turn things into a brawl. Matt eventually catches a haymaker, converting it into an armdrag and applying a Proton Lock with the ropes for leverage, but Humphrey doesn't catch it – and Joss taps! Matthew Gauge defeated Joss Thompson two falls to nil. RATING: A Another good solid show to continue our development. Definitely happy enough with this one. Our rating's shrunk again, but I think our advertised bouts weren't all they might have been. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 22, 2008 Author Share Posted March 22, 2008 ROF: Over There Sunday Week 1 September Hall Green Cricket Club 1524 in attendance RATING: 1.66 Weakish dark match, again, but in this case it's intentional; I have the time to coach Ernest in calling a match, and after the Cornell mistake I feel I need to. So Chojiro works with him a little and puts him down with the Kitoaji Lariat. It was... poor, but worthwhile. Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C- The shirts are, once again, fired. RATING: C Burning EXILE vs. KC Glenn A shock debut to kick off the show; we've got the EXILE for three months and we'll see how it goes. It's mostly about getting the impression that Over There is not going to be a secondary show just because it's only being aired in Europe; after all, we're filming it in the UK. A nice little ten minutes establishes the EXILE and allows him to chalk up a pinfall victory, setting seeds. Nice stuff. Burning EXILE defeated KC Glenn by pinfall RATING: C+ SK Walker vs. Nate Johnson for the ROF TV Title And Walker delivers his weakest defence in a while, sadly. It's still more or less good enough – his armlocks are getting crisper, his few restholds look less and less like he's resting – but it's not great. Fortunately, it's also over reasonably fast. SK Walker defeated Nate Johnson by pinfall RATING: C+ Davis was out next, discussing his upcoming match with Hugh and promising that this whole respect question would now be settled. RATING: B- Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske They run through to the time limit, of course. What else was going to happen here? Good solid work held back only by the fact Hugh debuted a couple of sequences he's developed in SWF and we didn't know how to call them at the announce desk. The pair really are making each other look evenly matched. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske when the time limit elapsed. RATING: A Merle and Nadia appeared next, throwing out a challenge to Sammy for Fighting Fit. RATING: D- Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon Had Dragon not re-upped on the written contract – UKW having recently been left behind him – this would've been more than a touch different. As it was, the fourteen minutes allotted ended with a Dragon Drop from the top turnbuckle to the outside, neither man able to return to the ring. The pop from that moment plus the great reception from the two's earlier high-chemistry work left this as a true standout match we'll have to revisit with more time. Joey Beauchamp drew with UK Dragon to a double countout RATING: A* Buff Martinez vs. Mario Heroic Well, I stacked the deck for the debut edition, and it shows here. Another quarter-hour match that burned all the way to the MOTY lists, with both men putting it all on the line. Only seven minutes in Mario threw Buff to the outside and hit a suicide spear to drive them both through our announce table – the first time I've ever booked an announce table spot in four and three-quarter years. Back to the ring – barely – within the ten count, both men went at it hammer and tongs despite obvious pain and exhaustion. At the finish Buff landed the El KO and collapsed onto Mario for the pin. Buff Martinez defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: A* Suddenly, Don Henderson is in the ring – and just as suddenly, Buff's in the Scottish Deathlock. As Don roars something about deserving to be on the card, JD Morgan, Brandon Smith, and Crusher von Steinberg hit the ring to break it up just before the show ends. I figure we're going to have to ease back the sports-entertainment feel in Europe, given how many USPW guys we have, so... this is my way of beginning that. RATING: B Damn worthwhile show. Should help us in the Midlands as well as Europe. Record rating, not stunning on such a big network. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 22, 2008 Author Share Posted March 22, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 September Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: Awkwardish four-corners dark bout as we warm the Hall up, made as much as anything to give some of the restless guys something to do. Ruud van Anger and Jonni Lowlife were active, as were Marc Speed and Daniel Black Francis, who controlled and got the win in the end, pinning Jonni following a Dreadlock Drop. While it was poor, I think some improvement's been made by a couple of the participants. Daniel Black Francis defeated Marc Speed, Ruud van Anger & Jonni Lowlife by pinfall RATING: C As ever, the followup saw Double-P and her shirt gun. It still gets the crowd psyched before we go live. RATING: C And as we go live Davis walks out to the ring. He concedes that Hugh isn't around tonight, and as such he needs someone to help him stretch himself, keep ready. It's an open challenge. RATING: B “So you need stretching, do you?” Edward Cornell is here to answer the call. RATING: C Davis Wayne Newton vs. Edward Cornell Edward is poised right on the edge of being a legit ROF main eventer, but he needs a little bit more to get him all the way there. At the same time, he's pretty close to being there by acclaim. This is basically step one in a campaign to give both sides what they want; Cornell bouts with main eventers without forcing me to give him the main event, and I get some confidence that he'll improve, too. It's also a quick way to give Davis and the others some momentum, and as such Davis pins Edward with the Newton's Cradle sixteen minutes in in one of his weakest matches of the year. It's also one of Edward's best. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall RATING: B For the UK viewers, a quick recap package showcases Don's assault on Buff two days ago. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Extraordinario Jr It's almost as long a match, and almost the same theory – the man who's proving himself continuing to train the youngster. An Exile Driver gives the visitor two consecutive wins and makes them both look good; I enjoyed this one. Burning EXILE defeated Extraordinario Jr by pinfall RATING: B- Buff and Don are shown backstage having a major shouting match, with Nadia throwing her oar in as well. Jaime Quine and Davis wander past, sipping coffee out of cardboard cups, and Jaime stops to watch. “Jeez, guys,” she smiles. “Just have a match already. Problem solved.” RATING: C+ Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. SK Walker for the ROF TV Championship I'd hoped for this to be slightly better. I mean, it was good, but not as good as I'd ideally like. All that's needed for this to be great in the future, though, is for at least one of 'em to be willing to sell. Is that so much to ask? While this was a pretty legit challenge for Walker, he retains here and stays strong. SK Walker defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by pinfall RATING: B- British Samurai vs. Merle O'Curle And a great main event to cap off the show. Neither of these guys are ever likely to get over on the stick, even with their respective managers, but with a performance like this I can get them over anywhere. Good work in the classic ROF style (as it should be from these two) which ended when Sammy's Fisherman Suplex was reversed into a sunset flip (unusual by Merle) who then continued into a Celtic Wreath.Worthwhile, this. Merle O'Curle defeated British Samurai by submission RATING: A The merged rosters have definitely worked pretty well, I'd say. Shows are getting better, definitely. Good work here. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 22, 2008 Author Share Posted March 22, 2008 ROF: Over There Sunday, Week 2 September Hall Green Cricket Club 1617 in attendance RATING: 1.65 Big shifts in ROF upcoming. Fox Mask won't re-sign, and Merle refuses to go PPA – and I can't sign him written without UKW being able to snatch him up. Which makes figuring the PPV results out a lot easier. Fox gets his going-out streak started in the dark, going down to Black Eagle. I got Optimus to lay out the match and the results were pretty awesome. Black Eagle defeated Fox Mask by pinfall RATING: B- Our second dark match pitted Anna Ki against Huntress Makiko. Really glad this stayed in the dark, but again we see improvement by one of the women – I still anticipate the womens' division eventually being a good thing. The Makiko Clutch keeps the Huntress rolling. Huntress Makiko defeated Anna Ki by submission RATING: C- El Mitico Jr vs. Ernest Youngman Oh, ugh. I figured I'd give the two youngsters some time together and hope that the talent they'd shown before would carry them through. Suffice it to say that, even with an Optimus script, it didn't; they just couldn't get on the same page and had no idea how to get around that yet, so this was pretty appalling, though Mitico continues to show real improvement, and also scores the win with a bridged German suplex. The scary thing is that this was still beyond a 21CW main event in quality. El Mitico Jr defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C- Davis and Jaime showed up backstage after that. Davis cut a promo promising that Hugh would be made to respect him at the PPV, with Jaime nodding approval in the background. As