Ring of Fire: Fighting Every Step of the Way

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF ROSTER, OCTOBER 2011 MAIN EVENTERS: Joey Beauchamp Hugh de Aske UK Dragon Edward Cornell Don Henderson Davis Wayne Newton Joss Thompson Matthew Gauge Buff Martinez UPPER MIDCARDERS Mario Heroic Keith Adams Fox Mask (leaving in two weeks) SK Walker Nate Johnson Daniel Black Francis Bulldozer Brandon Smith British Samurai Burning EXILE MIDCARDERS Ruud van Anger Steve Flash Black Eagle Johnny Highspot Billy Robinson Blood Raven Jonni Lowlife Marc Speed JD Morgan Extraordinario Jr Chojiro Kitoaji Dean Daniels Nichiren Amagawa LOWER MIDCARDERS Phoenix III Nigel Svensson Crusher von Steinberg Groucho Bling El Heroe Mexicano Capitao Brasil Jr KC Glenn OPENERS: Phoenix II El Leon El Mitico Jr Ernest Youngman ENHANCEMENT TALENT Remmy Honeyman Mr. Lucha III WOMENS DIVISION Raven Nightfall Anna Ki Miss Information Cherry Bomb Nadia Snow Jaime Quine Huntress Makiko Wanda Fish Kristabel Plum MANAGERS Simona Cox Phoebe Plumridge ANNOUNCERS Matthew Morris Danny Jillefski COLOUR COMMENTATORS Terry Roberts (head booker) REFEREE Humphrey Woolsey ROAD AGENT Optimus INJURED TALENT Ultimate Phoenix (Prognosis: 3 months) DEVELOPMENTAL DEALS (CPW): Bradley Blaze Davey London Igor Ivanoff Luke Cool Pavel Vanzycha Wade Orson HOUSE SHOW TALENT: Black Eagle British Samurai Capitao Brasil Jr Chojiro Kitoaji Crusher von Steinberg Davis Wayne Newton Ernest Youngman Hugh de Aske Joey Beauchamp KC Glenn Nigel Svensson Ruud van Anger SK Walker UK Dragon

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Over There Sunday Week 1 October Hall Green Cricket Club 1497 in attendance RATING: 2.12 The bottom appears to be dropping out of the Midlands and only the Midlands. I don't entirely get it. Our two dark matches this week; first, a six-woman tag featuring Cherry Bomb, Anna Ki and Miss Information against Wanda Fish, Jaime Quine, and Huntress Makiko which saw a real shock when the Cherry Bomb felled Jaime Quine and gave Cherry's side the win. Cherry Bomb, Anna Ki & Miss Information defeated Wanda Fish, Jaime Quine & Huntress Makiko when Cherry pinned Jaime. RATING: C Capitao Brasil and JD Morgan locked horns in our other pre-show match, with the savvy veteran getting the win. A good script by Optimus helped them turn in a pretty good match despite stylistic differences, inexperience and age. JD Morgan defeated Capitao Brasil Jr by submission RATING: C+ Billy Robinson vs. Ernest Youngman I think actually being in front of the camera led Ernest to freeze up a little, as this wasn't on a par with his other battles against Billy. Good enough, though, and the Capital City Crucifix picks up another win. Billy Robinson defeated Ernest Youngman by submission RATING: C+ Joss got some mic time backstage after that, discussing Buff Martinez. He talked his opponent up very well, before turning around and explaining 'just why none of that matters when he's up against me'. He promised that the Code of Honour face-off would be a hell of a match. RATING: B- Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. UK Dragon Nice stuff. This was one of our featured matches leading up to the show, booked as a puro/super junior clash of titans – but Dragon's in the title picture, and as such Brandon only lasted a little over eleven minutes. Not that that mattered; it was still a great match, even with both of them no-selling horribly, and Brandon continues to show major improvement. Worthwhile stuff. UK Dragon defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by pinfall RATING: B Burning EXILE vs. Davis Wayne Newton vs. Edward Cornell for the ROF TV Championship Davis, the fans were told, had expressed a wish to finally become a triple-threat champion. Cornell just wanted gold to replace the tag belts. And the EXILE obviously wanted a win over them both. This rolled all the way to the time limit and was fantastic the whole way; not on a par with what Davis can do against someone on his level, it was nonetheless one of the best matches ROF has seen out of either other man. Burning EXILE drew with Davis Wayne Newton and Edward Cornell when the time limit elapsed RATING: B+ We ran a quick video package of Davis helping Joey Beauchamp train for his title match. RATING: C+ Buff Martinez vs. Mario Heroic Buff needs a build to the PPV, and no one makes him look as good as Mario. In less than fourteen minutes they created an instant classic here, with Buff naturally going over. I couldn't have enjoyed calling this more, frankly. Buff Martinez defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: A* British Samurai vs. Hugh de Aske No particular chemistry between those two men, and after all this time Sammy has actually begun to slip below main event status. But with a little under twenty minutes allotted this was still an incredible bout that, frankly, should've been on PPV – though a TV main event is likely the next best thing. Hugh eventually countered out of the Samurai Stretch to hit the Skull and Cross Bones and get the pin. Hugh de Aske defeated British Samurai by pinfall RATING: A* Hugh grabs the microphone and, just before the show goes off the air, runs Joey down for hiding behind Davis, praises Dragon for standing on his own, but points out that no one can stand up for themselves like the Crossbreed Pirate and guarantees he'll be bringing home new gold. RATING: B- ...Holy crap. Mostly by accident, I appear to have created a card the reception of which outdid anything we'd ever broadcast before. This is going to go over big with the tape traders, I think... Definitely deserved to set a record for our new highest rating, with 106,000+ watching this live. OVERALL: A*

[Marcel Fromage]

Congrats on the A* card! Impressive work. One question...are you having the lack of stars messages or do you have enough guys who are popular enough to be avoiding it? I notice your ratings are above 2.00 now whilst mine are stuck at 1.8 or below. My ratings and crowds were both higher at cult than they are now months into National. But I keep getting the lack of stars message every show, which I'm sure is pulling it down big time.

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;397398]Congrats on the A* card! Impressive work. One question...are you having the lack of stars messages or do you have enough guys who are popular enough to be avoiding it? I notice your ratings are above 2.00 now whilst mine are stuck at 1.8 or below. My ratings and crowds were both higher at cult than they are now months into National. But I keep getting the lack of stars message every show, which I'm sure is pulling it down big time.[/QUOTE] I did for quite a while post-National, but I seem to be clear now. That said, the rating's an illusion. Thanks to time spent running USPW, my second TV show is on the Europe-only Big Sports channel, I forget which. On Fighting Fit I'm yet to break around the 1.6 mark, but with a Big network at my disposal - even one which only covers Europe, I can get an obscene rating.

[Marcel Fromage]

[QUOTE=Phantom Stranger;397463]I did for quite a while post-National, but I seem to be clear now. That said, the rating's an illusion. Thanks to time spent running USPW, my second TV show is on the Europe-only Big Sports channel, I forget which. On Fighting Fit I'm yet to break around the 1.6 mark, but with a Big network at my disposal - even one which only covers Europe, I can get an obscene rating.[/QUOTE] Ah, I see. My tv show is still on Euro Cable Sports 1 and still late night, despite our popularity now. Nobody would touch me with the industry and economy both struggling. Just out of interest, any idea how many of your guys are at least B overness across the UK?

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;397490]Ah, I see. My tv show is still on Euro Cable Sports 1 and still late night, despite our popularity now. Nobody would touch me with the industry and economy both struggling. Just out of interest, any idea how many of your guys are at least B overness across the UK?[/QUOTE] Erm... Don, Buff, Dragon, and Matthew only, due to their (mostly former) UKW connections - I don't run Scotland much yet. Davis, Joey, Sammy, and Hugh all have at least one B+ to go with that, as do Buff and Dragon (A couple of As in Dragon's case).

