Phantom Stranger Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 3 April Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.35 A big triple-tag-team bout took up the entire dark period and was... pretty damn good, actually. East and West were the clear winners over both Los Leyendas and Dos Phoenix, but there was a lot of development by all six men here and the less-well-known teams are doing pretty well for themselves. East & West defeated Dos Phoenix and Los Leyendas when Marc Speed made Ultimate Phoenix submit RATING: B- Billy Robinson vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith After I'd booked most of the card I realised I had some time over, so I gave Billy and Brandon five minutes at the start. Turned out to be a worthwhile investment, as the crowd got pretty into it and cheered solidly, especially when Billy made Brandon tap. Billy Robinson defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by submission RATING: B- Ernest Youngman vs. Keith Adams vs. Nate Johnson Sadly, in contrast the second contest was pretty appalling, and a little below the minimum level I'm happy with on TV. Not sure what happened, but even Nate applying a rare armbar to force Keith to submit didn't really cause any pops. Nate Johnson defeated Ernest Youngman and Keith Adams when he made Keith Adams submit RATING: C Human Arsenal vs. Leo Price Leo and Arsenal cross paths as one of them continues his rise while the other continues to decline. Not great stuff, but it had Leo in it so (unfortunately) I'm not particularly surprised. Leo basically seemed too confident in this one and Arsenal let him have it for it, ending by locking in a full nelson and sweeping Leo's legs away, ramming him headfirst into the canvas and maintaining the hold, methodically beating Leo's head against the canvas. Jillefski coined the term 'Trench Warfare' for it. Human Arsenal defeated Leo Price by submission RATING: B- We next aired a hype video for our champion in which he proclaimed that, at a six month title reign so far, he promised us that 2012 was the Year of the Dragon. RATING: B+ Edward Cornell vs. Jonathan Faust Well, I expected a notch lower than against Sammy, and that's precisely what this was; good solid work by both men culminating in the Devil's Drop. Cornell finds himself pinned again, but he's getting better... Jonathan Faust defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall RATING: B Another hype video airs now for Davis, Joey and Joss. Well received this time. RATING: B Extraordinario Jr vs. Mario Heroic for the ROF TV Championship Well! More good chemistry among the midcard title contenders here leads to another phenomenal match. I'd expected this to be good, but not this good. Part of the pop, though, may simply have been for the result, as Mario Heroic landed the Hero Attack successfully after ducking the Siempre Peleando and scored the pin, giving us a new TV champion! Mario Heroic defeated Extraordinario Jr by pinfall RATING: A* Just before the main event gets rolling, Joss Thompson came down to ringside and got ready to watch the champion, and Dragon looked pretty edgy. The fans seemed interested... RATING: B Davis Wayne Newton vs. UK Dragon Beautiful stuff again. Partway along Joey ambled down to the ring and stood there chatting amiably with Joss, and the champ looked more and more worried. Davis, meanwhile, seemed to be doing something a little odd, aping Joss' moves as closely as he could. Every time he staggered the champ he'd stop for a moment and glance toward Joss, making some kind of point – probably about how quickly a Clean Cutter could end things from that position. Dragon, increasingly frustrated, shifted gears and started brawling, eventually clotheslining Davis over the ropes and, as Joss and Joey picked him up, hitting a running corkscrew suicide plancha to wipe them out. Things devolved into a four-man brawl outside the ring there and Humphrey, disgusted, threw it out. Davis Wayne Newton drew with UK Dragon when the referee stopped the match RATING: A* Well... chiefly due to Mario and Extraordinario this show was better than I'd expected. I'm happy with this. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 ROF: Wrestling Clinic Thursday Week 4 April Euston Road 6295 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.04 Another good solid dark tag – better than I'd expected, actually – as the Disrespected score another win over Los Leyendas, fuelling their drive forward nicely. Leon and Chojiro continue to show steady advancement in the ring, which helps. The Disrespected defeated Los Leyendas when Chojiro Kitoaji pinned Ultimate Phoenix RATING: B- Somewhat surprisingly, the intergender tag bout that followed maintained the same quality, with the team of Cherry Bomb and Steve Flash going over Raven Nightfall and KC Glenn after the Flash Bang on Nightfall, who I found out afterward had specifically requested she be the one to eat the pin as it'd be Steve doing it. Good to see respect for a legend in the business. Cherry Bomb & Steve Flash defeated Raven Nightfall & KC Glenn when Steve Flash pinned Raven Nightfall RATING: B- Extraordinary Men vs. East and West for the ROF Tag Titles A superlative tag bout here, as eighteen minutes of action roused the crowd to even greater enthusiasm. Nichiren ultimately ate the Mexican Standoff double superkick for Extraordinario to pin him, but not before breaking out a flying headscissors of his own – all this tag style-mingling seems to be working. Extraordinary Men defeated East and West when Extraordinario Jr pinned Nichiren Amagawa RATING: B We next ran a quick hype video for the Reed & Price/Shooters/Cornell & Francis tag triple-threat at the PPV. Weak reaction, as expected. RATING: C+ Art Reed vs. Billy Robinson Good crikey, I didn't expect this to be as good as it turned out. No particular chemistry here, no particular standout moments, just American technical wrestling against the Wigan school of stretching, with the USA narrowly winning out on this occasion as Art made Billy tap with the Dread Lock. Art Reed defeated Billy Robinson by submission RATING: A Davis was shown backstage talking quietly to the UK Dragon, before shaking hands with him and walking away smiling. More speculation-fuel on just what the Triple Threat is up to... RATING: B+ Don Henderson vs. Edward Cornell I'd expected this to be better than Art and Billy, but those prior two surprised me. Don and Edward didn't, giving me a good solid match that shows that Edward's still coming along fast, but also showed Don's dominance as the Scotsman racks up another win to regain momentum for the Shooters. Good stuff here. Don Henderson defeated Edward Cornell by submission RATING: B+ Brandon was shown backstage thanking Joss for another pep talk. RATING: B Human Arsenal vs. Jonathan Faust So apparently Arsenal just has a gift for having natural chemistry with someone. And no, I didn't expect this to be as good as it turned out either, but I'm damn glad I booked it. Faust has been booked very strong since his return and Arsenal is currently enjoying the push of a lifetime, so the fans seemed genuinely not to know who'd pull out the win. Perhaps unsurprisingly, neither man did, with the contest running to a time limit draw and a tremendous pop. I will have to revisit this; and Arsenal has suddenly got so many potential opponents to produce dream matches alongside... Human Arsenal drew with Jonathan Faust when the time limit elapsed RATING: A* Hugh de Aske vs. Joey Beauchamp In another display of scheduling awkwardness, the main event could not carry that contest at all. More proof, really, that Hugh still needs more work before any megapush can sink in. Still, he gets a win here and looks reasonably sound doing it, but it's just not the perfection others can turn out. Hugh de Aske defeated Joey Beauchamp by pinfall RATING: B+ Well, the main event was a relative let-down, but a solid run of quality throughout the PPV broadcast kept our spirits up and the show still got excellent reviews. Once again, a slight slip on order wounds the show, sadly... And with the lacklustre buyrate, I think we'll be moving this to Fridays. Going when we are is clearly hurting us. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 4 April Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.29 More developmental dark bouts! Ernest Youngman won the first, pinning Capitao Brasil in a triple threat that also featured Blood Raven. Weak stuff, as expected. Ernest Youngman defeated Capitao Brasil and Blood Raven when he pinned Capitao Brasil Jr RATING: C The next bout was a four-way; Nate Johnson pinned JD Morgan despite Ruud van Anger and Jonni Lowlife. No better than the prior bout, and frankly it should have been. Nate Johnson defeated JD Morgan, Jonni Lowlife and Ruud van Anger when he pinned JD Morgan RATING: C Crusher von Steinberg vs. Dean Daniels vs. SK Walker Another triple threat to start the broadcast, but a much better one, and expectedly so; Walker triumphed, barely, after flooring Crusher with the Kessel Run for the pin. SK Walker defeated Crusher von Steinberg and Dean Daniels when he pinned Crusher von Steinberg RATING: B- Black Eagle vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Leo Price vs. Nigel Svensson And the pattern continues here. Good solid work, with both Stunners playing up their tag expertise by executing a lot of double teams. Eventually, however, a simultaneous Price Drop on Eagle and Running Knee Drive on Brandon put them down and Nigel won the subsequent lockup, taking Leo down into the Hyper-Extension Arm Lock Nigel Svensson defeated Black Eagle, Bulldozer Brandon Smith and Leo Price when he made Leo Price submit RATING: B Backstage, Joss caught up with Brandon, his words harsh, and Davis caught up with Joss, asking him what the hell he was doing 'recruiting without leave'. Joss retorted with a question about Dragon, Joey got involved, and in a few short minutes we saw a brawl break out between the four men which had to be quashed by the locker room as a whole. The fans seem to be enjoying this; they don't quite know whether or not the trio can hold together, and that makes life interesting. RATING: B- Mario Heroic vs. Human Arsenal for the ROF TV Championship Good grief. Good chemistry seems to be the order of the day in the upper midcard right now, and while this wasn't as good as some TV strap matches to date it was more than good enough for its slot on the card. Mario becomes the first man on Arsenal's card level to score a pinfall on him as he retains with a Hero Attack and the fans more or less love it. I think they kind of wanted to see Arsenal with gold, but I think he'll end up competing for bigger gold before too long at the rate he's going. Human Arsenal defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: A Another 'Year of the Dragon' trailer aired