Ring of Fire: Fighting Every Step of the Way

[Phantom Stranger]

Cherry and I stepped out of the Racecourse office for the stroll back to our cars pretty much on the stroke of midnight; it always takes an hour to wind things up after a show finishes. I was half expecting my phone to ring, and right on schedule it did. Glancing at the display told me I'd called this one right. “Go ahead.” “Terry, you lucky bastard,” Ota's voice greeted me, “was that the goddamn Racecourse?” “That,” I smiled, “was the goddamn Racecourse. What's up, man?” “I was just calling to say – you kept your word.” I grinned. “Don't buy our PPVs, huh?” “One a month is enough, and that only to scout the competition,” he chuckled. “But I saw the Leo and Don thing. Thanks, man.” “No problem,” I said. “Like I said when we talked about this, there's no reason to treat this as a contest. The audience is big enough.” “Got that right,” he chuckled. “I'm guessing Don goes over. But give Leo a couple wins in the right place, yeah?” I nodded. “He'll get them. So will Art.” I paused. “Look, man, I gotta go...” “Yeah, I know.” His voice was warm. “Take care. And treat Mario right or I'm hiring him for Buff's jobs myself.” “No fear. See you.” “Hope not.” I tucked the phone back into my pocket and shrugged at Cherry's curious expression. “Art and Leo,” I said. “The UKW program.” She nodded. “How's... it was Ota who called, right? How's he taking it?” “Better than the dirstsheets think,” I said equably. We walked a while longer in silence before I said “He should; it was his idea.” “Say again?” “Ota,” I said, “is a lot smarter than people think. I told you how he let me run Art's UK debut, right? And I told you why?” She nodded. I smiled. “We're bigger than he is now, and our agreement means there are a bunch of shared talents I can't sign to writtens. I could break that deal, hurt him, and have the best main event scene outside of the Stones. I could've done it in time to keep Merle and Matt.” She nodded again. “But you're friends,” she said, correctly guessing my objection to that. “But we're friends,” I nodded. “And Jake McDaniels owns UKW. And Union Jack Sports, the only channel with a better audience rating in the UK than Euro Cable One that I'm likely to be able to make a deal with. I don't want to piss him off either.” A smile. “And I happen to think competition's a good thing, so long as their name isn't Eric Tyler.” “Spit it out.” She rolled her eyes at my bid to look smart via pointless exposition. “UKW needs a good main event,” I said. “Problem is that a lot of it's gotten so much exposure – particularly our shared talent – that it's getting too big for them. Faust left them, and won't sign for anyone but me unless he calms down after a while. Leo left them. And Art left them. “Art is how he and I cooked this up. He knew I'd snatch Art up the moment I found out he was clear. He suggested I feed a lot of the talent I can't sign exclusively to Art – the talent we share, in short. It makes my contracted talent look better. It keeps them interested in UKW to score more wins. And so long as Art and Leo pick up the occasional fall against my exclusives, it doesn't make UKW look any weaker than it has to in comparison.” We shared a private smile at that; UKW isn't bad, it's a damn good show, but in five years and change it's failed to improve. Treading water. We overtook two years ago and there's now a clear gulf. “Won't that hurt us in the long run?” I shook my head. “Sooner or later his best will still leave him. He knows I'll sign them back then. By that time the main event will need shaking up again. “Hell, Petey called to bitch about him a couple weeks ago. I didn't follow the exact argument, but they're not happy with each other. Petey might or might not still fit in the main event, but there's definitely a place for him if he doesn't re-up with them.”