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 October Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 1.45 Weakish womens' singles match here, with Jaime Quine gaining revenge on Cherry Bomb for that pin two days prior. Nice enough, though; Cherry's definitely developing. Jaime Quine defeated Cherry Bomb by pinfall RATING: C- YNFT vs. Extraordinary Men was our second dark match, a non-title tag bout that saw Jonni Lowlife discover for the first time what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the Mexican Standoff, as Extraordinary Men scored the win – Extraordinario pinning Jonni. Good stuff and, again, definite improvement in the ring. Extraordinary Men defeated Your New Favourite Team when Extraordinario Jr pinned Jonni Lowlife RATING: B- The show kicked off and saw Joss Thompson in the ring with someone no one recognised (CPW's Bradley Blaze, under developmental contract – but as yet he's never had a public match.) He cut a quick promo from atop the turnbuckle, offering Buff the chance to back out “before this happens to you...” and then dropped Bradley with the top-rope Clean Cutter. RATING: B- Blood Raven vs. El Leon vs. Groucho Bling vs. Keith Adams vs. Marc Speed vs. Phoenix III in a £500 Ladder Match A generic and cheesy excuse to get a lot of the folks who should get more love on the card and a chance to work together, but it's also a chance to give people who've all been involved in the tag division more play. Groucho snatched the cash in the end with Blood Raven running defence during his ascent, before Blood & Bling split the cash in the ring. Groucho Bling def. Blood Raven, El Leon, Keith Adams, Marc Speed and Phoenix III when he retrieved the money. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Black Eagle for the ROF TV Championship You know, these two don't click together, but dammit if they're not more than good enough to pull out a good performance anyway, with the Middlesbrough fans getting into it before the Exile Driver finished things. Burning EXILE defeated Black Eagle by pinfall RATING: B- A quickie video follows that with Matthew Gauge training hard for his match. RATING: C Joss Thompson vs. SK Walker Nice stuff here; very nice stuff, with Walker proving he can still definitely go while Thompson controls and gains momentum for his PPV match. The Clean Cutter, when it comes, hits out of nowhere while Walker is still going for the Kessel Run, and on commentary we stressed that Thompson can end a match suddenly as well as through a build. Joss Thompson defeated SK Walker by pinfall RATING: B+ Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske Another class act; I'll be honest and say I was trying for another show to rival Sunday to reward our British fans, but this match wasn't up to that level, with the match eventually hitting the time limit. These two do seem able to keep the fans into their work no matter what, though. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske when the time limit elapsed. RATING: A Don Henderson vs. Joey Beauchamp A great little main event here; again, not quite at our peak, but this was to be expected; Matthew Gauge and Hugh de Aske both hit the ring right at the end causing the match to spill out, becoming a brawl and ending with a double count-out. Don Henderson drew with Joey Beauchamp when both men were counted out RATING: A Matthew DDT'd Don on the concrete and Hugh got the Cut Throat Driver on Joey, and the two younger men stood tall in the ring as the show ended. RATING: C+ Not as good as two days ago, but not as good still equals damn good here. I was very happy with this. For Fighting Fit, this is a ratings record. OVERALL: A

[Phantom Stranger]

Ring of Fire: Over There Sunday Week 2 October Hall Green Cricket Club 1684 in attendance RATING: 2.12 Wanda defended her womens title against Anna in the dark. Wasn't great and deserved to be kept in the dark, but I wanted the match on film in case it becomes useful later. Wanda Fish def. Anna Ki by pinfall RATING: C- In our second dark match, KC Glenn got a rare win over Ernest Youngman after tuning up the Sunshine Band. Both mens' house show work is clearly helping them. KC Glenn defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C+ Your New Favourite Team vs. Blood & Bling vs. East & West vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles Good enough quick match, I thought; not great – a tag match seems to need a little more time than they've been being given – but it was enjoyable and saw a lot of improvement, most notably from the tag champs who retained, running over Blood Raven to do so. YNFT defeated Blood & Bling, East & West and Extraordinary Men when Johnny Highspot pinned Blood Raven RATING: C+ With the show not opening brilliantly, we perked the Cricket Club up with a hype video for Matthew and Don at Code of Honour on Tuesday. RATING: B Burning EXILE vs. Mr Lucha III for the ROF TV Title This show is not going well. Lucha did his best but isn't yet ready for the big time, and with only ten minutes to work in the match... did well enough, but not what I want from a title match. EXILE retains, needless to say. Burning EXILE defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall RATING: C+ Buff Martinez vs. Nigel Svensson Turns out this is another man Buff just gels with, and the result is possibly the finest match of Svensson's career to date, with Martinez pulling a great match out of him in 9:59 exactly before the El KO. Damn fine work that makes me happy, even if it's a little worrying that Nigel almost seems on Buff's level. Buff Martinez defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall RATING: A Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Don Henderson Another damn fine match without such chemistry; Chojiro's really starting to show the spark he needs now, and a steady house show regimen is definitely helping with that development – development very visible in the fourteen minutes he lasted here before the Deathlock took him. Don looks strong, Chojiro looks strong and, I think, both men are a little more over. Don Henderson defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by submission RATING: A Joey cut a quick promo next to hype himself, and for some reason the crowd choked on it. RATING: D Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon Twenty minutes remained for the main event; twenty minutes wasn't quite enough for these two to blow everyone away as they're capable of, but it was certainly enough for them to deliver a fantastic match – and one culminating in the Dragon Drop allowing Dragon the clean win over Davis just before the PPV. UK Dragon defeated Davis Wayne Newton by pinfall RATING: A The hype video for the PPV main event aired again to a reasonable response. RATING: C+ So another very, very solid show should leave us still better positioned. We retain the high ratings of last Sunday, which has got to be a good thing coming into the PPV. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

It's time for Code of Honour predictions! TV: Steve Flash & Cherry Bomb vs. Ruud van Anger & Raven Nightfall Ernest Youngman vs. El Mitico Jr Burning EXILE vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Nate Johnson vs. Nichiren Amagawa for the ROF TV Championship Blood & Bling vs. Extraordinary Men Mario Heroic vs. Mr. Lucha III Billy Robinson vs. Edward Cornell Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Davis Wayne Newton PPV: El Leon vs. Phoenix III Dean Daniels vs. Keith Adams vs. Remmy Honeyman East and West vs. The Stunners Buff Martinez vs. Joss Thompson Don Henderson vs. Matthew Gauge in a Submission Match Joey Beauchamp vs. Hugh de Aske vs. UK Dragon in a Ladder Match for the ROF Championship