ever, much of this was about building Jaime's popularity further. RATING: C Nichiren Amagawa vs. UK Dragon A nice little match between different Japanese-influenced styles. Nichiren put up a hell of a fight against the ROF veteran, but eventually – inevitably – fell to the Dragon Drop. Worthwhile use of time, though. UK Dragon defeated Nichiren Amagawa by pinfall RATING: B- We followed that with a hype video for Joey and Matthew at the PPV. RATING: C+ SK Walker vs. Burning EXILE for the ROF TV Championship Nice, very nice. Nearly twenty minutes of solid and hard-fought work in a high flying technical masterclass; eventually, however, the EXILE scored the Exile Driver and picked up his first piece of British gold. Burning EXILE defeated SK Walker by pinfall RATING: B Mario Heroic vs. Ruud van Anger Another match destroyed by poor chemistry. I'm not going to be happy with this show, I don't think, but Mario needed a win and he picks it up here. Damn, this should've been better. Mario Heroic defeated Ruud van Anger by pinfall RATING: C Hugh came out next and put on a very smooth promo promising Davis that after the PPV Hugh would have no better reason to respect him – because the Crossbreed Pirate would be sitting pretty with another PPV win against him. RATING: B- Buff Martinez vs. Don Henderson Oh... my... God. I think these two just saved the night. An incredible match, simply incredible, and not even damaged by the double count-out ending – an ending we reached when Don hit a suicide dive on Buff from a running start. I was frankly astonished. Brilliant work. Buff Martinez drew with Don Henderson when both men were counted out. RATING: A* Yeah, they saved the show all right! The feedback on this thing was amazing when all was told, and even in the Midlands, our home base and still the area we've got the greatest support in, this show didn't hurt the home crowd. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 22, 2008 Author Share Posted March 22, 2008 Knights of the Ring prediction card TV: Steve Flash vs. Ernest Youngman Burning EXILE vs. KC Glenn for the ROF TV Championship Blood and Bling vs. East and West vs. The Stunners Billy Robinson vs. Edward Cornell British Samurai vs. Joss Thompson PPV: Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Nate Johnson Dean Daniels vs. Nigel Svensson Merle O'Curle vs. UK Dragon Buff Martinez vs. Don Henderson Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske in a Last Man Standing Match Joey Beauchamp vs. Matthew Gauge in a 30 minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 28, 2008 Author Share Posted March 28, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 September Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance RATING: 1.27 The pre-show for Knights of the Ring begins. Should be interesting... Things started off with Steve Flash schooling Ernest in the ring – and man, we've got work to do on Ernest. Scripting his stuff out is going to be absolutely necessary for a while, as he just can't improvise to save his life or cope with someone improvising things for him. At least Steve gets another one in the win column. Steve Flash defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C- Double-P gets a bigger pop with the shirtgun than a Steve Flash match. There's something wrong with that. RATING: C Burning EXILE vs. KC Glenn for the ROF TV Championship Well, it's the best thing we've put on so far tonight, which is good as it makes the show. But it's not fantastic by any stretch of the imagination. EXILE lets KC work in most of his best spots while containing and puts him away with the Exile Driver. Not too bad for now. Burning EXILE defeated KC Glenn by pinfall RATING: C+ A quick video recap next reminds viewers of the Davis/Hugh feud to date. Hopefully it'll pop buys a little, particularly with the reveal that the match is a Last Man Standing battle. RATING: B- Blood and Bling vs. East and West vs. The Stunners This was billed as a number one contendership match for the Tag Titles, but it solved absolutely nothing; the battle raged the full twenty minutes to hit a time limit draw, and East and West look to have developed even further as it went on. One of our best tag matches to date. Blood and Bling drew with East and West and The Stunners when the time limit elapsed RATING: B- More hype videos; Merle vs. Dragon this time, and I have to admit I'm surprised there wasn't a better reception to the buildi for a battle between two ROF legends. RATING: C+ Billy Robinson vs. Edward Cornell Huh. This was a pure Wigan-style stretch-em-hard match, and the pair of 'em didn't click, and yet, somehow, Optimus managed to script it into something better than I'd expected. The match ended when Edward rolled a Capital City Crucifix through for a pinfall. Nice work overall, though. Edward Cornell defeated Billy Robinson by pinfall RATING: B- British Samurai vs. Joss Thompson Now, see, here's an example of two men who can absolutely get past the fact they don't click. A really nice twenty minutes or so for our main event sees Thompson continue his rise, scoring another Clean Cutter, this time from a standing start rather than a turnbuckle dive – we've decided we should keep those a little rarer. Good stuff all round, though. Joss Thompson defeated British Samurai by pinfall RATING: B+ The show closed out with more Knights of the Ring hype, this time a video for Joey and Matthew. You'd hope the championship match would garner more interest; not sure what's wrong here. RATING: C+ Reasonable show, but I think we really should've done a little better. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 28, 2008 Author Share Posted March 28, 2008 ROF: Knights of the Ring Tuesday Week 3 September Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance BUYRATE:0.25 A good dark match – really good, in fact – sees Chojiro Kitoaji go over former TV champ Nate Johnson. Nice stuff all round. Chojiro Kitoaji defeated Nate Johnson by pinfall RATING: B- Dean Daniels vs. Nigel Svensson The first match on PPV proper, and I should clearly have started by reversing the dark match and the opener. This was just weak by PPV standards, and pretty poor overall by ROF standards. Still, the CPW booker gets a pinfall on PPV here – I figure if he's over and bound to CPW by the book, that's gotta help – and Nigel gets a little more experience. Dean Daniels defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall RATING: C+ Merle O'Curle vs. UK Dragon A little under nineteen minutes for these two. With Merle not willing to negotiate a new contract the ending here really was never in doubt, but it was still... well, a goodish match. I'd actually hoped for more, but I'll cope with this. UK Dragon defeated Merle O'Curle by pinfall RATING: B Dragon grabs the mic and throws down a challenge to “whoever the damn champ is after tonight.” RATING: C+ Joey then cut an interview discussing his match with Matthew, and I slowly remember that the Kent Racecourse crowd hate it when just about anything interrupts their wrestling. RATING: C Buff Martinez vs. Don Henderson Beautiful work from these two, both giving it all they've got. With a little under twenty minutes and the suicide dive spot already used, it didn't get quite the pops of their last match, but it still got a lot, and ended with the El KO blocked and converted to the Scottish Deathlock. Amazing how much Don's improved since we started. Don Henderson defeated Buff Martinez by pinfall RATING: A Don keeps the Deathlock locked on. Humphrey tries to break the hold and Don headbutts him down; promptly, Capitao Brasil, El Heroe Mexicano and El Leon – our three least-used-recently luchadors – hit the ring to break things up and give them a little exposure. RATING: B Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske in a Last Man Standing Match Again, a little under twenty minutes means this didn't quite produce on a par with some of their battles but, again, that's not actually a huge complaint in this case. Man, this one got vicious fast, primarily a brawl with high-risk spots in between and Davis, every so often, busting out some smooth technical wrestling to try and finish it. But he couldn't, ultimately; Hugh got the advantage toward the end and delivered three straight Cutthroat Drivers to ensure victory. Hugh de Aske defeated Davis Wayne Newton by count out. RATING: A Hugh celebrated for a while in the ring. RATING: C+ Joey Beauchamp vs. Matthew Gauge in a 30 minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship And the championship battle ends up being match of the night. Brilliant, brilliant work by both men, with Matthew scoring early before being contained by a desperate champ who pulls first one and then two falls back. Seems like Matthew hitting a Breeze Block early on Joey caused this to get personal fast. Joey Beauchamp defeated Matthew Gauge by two falls to one RATING: A* Nice work – those last three matches saved us. A good show all round, and it netted us our biggest buyrate to date. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 ROF: Over There Sunday Week 3 September Middlesbrough Hall 1972 in attendance RATING: 1.80 This time Ernest's dark time is worthwhile; we put him up against Nate Johnson and handed him a script by Optimus, and the result was pretty good – and gave Nate a win he's been hoping for. Nate Johnson defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C+ Dos Phoenix vs. European Union Ugh. 21CW at best. Svensson wins over Phoenix III and I wish this had been better... Yep, that pretty much covers it. European Union defeated Dos Phoenix when Nigel Svensson pinned Phoenix III RATING: D+ Burning EXILE vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. SK Walker for the ROF TV Championship A fantastic match to kick the show off, with all three of these men working hard all the way to the time limit. After all, EXILE can't be the only one to gain popularity from his time here... Burning EXILE drew with Bulldozer Brandon Smith and SK Walker when the time limit elapsed RATING: B- Hugh hits the ring next and makes a confident speech throwing his hat in the ring for a championship shot, citing his two decisive victories over Davis as reason enough. RATING: C+ JD Morgan vs. Joss Thompson Morgan's probably already nearing the end of his usefulness to us, but this was still a good, enjoyable match. Thompson scores the Clean Cutter for the win, but before that, the surprise of the match – JD Morgan getting a second rope diving clothesline in. Joss Thompson defeated JD Morgan by pinfall RATING: B Joey promptly hits the ring and tells the fans at home that as far as he's concerned, his challenger at Code of Honour should be UK Dragon. RATING: C+ Then he grinned, and added “and Hugh, why not?” RATING: C Johnny Highspot vs. Remmy Honeyman A little under ten minutes produced a solid midcardish match for the pair of them. I've been feeling a little guilty with regard to Johnny treading water the past year or so, but I'm not entirely sure how much I can really do to change that – he doesn't quite have what it takes to get to the upper echelons. Still, he gets a smooth win here. Johnny Highspot defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall RATING: C+ El Leon vs. El Mitico Jr No better than the prior match, but no worse. Leon scores the win after an enjoyable little run, and we get them a little better known. El Leon defeated El Mitico Jr by pinfall RATING: C+ Don Henderson vs. Merle O'Curle A strategic attempt to extract as much overness from Merle as possible continues, with he and Don putting together a truly fantastic (and likely show-saving) match in the main event scene that needed only twenty minutes to be one of the year's classics. Needless to say, Don scores the victory. Don Henderson defeated Merle O'Curle by submission RATING: A* Yup. Pulled it back into a more than good enough show thanks entirely to that main event. This is gonna get tricky soon...A phenomenal new record rating, though. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 September Hall Green Cricket Club 1841 in attendance RATING: 1.41 Nice enough four corners dark match to open up; Daniel Black Francis pins Ernest Youngman while Crusher von Steinberg and Jonni Lowlife continue their USPW rivalry. Definite signs of development from Ernest and Jonni, among other things, even if I'm needing Optimus on these bouts too much. Daniel Black Francis defeated Crusher von Steinberg, Ernest Youngman and Jonni Lowlife when he pinned Jonni Lowlife RATING: C+ To round out the dark time, a ladies' tag; Anna Ki and Miss Information face off with Kristabel Plum and Wanda Fish. Again, the UCR girls look to be that bit better than they were, and Kristabel Plum scores a pinfall on Anna to prep for a potential title bout. Kristabel Plum & Wanda Fish defeated Anna Ki & Miss Information when Kristabel Plum pinned Anna Ki RATING: C The credits rolled, and once they were done we came face to face with a friendly-enough three-man promo, with Joey, Dragon, and Hugh each promising they'd win at Code of Honour. RATING: C+ Blood Raven vs. Capitao Brasil Jr vs. El Heroe Mexicano vs. El Leon vs. El Mitico Jr vs. Extraordinario Jr One of the joys of being colour commentator is the ability to goof off occasionally, and as such I dubbed this excellent little bout a 'Luchapalooza'. Leon and Extraordinario both seem to have massively developed over the past few months, which is good; the rest of them are still working well, and I'm slowly bringing a number of them into writtens with an eye to starting a house show circuit soon. Hopefully that'll see some speedy improvement. Extraordinario got the win here, El Heroe Mexicano took the fall; it was all pretty good work, truth be told, and I enjoyed it. Extraordinario Jr defeated Blood Raven, Capitao Brasil Jr, El Heroe Mexicano, El Leon and El Mitico Jr when he pinned El Heroe Mexicano. RATING: B- Hot Fuzz vs. East and West for the ROF Tag Titles It was explained on commentary that after the draw last week a random draw had been help to determine the number one contenders; it turned out to be a good selection as this match kept the fans just as happy, though what was very interesting was that Nichiren Amagawa looked to be the man of the match, not Edward – though the young Cornell is definitely improving in any case. Keith Adams scored the win with a sudden roll-up on Marc Speed in the end. Hot Fuzz defeated East and West when Keith Adams pinned Marc Speed RATING: B- Davis came out next, cutting a promo about the need to 'get back to my winning ways' and promising to start in the main event tonight when he faced Merle. He went as far as to say it should be a submission match to really prove things. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Mario Heroic for the ROF TV Championship Well, there's bad chemistry here, and nonetheless this was pretty good. Mario tries hard but comes up short against the EXILE here, though he's got himself onto my list of potential future TV champs. Burning EXILE defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: B- A hype video then ran of Matthew Gauge practising holds and training, stretching unnamed jobbers. RATING: C+ Hugh de Aske vs. UK Dragon A great match to step us up another notch, as we needed; the show's been solid all night but not quite good enough. Hugh continues to cement himself as a credible future champion here, taking Dragon all the way to the time limit and surviving. Hugh de Aske drew with UK Dragon when the time limit elapsed. RATING: A Davis Wayne Newton vs. Merle O'Curle in a Submission Match There wasn't much more than twenty minutes left of the show when the bell rang to start this, and they ran the battle out skilfully into the closing seconds. As Matthew, Jillefski and I were warming up apologies to the fans for not being able to cover the end of this, Merle went for a top rope DDT and found himself in the STF before he hit the ground. Davis carefully rolled the pair over twice, ensuring Merle was nowhere near the ropes, and the Celtic Crippler tapped with only seconds of airtime. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Merle O'Curle by submission RATING: A Another damn good show here should cement our place in the Midlands even further. Very happy with this. Seventy-five thousand watched the broadcast; a new record for Fighting Fit. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 We've started running house shows, with twelve workers thus far on the circuit. It looks like that'll be a profitable part of the business thus far. I realise you're probably looking for a full roster rundown, but I don't want to put one up until the written-contracts issue finishes shaking out – probably once Merle leaves, in practical terms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 ROF: Over There Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 2.09 Having a hard time believing it, but we're selling out the Hall. Good grief. Our first dark match was agreeably splendid, too; Billy Robinson went over Ernest Youngman in a scripted match that helped both men look a little better. Billy Robinson defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: B- Up next and still in the dark, two upcoming tag partnerships faced off; Blood and Bling battling Extraordinary Men. Only ran seven and a half minutes, but the pop when Extraordinary Men lifted the Mexican Standoff double-superkick from the Low Lives and laid out Groucho for Extraordinario Jr to pick up the pin was worth noting. The trimmed roster has very little fat to go with the lean. Good development from Mexicano continues, too. Extraordinary Men defeated Blood and Bling when Extraordinario Jr pinned Groucho Bling RATING: B- As the show started Joss Thompson was in the ring, praising himself to the skies and claiming he deserved to be next in line for the Championship following Code of Honour. Buff Martinez took exception to that and the pair agreed to face off at Code of Honour to settle the dispute. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Fox Mask for the ROF TV Championship Because some of the rub we give EXILE should come from people who'll be leaving anyway. Still, with eighteen minutes to work in the pair can't maintain the previous standard, though their performance isn't too bad. EXILE scores the fall, naturally. Burning EXILE defeated Fox Mask by pinfall RATING: C+ Wanda Fish vs. Kristabel Plum for the ROF Womens Championship The belt's been duly renamed since the brand split collapsed, but the quality of this matchup is the same as ever – if anything, a little better; Plum's CWWF work is keeping her sharp and the result was excellent. Fish retains with the Dish of the Day. Wanda Fish defeated Kristabel Plum by pinfall RATING: B- Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon A great match, this; a real treat to showcase. As we're building toward the triple-threat this ran to a time limit draw, keeping both men strong – and on Tuesday Joey faces off with Hugh. But this really was simply brilliant, with several inventive counters delivered to prevent either man landing their finisher before the time limit ran out. Great stuff. Joey Beauchamp drew with UK Dragon when the time limit elapsed RATING: A* We followed up with a hype video for the title build, but it just wasn't all I'd hoped. RATING: C+ British Samurai vs. Don Henderson Double-P's ringside work got her noticed here, and I was very happy with it all told. Really solid work to get Sammy further over with the European crowd as much as anything, and this worked well for that while keeping the last USPW World Champion strong – in the end countering Sammy's Fisherman Suplex into a brainbuster and slapping on the Scottish Deathlock. Definitely worth the time. Don Henderson defeated British Samurai by submission RATING: A Another great show to keep us strong. I'm loving this. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 They're telling me 21CW is mere months from going under. It's sad, if that's true, but it's unfortunately also expected. The war between us has close to killed them, and CPW's signed some of their better names to developmental contracts, too, locking them away. (I'm currently debating bringing Luke Cool into the main roster, but there really isn't room at present.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 October Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 1.36 Poor work in our opening dark tag, but hey – it's a dark tag. The job there is to help train those involved, and it's gotta be said Raven Nightfall and Anna Ki have incredible chemistry as a team. Despite this, they still lost narrowly to Cherry Bomb and Huntress Makiko, with Cherry pinning Raven. Cherry Bomb & Huntress Makiko defeated Raven Nightfall & Anna Ki when Cherry Bomb pinned Raven Nightfall RATING: C- Ernest showed his face in our second dark bout. As a test of Matthew's recent improvements, I set him against Ernest in the dark without Ernest being given a script to see what he could do. And, you know... it's better than has been coaxed out of Ernest before now, but it's still not great. But I think we may be getting there, particularly with Ernest getting some more schooling on the house show route. Matthew Gauge defeated Ernest Youngman by submission RATING: C Still in the ring once the credits rolled, Matthew asked the production crew to 'run tape one'. It turned out to be a highlight reel of Don's recent post-match brutality. RATING: B- “That's not how we do things here,” he continued. “So Don, I've got a proposal for you. Let's have tape two, boys.” What aired this time was a hype package for Don Henderson vs. Matthew Gauge at Code of Honour. “That cost me money, Don,” Matthew announced. “Don't make it a waste.” RATING: B Burning EXILE vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Ruud van Anger for the ROF TV Championship Well, I'd hoped for this not to blow too badly, and on the plus side it's no weaker than any of the other matches thus far tonight, but that's really it. Ruud ate the Exile Driver and the champ retains. Burning EXILE defeated Daniel Black Francis and Ruud van Anger when he pinned Ruud van Anger RATING: C Hot Fuzz vs. East and West vs. European Union vs. Your New Favourite Team for the ROF Tag Titles A shock return in this four corners elimination match from ROF originals YNFT. And shock it proved to be; the match barely lasted eleven minutes, and at the end a Low Down followed by a Frog Splash allowed YNFT to pin Keith Adams and roll out of the ring as new ROF Tag Champions, two years to the day since they lost them for the second time! YNFT defeated East and West, European Union and Hot Fuzz when Johnny Highspot pinned Keith Adams RATING: B- Hugh de Aske vs. Joey Beauchamp The edge was taken off this one slightly by the simple fact that I think the crowd smelled the time limit draw right from the start. All that did, however, was make it a great match, not an amazing one, as Hugh and Joey, by the end, had them believing that a win might be on the cards, only to marginally fail to pull one out. “And we're barely into the month!” Jillefski yelled. “Where the hell do you go from here?” Hugh de Aske drew with Joey Beauchamp when the time limit elapsed RATING: A Cornell came out next, mic in hand, and announced that he was sick of the disrespect he'd been getting, and he was sick as a dog he'd lost the tag titles. “Put simply, I want my win back,” he snarled. “I don't care who comes out, just get out here so I can beat your arse!” RATING: D “You're not the only one,” a voice replies, and Davis hits the ring. “I've been losing where it counts for too long now, and it stops here. And you know what? You'll do for a warmup!” RATING: C+ And so we come to the main event, which unfortunately is our weakest main event in weeks – but by Tommy's standards is one of his best matches. It takes a little over twenty-one minutes, but Davis puts Edward away with the STF as a counter to the Rough Ride attempt. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Edward Cornell by submission RATING: B Good enough show, all told; we can keep building on this sort of thing. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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