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Wrestling Clinic Tuesday Week 2 March Coventry City Stadium 5000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.08 Another damn fine dark match go-round for Billy and Ernest, with Billy scraping out another win. I need to find Ernest a new dance partner soon, though... Billy Robinson defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: B- In our second dark bout, JD Morgan continues to prove his worth as his chemistry with Blood Raven makes for another solid undercard match. I don't use Morgan nearly as often as I should, and it's a shame, but he's reached a point where without chemistry it's a gamble. Raven scores the win and continues, slowly, to establish his singles path. Blood Raven defeated JD Morgan by pinfall RATING: B- Kristabel Plum vs. Wanda Fish for the ROF Womens Championship I wanted to put at least one championship change onto the weekly PPV early to keep people interested. Kristabel's reign accordingly comes to an end here, with Wanda scoring a good win to pop the crowd and regain the belt, our first two-time womens' champ. Wanda Fish defeated Kristabel Plum by pinfall RATING: B- Art Reed vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Hugh de Aske vs. SK Walker Huh... interesting. This was much better than I expected of a makeshift match to get the crew some screen time. Hugh gets a pin here on Art while Brandon and Walker battle outside the ring after a quarter of an hour and the crowd love it. Hugh de Aske defeated Art Reed, Bulldozer Brandon Smith, and SK Walker when he pinned Art Reed RATING: A Human Arsenal vs. Steve Flash A match never before done, and a match I love. Sure, it's two American guys working the US technical style, a mite removed from ROF's roots, but we've accomplished so much since accepting other styles into our repertoire. Five years ago, this would have been close to perfection; today, with Steve starting to slow, it was merely a very good match. Arsenal gets a win in just under fourteen minutes as Steve continues to lay the framework for my rising stars (if Arsenal can honestly be said to count as such). Human Arsenal defeated Steve Flash by pinfall RATING: B Daniel Black Francis vs. Joey Beauchamp The next quarter-hour, if anything, picks the pace up again, but we expect that from Joey. Surprisingly Daniel seemed able to handle it; he's definitely learned. I'm almost tempted to bring Faust back in and give him the same treatment, see how it works. No surprises here, though; Joey gets the win. Joey Beauchamp defeated Daniel Black Francis by pinfall RATING: B+ We ran a hype vid for Joss/Hugh, tying it in to last year's Davis' clique/Hugh's lack of respect angle RATING: C+ Edward Cornell vs. Leo Price ...Oh no. No no no. This will not do from either man. Cornell ekes out a pathetically weak win from someone of his chart position. Edward Cornell defeated Leo Price by pinfall RATING: C Joss gets another hype vid, dwelling just on him, prior to the main event. RATING: B British Samurai vs. Joss Thompson Well, this show's likely gonna tank. What happened? A mix of things; doesn't help that Sammy and Joss can't get on the same page. Still – better than Edward and Leo, and Joss gets a needed win. Joss Thompson defeated British Samurai by pinfall RATING: B Miraculously, our solid startup seems to have saved our ratings on the message board. This was not good enough, but for now? It'll do. Until, at least, Edward and Leo end up where their merits should put them on the card. OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 2 March Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 2.90 A weakish bout in the dark by Steve Flash standards, as he just wasn't on his game against Remmy tonight. Still and all, it was good enough and Flash scores a quick win to keep him ticking over and help Remmy learn. Steve Flash defeated Remmy Honeyman by pinfall RATING: C+ Sadly, our second dark contest was a lot worse, being as it was mostly an educational match. Cherry tagged up with Nadia, Jaime tagged up with Raven, and the results weren't great; Jaime isn't enough of a ring general to manage this lot. Jaime pins Nadia and everyone gets that little bit more exposure, so I can't entirely complain. Jaime Quine & Raven Nightfall defeated Cherry Bomb & Nadia Snow RATING: D+ We ran a quick hype video at the start of the show aiming to get Hugh over. It more or less backfired, sadly; the yacht-coming-into-the-harbour angle just didn't pop the crowd. RATING: C Blood Raven vs. Ernest Youngman More bad beginnings; Raven and Ernest can't communicate well in the ring and that really hurt this. It was still a performance at the kind of level I begged for when I started with ROF, but it shouldn't have been allowed on the show. Raven scores the win with a Raven Driver III. Blood Raven defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C Extraordinario Jr vs. Human Arsenal for the ROF TV Championship This picked the pace up a bit, though; no chemistry to speak of for this pair either, but over the twenty minutes they had to work together they still put on a match that for their current card position is a very good one. Extraordinario's second TV reign with us gets off to a rollicking good start overall. Extraordinario Jr defeated Human Arsenal by pinfall RATING: B Edward Cornell vs. Hugh de Aske Slow learner, Edward, but we keep trying. In this case, his battle with Hugh showed major improvements over last week due to Hugh's ring generalship and the fact that Edward's brawling is finally beginning to pick up to any degree. I sometimes think we still may get him there, you know. Hugh scores the win and retains his position for now, however, as I've got to be honest about my main event scene. Hugh de Aske defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall RATING: B Davis got mic time next and delivered what I thought, personally, was a good promo, but it fell flat with the Middlesbrough fans. I'm pondering going back to the no-angle style for a while, truth be told. RATING: C+ Billy Robinson vs. Davis Wayne Newton Once again the show picks up gear, proving – as ever – that you can rely on Davis. Billy's growing talent made the story they told this match seem extremely plausible; Billy went with Davis, getting several near-falls, seeming on his level the whole way, and nearly made it to the time limit before the Newton's Cradle finally settled things. Billy Robinson, though, continues to be on his way up. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Billy Robinson by pinfall RATING: B+ Mario Heroic vs. UK Dragon in a Ladder Match The first really lacklustre performance Dragon's given since he won the title; chemistry issues again, made a little better only by the fact the ladder's presence allowed both men to step up the high-flying a lot. I honestly had expected this to be far better, but the end facts are simple; it wasn't, and while Dragon retrieves the prize, this wasn't good enough for a main event slot. UK Dragon defeated Mario Heroic when he retrieved the prize RATING: B Well... this was, if I'm honest, not good enough. I'm not happy with this, and we're definitely going to have to work harder over the next few shows to pull things back. For some reason I can't get my head around, we still broke ratings records. OVERALL: B-