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 October Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance RATING: 1.24 Pretty good dark match work with the opening intergender tag here, with Ruud van Anger and Raven Nightfall taking on Steve Flash and Cherry Bomb. And I've gotta say, while Steve was far and away the best worker in the ring, he and Cherry just... worked as a tag team. This was good stuff; a lot of development being shown by the younger workers, and Raven seemed happy to take the Flash Bang and get pinned by a true legend. She definitely seemed cheerful about it backstage afterward. Steve Flash & Cherry Bomb defeated Ruud van Anger & Raven Nightfall when Steve Flash pinned Raven Nightfall RATING: C+ Our second dark match was comparatively weak, but that was likely the chemistry issues on display; Ernest and El Mitico Jr didn't get on the same page all match before Mitico scored the fall with a German Suplex. On the plus side, Ernest's dropkicks are getting smoother; there's definite development in here as well. Our dark matches seem better for that these days. El Mitico Jr defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C- Burning EXILE vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Nate Johnson vs. Nichiren Amagawa for the ROF TV Championship Hitting the main show we also hit a notable increase in quality, naturally enough. All four men worked hard during their time – Daniel and Nate trying to buy a return to regular screen time, I think – and EXILE put Daniel away with the Exile Driver. Which is great; the short-termer gets some rub off a man I'm trying to slowly move down the card. All told, though, this was a good use of our precious TV time – I definitely need to negotiate a longer slot – and a good match for the show. Burning EXILE defeated Daniel Black Francis, Nate Johnson, and Nichiren Amagawa when he pinned Daniel Black Francis RATING: B- Matthew then showed backstage, microphone in hand, and discussed Don's 'un-ROF' actions since before the last PPV, eventually promising revenge on the fans' behalf later tonight. There was a good pop for it. RATING: B- Blood & Bling vs. Extraordinary Men A longer match here, just over seventeen minutes, but another good one, with Blood Raven also showing how well he's learning to work before the Mexican Standoff felled Groucho Bling and Extraordinario scored the pinfall. I'm liking the tag development here. Extraordinary Men defeated Blood & Bling when Extraordinario Jr pinned Groucho Bling RATING: B- Mario Heroic vs. Mr. Lucha III Man, it's not a bad gear but we just can't get out of it tonight. Mario and Mr Lucha did their best in the eight minutes allotted, but couldn't quite climb above the prevailing level of the night. Mario picks up a consolation win, Mr. Lucha picks up a rare TV appearance, and both go home happy. Mario Heroic defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall RATING: B- Billy Robinson vs. Edward Cornell To his credit, Edward didn't complain about paying his dues here. Unfortunately, Billy and he don't really work together in the ring, and as such this ends up being the weakest bout of the night thus far. It's a shame, but this quarter-hour wasn't brilliant. Billy needs a few wins, though, and he gets a major one here. Billy Robinson defeated Edward Cornell by submission RATING: C+ A quick hype video next for the PPV main event. RATING: C+ Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Davis Wayne Newton Short and not great, but good enough for now. Both men are still showing great development as they come along, and this gives me even more hope for the future. Davis scores the win, but something tells me it may be time to start rebuilding him in earnest soon. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by pinfall RATING: B The show closed out with a highlight package of major moments starring the major players in tonight's PPV. RATING: B- Well, that final match, as ever, pulls my fat out of the fire. This was just about good enough to be considered a plus mark. And we still have the PPV to go, which hopefully will be something special. OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Code of Honour Tuesday Week 3 October Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance BUYRATE:0.25 Weak dark match while the fans duck out to the concession stand; El Leon and Phoenix III go at it, and it turns out these two Mexican legends don't have the best chemistry in the ring, exactly. Probably helpful for both of them, though, and El Leon definitely picked up some new tricks before he fell to the high velocity legdrop. Phoenix III defeated El Leon by pinfall RATING: C- Our second dark encounter picked things up a little; Dean Daniels and Keith Adams get a bit of working time with Remmy Honeyman to teach him what's going on. I told Optimus that Dean went over, and I'm mildly surprised he had Dean pin Keith rather than Remmy. I think he sees something in Remmy which should be worth developing. Dean Daniels defeated Remmy Honeyman and Keith Adams when he pinned Keith Adams. RATING: C+ The PPV itself kicked off with a remake of Casablanca's famous last scene, with Davis' 'Rick' encouraging Jaime's 'Ilsa' to get on the plane before walking off with Joey's 'Louis'. At the end, Joey could be heard explaining “There's a code of honour to love...” I dunno. I knew we needed to get some of our guys something to do to help them get a little more popular with the mainstream crowd and the three of them were goofing around backstage and cooked this up. I'm mostly happy with it. RATING: C+ East and West vs. The Stunners A tag match given PPV time and over twenty minutes? Surely not! But in my recent spirit of investigating what longer tag matches can do, that's what we saw here, and the fans were definitely into it by the time the Superbomb Splash laid out Marc Speed for the pin by Brandon. The Stunners defeated East and West by pinfall RATING: B- Buff then got some mic time backstage and promised that homegrown British talent would overcome Canadian imports. RATING: B- Buff Martinez vs. Joss Thompson Damn good match, this, while not a MOTY candidate; it was well worth calling, well worth putting on the show, and keeps Buff strong while allowing Joss the big PPV win to push him up that little extra notch. A pretty good showing by Joss, too, as he's definitely improving. Joss Thompson defeated Buff Martinez by pinfall. RATING: A That was followed up by a video package recapping Don Henderson's recent actions and Matthew taking exception to them. Went down well; Matthew's a lot more over than I'd imagined he was. RATING: B Don Henderson vs. Matthew Gauge in a Submission Match Another great match, but not all it could have been; that rarest of occurences, an off-day for Don, meant that the result was only stellar in the twenty-five minutes before the Proton Lock was cleanly applied and Don was forced to tap. Matthew Gauge defeated Don Henderson by submission RATING: A Joey Beauchamp vs. Hugh de Aske vs. UK Dragon in a Ladder Match for the ROF Championship Another brilliant twenty-five minutes showcases startling development by all three men amid a number of highspots, of which my personal favourite was Dragon hitting the Dragon Drop from the top of the ladder on Hugh while Joey launched from the top turnbuckle to send Dragon crashing down with the Breeze Block. Astutely, they realised they couldn't top that, and so seconds later the champ was able to retain. Really good match to top the PPV off. Joey Beauchamp defeated Hugh de Aske and UK Dragon when he retrieved his title. RATING: A* Anna came to the ring and as we prepared to go off the air she and Joey kissed. RATING: C Another really good show to absolutely top off our night. We've got the depth of talent on the roster now that PPV nights don't worry me so much. But we may not for long – Don, Joss, Buff, and others are all UKW talents as well as ROF talents, and our agreement means I can't just steal them away. Still, this month we retained the high buyrate of last time, so if we can keep doing that... OVERALL: A