next RATING: B Billy Robinson vs. British Samurai Holy crap. These two have always put on good work together, but this was their best-ever contest. Both seem motivated as hell, despite the fact Sammy's gradually becoming something of a special attraction on the card rather than a regular wrestler. Maybe it was just the shock of Billy Robinson finally winning one over the boss, but the fans absolutely loved this. Billy Robinson defeated British Samurai by submission RATING: A* Hugh de Aske & UK Dragon vs. Joss Thompson & Joey Beauchamp Joss and Joey can't work as a team for anything, but at least that played into the tension in the storyline. This was still a pretty good contest, it needs saying, especially for a tag match. Bell to bell it actually ran beyond a full half hour, ending eventually with all four men in the ring – Joss caught fellow legal man Hugh with the Clean Cutter and Dragon couldn't slip Joey in time to break up the pin, instead relieving his frustrations by laying out Joey with the Dragon Drop. Joss Thompson & Joey Beauchamp defeated Hugh de Aske & UK Dragon when Joss Thompson pinned Hugh de Aske RATING: A We went off the air with Thompson and Dragon staring each other down over the dismantled forms of their team mates. BIG atmosphere in the Hall tonight. RATING: B+ Good enough, if barely, to keep us going forward. As ever, the sub-main-event scores beyond the main, sadly. OVERALL: B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 ROF: Wrestling Clinic Friday Week 1 May Coventry City Stadium 5000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.09 Weakish training match for the women, as Huntress Makiko scores a convincing win over Miss Information. Miss I still needs work, much as I'm loathe to criticise Sammy's training. Huntress Makiko defeated Miss Information by pinfall RATING: C- A second dark bout with the lower-level tag teams was also weak, but again as expected. We're just developing awareness of three of the men in this, as the European Union triumph over Dos Phoenix. Crusher must be overjoyed he's in a team with Nigel – it means when I use the EU they generally win except against the biggest guns we have. European Union defeated Dos Phoenix when Nigel Svensson made Phoenix II submit RATING: C Billy Robinson vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Leo Price I didn't expect much from this, as it's essentially the weaker trio from the upcoming triple-tag. And that's why it's on first; I'd kind of hoped Billy would pull it through, but he didn't; on the other hand, he at least didn't take the fall, with Daniel felling Leo with the Dreadlock Drop. Good solid stuff. Daniel Black Francis defeated Billy Robinson and Leo Price when he pinned Leo Price RATING: C+ Dean Daniels vs. Jonathan Faust Another match to get a handle on Faust here; a simple enough bout to predict, but Dean's a reliable measuring-stick I can use to help me figure out how someone's doing, and Jonathan did well enough against him; a major step up from the prior match, indeed, by the time the Devil's Drop came and Faust got the win. Good enough stuff for now. Jonathan Faust defeated Dean Daniels by pinfall RATING: B Joey caught up with Joss backstage to ask him why he hadn't made Dragon back down after Sunday's match ended. Words flew thick and fast and once again came to blows, and the audience were still pretty into the question of the trio's tensions. Happy with this. RATING: B- Human Arsenal vs. Nichiren Amagawa Ah, more good solid work from two exceptional technical wrestlers (Nichiren's submissions are among the best worldwide now.) The result was fantastic, with both men giving it their all and doing very well before the Ammo Dump caught Nichiren by surprise and gave Arsenal another solid win. Human Arsenal defeated Nichiren Amagawa by pinfall RATING: B+ A hype video aired for Don next, to another great pop. RATING: B+ Art Reed vs. Edward Cornell I gambled on placement between this and the Arsenal match, and I lost – but marginally – though this was still pretty solid for the lower end of the main event to put together. Art and Edward went all the way to the time limit, really raising the suspense for the PPV match. Art Reed drew with Edward Cornell when the time limit elapsed RATING: B Backstage we saw Dragon exchange some words with Davis, who looked heartened before heading out for the main event. RATING: C+ Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson An intense, hard-hitting thirty minutes as all three men seemed highly motivated to destroy each other. The dispute between these three is slowly painting itself as an unstable thing, and the fans seem to really want to know what's going on – or maybe just when it'll ultimately snap. Really beautiful stuff here with all three men putting it all on the line for the fans, and a lovely finish; Joss went for the top-rope Clean Cutter and laid out Joey with it while using the momentum to dropkick Davis clear of the ring, allowing him to pin Joey to an astonishing pop. Joss Thompson defeated Davis Wayne Newton and Joey Beauchamp when he pinned Joey Beauchamp RATING: A* Looks like that main event saved the lacklustre semi-main, and the card as a whole ends up looking splendid. Good solid stuff and a great PPV outing for our weekly show, even if – hopefully – we'll be back on UK TV by the end of the month. Our best weekly buyrate, too. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 1 May Kent Racecourse 4459 in attendance RATING: 2.84 Another four-way match for the women, with Jaime Quine overcoming Wanda Fish, Kristabel Plum, and Huntress Makiko to become our first two-time women's champ. Goodish, but not great. Jaime Quine defeated Wanda Fish, Kristabel Plum and Huntress Makiko when she pinned Wanda Fish RATING: C+ Los Leyendas danced in the dark next, getting a rare win over the Riot Act, Ruud van Anger being dropped by the star of the match El Leon. It at least maintained what the womens' division had going for it. Los Leyendas defeated the Riot Act when El Leon pinned Ruud van Anger RATING: C+ Extraordinary Men vs. East and West vs. The Stunners for the ROF Tag Titles A different way of hyping the tag triple threat this week; simply show them a really, really good one. A lot of improvements from a lot of the crew and the result was a fiercely-contested, highly-enjoyable match where the pace never let up for an instant. And why should it? Black Eagle and Marc Speed, the oldest men involved, always made their names on pace. It was to no avail, however, as Extraordinario Jr got the pinfall on Nichiren toward the end of the eighteenth minute and retained. Extraordinary Men defeated East & West and The Stunners when Extraordinario Jr pinned Nichiren Amagawa RATING: B We saw Davis, Joey and Joss backstage again, for just long enough to hear Joss telling them that he was the boss, and he had a plan. RATING: B- Chojiro Kitoaji vs. SK Walker It's an old favourite matchup for these two, but that's partly for the reason that it provides a joint measuring-stick. And I think they are, in fact, getting better, with Chojiro hitting a beautiful Kitoaji Lariat to end this one to a sizable pop. Chojiro Kitoaji defeated SK Walker by pinfall RATING: B+ We got a glimpse of Joey and Davis backstage next, discussing something quietly. RATING: C+ British Samurai vs. Don Henderson Another appearance for Sammy because he deserves it and some sterling work between he and Don. This was excellent stuff – not a real peak like some have been, but still pretty excellent stuff, and if it had had a finish other than the time limit I think we might have hit that peak. But this leaves both men looking strong. British Samurai drew with Don Henderson when the time limit elapsed RATING: A A quick hype video next for Hugh de Aske RATING: B- Mario Heroic vs. Human Arsenal vs. Nigel Svensson for the ROF TV Championship More good stuff here; the battle went hard and fast and all three men pulled out some neat new tricks. In the end, though, Svensson managed to put Arsenal out of the ring and Mario down simultaneously for the perfect pin opportunity and regained the title he'd lost earlier in the year. Mario needs a concerted title run at some point, but this isn't quite the time... Nigel Svensson defeated Human Arsenal and Mario Heroic when he pinned Mario Heroic RATING: B+ Jonathan Faust vs. UK Dragon Unfortunately horrible main event here, as neither competitor could fully overcome the extent to which they don't have chemistry. Faust did his best, but ultimately the champion rolled over him to keep his momentum up. UK Dragon defeated Jonathan Faust by pinfall RATING: B- Suddenly, Joey Joss and Davis hit the ring, with a Breeze Block stunning Dragon, a Clean Cutter laying him out, and Davis then locking in the STF while Joss removed the champ's mask. We cut away quickly while Matthew apologised for this behaviour. RATING: B Not a good show overall, frankly, chiefly due to the last two matches bringing the crowd back down. Still, chemistry can do that; we've just got to remember. OVERALL: B- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 ROF: Wrestling Clinic Friday Week 2 May Bolton Rugby Fields 8232 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.02 Another niceish developmental bout as Blood Raven, Ultimate Phoenix, and Ernest Youngman tangle, with Youngman pulling out the win by pinning Phoenix in the end. Ernest Youngman defeated Blood Raven and Ultimate Phoenix when he pinned Ultimate Phoenix. RATING: C+ The Disrespected continued our dark time, taking on and defeating Steve Flash and KC Glenn's unit. More good stuff here, getting the crowd where I want them before the PPV proper begins. The Disrespected defeated Steve Flash & KC Glenn when Chojiro Kitoaji pinned Steve Flash RATING: B- Johnny Highspot vs. Nate Johnson A return to an old favourite theme for the first match in the show proper, and it definitely does well enough; Johnny's improving, ever so slowly, and he and Nate did well before the Natural Order felled Johnny and allowed Nate to move on handily. Nate Johnson defeated Johnny Highspot by pinfall RATING: B- Next we aired a video package showing the theft of Dragon's mask for UK viewers. Big heat here. RATING: B+ El Heroe Mexicano vs. Mario Heroic More good solid in-ring work continues our PPV atmosphere here, with Mario showing development in the ring and coming out on top well here with the Hero Attack, though El Heroe is looking better than I'd expected. Mario Heroic defeated El Heroe Mexicano by pinfall RATING: B Backstage we see Billy Robinson knock on a door. It opens a crack, and Billy tells the inhabitant that he doesn't think it's right, whatever it is, and that he wants to help make things right. He hands something through the doorway. RATING: C Edward Cornell vs. Human Arsenal More of Arsenal's rise to the top here, unshockingly, but