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Wrestling Clinic Tuesday Week 3 March Coventry City Stadium 5000 in attendance RATING: 0.08 A really good first dark bout here, this time; El Leon goes over JD Morgan in a solid match that had the fans popping early. Leon continues to show real development in the ring, too. El Leon defeated JD Morgan by pinfall RATING: B- Our second dark bout was, sadly, decidedly weaker; KC Glenn got the win over Ultimate Phoenix when he Tuned up the Sunshine Band. Since his recovery Phoenix hasn't been able to catch a break; will have to do something about that soon. KC Glenn defeated Ultimate Phoenix by pinfall RATING: C- The Stunners vs. Dos Phoenix for the ROF Tag Titles We can do a lot better in tag competition, but this match hit at least the low end of what I'll accept from the tag division and got the fans reasonably interested. Visible improvement from Brandon and Phoenix III, too, and Eagle scores the pinfall once again; Brandon's development, though heartening, is still not as far on as I want it to be, so I'm seeing how Eagle can do getting the emphasis. The Stunners defeated Dos Phoenix when Black Eagle pinned Phoenix III RATING: C+ Chojiro Kitoaji vs. SK Walker Here we really woke the Stadium up, though. These two always have great contests together and this was no exception as, once again, we saw both men pull out new tricks for this encounter. Chojiro scores the pinfall this time to claw some momentum back given the Disrespected's regular losses. Chojiro Kitoaji defeated SK Walker by pinfall RATING: B Dean Daniels vs. Nichiren Amagawa The crowd reaction dialled down a little during this technical contest, but it was still good enough, and Nichiren picks up another tapout to keep him looking strong. His top rope work's improving, too. Nichiren Amagawa defeated Dean Daniels by submission RATING: B- Billy Robinson vs. Ernest Youngman Another submission-based technical battle to follow that, and while it wasn't on a level with the emotion they can draw out of people, this was pretty good, picking the pace up again. Billy gets another win to make up for Sunday's loss and keeps on rolling. Ernest... Well, he's getting there. Billy Robinson defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: B We followed that with a hype video for Don Henderson RATING: B+ Art Reed vs. Joss Thompson This... was markedly better than I'd expected it to be. They ran a little under a quarter of an hour, with Joss picking up a few new tricks particularly during a hilarious sequence where they repeatedly mimicked each others' moves, eventually ending with Art hitting Joss' signature flip neckbreaker to a great response, and then they stepped up the pace a little further. In the end, Art went for the Dark Matter too close to the ropes; Joss got his feet onto the turnbuckle, broke the hold, and scored with an immediate top rope Clean Cutter. Joss Thompson defeated Art Reed by pinfall RATING: A* We cut backstage to Dragon on the mic cutting a promo. It... did not work. At all. RATING: C Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske Hugh's match with Joss is a rekindling of the respect war Davis and company had with Hugh last year, so this made a lot of sense. As they so often do, these two picked up the pace to the point Danny in particular just couldn't keep up, and when you can flummox a three-man announce team you've got to be going great guns. Toward the end both men switched from attempting to outplay the other technically to a full-on vicious looking slugfest, eventually taking it out of the ring and continuing to brawl. Humphrey had no choice but to count both men out, not that the crowd cared. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske when both men were counted out RATING: A* Now, see, this is the kind of show reaction I want at the moment. Should've undone Sunday's damage, hopefully with change. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 3 March Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.37 Goodish (for training) ladies tag to start our dark time; Huntress Makiko and Miss Information put on a losing effort against Kristabel Plum and Nadia Snow, with Kristabel pinning Makiko pretty smoothly. I enjoyed this for what it was; a developmental bout done well. Kristabel Plum & Nadia Snow defeated Huntress Makiko & Miss Information when Kristabel Plum pinned Huntress Makiko RATING: C Our second dark bout renewed a very old rivalry. Johnny Highspot and Nate Johnson renewed their battle and put on a pretty good show; in a measure of how far things have come it was, stunningly, Highspot who pinned Johnson here to a reasonable enough pop from the crowd. Johnny Highspot defeated Nate Johnson by pinfall RATING: B Dos Phoenix vs. East and West Another very smooth tag bout, running about fifteen minutes bell to bell, and all four of these men continue to innovate and improve, showcasing why they have the reputations they've earned. Marc Speed scored the submission this time on Phoenix II. East and West defeated Dos Phoenix when Marc Speed pinned Phoenix II RATING: B- El Heroe Mexicano vs. Mario Heroic A quickie match snuck in when I realised there was space on the card, these two put on a terrific show with the time given to them, entertaining me greatly for ten minutes before a Hero Attack nearly took Heroe's head off and made the pin academic. Great things are ahead for El Heroe, and Mario continues to look more and more in need of a push beyond his current level. Mario Heroic defeated El Heroe Mexicano by pinfall RATING: B+ British Samurai vs. Leo Price Well, on the plus side, I now know someone else Leo doesn't click with. Here's a demonstration of just how good my boss is – this was a significantly better match than Cornell/Price despite Sammy's lack of chemistry with Leo, less time, and the fact Sammy wasn't feeling it today. Double-P helps, of course. Sammy tied Leo up in the Secret Samurai Stretch and got quite the crowd pop. British Samurai defeated Leo Price by submission RATING: B- Extraordinario Jr vs. Capitao Brasil Jr vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Human Arsenal vs. KC Glenn vs. Nigel Svensson for the ROF TV Championship A great little quarter-hour. Even against this backdrop Extraordinario looked like the standout talent and, true to that, scored the win as he pinned Capitao Brasil while the other four were occupied – DBF having Glenn in the Rasta Lock and Nigel Svensson being pinned to the ground headfirst by Arsenal's vicious-looking full nelson. Extraordinario Jr defeated Capitao Brasil Jr, Daniel Black Francis, Human Arsenal and KC Glenn when he pinned Capitao Brasil Jr RATING: B+ We ran a quick interlock-hype video for 'ROF Originals and European Champions' Don Henderson and UK Dragon. It got the biggest pop of the night thus far. RATING: A Don Henderson vs. Joey Beauchamp Great stuff, as utterly expected. Don and Joey just went at it hammer and tongs, one man fast and tough, the other canny and tough, and the crowd went ballistic from 00.01 to 20.00 when the time limit seemed like a fit reward for both men. Don Henderson drew with Joey Beauchamp when the time limit elapsed RATING: A* Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon Another fantastic match to cap off the show, and for the first time in a long time I saw something I'd consider a definite sign of Davis improving, rather than just more of his astonishing ability; a counter of a tornado DDT into a standing sleeper that send the crowd ape. It wasn't enough, though, as Dragon got to the ropes and set up for the Dragon Drop – countered to an STF – countered to the Drop and Dragon scored the pin. UK Dragon defeated Davis Wayne Newton by pinfall RATING: A* Davis walked over to Dragon after the match with a microphone and, after a short speech, said that while he's firm friends with Joey Beauchamp he wanted to offer Dragon his respect and support for his title match Tuesday. Dragon milked the pause, then accepted the handshake. RATING: B Our best card in months, thanks in part to Heroic/El Heroe and the six-man TV title match being better than I'd expected. Great go-home work for the PPV, and a massive ratings record – fantastic. OVERALL: A We cancelled the Clinic that would've run before Trial By Combat. I'm not asking people to fork out for two PPVs on the same day.

[Phantom Stranger]

Trial By Combat preview card: El Leon vs. El Mitico Jr The Stunners vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles Don Henderson vs. Leo Price Art Reed vs. British Samurai vs. Davis Wayne Newton in a Submission Only Contest Hugh de Aske vs. Joss Thompson UK Dragon vs. Joey Beauchamp for the ROF Championship

[1PWfan]

Hey there. I've been trying to read this through from the beginning (and failed, due to sheer weight of numbers), but I've gotta say, this is some cool stuff, and kudos for making this so distinct from Macel's equally superb ROF diary. My only complaint, and it's minor, is it's hard keeping track of everyone a roster run-down, with tag-team memberships and the like, would be very helpful [B]El Leon[/B] vs. El Mitico Jr [I]As a hardened fan of old-school promotions, I'm gonna give the veteran [/I] [B]The Stunners[/B] vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles [I]Largely because I can't remember who's in Extraordinary Men[/I] [B]Don Henderson[/B] vs. Leo Price [I]Price has a lot of talent, but a tendency to develop chemistry issues with key wrestlers, whilst Don's been here since day one, pretty much. Plus, he kinda looks like Jeff Jarrett[/I] Art Reed vs. [B]British Samurai [/B]vs. Davis Wayne Newton in a Submission Only Contest [I]It could go to Davis, but the Samurai's my personal favourite of the three[/I] [B]Hugh de Aske[/B] vs. Joss Thompson [I]Much as I like Thompson, he's not a wrestling pirate[/I] [B]UK Dragon[/B] vs. Joey Beauchamp for the ROF Championship [I]He may have developed, but as I recall Beauchamp's mostly a specialised high flyer, whereas Dragon's more of an all-rounder, so I'll give it to him[/I]

[Marcel Fromage]

Really agree with 1PWfan. I always enjoy reading what Phantom's done in this diary. I think it's rare that there are 2 diaries focusing on the same promotion that have such longevity about them - and it's interesting to see just how differently the promotion can develop from 2 separate mindsets. Apart from the fact we both hit National and both have flirted with 2 brands at one time or another, the diaries are markedly different. As for this PPV... [B]El Leon[/B] vs. El Mitico Jr [I]I do struggle to remember a little bit who is who in the luchadores[/I] [B]The Stunners [/B]vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles [I]Going with The Stunners because Extraordinario Jr is picking up such credit from his singles work that I think that's the directions he's headed in[/I] [B]Don Henderson [/B]vs. Leo Price [I]You are having the same Price problems as I do. Always figure that with his performance stats being good, he should hold up his end of matches well. This will be decent, but purely because Henderson is involved. And he'll win.[/I] Art Reed vs. British Samurai vs. [B]Davis Wayne Newton [/B]in a Submission Only Contest [I]I too like Samurai - someone who seems to punch above his weight in terms of skill. I'll go Davis though to keep him looking a force, although I wouldn't be at all surprised if Art picked up the big win here either. A really open contest[/I] [B]Hugh de Aske [/B]vs. Joss Thompson [I]I'm going with the pirate. With a couple of roster losses, you need to make a couple of upper carders stronger to plug the gaps and I think de Aske ticks the boxes and deserves a higher profile.[/I] [B]UK Dragon [/B]vs. Joey Beauchamp for the ROF Championship [I]You seemed well satisfied with Dragon on becoming champ but the first cracks appear to be forming in terms of his ratings. But I still think you'll stick with him for a while longer yet.[/I]