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Over There Sunday Week 3 October Middlesbrough Hall 1966 in attendance RATING: 2.00 For the first time this month we don't sell out Middlesbrough Hall, probably due to the sheer number of shows run here. An interesting dark match ensues, with a ten-man tag; on one team Dos Phoenix are joined by Billy Robinson, Ernest Youngman and Mr Lucha III, while their rivals are built around the European Union and include Steve Flash, Capitao Brasil Jr and KC Glenn. The match is fast and furious, with a lot of action and a lot of improvement shown, but in the end the winner is Billy Robinson who makes Steve Flash tap in the middle of the ring – and Optimus picking Steve to take the fall seems more proof that he's just getting a little too old. Billy Robinson, Ernest Youngman, Dos Phoenix & Mr Lucha III defeated Capitao Brasil Jr, Steve Flash, KC Glenn and the European Union when Billy Robinson made Steve Flash submit. RATING: C+ A return to the shirt-gun for Double-P followed. RATING: C Wanda Fish vs. Huntress Makiko vs. Jaime Quine vs. Kristabel Plum for the ROF Womens Championship Unfortunately weak four corners match to begin the broadcast, with Wanda retaining after pinning Makiko. Still, it gets everyone that little bit more exposure, which is likely a good thing. RATING: C There followed a cut backstage to see Davis Wayne Newton frowning in the locker room. “'Canadian Imports', eh?” he asked. “Buff, I've beaten you before. Tuesday you told me I'm gonna have to do it again. I want your respect, and I'm going to get it.” RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Ruud van Anger for the ROF TV Championship Ya know, this is the worst thing I've put on TV in ages. No chemistry whatsoever and Ruud still needs development. Mercifully, it was at least ended fast, and EXILE retains again. The question is rapidly becoming who can beat this guy? Burning EXILE defeated Ruud van Anger by pinfall RATING: C- Another backstage cut shows Joey and Anna goofing around together. In an unguarded moment, Joey says something about being glad to be in a company where they don't have to lie about it. RATING: C Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Don Henderson I'm continuing to check whether Brandon's ready for the main event, and he's continually not quite there. Neither he nor Don sold much or this could've been better – but as the best thing in the show this far, I can't bring myself to care. Don put him away a quarter of an hour in with the Deathlock. Don Henderson defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by submission RATING: B A hype video ran next, recapping the fact that neither Hugh nor Dragon won the Code of Honour match and hyping that the winner of their match Tuesday would go on to the next PPV as sole challenger to the champ. RATING: C+ Buff Martinez vs. Davis Wayne Newton The main event, at least, doesn't disappoint. With just under half an hour to play with, Davis and Buff put on a really enjoyable match culminating in the Newton's Cradle out of a somewhat questionable series of closed-fist blows by Davis. Good stuff to help save the show. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Buff Martinez by pinfall RATING: A Yeah, that main event saved the show. I'm definitely happy with how the evening turned out, but I'd hoped for a better undercard. OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 October Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 1.46 Another very weak womens' four corners match; I'm trying to develop as many of the girls as possible, and Anna Ki steps in the ring with Cherry, Raven, and Wanda, going down to the Night Faller. Again, we're seeing improvement. Raven Nightfall defeated Anna Ki, Cherry Bomb, and Wanda Fish when she pinned Anna Ki RATING: C- A second dark match ends up being an excellent tag, in part I think because Extraordinario's coming on in leaps and bounds. Extraordinary Men overcome Dos Phoenix in a match that makes both teams more credible, with Phoenix II taking the pin. Remarkable how fast we got the desired effect, too. Extraordinary Men defeated Dos Phoenix when Extraordinario Jr pinned Phoenix II RATING: B- Johnny Highspot vs. Nate Johnson The show proper kicked off with Johnny Highspot taking on his longstanding rival, a man who's now leapfroggred him in terms of card position. It's not one of their prior classics, but... well, it's OK, I guess. Nate gets the win, but I can't help thinking the quarter-hour could've been spent better. Nate Johnson defeated Johnny Highspot by pinfall RATING: C+ We repeated the hype video for Hugh and Dragon from Sunday's Over There, giving the UK audience a chance to get used to the idea. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Dean Daniels for the ROF TV Championship Now this was better. Despite actively weak chemistry as opposed to actively good chemistry, the two Japanese style veterans put together a good fight that I honestly did enjoy watching and calling. Dean's one of the few men I'm keeping on PPA, as he's got his head booker role with CPW to think of but is willing to accept a PPA to still work with us. Even so, EXILE scores the fall here and continues his show of dominance. I'm hoping that once he's left us, his time here will be remembered favourably by fans; why else bring in freelancers? Burning EXILE defeated Dean Daniels by pinfall RATING: B- Davis then came out to the ring, mic in hand, as he promised Buff Martinez that, tonight, he would outdo him, warning the Barcelona Bull to respect him. RATING: B- Davis Wayne Newton vs. Mario Heroic And evidently this was what Davis intended; a match against Buff's best sparring partner to prove his superiority. Without the benefits of the instinctive meshing Buff and Mario have, this was only a very, very good match, but Davis got his chance to prove his superiority, playing possum and sprinting up the turnbuckle to turn Mario's moonsault attempt into an STF. Mario tapped shortly afterward. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Mario Heroic by submission RATING: A Joss came out next, flanked by Phoebe Plumridge, and cut a promo demanding to be in contention. He said he'd prove he deserved it – tonight there was a number one contendership match, right? So how about, at Champion's League, he took on the loser in a second number one contendership bout, determining the challenger for the final PPV of the year? RATING: C+ Hugh de Aske vs. UK Dragon Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful; these two men tore the house down over the final twenty-five minutes of the show, with both men nearly going over on multiple occasions before Dragon rolled through a Cut-Throat Driver attempt to land the Dragon Drop and pin the pirate. UK Dragon defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall RATING: A* Really, really satisfying show to keep pulling our reputation up. The UK fans are starting to take us for granted, which sometimes worries me. OVERALL: A

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Over There Sunday Week 4 October Hall Green Cricket Club 1212 in attendance RATING: 2.14 Really poor crowd this week. Hopefully we can improve on that soon enough – heaven knows we're popular enough these days. I think we may actually have to finally start working Scotland. A good enough but not great dark tag sees the Stunners defeat the European Union with Nigel and Brandon in particular showing evolution as wrestlers. Seeing Brandon hit flying moves won't stop making me smile for a while, I reckon. Brandon pins Crusher here. The Stunners defeated European Union when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Crusher von Steinberg RATING: C+ Mario returns briefly to the dark following that, taking on Ernest Youngman one on one. Ernest's education is coming along well, and the defeat here looks pretty sound; the crowd actually got into it. Mario Heroic defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Billy Robinson vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Jonni Lowlife vs. Nate Johnson vs. Nichiren Amagawa for the ROF TV Championship I'd hoped for better, but this kind of match is about laying foundations for the future rather than anything else. EXILE puts Nichiren away here and, as ever, we see a little improvement from some of those in the ring. This could've been better, but I'm happy enough with it as a show opener. Burning EXILE defeated Billy Robinson, Daniel Black Francis, Jonni Lowlife, Nate Johnson and Nichiren Amagawa when he pinned Nichiren Amagawa RATING: C+ Buff got on the stick next and promised Davis he could expect a reason to respect Buff the Bull in turn. It didn't quite have the same kick as Davis' work, but Buff needs more stick practice. RATING: C+ Matthew Gauge vs. Remmy Honeyman Pure and simple, a training session for Remmy and a chance to show dominance for Matthew. They put together a pretty good ten minutes' ring action before the Proton Lock claimed another victim; one of Remmy's best matches to date, and something that gives me hope for him. Matthew Gauge defeated Remmy Honeyman by submission RATING: B- Backstage, we see Don and Edward get into a huge shouting match over Don's claim that all Edward's breaks are riding the coattails of his brother. RATING: C+ Buff Martinez vs. Hugh de Aske Pretty good stuff, though nothing compared to what these men are capable of; it's a damn fine match overall and both men are still incorporating new tricks and understandings into their repertoire. Still, the match rolls to a time limit draw without once becoming truly great, and has to be taken for what it is. Buff Martinez drew with Hugh de Aske when the time limit elapsed RATING: B+ This was followed up by a hype video for Hugh and Joss at Champion's League. RATING: B- British Samurai vs. Joey Beauchamp A really good use of twenty-five minutes and an excellent match during which Double-P still found time to make her ringside presence benefit the show. Quite frankly this match was fantastic and at times it looked like Sammy might make a case for his own championship challenge, but in the end the Breeze Block still found its mark and the champion prevailed. Joey Beauchamp defeated British Samurai by pinfall RATING: A* Another damn fine show to push us further ahead once more. It's a real shame to admit, but Over There is rapidly becoming our A-Show despite not reaching our home audience. We broke the ratings record again – to think I initially worried about our ratings falling off the air... OVERALL: A

[Phantom Stranger]

Well. 21CW are still teetering on the brink of closure, but haven't got there yet – and now it looks like UCR will follow. A year ago British and European pro wrestling were healthier than they'd ever been, and what kills me is that our success and the need to tie talent up on written contracts is a lot of what's hurt it.