he got a damn good performance out of Edward, too, before the Ammo Dump did the job. This gives me hope. Human Arsenal defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall RATING: B+ Someone jogged down the entrance ramp – a backstage tech – with a note for me. I took it, read it over, and got on the house mic to inform the triumvirate that, as Joss was already booked in a match tonight, I was booking Davis and Joey as our main event – against Billy Robinson... and the Parasite! A surprisingly decent pop as some of the fans start to figure it out, but for those slower on the uptake Matthew Morris reminds the fans at home that Billy Robinson was the Parasite during his masked days and announcer speculation begins. RATING: C+ Jonathan Faust vs. Joss Thompson Sublime. Far better, in fact, than I expected; Jonathan made sure he looked strong for nineteen minutes, shutting down every concerted assault Thompson could muster and making things very even. Eventually the Clean Cutter hit out of nowhere to give the title challenger the win. Joss Thompson defeated Jonathan Faust by pinfall RATING: A* Joss went backstage and discussed the main event with Davis and Joey to general puzzlement. And then Davis wondered who'd want to wrestle them in a mask... and it clicked. RATING: B Billy Robinson & 'Parasite' UK Dragon vs. Davis Wayne Newton & Joey Beauchamp Not as good as the preceding match, but very, very good; an onslaught of a bout that would eventually lead to double disqualification more than thirty minutes in as all four men utterly lost it with their rivals. Don and Joss joined in and things got messy. Billy Robinson & 'Parasite' UK Dragon drew with Davis Wayne Newton & Joey Beauchamp when both teams were disqualified RATING: A Damn fine show, even if Billy's sudden prominence confused many on the boards. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 2 May Kent Racecourse 4049 in attendance RATING: 3.27 Well... we started dark time with probably the best womens' match we've ever put on, a combined effort from Jaime and Wanda that just did spectacularly well. Far too well to be in the dark, but that's just bad luck for you. The champ came through with another KO Kick to lay out Wanda. Jaime Quine defeated Wanda Fish by pinfall RATING: B Our second dark match gave the rest of the women on the roster a moment in six-man tag action and unfortunately fell pretty far from the heights of the first bout. Cherry, Makiko and Kristabel made fairly short work of Nadia, Raven and Miss Information, with Cherry scoring the pin on Nadia. Cherry Bomb, Huntress Makiko & Kristabel Plum defeated Nadia Snow, Raven Nightfall & Miss Information RATING: C- Extraordinary Men vs. The Disrespected vs. East and West vs. The Stunners for the ROF Tag Titles Simply beautiful stuff – but then, with almost everyone in the ring showing improvement, you'd expect that. This went on for a solid quarter-hour and change before the Siempre Peleando managed to keep Marc Speed down while El Heroe managed to keep the others away for long enough for a pin, but all four teams made a hit with the crowd. A good way to kick off the broadcast. Extraordinary Men defeated The Disrespected, East & West and The Stunners when Extraordinario Jr pinned Marc Speed RATING: B We went backstage where Joss, Davis, and Joey crowed over Dragon's lost mask and his response last week, with Joss pointing out that “Year of the Parasite doesn't sound so good, does it?” RATING: B Nigel Svensson vs. SK Walker for the ROF TV Championship More great stuff; a little under a quarter of an hour bell to bell here and the contest kept twisting and turning, but at the end both men went for their charging finishers and Nigel got his knee up in time, winning the clash with the running knee drive. Nigel Svensson defeated SK Walker by pinfall RATING: B+ I got on the mic next and announced that with Joss and co boasting the way they had, the scheduled Dragon/Beauchamp main event was going to be a ladder match for the UK Dragon mask. RATING: C+ Art Reed vs. Don Henderson Because we've let the triple-tag build lapse a little as the main event gathers steam, it was time to get back to hyping it, and there are few ways better than this to do that. Don and Art just went at each other in an incredible display of hold and counter hold, but despite frequent pin attempts and half-applied submissions, neither man could claim the advantage before the time limit. Art Reed drew with Don Henderson when the time limit elapsed RATING: A Backstage we saw Joss giving Joey a pep talk about how important this match was. RATING: B- Billy Robinson vs. Davis Wayne Newton Coming into the show's home straight I'm feeling pretty good. Billy's really stepped up his game over the past year or so, and that allowed he and Davis to reach heights I'd never have thought Billy capable of when I took over the book. We only had a quarter of an hour to give them, but they made the most of it, capped off when Davis reversed a superplex into the STF to score the revenge win for last week. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Billy Robinson by submission RATING: A* We aired a quick hype video for the Dragon to wrap up the non-wrestling aspects of the show. RATING: B+ Joey Beauchamp vs. 'Parasite' UK Dragon in a ladder match for the UK Dragon mask More incredible stuff here, as ever; what stuns me is that these two, having had the defining ladder match of the decade, never try to repeat it so much as they riff off the bigger spots like a jazz improv. In the end of this one Joey set up a second ladder beside the main one and launched himself across from it, Breeze Blocking Dragon from his own perch. Rolling smoothly, he sprang up and springboarded from the top rope to the ladder to cut a few precious seconds off the climb and reclaim the mask. Joey Beauchamp defeated 'Parasite' UK Dragon when he retrieved the mask RATING: A* I knew this show was going to be good. I never expected it to be half as good as it was. I have half a suspicion I accidentally booked the best card of our year – in fact, I'll come out and say it. Better than last year's Premier League. OVERALL: A* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 ROF: Wrestling Clinic Friday Week 3 May Coventry City Stadium 5000 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.08 We're continuing the training dark bouts with at least the first of this Friday's dark matches, as Blood Raven, Ernest Youngman, Remmy Honeyman and Ruud van Anger square off, with Ernest eventually pinning Blood Raven to come out on top. Not bad, but not really that good. Ernest Youngman defeated Blood Raven, Remmy Honeyman and Ruud van Anger when he pinned Blood Raven RATING: C+ The second dark bout was a simpler thing; KC Glenn went over Steve Flash in a good bout designed to give Glenn a few minutes more exposure. KC Glenn defeated Steve Flash by pinfall RATING: B- Dean Daniels vs. Extraordinario Jr A surprisingly solid bout to kick off the PPV; I expected this to be good, but not this good. Dean and Extraordinario have solid chemistry; coupled with Extraordinario's continuing improvement, it was a pretty solid bout all round, and I think the match helped both of them despite Extraordinario winning. RATING: B+ Black Eagle vs. Hugh de Aske As a result of the prior contest being surprisingly good, this was a bit of a let-down, but de Aske gains some momentum heading toward the PPV. Hugh de Aske defeated Black Eagle by pinfall RATING: B- Davis, Joey and Joss continue to brag in promo time about their ability. RATING: B- Human Arsenal vs. Leo Price A pretty good match, though mostly notable for the debut of Arsenal's new secondary finisher, a nasty-looking submission called the Trench Warfare. At least we're back up to pace. Human Arsenal defeated Leo Price by submission RATING: B+ A Joss/Dragon hype video airs, with the announcement that I'd decided Dragon's mask would be on the line against the title. RATING: B Art Reed vs. Edward Cornell Edward's showing definite signs of improvement, you know. Good enough stuff here carrying on a solid performance rate to date and going to a very enjoyable time limit. The triple tag continues to be a significant question... Art Reed drew with Edward Cornell when the time limit elapsed. RATING: B+ Nadia Snow cut a promo for the Shooters promising Don's defence for Billy, and my God it was atrocious. RATING: F+ The Shooters vs. Davis Wayne Newton & Joey Beauchamp Thankfully, the match itself picked things back up, and they worked well all the way to Don locking the deathlock onto Joey and making him tap. The Shooters defeated Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp when Don Henderson made Joey submit. RATING: B+ We followed that up with a hype vid for Don to help him get a little more momentum back following that promo. RATING: B+ Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Joss Thompson vs. 'Parasite' UK Dragon From the off this contest was really a handicap match, with the emphasis on the two main eventers and Brandon stepping in to give Joss a hand with a power move or double-team occasionally. It was Brandon who ended things, however, hitting a fallaway slam in just the wrong direction, sending Thompson out of the ring while Dragon recovered, laying Brandon out with the Dragon Drop. Great, emotive stuff loved by a packed stadium. UK Dragon defeated Joss Thompson and Bulldozer Brandon Smith when he pinned Bulldozer Brandon Smith RATING: A* Another great show, though the majority of its rep, I think, will come from that final bout. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 3 May Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.12 Poor first dark match sees Daniel Black Francis beat Dean again. With me again forgetting their bad chemistry. Ah, well. It was dark. Daniel Black Francis defeated Dean Daniels by pinfall RATING: C- Dos Phoenix gave Los Leyendas another drubbing to round out our dark time, with Ultimate Phoenix not really feeling it and hurting the match, particularly the finish. Still not too bad for the dark, though. Dos Phoenix defeated Los Leyendas when Phoenix II pinned Ultimate Phoenix RATING: C+ Ernest Youngman vs. Leo Price Well, this should've been dark. I was hoping this would give Leo some needed pre-PPV momentum, but it died utterly – and frankly, I do blame Leo. His win was not merited. Leo Price defeated Ernest Youngman by pinfall RATING: C Extraordinary Men vs. The Stunners for the ROF Tag Titles Fortunately, the subsequent showdown worked well, getting the crowd properly into things. Extraordinario pinned Eagle following a Mexican Standoff to retain. Extraordinary Men defeated The Stunners when Extraordinario Jr pinned Black Eagle RATING: B They then celebrated, and the crowd weren't too keen on it. Evidently they didn't think the win was that memorable. RATING: D+ Human Arsenal vs. Jonathan Faust Fortunately, this won the crowd right back. A pair of blinding performances over a twenty minute draw had the crowd screaming approval for both men. Human Arsenal drew with Jonathan Faust when the time limit elapsed RATING: A* We ran a hype video for the Davis/Joey/Joss team, with a couple of reminders that Brandon was also involved. RATING: C+ Nigel Svensson vs. Billy Robinson vs. Nichiren Amagawa in a Submission Only match for the ROF TV Championship Not quite sublime, but damn good. Nigel retains, forcing Nichiren to tap, only after a great showing by all three men. Nigel Svensson defeated Billy Robinson and Nichiren Amagawa when he made Nichiren Amagawa submit RATING: A Next up, a hype video for the Mask vs. Title match on Tuesday. RATING: B Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske A very solid main event drawing the usual fantastic pop. Joss and Dragon were both at ringside and eventually it turned into a brawl and double-DQ, but the fans still loved every minute of it. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske when both men were disqualified RATING: A* Hugh took out Joss with a Skull and Cross Bones. Davis responded by dropping Hugh with a fisherman's cradle DDT. Dragon and Davis stared each other down to close out the show. RATING: B Another damn fine show to be happy with despite the awful start. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 ROF: Masterclass Prediction Card Dos Phoenix vs. Los Leyendas Cherry Bomb vs. Kristabel Plum The Shooters vs. Art Reed & Leo Price vs. Daniel Black Francis & Edward Cornell Hugh de Aske vs. Human Arsenal British Samurai vs. Joey Beauchamp 'Parasite' UK Dragon vs. Joss Thompson for the ROF Championship and UK Dragon mask Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 21, 2008 Author Share Posted May 21, 2008 ROF: Masterclass Tuesday Week 4 May Euston Road 7633 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.30 Disappointing attendance here, but it's been a busy month. The opening dark tag was, as expected, not received brilliantly; four men who need getting over, basically. Dos Phoenix scored the win over Los Leyendas, Phoenix III pinning El Leon. Dos Phoenix defeated Los Leyendas when Phoenix III pinned El Leon RATING: C+ Our second dark bout pitted Cherry against Kristabel Plum and, y'know... for what's effectively a second string in the women's division this was good; I enjoyed it, and I know Cherry enjoyed her pinfall win. Cherry Bomb defeated Kristabel Plum by pinfall RATING: B- The Shooters vs. Art Reed & Leo Price vs. Daniel Black Francis & Edward Cornell You know, this honestly should've been better, but really, really wasn't. Don looked great, the quarter-hour had some solid work, and Leo tapped out to the Deathlock, which were all good things to happen. But it just wasn't that good; Leo needs a lot of work. The Shooters defeated Art Reed & Leo Price and Daniel Black Francis & Edward Cornell when Don Henderson made Leo Price submit RATING: B- We aired a quick hype video for Hugh/Arsenal. Not great response, but that was expected; Hugh's in an awkward position. RATING: C Hugh de Aske vs. Human Arsenal Good work here – good solid work – for twenty-eight minutes. It didn't reach the peak both men have shown themselves capable of, but it blew the show to date out of the water. We sold this on commentary about Hugh and Arsenal both knowing they were currently out of title contendership, both believing they deserved to be there, and both going for it as hard as they could. In the end Hugh scooped Arsenal up for the Cut Throat Driver only to have the veteran twist clear, land, and immediately capitalise with the Ammo Dump for the pin. Human Arsenal defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall RATING: B+ The three men with Dragon's mask ran a promo next promising they'd keep the mask and add the belt to their collection. RATING: B- British Samurai vs. Joey Beauchamp Ah; now this truly was great stuff. They had just under twenty-seven minutes to play with and play with it they did, both men absolutely running with it and having a hell of a time. Sammy eventually fell foul when he locked in the Secret Stretch, Joey reached the ropes and, as Humphrey broke the hold and backed Sammy clear, Joey dropped under the ropes, vaulted to the top rope and springboarded into a collosal Breeze Block, adding yet another new finisher spot to his arsenal and winning the match – Sammy, still with his attention on the ref, fell easily. Joey Beauchamp beat British Samurai by pinfall RATING: A* I took up position in the ring next, asking the locker room to come out and listen which, headed by Don, Davis, Dragon, Joss, Faust and Joey, they did. I told the audience we were back on UK TV with Union Jack Sports as of next Tuesday; I also announced that, with this in mind, we were updating our image. Starting with the music – so I wanted any wrestler who wanted to change their tune, literally, to approach me over the next while and let me know what they wanted. RATING: B- A final hype package for Joss/Dragon just before the match... RATING: B 'Parasite' UK Dragon vs. Joss Thompson for the ROF Championship and UK Dragon mask Beautiful work again, as expected; simply beautiful Dragon and Joss seemed to understand that this was a proving ground not simply for Joss – and whether he should be given more PPV main events – but also for Dragon – and whether I should continue the Year of the Dragon too far beyond this. They went for it as hard as they could, with Dragon making Joss a legitimate threat the whole way, and the finish – a Clean Cutter not having scored the pin, and the top-rope-dive Cutter being prepared, only for Dragon to catch, counter, and convert into the Dragon Drop and score the fall, reclaiming his helt – was just beautifully executed. UK Dragon defeated Joss Thompson by pinfall RATING: A* Brilliant reception; more than happy about this. The fans loved it. OVERALL: A* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: Wrestling Clinic Friday Week 4 May Coventry City Stadium 3717 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.04 The last show of our weekly PPV era... unless it ends up happening again, of course. Huntress Makiko picked up a tutorial win over Miss Information to start off the dark... Huntess Makiko defeated Miss Information by submission RATING: C- ...and our second dark match saw Dos Phoenix ally with Nadia Snow against The Disrespected and Wanda Fish. For now, good enough, though not great, and Keith picks up a rare win, forcing Phoenix III to tap out. The Disrespected & Wanda Fish defeated Dos Phoenix & Nadia Snow RATING: C SK Walker vs. Steve Flash A good solid contest to open the PPV itself sees Walker and Steve test each other thoroughly. It's a match of respect, with breaks during the action to shake hands, though Walker ends up the winner after nailing a Kessel Run. SK Walker defeated Steve Flash by pinfall RATING: B- Walker and his manager Simona then spent a few moments in conversation with Flash. The two wrestlers then started shredding and destroying Walker's Star Wars paraphernalia. RATING: D- Extraordinario Jr vs. JD Morgan vs. KC Glenn vs. Mario Heroic Nice little quarter-hour here with all four men opening up for the audience. Heroic buys a loss to the Siempre Peleando toward the end, though. Extraordinario Jr defeated JD Morgan, KC Glenn and Mario Heroic when he pinned Mario Heroic RATING: B I announced that tonight's main event would be for the number one contendership for a battle to take place on the first instalment of UJS's ROF: Fighting Fit, and that I'd decided it would be between the four men who'd been giving Dragon problems to see if we couldn't cause that group a few themselves – Davis, Joey, Joss, and Bulldozer. RATING: B- Art Reed vs. Human Arsenal A magnificent match; these two gel perfectly, and that led to something perfect for what I had planned; they just went out there and wrestled hard and fast, both trying and neither able to put the other away in the time limit, with Art growing more and more frustrated as he went. Art Reed drew with Human Arsenal when the time limit elapsed RATING: A* Furious, Art jumps Arsenal after the match, throwing him out of the ring and piledriving him through the announce table before storming backstage. RATING: C+ Jonathan Faust vs. UK Dragon Well, this shouldn't have been on the card. I'm stunned Dragon could produce such a stinker even with bad chemistry, but at least he won. UK Dragon defeated Jonathan Faust by pinfall RATING: C Backstage, Leo opens Art's door, asking him why he attacked Arsenal, saying “It's not like he's a UKW-” He was cut off, however, as Art levelled him with a stiff clothesline and applied the Dread Lock. RATING: D+ Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson in a Number One Contender's Bout This was vety nice again, as you'd expect. Davis, Joey and Joss did most of the heavy lifting, though, and the crowd reacted perfectly to the finish – Joey landed the springboard Breeze Block on Brandon and all three men pinned the former football player simultaneously, leaving us – on commentary, and without our table – wondering what the hell this meant for the championship bout. Joey Beauchamp, Davis Wayne Newton, and Joss Thompson defeated Bulldozer Brandon Smith by pinfall RATING: A* Thankfully everything not Dragon/Faust was superb, and the fans accepted it... OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 4 May Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.68 Godawful first dark match, as Remmy Honeyman and Capitao Brasil get their irregular 'yes, you do more than house show work' bout against each other. Remmy picked up the win as the slightly better prospect at this point, but has quite some way to go. Remmy Honeyman defeated Capitao Brasil Jr by pinfall RATING: D Fortunately, our second dark match picked the pace up significantly; Blood Raven destroyed Ruud van Anger in fine style, with Ruud showing signs of improvement as he went down. Might well be worth doing more with this pair soon. Blood Raven defeated Ruud van Anger by pinfall RATING: C Nigel Svensson vs. Daniel Black Francis vs. Marc Speed vs. Nate Johnson for the ROF TV Championship Eesh. Barring Daniel blowing up before the bout finished, I'm honestly not sure how this was so weak. Need to look at rebuilding Nigel a bit as time goes on, I think. He got the win here, making Nate tap out, but the response wasn't what you'd call impressive. Nigel Svensson defeated Daniel Black Francis, Marc Speed and Nate Johnson when he made Nate Johnson submit RATING: C Don Henderson vs. Jonathan Faust Poor chemistry here, too, but a better response at least. Jonathan, while still a worthwhile main eventer in some areas, has demonstrated to me that he needs moving down the pecking order so long as a Year of the Dragon endures, and