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Trial By Combat Tuesday Week 4 March Euston Road 10000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.31 Good solid opener in the dark saw El Leon triumph over El Mitico Jr and both men, I felt, benefitted from it. This should be good in future. El Leon defeated El Mitico Jr by pinfall RATING: B- The Stunners put on a dark tag defence against Extraordinary Men that managed to reach the same heights despite a double-DQ ending following a notable misunderstanding between Brandon and Extraordinario that lead to both men hotheadedly going the closed-fists route for a while and eventually both men visiting low blows on one another. The Stunners drew with Extraordinary Men due to double disqualification RATING: B- The PPV proper opened with a hype vignette for Don and a huge pop. Easily the biggest entirely-homegrown star we have, the Highland Hitman. Quite surprising. And yet he's never won the big one. RATING: A Don Henderson vs. Leo Price This one, however, Don wins, to no one's great shock given the problems Leo has going the distance. Don finished Leo off neatly within the fifteen minutes that Price can go with the tilt-a-whirl powerbomb stepped into the Scottish Deathlock. Good enough pop given one of these men is on his way out of the main event as soon as I can job him far enough down the card. Don Henderson defeated Leo Price by submission RATING: B+ We ran a very short video next hyping the best in British, American and Canadian wrestling in a triple-threat one-fall submission only bout – a match where you have to put one opponent down so hard you can make the other submit before it's broken up. RATING: B- Art Reed vs. British Samurai vs. Davis Wayne Newton in a Submission Only Contest Great stuff; this was actually better than I'd expected. All three men played the stip up wonderfully, leading to a lot of very brutal looking throws, slams and other spots followed by three of the most crisp-looking submission holds in 2012 pro wrestling. In the end Art felled Sammy with the Dark Matter and tried to do the same to Davis only to find himself countered into the STF and made to tap, but the twenty-seven minutes leading up to that were intense, gruelling excellence. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Art Reed and British Samurai when he made Art Reed submit RATING: A* Hugh de Aske vs. Joss Thompson Still all about respect, and Hugh and Joss both brought their absolute A-game, Joss in particular still demonstrating noteworthy development each time he gets into the ring. A fantastic twenty-five and a half minutes saw the match almost go each way many times, but in the end Joss managed to counter the Cut Throat Driver with a spectacular flip-out Clean Cutter that kept Hugh down for the three-count – though only barely. Joss Thompson defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall RATING: A* I got on the mic then and made the announcement that by mutual request of champion and challenger, tonight's main event would be a ladder match. RATING: C+ UK Dragon vs. Joey Beauchamp in a Ladder Match for the ROF Championship As always, simply brilliant stuff. They had twenty-nine minutes left of the PPV when setup was complete, and at the end there was only time to play nineteen seconds of the winner's theme as these two made the absolute most of their time. There were points where this echoed November's match, with the big spot being Dragon's attempt at repeating his rope-runner Death Valley Driver where Joey flipped clear, hit the opposite ropes, and caught the champ with a collosal Breeze Block that actually sent both men flying from the ring. Mostly, though, it was its own beast, except for the finish, a nod to another classic series of ROF ladder matches as Joey suplexed Dragon off the ladder only to find the champ had hooked the belt with a foot as he flew upward, retaining while in pain. UK Dragon defeated Joey Beauchamp when he retrieved his belt RATING: A* Another truly great card, quite frankly, to almost round off our first month without UK TV. Financially it's actually been a boon, but it bugs me that so few Brits are seeing our work currently. We're going to have to work hard to remind people we're still going. OVERALL: A

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;413745]Really agree with 1PWfan. I always enjoy reading what Phantom's done in this diary. I think it's rare that there are 2 diaries focusing on the same promotion that have such longevity about them - and it's interesting to see just how differently the promotion can develop from 2 separate mindsets. Apart from the fact we both hit National and both have flirted with 2 brands at one time or another, the diaries are markedly different. [/QUOTE] We have also both used wrestlers working under the name Seraphym, but that's 'cause I totally stole it. A roster rundown is coming up, I assure you, guys, and I'll join in the lovefest for Sammy - it could just be the way the business-owner's evolved in my head, but I mark for the guy now. And he's pulled out consistently great results, including heading last year's Top 100 (which was a sweet moment to write.) He's also had three ROF title runs under my booking, so he's doing OK - but he cannot get the high ratings quite as reliably as the current Top Four (Don, Davis, Dragon, Joey). Merle used to cap that at five. I think Thompson and Arsenal will make it six by the end of 2012, and I don't think Hugh will be seen as less reliable for much longer than that.