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 November Celtic Heritage Hall (Scotland) 610 in attendance RATING: 1.38 It's a tricky thing, breaking in a new venue. And we've not got such an attendance level up here for obvious reasons. The dark matches began with the European Union against Blood & Bling – not a bad match at all, and impressive development from Groucho in terms of his transitions – with Nigel pulling out the win for the Union via that running knee drive of his on Groucho. Interesting; somewhere along the way Raven became the guy we're aiming to protect. Not quite sure how that happened. European Union defeated Blood & Bling when Nigel Svensson pinned Groucho Bling RATING: C+ Our second dark match; Davis Wayne Newton takes some time to school Ernest. Even Davis can't quite get a new best performance out of Ernest, but it's a good enough match and gives Davis a chance to reverse a rolling leg lock into an STF for a pretty good endpoint spot. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Ernest Youngman by submission RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. British Samurai for the ROF TV Championship Further proof of how far Sammy's fallen, I guess. The pair of them plus Phoebe put together a really good match that ran all the way to the time limit, and I think they both came out of it looking pretty good. Burning EXILE drew with British Samurai when the time limit elapsed RATING: B- A quick hype video aired next for Dragon/Joey at Champion's League RATING: C+ The Team-Up Marvels vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles The Team-Up Marvels are, of course, Your New Favourite Team finally repackaged after about five years with their prior name, a large chunk of that inactive. It's a good match here that takes a quarter of an hour but makes a statement, and El Heroe Mexicano eventually falls to the Frog Splash – but our tag division is once again alive and kicking. The Team-Up Marvels defeated Extraordinary Men when Johnny Highspot pinned El Heroe Mexicano RATING: B- Don Henderson vs. Edward Cornell I'm still testing Edward out for potential future main event runs, though I doubt I'll be able to keep him past his current contract – he just re-signed with UKW. He does pretty well here given they only had eleven minutes and the match is a lot of fun to watch, considering; Don puts him away smoothly enough with the Scottish Deathlock along the way. Don Henderson defeated Edward Cornell by submission RATING: B+ A quick hype video next for Buff Martinez shows his ROF career. RATING: B Hugh de Aske vs. Mario Heroic Huh. This was not everything a main event should be, sadly. It was... good enough, and Mario in particular is still coming along well. But by the time of the Cut-Throat Driver the crowd just wasn't as into it as I'd hoped, frankly. I guess I'll just have to live with it and keep working on both men. Hugh de Aske defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: B We capped off the show with a prepackaged video interview of Hugh, with him discussing Joss' 'arrogance' and how, with one championship shot under his belt, he was definitely nowhere near ready to step aside and allow someone else through into the main event. RATING: C Good enough show, but not great. May just be trying to do some work in Scotland that was the problem. OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Over There Sunday Week 1 November Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 2.07 Only one dark match this week – possibly a mistake. But hey. El Leon danced with Ernest Youngman and put him away comfortably in a pretty good match for the dark. El Leon defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C+ Chojiro Kitoaji vs. El Mitico Jr vs. KC Glenn Our opening triple threat; pretty solid, with both Chojiro and KC demonstrating significant strides one way or another. The Lariat to El Mitico finishes after Chojiro lays KC out with a death valley driver. Chojiro Kitoaji defeated El Mitico Jr and KC Glenn when he pinned El Mitico Jr RATING: B- The Team-Up Marvels vs.The Disrespected vs. Extraordinary Men vs. JD Morgan & Steve Flash for the ROF Tag Titles The Disrespected are Chojiro and Keith Adams, who as we explained to the fans at home are motivated by the fact they've both been abandoned by former tag partners and left to flounder. And damn, but they work so well together, which was part of what kept this quarter-hour rolling. May have to take the belts off the champs soonish, though; it's difficult to get a tag match to pop the crowd before the Johnnys blow up. No change here, though; the Low Down flattens El Heroe Mexicano and helps them retain. The Team-Up Marvels defeated The Disrespected, Extraordinary Men, and JD Morgan & Steve Flash RATING: C+ A hype video runs for Joey vs. Dragon at Champion's League. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Mr Lucha III for the ROF TV Championship Six minutes. Six minutes to get everyone back on their feet and calling approval. Despite Mr Lucha's status as a virtual unknown, this blew everyone away before the Exile Driver dashed his hopes. I really enjoyed this. Burning EXILE defeated Mr Lucha III by pinfall RATING: B- Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon The one problem with these two is that everyone expects perfection whenever they step in the ring together, and this match was only very, very good. Davis continues to show improvement – fantastic, as investments for the future go – and he and Dragon play a wonderful story out. Since almost everyone in the audience expects this to run the twenty minutes anyway, they work the stip from the off, setting up for finishers time after time and missing time after time, trying for each other's finishers, and so much more. Dragon busts out the Secret Samurai Stretch but Davis slips clear; Davis hits the tilt-a-whirl powerbomb but the title challenger rolls clear before the Scottish Deathlock can follow. It's great fun, equal parts high-quality pro wrestling and almost a comedy match as two great performers just let it hang out in the ring. Davis Wayne Newton drew with UK Dragon when the time limit elapsed. RATING: A Another hype video up next; Don Henderson's greatest hits packaged into a very effective video. We took pains to include shots of Merle O'Curle, Pit Bull Brown, Faust, and the various others no longer working for us who've tapped out to him. RATING: B+ Buff Martinez vs. Matthew Gauge Well, they didn't quite have the time to blow everyone away, but they still put something together that was more than a little effective. The man building to the PPV scores the pinfall as Buff lays out Matthew with the El KO – which is looking nastier and nastier by the week. Buff Martinez defeated Matthew Gauge by pinfall RATING: B+ The show closed with a package for the European audience. We paid for some vintage UK Dragon-in-UCR footage and spliced it together with his ROF highlights, to remind the overseas fans just how much they want to see him with a belt. RATING: B Good enough! A solid show here with a good run all-through – though the gulf between my top main eventers and the rest of the roster continues to be painfully obvious. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 November Hall Green Cricket Club 1510 in attendance RATING: 1.40 I don't entirely know what's going on here. For some reason the Midlands just aren't coming to see us, despite the fact every demographic indication is that it's still the stronghold of the bulk of our fans. A goodish dark match for the participants here; Daniel Black Francis got one over on Ernest Youngman in what was a pretty good eight minutes considering that neither one of them is renowned in ROF for their ability to call it and Optimus gave them little help. Daniel Black Francis defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C+ An interestingly appalling set of random tag teams here; Ruud van Anger teamed up with Billy Robinson to face off with SK Walker and Remmy Honeyman, and neither team could get on the same page at all. Good job it stayed in the dark. Credit to Billy here who, apparently annoyed that I gave Walker the pin, really went all out and became the star of what was still a pretty good match. I'm happy to report a lot of development from virtually everyone involved in this, which bodes well for the future. SK Walker & Remmy Honeyman defeated Ruud van Anger & Billy Robinson when SK Walker pinned Ruud van Anger RATING: C+ Wanda Fish vs. Jaime Quine for the ROF Womens Championship And then we started the show proper. I'm still hoping to make womens wrestling a major part of the show, but so many of those we were able to lure to the UK need their skills developing. Wanda and Jaime being two of the exceptions, they're the way we remind home viewers the division exists. Wanda retained here in a very enjoyable match that continues to build awareness of the division. Wanda Fish defeated Jaime Quine by pinfall RATING: B- Hugh de Aske was shown backstage working the stick, making a clear point; Joss Thompson was gunning for a spot Hugh had worked hard to win, had only just won, and did not intend to give up any time soon. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs. Black Eagle vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Nate Johnson for the ROF TV Championship Man, this was good for the TV championship field. We worked people hard here; lots of nearfalls from the start, with the Stunners taking it in turn to make pinfall attempts and standing off from each other's pins. EXILE even took a Superbomb Splash, but Nate broke that up with a senton onto the pin. As with Davis/Dragon last week we did our best to make it look like this was going to a time limit draw... then, a few seconds past the nine minute mark and with Black Eagle prone following a Natural Order, EXILE dropkicked Nate out of the ring and felled Brandon with the Exile Driver, covering to defend at 18:34. Burning EXILE defeated Black Eagle, Bulldozer Brandon Smith, and Nate Johnson when he pinned Bulldozer Brandon Smith RATING: B Joey Beauchamp vs. Nichiren Amagawa Every so often we end up testing the young guns against the champ, like we did with Davis for a year or so before he finally claimed the belt. Nichiren got the same treatment here with a solid quarter-hour, the story of which was Joey expecting to deliver a five minute squash and being thwarted over and over again. What we learned, however, is that Nichiren isn't established or psychologically skilled enough to make that work; his counters are crisp, his submissions near-perfect and his transitions smooth. But he can't handle the fightback at Joey's level yet and needs more development. The Breeze Block reasserted the champ's authority in the end. Joey Beauchamp defeated Nichiren Amagawa by pinfall RATING: B- Another hype video next; Buff and Davis. RATING: C+ We then cut to show Joey settling down in front of a monitor backstage to watch the main event. RATING: C Don Henderson vs. UK Dragon Good, very good. Nearly half an hour in the ring here, and the pair still have their chemistry issues. They're just good enough to sidestep that almost entirely, with Don playing the grounding game here and Dragon working a high-speed style to try to overcome that. And Don even got to bust out that moonsault he saves for the occasional big pop – but in the end, Dragon rolled through the tilt-a-whirl and responded with a fast Dragon Drop for the win. UK Dragon defeated Don Henderson by pinfall RATING: A Another pretty sound show. Shame Nichiren wasn't that tiny step further along, but that's what you get, sometimes. We'll get further. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Over There Sunday Week 2 November Celtic Heritage Hall 771 in attendance RATING: 2.15 We're still really just finding our feet in Scotland. Which, in its way, makes it perfect for Over There shows, as they'll help in Europe and in Scotland, without risking our foundation elsewhere. Our first dark match this week; Dean Daniels, JD Morgan and Steve Flash in a four corners match with Ernest Youngman. It's short and workmanlike but pretty good, with Dean putting Ernest away via cradle piledriver. Hopefully Ernest's learned something; I know JD looked to have done. Dean Daniels defeated Ernest Youngman, JD Morgan, and Steve Flash when he pinned Ernest Youngman RATING: C+ Next up in the dark, a nice solid tag match to keep Dos Phoenix cheerful and help East and West grow together as a team – to hopefully improve their matches, to keep things developing in the shows. As before, for a short dark match this was fine, with Marc Speed picking up a win with that Deadly Heel Hook on Phoenix II. Nice enough. East and West defeated Dos Phoenix when Marc Speed made Phoenix II tap out. RATING: C+ Blood & Bling vs. The Disrespected vs. European Union Unfortunately the opening tag on the show proper died a death. The Disrespected opened strong and stayed that way, eventually seeing Keith Adams put Crusher von Steinberg away, but this just wasn't that good. Not sure why; it should have been a lot better. So the lower end of the tag scene still needs work. Damn. The Disrespected defeated Blood & Bling and the European Union RATING: C Another hype video, this one documenting the history of the TV title, building toward the EXILE/Edwrd Cornell battle next. We are not doing well so far. RATING: D Burning EXILE vs. Edward Cornell for the ROF TV Championship Fortunately, once they got in the ring the evening began to pick up, and in ten minutes they did pretty well – but EXILE contained Edward's enthusiasm eventually and managed to floor him with another Exile Driver. His run continues... Burning EXILE defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall RATING: B- Davis appears backstage with Jaime Quine in the background, and promises that both of them will soon hold gold again, calling it their 'mission'. RATING: D Joss Thompson vs. Matthew Gauge This pulled things back a bit further, too. Joss was practically developing in front of our eyes as he worked with Matthew, incorporating new versions of a lot of Matthew's second-generation tricks. Fantastic work, and it culminated with a really nice sequence; Matthew had taken control back a few minutes earlier and was destroying Joss' shoulder preparatory to the Proton Lock when a rolling armbar takedown but Joss in the right position to reach up with his other arm and convert into a sweet Clean Cutter, dropping Matthew and allowing Joss to pick up the win. Joss Thompson defeated Matthew Gauge by pinfall RATING: B+ Joey went on a tear on the mic backstage, but it turns out the one place in all of Europe that won't help him is Scotland. Damn... RATING: D- British Samurai vs. Davis Wayne Newton in a 30 minute Iron Man Match ...Ookay, Scotland is not doing well for us. Sammy and Davis have put on great shows with this kind of stip before, but no one in the Heritage Hall was feeling it tonight and we just didn't get the response I'd hoped for, with them barely putting on something acceptable even with that leeway – even when the Fisherman's Suplex sent Sammy one-nil up, or when the Secret Samurai Stretch was rolled through into an STF in response and Sammy had to tap. Not even when Davis debuted a springboard shooting star press to pick up the last fall of the night was the pop all it should be, and he told me afterward he'd been saving that as an emergency reserve. Damn, damn, damn... Davis Wayne Newton defeated British Samurai by two falls to one RATING: B For all my complaining, the show was good enough. It just was nothing like what it should have been. Why this had to be the show with the highest rating to date, I don't know, but I'm not too happy about it. OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 November Edgeware Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 1.44 Weak first dark match due to chemistry issues, but Dean Daniels contributes to Daniel Black Francis' slow slide down the card by scoring a pin on him with the cradle piledriver, and Daniel's work is still, at least, improving. May actually need to build him back up one day. Dean Daniels defeated Daniel Black Francis by pinfall RATING: C Our second dark match fares no better, as Dos Phoenix school Ernest Youngman & KC Glenn. Another throwaway team here to try and develop the relative rookies further. I feel kinda sorry for Ernest and KC; had they debuted a couple years earlier, they'd likely have become solid midcarders by now. As it is, we have the depth of roster that they really have to put in their time. Phoenix II scores the pin here, creasing up Ernest Youngman with a Northern Lights suplex. Does Phoenix defeated Ernest Youngman & KC Glenn by pinfall RATING: C The show credits roll, and immediately afterward fans are treated to a hype video displaying the issues between Joss and Hugh leading up to next week's PPV match. I may have two shows to go after this, but this is the final UK-broadcast show other than the go-home. We need to sell the PPV, and the reactions here indicate we aren't doing that too badly. RATING: B- Burning EXILE vs Extraordinario Jr vs. Marc Speed vs. Mario Heroic for the ROF TV Championship EXILE is within five shows of his contract ending, and it's time his push derails slightly. I have one last plan for him this Sunday, but after that we'll just see how he goes before his contract elapses. Plus, I don't like vacated titles if I can avoid it, and as such this fatal four way fills my needs; EXILE and Heroic get into a nasty spill to the outside while Extraordinario capitalises, landing the Siempre Peleando to lay out tag team rival Marc Speed and score the pin, finally capturing a TV title that can be defended on TV. A good quarter-hour. Extraordinario Jr defeated Burning EXILE, Marc Speed and Mario Heroic when he pinned Marc Speed RATING: B- Another PPV hype vid next, this one for Davis vs. Buff In part I'm trying to make up for his disastrous hype sequence on Sunday. RATING: B- Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Groucho Bling vs. Johnny Highspot vs. Nigel Svensson Sweet little four-corners captains match from our current tag scene. I went back and forth on Nigel, debating using Nichiren instead; but Nigel's got a broader, if slightly weaker technically, skill base, so Nigel barely got the nod. I was actually surprised how well this worked given that they only had thirteen minutes bell to bell, but it went down well and Bulldozer flattening Highspot with the backdrop driver got a good pop for the finish. Bulldozer Brandon Smith defeated Groucho Bling, Johnny Highspot, and Nigel Svensson when he pinned Johnny Highspot. RATING: B- Buff Martinez vs. Hugh de Aske More PPV build showcasing two of our not-quite-top men. This was a twenty minute draw, a practice that, again, the crowd now expects of us – but they got into it nonetheless, just not to the level they might with our absolute best in the ring. These two still have a little way to go. Makes me smile, though; I remember what it was like dreaming of this quality when we started, and now I'm thinking of it as not quite enough to improve their pushes. Buff Martinez drew with Hugh de Aske when the time limit elapsed RATING: B A generic Ring of Fire hype video next showcases many of our main eventers. It does... OK, but not great. RATING: C+ Matthew Gauge vs. UK Dragon We had a lot of story to play with going into this contest, which made me happy on commentary. We reminded the fans at home that a little over a year ago these two had been the two challengers in a triple threat PPV and now, thirteen months later, Matthew Gauge was still aiming to prove he deserved the one-on-one shot that Dragon had earned then – producing the best match we've yet put on – and that Dragon's got now. And Matthew took it to Dragon hard and fast, but the veteran was able to find an answer for everything – though, by the end, just barely. Dragon managed to put Matthew away in the closing minutes of the show. RATING: A Good solid card again, with a good use of time – another show I'm very happy with. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Over There Sunday Week 3 November Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance RATING: 2.22 Looks like we finally got to a point in the Midlands where we can pack the Cricket Club for matters less than a PPV. Thank heavens, frankly. A fun dark match kicks things off; El Leon defeats El Mitico Jr in grand style – for the dark, anyway. El Leon defeated El Mitico Jr by pinfall RATING: C+ Next in the dark I gave Steve Flash another shot at Ernest Youngman. This happened first a couple of months ago, and I recall being astonished that Double-P got a bigger pop firing shirts into the crowd than a Steve Flash match mustered. After a heavy schedule of house matches to help him improve, Ernest produces far better opposite Steve this time; Flash is getting on now, and as such isn't always on his best form anymore. He wasn't this time, either – but this was still a pretty good match that matched up to the prior dark contest. This is working, which is great. Steve Flash defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C+ The Team-Up Marvels vs. Blood & Bling vs. East and West vs. The Stunners for the ROF Tag Titles Coming into this my hope was that the inclusion of three other very good teams could help cover for Johnny and Jonni's tendency to blow up if it runs more than a quarter hour. It didn't quite happen like that and not even Nichiren Amagawa putting in a fantastic performance was enough to boost this to the point I'd be entirely happy with it – and the champs retain, this time scoring a pin on Blood Raven for Jonni Lowlife. Still, there's development going on here and things may get better. The Team-Up Marvels defeated Blood & Bling, East and West and The Stunners when Jonni Lowlife pinned Blood Raven RATING: C+ Next up was a hype package; shorn of his TV Title and with a parting of the ways on the horizon, we revealed, Burning EXILE had asked Joey Beauchamp for a rare title shot this episode. This video was basically to inform people that Joey had agreed in a spirit of fair play – with Dragon's blessing on the understanding Dragon would wrestle whoever had the belt next Tuesday – and to get people pumped for the contest. RATING: C Extraordinario Jr vs. Nate Johnson in a Lucha Libre Bout for the ROF TV Championship Very, very smooth – smoother than I'd entirely expected, in fact. It was a close-fought match, with the champion scoring the first and third falls to retain, and inside fourteen minutes the pop became pretty notable. I'm definitely happy with this. Extraordinario Jr defeated Nate Johnson by two falls to one RATING: B Chojiro Kitoaji vs. Don Henderson Close to a nothing match thrown together to give these boys something fun to do, but it was well worth it – Don has become incapable of having an outright poor match, and Chojiro's still coming on strong. (Unlike, say, SK Walker, who I unfortunately am also finding less and less to do with. Need to remedy that – but he appears to have just hit the point beyond which he cannot get any higher up the card or any more successful. Shame, really.) A little under a quarter of an hour provided us with a sweet little match and saw Don lock in the Scottish Deathlock, proving his credibility once again. Don Henderson defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by submission RATING: B+ Davis was shown backstage next. He did a great little hype job on Buff, and then another little one on how the match next week would go, promising victory. It went down well. RATING: B- Joey Beauchamp vs. Burning EXILE for the ROF Championship To be expected, but this match was EXILE's best. Joey made him look on the same level as our champ for some time before finally overcoming his assault and getting a fantastic-looking Breeze Block to put him down. Smooth hype two days before his big defence of the month, really. Joey Beauchamp defeated Burning EXILE by pinfall RATING: A Production followed up with a hype reel for Joey and Dragon next week. I particularly liked that we got three seconds of EXILE/Dragon before cutting to the 'real' video – made things seem that little bit more real. RATING: B Another damn fine show, and one I'm very, very happy with. EXILE's contract is almost up and he's done us proud – and helps us garner another new record rating. ROF is... on the way up still, it seems. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