as such Don picks up the win here as a man who can pull excellent matches out of pretty much anybody. (Though I probably shouldn't let Faust challenge Don, should he ever get the belt). Don Henderson defeated Jonathan Faust by submission RATING: B Backstage we saw Davis and Joey deep in conversation with a third party, hidden from the camera by a corner. It looked like more of the three's plotting, but then, as Davis' music started for the next match, they leaned into shot... and Jaime Quine gave her man a good luck kiss. RATING: D Davis Wayne Newton vs. Extraordinario Jr Good stuff here; not quite on the level I hope for, and Extraordinario maybe has a little more distance to cover, but this was damn fine stuff nonetheless and I doubt Extraordinario will lose much momentum from Davis' pinning him. The show's picking up pace... Davis Wayne Newton defeated Extraordinario Jr by pinfall RATING: B+ A quick hype vid followed for Joss, as he's the only member of the trio not otherwise active. RATING: B Art grabbed a quick interview with me prior to his match. He apologised for his conduct on Friday and promised it was just down to the losing streak, which he guaranteed would end now. RATING: C Art Reed vs. Human Arsenal Another absolute humdinger from these two, working damn hard for it, and nearly another time limit draw – but at the last moment, the Ammo Dump took Art out and gave Arsenal a good solid pin. Human Arsenal defeated Art Reed RATING: A* More hype next – the champion, still champion, promises the Year of the Dragon will continue. RATING: B Joey Beauchamp vs. UK Dragon An old standby, but Dragon needs repair work following the whole Faust debacle. And he got it, here, with a great... brawl, frankly, that turned into a double DQ as Davis, Brandon, Don and Billy charged the ring. Joey Beauchamp drew with UK Dragon when both men were disqualified RATING: A* Another very, very solid show, as expected with this one. Our build going back to UK TV is as strong as it can be... It's not hurting us in Europe, either, as we get a major record rating. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 1 June Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.28 Well, it's a first show, so I'm making even more effort than usual to capture viewers. As such, even the dark bouts are good; KC Glenn captures a win over longterm ROF stalwart Johnny Highspot in a pretty good match that could've fitted onto TV without issue. KC Glenn defeated Johnny Highspot by pinfall RATING: B- Jaime Quine defended the womens' belt next, still in the dark, against Wanda. Superb work again, picking things up even further and giving Jaime another defence to celebrate. Jaime Quine defeated Wanda Fish by pinfall RATING: B The show itself opens with a video vignette for Jaime, celebrating her championship. As expected, it wasn't received too well. RATING: E+ Nigel Svensson vs. Extraordinario Jr for the ROF TV Championship Fortunately we had the solution for that waiting, just a couple minutes into the show. Nigel and Extra did damn well together, as always, and provided a great quarter-hour to help the fans. Best match of the card yet, too, with Nigel getting a solid win to keep him strong and both men debuting their new themes, Dragonforce's 'Fury of the Storm' for Extraordinario and Madness' 'One Step Beyond' for the always-grinning Nigel. Nigel Svensson defeated Extraordinario Jr by pinfall RATING: B+ As the last Commonwealth Cup winner, Art took his turn for a hype video. RATING: C+ Art Reed vs. Edward Cornell And some damn good support for his hype followed, even as the losing streak continued – Edward's still getting better, and he and Art maintained the pace set by the opener without the chemistry. Edward showed a sense of fun at the end, taking Art down with the Proton Lock made famous by Art's mentor. More new themes here; Art's using 'Some People Say' by Terrorvision while Edward has a techno remix of 'Three Lions' by the Lightning Seeds. Edward Cornell defeated Art Reed by submission RATING: B+ More hype, this time for the tag champs, Extraordinary Men RATING: D Hugh de Aske vs. Mario Heroic Another good quarter hour. It's still not the peaks I'm hoping for, but it's good stuff I can really appreciate. Hugh's theme got the pop of the night thus far – pirate metal band Alestorm gave us 'Set Sail and Conquer', and the launch into the song just got the crowd yelling. Mario, by contrast, broke out Sisters of Mercy's 'The Corrosion', and it did reasonably well. Hugh's better response was aided by his winning the bout, too, with the Cut Throat Driver; good enough to keep us rolling. Hugh de Aske defeated Mario Heroic by pinfall RATING: B+ Last video of the evening; UK Dragon and his own championship. Bruce Dickinson's 'Tears of the Dragon' gets broken out for this. RATING: B+ UK Dragon vs. Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson for the ROF Championship Ahh... now this rounded things off well. Joey's entrance started things off well, using the soaring chorus from the Divine Comedy's 'Thrillseeker' but, if anything, this was topped when Joss egotistically came out to 'Sharp Dressed Man' by ZZ Top. Davis got his own pop, less sizable, for James' 'I Know What I'm Here For'. And then it was on with the action, things rapidly getting extremely intense with the loose liason between the three rapidly breaking down as each man went for pins one way or another. So it was that, in the end, Davis had Joss down in the STF but the Dragon Drop kept Joey down for a pin before Joss tapped – Dragon got out with his belt intact! UK Dragon defeated Davis Wayne Newton, Joey Beauchamp and Joss Thompson when he pinned Joey Beauchamp RATING: A* Another damn good show, then, in the end. Definitely happy with this. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 1 June Kent Racecourse 4218 in attendance RATING: 3.60 Another goodish womens bout in the dark, this time putting Huntress Makiko over on Cherry Bomb. It's all about the development right now, most specifically the exposure, but this is getting there. Huntress Makiko defeated Cherry Bomb by pinfall RATING: C+ Second dark bout, as ever, a tag bout; the Team-Up Marvels took a loss in a pretty good match to the new team, Pure Perfection, of Steve Flash and Sergei Kalashnov. Sergei got the fall over Jonni Lowlife. Pure Perfection defeated The Team-Up Marvels when Sergei Kalashnov pinned Jonni Lowlife RATING: B- Dean Daniels vs. Nichiren Amagawa First match of the show proper and it wasn't bad at all; Nichiren continues to develop his abilities, currently focusing on some second rope work, while Dean looks good even in defeat as the Amagawa Total Lock keeps Nichiren a credible threat for my tag division. Dean's changed his music, by the way, where Nichiren hasn't – he's going with Combichrist and 'Get Your Body Beat'. Nichiren Amagawa defeated Dean Daniels by submission RATING: B- Next up I got on the microphone and announced the quest for a new number one contender, an eight man tournament that would play out over the next four shows. RATING: C+ Extraordinary Men vs. The Stunners for the ROF Tag Titles More entertaining work here; Extraordinary Men are still establishing themselves as on a par with the Stunners' record reigns, but every time they get in the ring with someone worthwhile we do pretty well for pops. The Mexican Standoff drops Black Eagle this time, and El Heroe is the legal man to make the pin. Extraordinary Men defeated The Stunners when El Heroe Mexicano pinned Black Eagle RATING: B A hype video next announced the return of a former ROF champion; Petey Barnes is coming back! RATING: B- Nigel Svensson vs. Billy Robinson for the ROF TV Championship Nigel's done well with the Championship, it turns out; in fact, at the moment he's more over than Davis or Joey, so it's time to reel him down a little while he finishes the training needed to operate at that level. Billy, on the other hand, deserves a reward for his work to date, and as such after an excellent match Nigel is made to tap to a man who's been positioned to look like a real threat of late and who's recently picked up 'London Calling' as his theme music. Billy Robinson defeated Nigel Svensson by submission RATING: B+ #1 Contender Tournament Davis Wayne Newton vs. Edward Cornell And here, of course, is step one in rebuilding Davis, who needs positioning to get past Edward – a man whose commitments for MOSC and UKW keep him over no matter what I do. As such, he's a safe bet for Davis to pin in, sadly, only a reasonable contest allowing Davis a step one on his return to the big time. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Edward Cornell by pinfall RATING: B Another hype video next, this time for our champion as he needed a little recuperation time. Big pop, though. RATING: B+ #1 Contender Tournament Human Arsenal vs. Jonathan Faust Well... Faust is improving, but it's becoming more and more clear that Arsenal's the reason this has looked so good so far. Another absolute classic from the two of them, even if it's mostly more of Arsenal's drive to the top. Arsenal scores with the Ammo Dump, laying Faust out smoothly to continue. Theme tunes: Arsenal now has Rammstein's 'Du Hast', and Faust... as if there was ever any doubt! Marilyn Manson's 'Personal Jesus' cover. Human Arsenal defeated Jonathan Faust by pinfall RATING: A* Not quite as good as recent weeks, but good enough, I figure. We're still making progress. OVERALL: B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 “Petey,” I said, “you've got to treat this like a championship shot.” The white hair feels less like an affectation these days. Unfair, of course; he's younger than me, our youngest champ until Davis broke all those rules. But five and a half years does a lot to a man, and I haven't seen him in a wrestling context, up close and in the flesh, in a year or so. And yes, locker room or poker table makes a hell of a difference to how you think of someone. Petey's nearly thirty now. His only gold may've come from us, but there's been a fair amount of it, all earned. He's not the kid who dyed his hair just to look different; he's made his mark. But he still seems like a kid when the fringe flops forward and he peers out at me from under it. “I'll do my best, Terry...” I shake my head, impatient. “Doing your best is what you tell Teacher will happen when you need him to stop whining at you, Petey. I need you to treat this like a special match.” He shrugs. “They remember me, Terry...” “Yeah,” I say quietly. “Around forty thousand diehards remember you as the ROF champion who defended weekly when he didn't have to, who gave first shots to a lot of people. Or as the Commonwealth Cup winner we didn't have on the books. Thing is, whatever you and Fumi said to each other... you've been jerking the curtain and clawing around in the midcard for the last half a hear. You haven't been working here for a year and a half. And we've been putting a lot of guys down because they work for both companies, like Matthew.” Fat lot of good it had done UKW; TCW snapped him up a month or so ago. “That's what a hundred thousand remember about you,” I say. “We broadcast to over a hundred and fifty thousand Brits and nearer a hundred and seventy five thousand in Europe now. I need you to establish yourself; you, Don, Davis, Joey, Dragon, Arsenal, Joss... that's a damn solid top line. If you can prove to all those people who don't remember your time here and all those people who've been biased against you as a topline talent, you get to stay in it while we get Hugh, Art, and Eddie how they need to be.” He shook his head. “Man, you know I can-” “The fans need to know you can,” I cut him off. “Come on strong. Hit your favourite spots. Make them all accept that you deserve to be in the tournament. Make 'em all accept you can in it.” I took another belt of my coffee, wincing; Sammy likes it strong, ridiculously strong, and orders this crazy blend online. I can't take much at a time, but I need the caffeine. “You've got one match to win 'em over,” I said. “The rest are to stay over.