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 4 March Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.05 I gave Crusher von Steinberg another chance to show his stuff, this time against Steve Flash in the dark, and I think it's safe to say his time on the house show circuit has vastly helped him in the ring. This was significantly better than I expected and had the added benefit of getting Steve a needed win. Steve Flash defeated Crusher von Steinberg by pinfall RATING: B- Sadly, our second dark bout was weaker; Cherry and Wanda did battle, and while Cherry's improving, it was still not all that good – though they still got a better crowd reaction than anyone working BPW right now. Wanda Fish defeated Cherry Bomb by pinfall RATING: C- Human Arsenal vs. SK Walker Another excellent match to kick the show itself into gear as Arsenal continues his growth and rapid rise up the ranks. The crowd by now know him well enough for the Ammo Dump to get a major pop which capped off a strong reaction to both performers throughout the match. Human Arsenal defeated SK Walker by pinfall RATING: B Backstage, we saw a brief shot of Art Reed laying into Leo for losing last night. “One of us has to hold that belt,” he snapped. “That way we can be sure to drive the UKW losers out.” There was pretty much no heat on the segment at all, but it set up Reed promising to school Leo tonight even though he was also facing Edward Cornell RATING: D Extraordinario Jr vs. Billy Robinson for the ROF TV Championship Pretty good stuff again considering that these two have mismatched skillsets. Both men did well here and kept the pace Arsenal and Walker had set going, with Extraordinario retaining once again. Extraordinario Jr defeated Billy Robinson by pinfall RATING: B Art Reed vs. Leo Price The first drop in crowd reaction of the televised night. We let it run as long as Leo can go, then Art dropped him in his tracks with the Dark Matter and got the pin. Art Reed defeated Leo Price by pinfall RATING: B- Art Reed vs. Edward Cornell In consequence we whacked the length of this one further out, with Fumi able to catch the broadcast of a UKW man stopping Art in his tracks, even if Art were already tired. Still, both men put on solid performances and it wasn't like Edward caught Art in a sneaky roll-up – he hooked up a grounded sleeper and made Art pass out, a good strong win. Edward Cornell defeated Art Reed by submission RATING: B Backstage we saw another debate, with Joey confronting Davis over what he said to Dragon last week. Davis managed to calm him down, just about, and the two left to hit the town together, but it was clear the tension wasn't forgotten. RATING: C+ British Samurai vs. Nichiren Amagawa Even with bad chemistry Sammy and Nichiren pull the show back to where we'd been previously, and I was stunned by the size of the pop when Sammy was forced to tap out. Looks like Nichiren's slow rise has been worth the work. Nichiren Amagawa defeated British Samurai by submission RATING: B We ran the hype video for Don/Dragon at the next PPV next. Good reaction again. RATING: B+ Hugh de Aske vs. Nigel Svensson Another test of an upper midcarder to see how they'll do in the main event, albeit a slightly unfair one; Hugh's not exactly the cream of the crop. A passable twenty-minute contest for their level to end the night, though, with Hugh barely ekeing out the win and Nigel looking good. These two both, if I'm honest, just need a bit of time. Hugh de Aske defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall RATING: B Good enough, just about. I want better, though, but I'd hoped for the main event to do a little better. OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Wrestling Clinic Tuesday Week 1 April Bolton Rugby Fields (Northern UK) 7795 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.08 A terrible dark opener; JD's slipping as he grows older, Remmy Honeyman isn't ready to pick up the slack, and they don't gel well. JD scores the win with a submission, but this wasn't a whole heap of fun to watch. JD Morgan defeated Remmy Honeyman by submission RATING: D+ Thankfully, our second dark bout was markedly better; the Disrespected get a victory over former tag champions the Team-Up Marvels when Chojiro lands the Kitoaji Lariat on Jonni Lowlife. Improvement's happening with these four, but probably not enough to save the Marvels much longer, and not enough to really make this excellent. The Disrespected defeated the Team-Up Marvels when Chojiro Kitoaji pinned Jonni Lowlife RATING: C+ The Stunners vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles Unfortunately, the opening broadcast tag didn't perform any better – unfortunately as three of these four hold ROF gold and until his contract became exclusive El Heroe boasted gold of his own.With a twenty-minute broadway these guys do... OK, but no better. Still, it's exposure. The Stunners drew with Extraordinary Men when the time limit elapsed RATING: C+ Davis Wayne Newton vs. Edward Cornell Further proof that Edward's improving; this was the best-received matchup these two have had. It lasted a little under seventeen minutes before the Rough Ride was converted into an STF by Davis and the end turned out to be in sight. Still, good stuff and signs of improvement in the not-quite-main-eventer, so that's good. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Edward Cornell by submission RATING: B+ Davis subsequently got a hype video to a solid pop. RATING: B Art Reed vs. Don Henderson vs. Leo Price in a Submission Only Contest The second outing for this match type sees Don effectively handicapped following the issues he's had with this anti-UKW twosome. Almost a better match than I'd expected; Don spent most of it taking a hell of a beating and fending off one submission hold or another, but eventually got desperate; a rake of the eyes to Art followed by grabbing Leo and pulling him into place saw Art lay Leo out with the Dark Matter while blinded. Don promptly suplexed Art out of the ring and made Leo tap with the Scottish Deathlock to escape, but it was clear this settled nothing. Don Henderson defeated Art Reed and Leo Price when he made Leo Price submit RATING: A I got on the microphone and announced we'd resolve this on Sunday, and to do so I booked Art and Leo against The Shooters. RATING: C Human Arsenal vs. Nigel Svensson The gifted pairing hook up again, with Arsenal this time getting the win. Danny and Matthew speculated on commentary whether Nigel hadn't kicked out of the Ammo Dump this time because there was no title on the line, giving us a lead into something else to potentially do with these two. Human Arsenal defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall RATING: A* Joey and Davis were seen backstage. Davis wished Joey luck in his match against Joss; Joey sneered and asked Davis how many of his friends he'd turn on. RATING: C+ Joey Beauchamp vs Joss Thompson Sterling work here; they had half an hour and both men proved to be extremely motivated, leading to a fantastic result. The finish saw Joss go for the top-rope Cutter, but Joey caught him as he came down and threw him forward, evading the move and leaving Joss unsteady on his feet, a prime target for the Breeze Block. Excellent stuff from two men I can depend on. Joey Beauchamp defeated Joss Thompson by pinfall RATING: A* Overall, this was a marginally better show than I'd expected, as the Davis/Cornell match and the triple threat both exceeded my expectations. We'll see how it goes. OVERALL: A