Champion's League prediction key: TV: JD Morgan vs. Steve Flash European Union vs. SK Walker & Ruud van Anger The Team-Up Marvels vs. East and West for the ROF Tag Titles Extraordinario Jr vs. El Heroe Mexicano vs. El Leon for the ROF TV Championship Don Henderson vs. Edward Cornell British Samurai vs. Mario Heroic PPV: Billy Robinson vs. Daniel Black Francis Anna Ki & Cherry Bomb vs. Huntress Makiko & Jaime Quine Capitao Brasil Jr vs. Mr Lucha III Burning EXILE vs. Matthew Gauge Buff Martinez vs. Davis Wayne Newton Hugh de Aske vs. Joss Thompson Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon in a Ladder Match for the ROF Championship

[Marcel Fromage]

TV: [B]JD Morgan [/B]vs. Steve Flash [I]Interesting match for old-stagers who like their bouts technical. I'm going with JD.[/I] [B]European Union[/B] vs. SK Walker & Ruud van Anger [I]European Union are a team. Walker & Anger aren't. Therefore I'll go with the team.[/I] The Team-Up Marvels vs. [B]East and West [/B]for the ROF Tag Titles [I]You seem a bit down on the Team-Up Marvels in terms of their stamina at the moment and I doubt that's likely to improve now if it hasn't already. So despite the name change, I'll take East and West to win the belts, as they've always been a pretty reliable team.[/I] [B]Extraordinario Jr [/B]vs. El Heroe Mexicano vs. El Leon for the ROF TV Championship [I]I don't think Extraordinario will lose the belt so soon and his first defence was already decent. Plus I made his picture and not the other two. So I pick him.[/I] [B]Don Henderson [/B]vs. Edward Cornell [I]You seem to be testing Edward out in higher reaches of the card, but I don't think you'll have him go over the ever-reliable Don at this stage.[/I] British Samurai vs. [B]Mario Heroic[/B] [I]I'll take Heroic here. Samurai seems to be taking more regular losses these days.[/I] PPV: [B]Billy Robinson [/B]vs. Daniel Black Francis [I]You keep saying that Daniel is sliding down the card. Billy looked good in a tag bout last time out. So he deserves this one.[/I] Anna Ki & Cherry Bomb vs. [B]Huntress Makiko & Jaime Quine[/B] [I]I honestly haven't been keeping up with the women's bouts much, simply because I've never ever been remotely interested in watching women wrestle in a male promotion. I like Jaime's picture, so I want her team to win.[/I] Capitao Brasil Jr vs. [B]Mr Lucha III[/B] [I]Without wishing to sound critical, because I don't often predict, but...what the hell is this bout doing on a PPV when the tag title match is on tv?! I was looking through the last few cards before predicting this. Mr Lucha has won in a dark match 10-man tag and appeared on tv a couple of times lately. Brasil I can't find save for a losing appearance in that 10-man. So I'll go with Lucha.[/I] Burning EXILE vs. [B]Matthew Gauge[/B] [I]I'd expect Matt to win here as EXILE is seemingly on his way. But after the pleasing job EXILE has done for you, you may want to reward him. Nah, I'll go with Matthew.[/I] Buff Martinez vs. [B]Davis Wayne Newton[/B] [I]I like where Buff is in your game, as he's quite an interesting character (I think) and someone I've never used. I don't think he'll beat DWN though, as Buff just seems to be that one notch below him in the ranks.[/I] Hugh de Aske vs. [B]Joss Thompson[/B] [I]Could go either way for me, this one. I'll take Thompson as his momentum may be higher following his recent win over Gauge towards de Aske's draw with Buff.[/I] Joey Beauchamp vs. [B]UK Dragon [/B]in a Ladder Match for the ROF Championship [I]I always imagine these two putting on a really good show. And Dragon has always been a favourite of mine, so I'll take him for the win and title change.[/I]