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 2 June Hall Green Cricket Club 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.25 Good solid first dark match; JD Morgan does a little teaching for Ernest Youngman, capping it off by falling to The Hit and taking the pin. Ernest Youngman defeated JD Morgan by pinfall RATING: B- Our second dark match, unfortunately, was a lot weaker; Kristabel Plum scores a fall against Raven Nightfall and the fans just don't car enough. Ah, well... Kristabel Plum defeated Raven Nightfall by pinfall RATING: C- Billy Robinson vs. Chojiro Kitoaji for the ROF TV Championship And so begins Billy's first championship reign in a while. I'm sure I'd paired him with Chojiro before, but I couldn't remember the results, which was what I was after; a trial of what he can do with someone who's simply another good performer in the midcard, a chance to see just where Billy stands in terms of putting on good matches. And this was good; they ran nineteen minutes and got a lot of good solid pops out of the crowd along the way before Chojiro ended up tapping out. Billy Robinson defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by submission RATING: B A quick recap video followed, summarising the events of the Davis/Cornell contest from Sunday for the UK viewers. Half-decent pop; would likely have been better if they'd wrestled for it in front of a UK audience. RATING: C+ British Samurai vs. Mario Heroic They only had a quarter of an hour, but it wasn't a bad use of it. Mario scores a rare win to keep him credible against the top guys, and Sammy gets a goodish showing and a rare TV outing. Not too bad. Mario Heroic defeated British Samurai by pinfall RATING: B More video package highlights, this time of Arsenal/Faust. Bigger pop this time, slightly; Arsenal wrestles in a style slightly better suited to spotfest videos, so wide is his moveset. RATING: B- #1 Contender: Hugh de Aske vs. Petey Barnes This was not all I'd hoped for, frankly. Petey and Hugh did... OK, but no better than any of the prior contests. Maybe I should've juggled things and put him against Davis, but Davis needs the build... In any case, the X-Press finished it – I need to persuade him back to the superkick and Future Shock, they got proportionately better pops. Petey's theme got at least a decent reaction, though – he'd gone for 'Dr Feelgood' and the fans reacted well to the riff. Petey Barnes defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall. RATING: B Joss, backstage, cut a promo about his anger on being left out of the tournament. RATING: B- #1 Contender: Art Reed vs. Don Henderson They had a little over twenty minutes left of the show, and they made the most of it, putting on a superb match that literally ended as we were prepping to go off air, the Deathlock finally triumphing and keeping Art's losing streak in progress, but they really capped the evening off. Don Henderson defeated Art Reed by submission RATING: A* A damn good show overall, thanks in no small part to an explosive main event. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 2 June Kent Racecourse 3199 in attendance RATING: 3.69 I was hoping for slightly better attendance here; ah, well. Nothing I can do right now. I think my televised crew are finally over enough to start running Europe again, though, which might well help. Our first dark bout sees Dos Phoenix once again go over Los Leyendas, Phoenix II pinning Ultimate Phoenix as he does so. More of the 'exposure project', really. Dos Phoenix defeated Los Leyendas RATING: C+ Our second dark match was beset by chemistry issues; Ernest Youngman beat Blood Raven in what ended up a weak match. Again, this is about getting Ernest familiar to the fans without risking our TV time, more than anything. Ernest Youngman defeated Blood Raven by pinfall RATING: C- Dean Daniels vs. Jonni Lowlife vs. KC Glenn And by those rules this shouldn't have been on TV either. KC got the win, pinning Dean Daniels, but it wasn't as strong as you'd hope for. KC's started a decent rise up the card, though so it's time to try him in this position. KC Glenn defeated Dean Daniels and Jonni Lowlife when he pinned Dean Daniels RATING: C A quick video package replayed Petey and Hugh's high points from Tuesday for the European audience. Weak reception. RATING: C Extraordinary Men vs. East & West for the ROF Tag Titles Ah, this picked things up at least! Both members of East and West seem to be warming to this rivalry, developing their skills in less traditional areas, and it helps their rivalry. At the quarter-hour mark the Mexican Standoff felled Nichiren, allowing Extraordinario a quick pin. All very satisfying. Extraordinary Men defeated East and West when Extraordinario Jr pinned Nichiren Amagawa RATING: B- Billy Robinson vs. Nigel Svensson for the ROF TV Championship Neither of these guys like to sell, but they're good enough that that pretty much worked, more or less. Another good Wigan-style bout kept things rolling and allowed Billy to get the win with the Capital City Crucifix, helping keep Nigel where we want him while providing a little more rub for the champion. Not too bad... Billy Robinson defeated Nigel Svensson by submission RATING: B More match highlights; Art and Don. Much bigger pop; I'd forgotten Petey wasn't that over in Europe. RATING: B- #1 Contender Match: Don Henderson vs. Petey Barnes Well, this should help him in Europe. Don got Petey in the ring and pulled some new tricks out of him, showing development of all sorts, before felling him with the tilt-a-whirl powerbomb into the Scottish Deathlock in what was Petey's best match of his career. Leave that to Don... Don Henderson defeated Petey Barnes by submission RATING: A* #1 Contender Match: Davis Wayne Newton vs. Human Arsenal A weaker bout to follow, unfortunately; Davis and Arsenal seemed to want the main event to let themselves kick all the way into gear. With only a quarter-hour they did their best, and their best was excellent, but not at their usual heights. Still, it was good; and Arsenal got the Ammo Dump to go through to the final. Weak pop there; I think the speed of his push is worrying the fans, as over as he's become. Human Arsenal defeated Davis Wayne Newton by pinfall RATING: B+ A hype video followed for Don/Arsenal. Something to put on the site and hype Tuesday... OVERALL: B Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson vs. UK Dragon A good solid main event that really popped the crowd again. Great stuff; Joey and Joss teamed up, working on Dragon's neck all match strategically. Eventually Joey had him set up for a piledriver; Joss pushed him aside, sinking Dragon with the Clean Cutter and as the champion rolled out of the ring, Joey furiously smashed Joss to the ground with a Breeze Block and scored the pin before Joss recovered from his surprise. Joey Beauchamp defeated Joss Thompson and UK Dragon when he pinned Joss Thompson RATING: A* As the show went off the air Joey and Joss faced off, snarling. Our last shot; Dragon, watching them, smiling beneath the mask. RATING: B- Another good solid show. Definitely happy with that; Petey's proved he can roll with the big boys, though Don can get that from a lot of good folks. Time to start testing him... A good enough show for a new record rating, too, though only barely. OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 3 June Bayern Stadion 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.21 Yes, we're now actually broadcasting to the UK from Europe. We'll see how – or if – this helps soon enough. Turns out our first dark bout should've been on the card; Crusher von Steinberg and El Leon take advantage of their USPW exposure and blow the crowd, the announce table, and me away with a spectacular brawl-with-lucha-flavouring ending with the Split Second Justice to give El Leon a little extra impetus. El Leon defeated Crusher von Steinberg by pinfall RATING: B+ (!) Our second dark bout failed spectacularly to live up to that; on the other hand, I don't expect Leo or Daniel Black Francis to reach those heights often, and they don't; DBF scores the fall to emphasise to Leo how much he needs to pull his socks up in a bout I'm glad stayed off-air. Daniel Black Francis defeated Leo Price by pinfall RATING: C+ East and West vs. Pure Perfection I couldn't think of a better way to give Steve and Sergei their TV debut as Pure Perfection than by putting them up against fellow USPW competitors in a Europe that remembers their glory days well. And they reward me spectacularly; Pure Perfection narrowly nab the win with a double-finisher sequence, Sergei getting the Eastern Block on Nichiren Amagawa for the pin while Steve cuts Marc's rescue off with a Flash Bang. Pure Perfection defeated East & West when Sergei Kalashnov pinned Nichiren Amagawa RATING: B+ Quick video recap for the British fans shows Don and Petey's matchup. RATING: B- Billy Robinson vs. Nate Johnson for the ROF TV Championship ...Ho-lee crap. Great chemistry here sees Billy and Nate put on a mindblowing bout in only ten minutes, blowing the roof all the way off the stadium as Billy forces Nate to tap in the dead centre of the ring. A sterling defence to keep the TV title shining. Billy Robinson defeated Nate Johnson by submission RATING: A* Davis Wayne Newton vs. Petey Barnes Last time these two faced off was a great moment, and Davis came out on top, just as he had when Petey left ROF the first time. This wasn't quite as good as that time but it was still a match few companies would ever be sorry to stage. Davis scores the pinfall again here, but they once again climb beyond bad chemistry to a very solid performance. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Petey Barnes by pinfall RATING: B+ Art Reed vs. British Samurai More sound work here; no better than the previous contest but more than good enough. My worries that we might have a bad show are starting to melt away, finally; Art's looking more and more nervous at the moment – a deliberate thing – and more and more stressed as, try as he might, he cannot get a win; here he loses to Sammy after the Dark Matter is countered into a Fisherman's Suplex Art's frustration there was a picture... British Samurai defeated Art Reed by pinfall RATING: B+ Another video recap; Davis and Arsenal. Another good pop. RATING: B- #1 Contendership: Don Henderson vs. Human Arsenal They only had twenty minutes. And for the second time on the show a Shooter is instrumental in producing a spectacular showcase of wrestling skill; the Ammo Dump hits beautifully and Don goes down for the three. That's it; in around six months, Human Arsenal has gone from curtain jerking to challenging for the Belt of Belts. Human Arsenal defeated Don Henderson by pinfall RATING: A* Dragon rolls into the ring at that point, standing opposite Arsenal for a long moment before raising his hand in triumph. RATING: C+ And the show is just... somehow... better than I'd expected. Chemistry, overness in Europe, skill, house show work turning Crusher into a better grappler than I'd thought... everything worked for us, here. OVERALL: A* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: European Showcase Sunday Week 3 June Middlesbrough Hall 2000 in attendance RATING: 3.68 More awkward chemistry issues; Jonathan Faust goes badly with Keith Adams, and the results are pedestrian, even as the Devil's Drop carries the day. Faust needs to show me better than this, though... Jonathan Faust defeated Keith Adams by pinfall RATING: C Dos Phoenix took on JD Morgan and Ruud van Anger in our second dark contest. I didn't expect this to be much good, and it wasn't; but, again, it's a win for the Phoenixes to finally get them into legitimate tag competition. Ruud ended up taking the fall. Dos Phoenix defeated JD Morgan and Ruud van Anger when Phoenix II pinned Ruud van Anger RATING: C We opened the show proper with a video recapping last Sunday's events and hyping Joss and Joey facing each other in the main event tonight. RATING: B- Extraordinary Men vs. Los Leyendas vs. Pure Perfection vs. The Stunners for the ROF Tag Titles Hrm. Steve looked beat by the end; seems that finally his endurance is starting to give out with age. Understandable, really, but awkward; Pure Perfection proved their worth here as Sergei pinned Extraordinario for the belt, and if they can't run eighteen, they can't run the full time limit. May have to shift the belts off them soon; still, Pure Perfection have a solid position available in terms of training young wrestlers in the dark at the very least, and Steve gets more gold, if only briefly, which makes me feel happy. Pure Perfection defeated Extraordinary Men, Los Leyendas and The Stunners when Sergei Kalashnov pinned Extraordinario Jr RATING: C+ A quickie hype vid for Art Reed, trying to mitigate the effects of the losing streak. Didn't take too well. RATING: D+ Billy Robinson vs. British Samurai vs. Ernest Youngman vs. Mario Heroic for the ROF TV Championship More good, solid stuff here. Ernest wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders, but the presence of four men allowed us to cover that. Mario took some exceptional bumps and flew around for high spots to keep the crowd happy, Ernest got a few good moves in on camera, and Billy made Sammy submit while Phoebe fumed at ringside. The match served its purpose, in short. Billy Robinson defeated British Samurai, Ernest Youngman and Mario Heroic when he made British Samurai submit RATING: B+ Backstage we saw Joey chatting with Davis. We got close enough to hear the conversation only at the very end, when Davis said “Don't worry, man. I've got your back,” and the two shook hands. RATING: B- Don Henderson vs. Edward Cornell More proof that Edward's improving; this was probably the best contest these two have had. My one sadness is we're likely to lose him before he reaches his full potential, but we'll deal with that if and when it happens. Both men are definitely still learning new tricks and Don got the win with his usual Deathlock looking strong and early. Don Henderson defeated Edward Cornell by submission RATING: A We recapped the Don/Arsenal match for the contendership for the European crowd. RATING: B Davis Wayne Newton vs. Hugh de Aske Another good solid bout here which culminated in a time limit draw as ever; these two just make that work, and it makes both of them look great, which helps the company as a whole. Well worth airing. Davis Wayne Newton drew with Hugh de Aske when the time limit expired RATING: A* Joey Beauchamp vs. Joss Thompson The final match of the night, and it's another doozy. Joey and Joss are another pair still pulling out new tricks and using old tricks more stylishly, and it keeps their matches fascinating for the crowds even as the basic structure's the same. An interesting one here as Davis and Brandon both came to ringside, with the match eventually disintegrating into a double DQ as the tensions rose. Joey Beauchamp drew with Joss Thompson when both men were disqualified RATING: A* Another great show, then, even if we got criticised for using Ernest and Ultimate Phoenix too much. Can't complain, though; the fans online all loved it and the two men got the exposure they needed. OVERALL: A* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 ROF: Graduation prediction key: Fighting Fit: Jaime Quine vs. Cherry Bomb for the ROF Womens Championship Crusher von Steinberg vs. Jonni Lowlife Pure Perfection vs. The Stunners (Steve FLash & Sergei Kalashnov vs. Black Eagle & Bulldozer Brandon Smith) Don Henderson vs. Nichiren Amagawa Joey Beauchamp vs. Petey Barnes Billy Robinson vs. British Samurai for the ROF TV Championship Graduation: Nigel Svensson & Kristabel Plum vs. Billy Robinson & Raven Nightfall Chojrio Kitoaji vs. Mario Heroic Daniel Black Francis vs. El Heroe Mexicano vs. Extraordinario Jr vs. Jonathan Faust vs. KC Glenn vs. Nate Johnson East and West vs. The Stunners Art Reed vs. Hugh de Aske Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joss Thompson UK Dragon vs. Human Arsenal in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 ROF: Fighting Fit Tuesday Week 4 June Euston Road 6937 in attendance RATING: 3.38 So-so women's title match for the dark time. Jaime defended against Cherry; more work on their profile, as much as anything. We need crowds to pop before it's safe to put them on TV. Jaime Quine defeated Cherry Bomb by pinfall RATING: C After his performance last Tuesday it was time to give Crusher more work. We put him up against Jonni Lowlife, knowing this would weaken things, and had Optimus script it to help. The match didn't rise above the preceding, but on the plus side we were still in dark time and Crusher debuted his sleeper-cum-chokehold submission finisher, the Mind Crusher. Crusher von Steinberg defeated Jonni Lowlife by submission RATING: C Pure Perfection vs. The Stunners Steve and Sergei may just have earned their title reign a mild extension. They had twelve minutes against the giants of our tag division, and they did brilliantly; the fans were massively into it. A good start to the broadcast ended with the Flash Bang on Black Eagle while Sergei faced down Brandon; a smooth defence. Pure Perfection defeated The Stunners when Steve Flash pinned Black Eagle RATING: B Davis appeared on the big screen, recapping Sunday's events for the UK crowd and challenging Joss to a match at Graduation tonight “so we can all get back on the same page”. RATING: B- Don Henderson vs. Nichiren Amagawa Of all our main event, Don is the man who Nichiren's probably best placed to face; Nichiren's technical abilities match or exceed his and his submissions may be some of the crispest in the world. So this was a fairly generous test of Nichiren's current abilities, and it was a demonstration that right this second he isn't yet there. Don took him down smoothly and applied the Scottish Deathlock to make him tap out in just under a quarter of an hour in what was still a very good match – but not as good a match as I'd want if Nichiren deserved the big push right now. We have time, though. Don Henderson defeated Nichiren Amagawa by submission RATING: B+ Joss then hit the ring to accept Davis' challenge. RATING: B- Joey Beauchamp vs. Petey Barnes Yeah, looks like Petey's going to come to rest as another credible upper midcarder at this rate. It was a good bout, though, and reminded the fans that both men are excellent competitors; they ran all the way to the twenty-minute mark. Joey Beauchamp drew with Petey Barnes when the time limit elapsed RATING: B+ Petey came up to me after the match. On mic, he told me he hadn't wanted to do it this way, but that he was damn well going to do it any way he had to. He reminded me that, technically, he'd never cashed in his Commonwealth Cup title shot, and said he wanted it next month – against whoever won tonight. For the benefit of our newer fans, I agreed that he was a three-time ROF champion, a two-time ROF tag champ... that, in short, there were few with a better pedigree. And I agreed. RATING: C Billy Robinson vs. British Samurai for the ROF TV Championship The main event; I can't often trust either man to deliver what I need under those circumstances. But they have chemistry, the TV championship needed to be defended, and they both deserve the occasional headline shot; so I went for it. Billy makes Sammy tap again in a match the fans were absolutely ecstatic over. Billy Robinson defeated British Samurai by submission RATING: A* The show capped off with a hype video for Arsenal/Dragon. RATING: B Another very successful show, in short. Now to just make sure it doesn't go beyond the PPV in reception... OVERALL: A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 ROF: Graduation Tuesday Week 4 June Euston Road 6937 in attendance BUYRATE: 0.32 Graduation is one of our longer PPVs, so I knew I was going to end up doubling some workers up. We started that in the dark, with an intergender tag designed to help the ladies learn something; Nigel Svensson teamed up with Kristabel Plum and lost to Billy Robinson and Raven Nightfall, Raven somewhat spectacularly felling Nigel Svensson with the Night Faller – the workers' idea, not mine – to a big pop for a good match. Billy Robinson & Raven Nightfall defeated Nigel Svensson & Kristabel Plum when Raven Nightfall pinned Nigel Svensson RATING: B- Our second dark match was equally shoulda-been-on-the-main-card; Chojiro Kitoaji fell to Mario Heroic. Their development and chemistry together made this pretty damn