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ROF: European Racecourse Sunday Week 1 April Kent Racecourse 4835 in attendance RATING: 3.33 A great attendance for a TV show. Let's hope it's worth it. Our dark match time was entirely given over to seeing how some of our low-level written guys are learning from their house show time; accordingly, Ernest Youngman got to lay out Capitao Brasil Jr with The Hit in a match that wasn't a total cluster****, which is good. Ernest Youngman defeated Capitao Brasil Jr by pinfall RATING: C- And KC Glenn got a victory over a higher-card worker when he flattened Keith Adams for long enough to make the pin. A better match, definitely. KC Glenn defeated Keith Adams by pinfall RATING: C+ Extraordinario Jr vs. Blood Raven for the ROF TV Championship Sadly, this wasn't up to the standard we'd like. Maybe it's just that Raven isn't known or credible yet, but the work, I felt, deserved a better reception. The champ retains here nonetheless. Extraordinario Jr defeated Blood Raven by pinfall RATING: C+ We ran a very short video on Art and Leo. Well, it blew. RATING: D+ Dean Daniels vs. Human Arsenal ...So it turns out that Arsenal and Dean click like I hadn't expected. On the one hand, this made for another phenomenal match, so it was good. On the other, if I'd known, it would've been a damn sight higher up the card. After eighteen minutes of excellence the Ammo Dump allows Arsenal to record another solid victory on his road up the card. I swear he's actually improved in the time he's been here. Human Arsenal defeated Dean Daniels by pinfall RATING: A* We ran a second video for the tag bout, this one focusing on The Shooters. Much better pop. RATING: B The Shooters vs. Art Reed & Leo Price You'll be shocked to know this only ran fifteen minutes, like pretty much everything involving Leo will until he grows a pair of lungs. It was damn good; not as good as the preceding match, but better than I'd predicted, particularly as Billy was distracted – his daughter's got the flu at the moment, so he wasn't focusing. And considering he was scripted to make Leo tap to the We Have to Amputate, that hurt things a little. Fortunately, these guys are all excellent workers – yes, even Leo; he just can't last like I need him to – and the result was still pretty damn excellent. The Shooters defeated Art Reed & Leo Price when Billy Robinson made Leo Price submit RATING: A We caught up with Joey and Davis next, with Davis still trying to make Joey accept an apology. RATING: C+ Joss Thompson vs. Mario Heroic Great stuff here again; Mario's looking more and more like he's ready to move up to the next level and blow us all away, and a couple of times we close to teased it over the nineteen minutes this ran, but in the end Joss got the Clean Cutter as a desperation counter to the Hero Attack and chalked up another win. Joss Thompson defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: A* Joey joined Joss in the ring to congratulate him and Davis followed him out. There was a discussion that turned into a shoving match, some more bickering, and Joss appears to be taking Davis' side of the argument. In the end Joss loses it and sinks Joey with a Clean Cutter, rolling out of the ring as Davis looks shocked. “You two sort this out in the ring!” Joss yells. RATING: B Hugh de Aske vs. UK Dragon More great work here, as you'd expect. They had the final half-hour to play with and man did they ever play with it. Hugh damn near got Dragon on a couple of occasions and the champion actually resorted to a handful of tights, though I'm not sure how many of the fans noticed – we didn't catch it in time to play it up; looks like Dragon decided to help get Hugh a bit more over by adding a bit of heel to his current character. Can probably work with that. UK Dragon defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall RATING: A* Fantastic show, with at least three of the matches garnering a better reaction than I'd expected. This'll really help us grow. OVERALL: A

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ROF ROSTER April 2012 MAIN EVENT Joey Beauchamp Hugh de Aske Edward Cornell UK Dragon Don Henderson Joss Thompson Art Reed Davis Wayne Newton UPPER MIDCARD Leo Price Nigel Svensson Mario Heroic Nichiren Amagawa British Samurai Daniel Black Francis Bulldozer Brandon Smith Billy Robinson MIDCARD SK Walker Marc Speed Johnny Highspot Human Arsenal Keith Adams Black Eagle Steve Flash Extraordinario Jr El Leon El Heroe Mexicano Chojiro Kitoaji Nate Johnson Dean Daniels LOWER MIDCARD KC Glenn JD Morgan Phoenix III Jonni Lowlife Ruud van Anger Blood Raven OPENERS Crusher von Steinberg Capitao Brasil Jr Ernest Youngman El Mitico Jr ENHANCEMENT TALENT Remmy Honeyman Phoenix II Ultimate Phoenix WOMENS DIVISION Raven Nightfall Anna Ki Huntress Makiko Cherry Bomb Nadia Snow Jaime Quine Wanda Fish Kristabel Plum Miss Information MANAGERS Phoebe Plumridge Simona Cox ANNOUNCERS Matthew Morris Danny Jillefski COLOUR COMMENTATOR & HEAD BOOKER Terry Roberts REFEREE Humphrey Woolsey ROAD AGENT Optimus TAG TEAMS: Dos Phoenix (Phoenix II & Phoenix III) East and West (Marc Speed & Nichiren Amagawa) European Union (Nigel Svensson & Crusher von Steinberg) Extraordinary Men (Extraordinario Jr & El Heroe Mexicano) Los Leyendas (El Leon & Ultimate Phoenix) The Disrespected (Chojiro Kitoaji & Keith Adams) The Team-Up Marvels (Johnny Highspot & Jonni Lowlife) The Stunners (Bulldozer Brandon Smith & Black Eagle) (And, technically, The Shooters, but they're a little too big in singles for the division)

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Premier League Prediction Card: Mario Heroic vs. SK Walker The Stunners vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles Art Reed vs. Human Arsenal Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp Don Henderson vs. UK Dragon for the ROF Championship

[Marcel Fromage]

Simple question... How the hell do you get so many A* matches?!?!? If I run a 6 match card, I can almost guarantee my main event to be an A*, but I'm lucky if I get a solitary A on the undercard. Most will be between B- and B+. So go on...what's your secret?! Tell tell tell!

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;416035]Simple question... How the hell do you get so many A* matches?!?!? If I run a 6 match card, I can almost guarantee my main event to be an A*, but I'm lucky if I get a solitary A on the undercard. Most will be between B- and B+. So go on...what's your secret?! Tell tell tell![/QUOTE] I have no freakin' idea. I doubt my overall talent level is far above yours, and while a fair number of the A*s are down to chemistry (I keep discovering good chemistry in my midcard at the moment) a lot of them aren't. So I honestly don't know.

[Phantom Stranger]

Actually, Marcel, something it might be - I recall you saying your matches are pretty short. I've noticed that, with the exception of a few rare chemistry-fuelled 'fluke' A*s, most of mine run 18+ minutes.

[Marcel Fromage]

You might be right. The vast majority of my matches run about 12-13 minutes, with the main events usually around 16. On a 4-match tv show, I run 12, 12, 13, 15. PPV main events are 16, with undercard matches anywhere between 10 and 15. Might try to run a 2-hour PPV instead of 1 and a half hours and elongate a few matches just to check. Problem is that I don't actually have that many wrestlers capable of going long distances. Morgan, Manico and Henderson all gas at about 16 minutes, which is why I've tended to have that as my limit. And main events of just O'Curle, Stones and Giedroyc would have been a bit repetitive!! I'm also still trying to figure out how much overness plays into it, even in a 'pure as key feature' fed. It seems to figure in at least a bit, as O'Curle is only around D+ overness in Europe towards B+ overness in the South of the UK, and his main events in Europe tend to be B, whereas in the South they tend to be A against similar opponents.

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Marcel Fromage;416207] I'm also still trying to figure out how much overness plays into it, even in a 'pure as key feature' fed. It seems to figure in at least a bit, as O'Curle is only around D+ overness in Europe towards B+ overness in the South of the UK, and his main events in Europe tend to be B, whereas in the South they tend to be A against similar opponents.[/QUOTE] The Human Arsenal experiment/meteoric rise has allowed me to test this. His earliest match unveiled was against Davis, on PPV, and hit B-. A rematch that I don't think I've yet broadcast went A*; I think really low overness puts a cap on the result. By and large you only notice this when you take a great star and drop them somewhere they're not well known.