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 November Held at Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance RATING: 1.55 Dammit. I threw Morgan and Flash into the ring together in the dark to give them both a thank you for sterling service, figuring that it'd be good but not good enough for prime time. What I'd not counted on was just how much the chemistry these two legends have can offset in turns of their age. They put in a beautiful eight minutes in the dark that's beyond much that we broadcast. And on a PPV go-home in particular I can do with that. Flash scored the win here, and astonishingly – Morgan's still trying new tricks and making them work! Steve Flash defeated JD Morgan by pinfall RATING: B+ The next dark match, another tag, pitting the European Union against two UCR alumni in SK Walker and Ruud van Anger. Far weaker, though, again, this is all about development. Nigel gets the win when he forces Ruud to tap out, and SK Walker puts in the performance of the match. European Union defeated Ruud van Anger & SK Walker when Nigel Svensson made Ruud van Anger submit RATING: C The Team-Up Marvels vs. East and West for the ROF Tag Titles Keeping the match carefully within the limits imposed by the Marvels' stamina, we got a much better match out of this with a lot of back-and-forth, and the crowd popped pretty big for the title changeover when Nichiren forced Jonni Lowlife to tap out. Be interesting to see where we can go from here. East and West defeated The Team-Up Marvels when Nichiren Amagawa made Jonni Lowlife submit RATING: B- Extraordinario Jr vs. El Heroe Mexicano vs. El Leon for the ROF TV Championship Good work here; a nice little triple threat which could have interesting repercussions down the line, as Extraordinario finished the match by scoring a pin on his regular tag partner. And damn, Leon's coming along in leaps and bounds. We could have something here, you know? Extraordinario Jr defeated El Heroe Mexicano and El Leon when he pinned El Heroe Mexicano RATING: B- Joey then received some mic time to discuss his match with UK Dragon, promising something excellent. RATING: B- Don Henderson vs. Edward Cornell Don really did look the better man in the ring, as is, frankly, understandable; Edward still has some way to go. Still, even with that, the pair put on a reasonable match that kicked things up another level, and another win keeps Don strong. Don Henderson defeated Edward Cornell by submission RATING: B Hugh got some microphone time next and really laid out a warning to Joss Thompson. RATING: B- British Samurai vs. Mario Heroic Well, I think this shocked a lot of people. Not that the two could work well together – more that Sammy' who's been slowly working his way back up the standings in the background with a series of tutorial wins, actually lost this one to a vicious Hero Attack twenty-five minutes in. Good stuff aided by Phoebe Plumridge, and I think we got a good result out of it; Mario joins our list of future big name candidates. Mario Heroic defeated British Samurai by pinfall RATING: A The show closed off with a last note for the PPV: Matthew Gauge, irate at Burning EXILE 'jumping the queue' challenged him to a match. RATING: C Another pretty good card – but by PPV pre-show standards, an utterly fantastic card. Our TV rating sets new records for Fighting Fit by almost five thousand viewers. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Champion's League Tuesday Week 4 November Held at Kent Racecourse 5000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.25 Lovely little first dark match; Billy Robinson and Daniel Black Francis provoke a hearty response considering half the crowd are snacking, grabbing merchandise, or taking a break before the next show. Billy scores the win and continues to look good... Billy Robinson defeated Daniel Black Francis by submission RATING: B- Our second dark match is a ladies' tag that, thankfully, needed to be in the dark only. Anna Ki & Cherry Bomb faced off with Huntress Makiko & Jaime Quine, losing the contest when Cherry Bomb was forced to tap to the Makiko Clutch. Huntress Makiko & Jaime Quine defeated Anna Ki & Cherry Bomb RATING: C- Capitao Brasil Jr vs. Mr Lucha III Mr. Lucha has decided to leave us for the bigger bucks in Mexico, and as such I decided to display another fall for the guy to try and get Brasil further over. For some reason I picked the beginning match of the PPV proper, and it was... well, four years ago I'd have been overjoyed to get this from two openers. But not now. Still, at ten minutes total it could be a lot worse. Capitao Brasil Jr defeated Mr Lucha III by submission RATING: C Burning EXILE vs. Matthew Gauge Great work for only a quarter of an hour. EXILE put up a good fight before going down to Matthew Gauge and the Proton Lock. As with so much else, there's an ulterior motive to this match; I now have footage of the legendary EXILE tapping to Matthew Gauge. Which may prove more than a little useful. Matthew Gauge defeated Burning EXILE by submission RATING: B The winner then grabs the mic and challenges the Champion for a spot in December. It's not received that well. RATING: D We cut into a video that recaps the build to Davis/Buff and pull the crowd back into the show, thankfully. RATING: B- Buff Martinez vs. Davis Wayne Newton They only had twenty minutes to work with, but they still put something excellent together. Buff's punches are getting even stiffer and he genuinely looked like he could beat the former champion a lot before the El KO found itself countered into the Newtons Cradle. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Buff Martinez by pinfall RATING: A Hugh de Aske vs. Joss Thompson A few minutes longer for this match and that allowed them to achieve the next level. For whatever reason, these two men I wouldn't quite position for a championship run yet are able to produce a championship-quality match here against each other, and Joss looks fantastic when he breaks free of the lift for the Cut-Throat Driver, converting it into extra momentum for a Clean Cutter and the pinfall. Joss Thompson defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall RATING: A* Dragon had some mic time next to discuss the main event and what the ROF title means to him. The crowd... well, they pop. Just about. He discusses the ladder match he wrestled in around this time last year and how it won Match of the Year awards, and promises that the inclusion of a ladder in this match will make things even better. RATING: C+ Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon in a Ladder Match for the ROF Championship Claiming we'll outdo last year's record is a bold claim, and it's not one I'm a hundred per cent sure will be justified. But these two have incredible instinctive chemistry together, and they just might do it. They've got twenty-seven minutes to put it all together bell to bell, after all. And... it's a doozy. A Breeze Block from the top of the ladder to the outside is delivered at one point. We see a Dragon Drop from inside the ropes to the outside slam Joey onto a horizontal ladder; a turnbuckle dropkick sends the ladder over as Dragon climbs. Joey busts out his occasional 450 splash, and Dragon actually runs the top of the ropes with Joey cradled to hit a death valley driver back into the ring... And that's the spot that effectively ends the match, as Dragon finally keeps the champ down long enough to scramble up the ladder and become the new ROF Champion, holding the belt for the third time and the first past his life-threatening spinal injury. UK Dragon defeated Joey Beauchamp when he retrieved the championship belt RATING: A* Joey eventually recovers with Dragon still celebrating in the ring. In a show of true sportsmanship he offers his hand to Dragon, and the new champion acknowledges the respect with a handshake. RATING: B- That... may be the show of the year. Particularly considering the TV undercard. It's four hours later and – well, first of all it's six am and I'm still too hyped to sleep. Second of all I've still got that weird buzzing in my ears from the enormity of that final pop. OVERALL: A*