spectacular. Mario Heroic defeated Chojiro Kitoaji by pinfall RATING: A The PPV proper kicked off with a video interview with Arsenal where he discussed his career, talking about the length of time he'd spent with TCW without ever getting near a shot at the big belt, and how in ROF he'd been here only six months and was already in sight of the belt. He noted this was already higher than he'd risen to date and promised he'd take it all the way tonight. RATING: B- Daniel Black Francis vs. El Heroe Mexicano vs. Extraordinario Jr vs. Jonathan Faust vs. KC Glenn vs. Nate Johnson A midcard showcase match, basically. It's sad that Faust was the man showing the most notable improvement here, but there you go; Extraordinario at least got the last laugh when he dropped Faust for the pin, with El Heroe fending off Daniel to ensure his tag partner got the win. Good pops all through. Extraordinario Jr defeated Daniel Black Francis, El Heroe Mexicano, Jonathan Faust, KC Glenn and Nate Johnson when he pinned Jonathan Faust RATING: B- El Heroe and Extraordinario took a moment to celebrate in the ring. Still not over enough, looks like. RATING: D+ Backstage we saw Hugh de Aske casting around, trying to find Art Reed. RATING: C East and West vs. The Stunners Simply fantastic; these two teams show just what a tag division can produce when the team members are given the time to develop, work together, and reach the understandings needed. Three of these men had already worked tonight; here, they surpassed that. I gave them twenty-five minutes and they delivered, with East and West continuing to learn from the styles of their most frequent rivals and taking it to them hard while the Stunners continue to innovate new power/speed double-teams, my current favourite being a legdrop to a man who's only just hit the mat due to spinebuster. The one fresh man decided this, ultimately; Marc Speed made Eagle tap to the Cross Armbreaker – hit as a counter to a slingshot clothesline. East and West defeated The Stunners when Marc Speed made Black Eagle submit RATING: A Hugh finally caught up with Art and laid it out; Hugh's in the middle of a PPV run of embarrassments, Art's just on a losing streak. He suggested they make sure one of them turned it around tonight, and Art accepted. RATING: C+ Art Reed vs. Hugh de Aske Well... I hadn't expected it to be this good. Art wasn't on his A-Game tonight, but we could cover for that easily due to the frustration being developed in his character and due to Hugh pulling out all the stops. They did better than I'd hoped for and Hugh took it home, keeping himself fairly credible with a very, very nice-looking win. Hugh de Aske defeated Art Reed by pinfall RATING: A* Joey Beauchamp made his way to ringside for the next match, leaving Joss looking very on edge and jumpy, particularly with Brandon already two matches down and exhausted... RATING: C+ Davis Wayne Newton vs. Joss Thompson Sweet sweet stuff; twenty-five minutes of, effectively, brawl. Both men took it seriously, occasionally pulling high-risk flying stunts or slapping on submissions when they saw an opening to do real damage but mostly confining themselves to a slugfest that felt – and was – real. Toward the end, Joey jumped up on the apron as Thompson bloodied Davis with a vicious headbutt; Joss spun around, wary, and Davis capitalised; front Russian leg sweep, STF applied, submission. Good stuff that looked like it could've gone either way. Davis Wayne Newton defeated Joss Thompson by submission RATING: A* UK Dragon vs. Human Arsenal in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match for the ROF Championship Wow – looks like Arsenal has great chemistry with just about everyone, then. This was mindblowingly good, fast, hard-hitting – Matthew Morris has developed into one of the best microphone men in the business, and he was stranded trying to call this. Highlights... well, all four falls; the spinout Dragon Drop at sixteen minutes in, Arsenal springing to the top rope and beginning the Trench Warfare there, bringing Dragon crashing to the mat already in a full nelson, his head then forced to the mat until he tapped at twenty-one minutes; another Dragon Drop countered into a massive overhead German suplex to put the challenger two-one up at twenty-seven minutes, and a final Dragon Drop landing at 29:55 – exactly enough time to cover and count before the bell. The champ draws level and retains with perfect timing. UK Dragon drew with Human Arsenal at two falls apiece RATING: A* Beautiful. Finally, Graduation lives up to our hype; that it should be a standout event of the year – and this was the standout event of our company to date. OVERALL: A* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 And that... is the penultimate post for this dynasty. At least, the penultimate post within the game itself, closing out with my best event in five and a half years at the five and a half year mark. It's not the end of ROF, obviously enough. I'm playing this through to the end of 2012, and the plan - such as it is - is to cap this dynasty with a summary post of the final six months, then see about converting the data to TEW 2008 and going on from there. I can't believe Terry's reign has lasted this long. I expected to be fired in the first year. Hopefully the 2008 edition will kick off in a better style than this did and will, accordingly, keep the interest better and encourage more participation. In 2013, the Ring of Fire invades America... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted May 31, 2008 Author Share Posted May 31, 2008 It's been a while since I really had a chance to discuss all this. The last six months have been busy as hell. Let's see... [B]Proving Grounds[/B] in August exceeded [B]Graduation[/B] in terms of quality – and then so did [B]Champion's League[/B] which also netted us a new attendance record of fourteen thousand who saw the Year of the Dragon come to an end as [B]Don Henderson[/B] unseated the man who'd beaten absolutely everyone else in the main event scene in a brilliant half-hour match. Don would retain at [B]Passing the Torch[/B] against [B]Art Reed[/B], headlining an event even better received than Champion's League. [B] Greg Gauge[/B] returned to the promotion, immediately tagging up with [B]Ernest Youngman[/B] as [B]The Professionals[/B], a duo who rose over the next five months to eventually unseat [B]East and West[/B] as tag champions, capturing the belt earlier than I might have liked – but Nichiren was at the time suffering from some nerve damage, since surgically corrected. At the same time a renewed focus on the tag division has seen [B]The Stunners[/B] become two of the legends of tag wrestling while [B]Dos Phoenix[/B] finally established themselves in the British eye. There are almost no workers in the tag division who can't be considered contenders. [B]Wanda Fish[/B] retired at the end of October, dropping the championship to [B]Kristabel Plum[/B] before gracefully retiring. She can now be found in [B]Human Arsenal[/B]'s corner as a highly effective manager. Kristabel held onto the belt until December, when [B]Huntress Makiko[/B] took advantage of a dark battle royal to capture gold. New signings [B]Amber Allen[/B] and [B]Dragon Assassin[/B] are looking like good candidates to keep our momentum going forward in the women's division. [B]Billy Robinson[/B] lost the TV Championship to [B]Marc Speed[/B], whose run was lacklustre and quickly curtailed by B[B]lack Eagle[/B] – unfortunately, the Eagle was similarly poor in performance. [B]Mario Heroic[/B] took it from him and held it for nearly two months, losing out to [B]British Samurai[/B] on New Year's Eve during European Showcase. It remains to be seen how well the boss will do with it. December brought some hairy contract wrangling. We were lucky enough to re-sign Arsenal – at a significantly advanced rate of pay – for three years, but Hugh was feeling lost in the shuffle of the main event scene (which he had been) and wanted out. He lost a Last Man Standing contest against Davis at Passing the Torch just a few days before his contract elapsed – the stipulation was Loser Leaves Town, and the match was excellent. Hugh went out looking as good as he ever had. Speaking of Davis, he made it three consecutive years at [B]Wrestler of the Year[/B]. A future Hall of the Immortals if ever there was one. He was joined in ROF awards by [B]Nichiren Amagawa[/B], who compensated for his nerve injury by capturing [B]Young Wrestler of the Year [/B]for the first time. [B]Jeremy Stone[/B] took home [B]Veteran Wrestler of the Year[/B], a deserved honour. [B]Fuyuko Higa[/B] was [B]Female Wrestler of the Year[/B]; another very deserved achievement. Ring of Fire became [B]Promotion of the Year[/B] for the first time; we were also acclaimed [B]Most Improved Promotion[/B] for the third time, though last year, of course, 5SSW captured the award. An early bout between Davis and Don in January – on Fighting Fit – was awarded the [B]Match of the Year[/B] distinction. And [B]show of the year[/B] was ours, too – Passing the Torch, the event where Don Henderson proved he'd deserved his championship win the previous month. For four years straight we've won Match of the Year; three years solid have seen one of our PPVs carry the distinction of Card of the Year. The true glory, however, was the Hot 100. The top 10: [B]1.Davis Wayne Newton 2.Don Henderson 3.Human Arsenal 4.Extraordinario Jr 5.Art Reed 6.UK Dragon 7.Mario Heroic 8.Joey Beauchamp[/B] 9.Hugh de Aske 10.Buff Martinez The first eight are all ROF men; the latter two were for some or almost all of the year. [B]Billy Robinson[/B] slots in at eleven; [B]Nigel, Joss and Sammy[/B] follow in twelve to thirteen. [B]Jonathan Faust[/B] even scores the 17 slot, and [B]Sergei Kalashnov[/B] claims 24. After that there's a notable gap until [B]Ernest Youngman[/B] at 59, Nichiren at 64 and [B]Bulldozer Brandon Smith[/B] at 66. [B]Chojiro Kitoaji[/B] sneaks in at number 84, [B]Dos Phoenix[/B] are 90 and 91 with [B]KC Glenn[/B] directly behind them Twenty-one of the top 100 are current ROF workers; two more had worked for us during the year. It's been an astonishing six years. And I think, as we move forward, things will only get more interesting; Sammy and I have plans to move into America. There are four promotions you could call national powerhouses in Japan – Burning Hammer, 5SSW, PGHW and WLW – and I think there's going to be a real promotion war over there. UKW are close to our level and CPW have captured a TV slot, at least for the moment. We are, at this point, the third most prestigious company in the world, behind only TCW and NOTBPW. There has never been a better time for British wrestling. Yet, anyway; we'll see what we can do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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