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Premier League Tuesday Week 2 April Bolton Rugby Fields 6267 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.36 An ROF first; a major PPV event held in the North. Let's hope we can do it justice. Unfortunately it looks to have hurt attendance a little, but there isn't a lot I can do about that. Those who got here in time saw an excellent dark opener where Mario defeated SK Walker for that tiniest bit more momentum and heat. Mario Heroic defeated SK Walker by pinfall RATING: B- Double-P then worked her shirt gun bit again RATING: C The Stunners vs. Extraordinary Men for the ROF Tag Titles An experiment here in just how well these four can do when we just let them go at it as hard as they can. With twenty-five minutes they put on a pretty good opening performance; not quite on a part with some of the Stunners/East & West clashes we've had, but Extraordinary Men don't have the practice together of E&W. On the other hand, it was time for the Stunners to drop the belts again, and I wanted to explore the division's depth more than just giving it back to Marc and Nichiren. So here we go; after two twenty-minute draws in the recent past, Extraordinary Men capped this off twenty-five minutes in by flooring Brandon with the Mexican Standoff, allowing Extraordinario to get the pinfall. Extraordinary Men defeated The Stunners when Extraordinario Jr pinned Bulldozer Brandon Smith RATING: B- Art Reed bumps into the Human Arsenal backstage, Arsenal tells Reed to get over the UKW rejection and just get on with his life, and Reed took exception, challenging Arsenal to a match right the hell now. He interrupts Leo Price and Daniel Black Francis, 'warming up' backstage, and tells them he's having the match now. RATING: D+ Art Reed vs. Human Arsenal Great chemistry again – Arsenal's a goldmine for that – but even with that chemistry we can't quite capture the magic of Arsenal's performances to date. Still, it's great stuff, and Art makes the point of forcing him to tap to the Dread Lock as he scores the win. Mostly this was more main-event-checkup for both men. Both are... not quite there, but close. Art Reed defeated Human Arsenal by submission RATING: B+ We then played a video package showing the build to Davis/Joey. RATING: B- Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp My God. They just left everything out there, and who knew they could brawl as well as they wrestle? Make no mistake, by the end of this it was close to pure brawl, leaving both men bleeding heavily, until an exasperated Humphrey stopped the match for both men's safety. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Joey Beauchamp when Humphrey Woolsey stopped the match RATING: A* Davis and Joey back off and stare each other down hard... and then come together for a hug. RATING: B One last bit of hype; a video for the Don/Dragon build RATING: B+ Don Henderson vs. UK Dragon for the ROF Championship Beautiful stuff. Simply beautiful work as they overcome differing styles and poor chemistry to produce something no promotion could ever be sorry to broadcast. Following the prior match they kept well away from tempers and brawling, focusing entirely on in-ring ability with a minimum, even, of traditional high spots, and the crowd popped just as hard. Dragon managed to twist out of a gutwrench powerbomb attempt from Don and land the Dragon Drop to finish it all. UK Dragon defeated Don Henderson by pinfall RATING: A* Another good solid card, and I figure more progress again. This is, it has to be said, an excellent run. And... a record buyrate. Excellent. OVERALL: B+

[Phantom Stranger]

Huh. Jonathan Faust has let it be known he wants to be thought of as a technician now. Maybe I can use him better... and he is unemployed.

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Wrestling Clinic Thursday, Week 2, April Coventry City Stadium 4825 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.06 Yep. In the end I moved the weekly to Thursday. Works better in terms of spacing, I think. Weakish first dark bout; KC Glenn gets another fall over Ruud van Anger. Good enough for now, and Ruud's improving, but it needs to get further. KC Glenn defeated Ruud van Anger RATING: C A better second dark bout; Dos Phoenix clashed with Los Leyendas and, again, I think any weakness in the reception is down to these guys not being over enough in the UK yet. El Leon shows major improvement and Phoenix III picks up a pin on Ultimate Phoenix to move forward. Dos Phoenix defeated Los Leyendas when Phoenix III pinned Ultimate Phoenix RATING: C+ Extraordinary Men vs. East and West for the ROF Tag Titles East and West continue to grow, and they're great people to pit the new champions against. This ran to the time limit to a solid pop, and it looks like the new champs are gonna do well for us. Extraordinary Men drew with East and West when the time limit elapsed RATING: B- Don and Billy were chatting backstage when Edward Cornell confronted them, asking the Shooters why they thought they had any business standing up for UKW. The debate turned into an agreement for Cornell and Daniel Black Francis to take on the Shooters next week. RATING: C Ernest Youngman vs. Human Arsenal A good solid ten-minute contest to get both these guys on broadcast and help build their momentum further. Arsenal gets the solid win with the Ammo Dump but only after a very, very enjoyable match. Human Arsenal defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: B+ I took the mic and announced that due to the draw between Davis and Joey we had no number one contender, and I went on to say that in my impression was that it was time to break that glass ceiling and get someone else challenging. I named Joss Thompson as the next man with a title shot. RATING: D- British Samurai vs. Daniel Black Francis Pretty good stuff by Daniel's standards, and a match well worth broadcasting. Leaves me more than happy I kept him on the payroll, and Sammy gets a smooth win with the fisherman's suplex. RATING: B+ Backstage we saw Davis, Joey and Joss talking and seeming back on an even keel. RATING: B- Art Reed vs. Davis Wayne Newton Finally! Finally Art Reed fully proves himself with this fantastic solo effort. They rolled all the way to the time limit to a tremendous pop. Art Reed drew with Davis Wayne Newton when the time limit elapsed RATING: A* Exasperated, Davis got on the mic and begged me for five more minutes as Joey and Joss appeared ringside, nodding agreement. I reluctantly agreed to restart the match. RATING: C+ Art Reed vs. Davis Wayne Newton It wasn't quite on par with the previous 20 minutes, but they made a pretty good run of the restart and produced more excellence, and Art made the most of the moment, forcing a submission from Davis. Great stuff. Art Reed defeated Davis Wayne Newton by submission RATING: A Joey Beauchamp vs. Mario Heroic Sadly, the main event was a slight step down – still very good, but not what it needed to be. Joey and Mario did pretty well with the time remaining, but couldn't quite equal the preceding match. Still, good enough, and Joey scores a solid pin. Joey Beauchamp defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: B+ A... good enough show, but only barely. Shame about the main event. Some lovely stuff in there, though. OVERALL: B

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 2 April Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.16 In order to answer the complaints of those we haven't been using as much as we might, I gave our dark time up to a battle royal. Not bad stuff, and it looks like some of those in it are still learning. But they've got a bit of learning to do – still, KC Glenn got the win here in a goodish showing. The final four also saw El Leon (who almost got the win), JD Morgan and Johnny Highspot. KC Glenn won a ten man battle royal RATING: C- Ernest Youngman vs. Nate Johnson More TV time for Ernest, even if it's not useful to me in the UK. A pretty enjoyable little battle sees Johnson get the win with the Natural Order; I doubt he'll ever quite reach the heights he'd reached before, but this was good for the time given and I'm happy to have broadcast it. Nate Johnson defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: B- The Shooters vs. Daniel Black Francis & Edward Cornell Another match limited to fifteen minutes by the stamina of one of the contestants, this was nonetheless... well, OK, no more, but there's a reason I kept it low on the pecking order. Cornell's brawling is getting better, which helped, and Don continues his winning ways, making Edward tap out. The Shooters defeated Daniel Black Francis & Edward Cornell when Don Henderson made Edward Cornell tap RATING: B- Hugh de Aske vs. Leo Price I didn't expect great things from this, either, but Leo needs work given how much I'm paying the man and Hugh needs wins. So it went on the card and Hugh did as well as he could with the man – significantly better, it should be noted, than Edward had. The pirate's becoming a pretty solid rting general, which is definitely a plus. Hugh de Aske defeated Leo Price by pinfall RATING: B- Davis and Joss came out next and explained they'd spend the next ten minutes giving a 'wrestling exhibition'; no pinfalls, no submissions, just as smooth a flow of technical wrestling as the three-time ROF champ and the current number onf contender could offer. Despite it being friendly, they still got a pretty good pop overall. RATING: B- Black Eagle vs. Nichiren Amagawa Good stuff here, with members of two of our major tag teams doing what they could to build the tension. In less than fourteen minutes what they produced proved to be excellence, with Nichiren barely coming out on top, dodging the New Jersey Turnpike to apply the Amagawa Total Lock. Nichiren Amagawa defeated Black Eagle by submission RATING: B+ Extraordinario Jr vs. Chojiro Kitoaji for the ROF TV Championship More good stuff here; Chojiro's still improving every time he takes to the ring, but it wasn't enough; the Siempre Peleando gets the job done nicely. Extraordinario Jr defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by pinfall RATING: B+ UK Dragon vs. Nigel Svensson ...Ugh. A terrible lack of chemistry destroyed this main event utterly; Nigel's not good enough to help Dragon keep it at the level we needed nonetheless. And, if I'm honest, you could see him realise halfway through the match this could hurt his push and lose his enthusiasm. Dragon gets the win, but I wish this could've been better. UK Dragon defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall RATING: B- I'd have to call this a bad card. Won't hurt us where it's being broadcast, but the Midlands needs good bouts. OVERALL: B-

[Phantom Stranger]

ROF: Wrestling Clinic Thursday Week 3 April Euston Road 9538 in attendance BUYRATE: Considering the weakness and lack of fame some of the competitors boast, the opening dark tag did well. European Union score a win over Dos Phoenix as Nigel Svensson makes Phoenix II tap our. Poor, but tolerable for now. European Union defeated Dos Phoenix when Nigel Svensson made Phoenix II submit RATING: C Next up, a five-woman match to help develop that division a little. Considering we couldn't focus on the chemistry between any two of our best girls, this was good; many of these girls are now working our house shows and wrestling more regularly than they had before, and Optimus put together a pretty good package for the match itself. Jaime Quine gets the win, pinning Kristabel Plum. Jaime Quine defeated Cherry Bomb, Kristabel Plum, Miss Information and Wanda Fish when she pinned Kristabel Plum RATING: C+ The broadcast as a whole opened up with Joey, Joss and Davis cutting a promo promising they were now closer than ever and would prove just how powerful they could be as the night progressed. RATING: C+ Billy Robinson vs. Blood Raven vs. Dean Daniels vs. El Leon vs. Nate Johnson vs. Steve Flash Hey, all these guys are on writtens. Running this is actually pretty cheap, and the result gets a lot of guys their exposure. El Leon continues to pick up new tricks, but the real purpose of this was to continue to bolster Billy Robinson as he looks ahead at the pay-per-view competition. So Billy makes Steve tap cleanly while the others are too busy to break it up. Billy Robinson defeated Blood Raven, Dean Daniels, El Leon, Nate Johnson and Steve Flash when he made Steve Flash submit RATING: B- British Samurai vs. Jonathan Faust Two years have passed since Faust's first debut. It's difficult to be sure whether this far better quarter-hour is down to Sammy's improvement, Faust's improvement, both, Faust's new dedication to the technical side of his craft... Regardless, Faust produces the best solo debut match I've seen in the promotion, laying Sammy out in just over fifteen minutes with the Devil's Drop and looking great all the way. I may well be very glad he's back. Jonathan Faust defeated British Samurai by pinfall RATING: B+ Faust cut himself a fast and somewhat garbled promo on his return. It didn't do nearly so well as the opening match, nor did it do as well as it probably should have. I'm pondering, again, cutting down on the talking and running our publicity on the promise of our skill in the ring saying what we need to say. Might be wise. RATING: C Davis Wayne Newton vs. Human Arsenal As Arsenal's rise continues to be a thing of beauty, I figured I should put him up against Davis three months after their first match and see how much has changed. Short answer? A lot. They had just under seventeen minutes and manufactured a classic – but this time, the crowd knew enough about Arsenal's offence and regarded him as a big enough threat to really react. And by God they reacted, all the way up to the Newton's Cradle. Beautiful stuff. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Human Arsenal by pinfall RATING: A* Don Henderson vs. Joss Thompson More excellence, as you'd expect from these two, though Joss... was a little distracted, maybe? Not enough that the crowd really registered it, though. Don did great in looking as good as he's ever been but still allowing Joss to unfold the story that led to a Clean Cutter laying Don out without believability issues. Joss Thompson defeated Don Henderson by pinfall RATING: A* Art Reed vs. Joey Beauchamp Hmm. I think I picked the wrong main event, as this was only very good. For some reason, Art's matches aren't quite doing what we need them to; the Breeze Block ended this, and while there were no chemistry issues I could put my finger on these two just didn't perform at the level I needed them to. Joey Beauchamp defeated Art Reed by pinfall RATING: B+ Well... just barely good enough. A crying shame; with the last three matches reordered this could have been godly stuff. OVERALL: B