TCW - The British Invasion

[Regis]

Steve Flash is one of those guys that I’ve always wanted to actually see in action. I’ve seen some of his matches on YouTube, and I’ve heard all the buzz – who hasn’t? The guy’s an internet darling, an East Coast Wars veteran, he’s one of those people that everyone I’ve spoken to in this business has said they’d sign if they got a chance. He’s getting old, but age isn’t the problem people think it is in this business. There’s room for a veteran, and Steve is the man to fill that role for me. That said, I can’t help wondering if he hasn’t somehow bought into his own hype a bit. He came to the interview in his street clothes, sat down without being asked (although he did shake hands first, nice and respectfully) – he even started asking questions first. “So, Mister Fowler, this interview: are you requesting that I join TCW, or giving me a chance to join TCW?” I paused for a second. “…I’m sorry, you just said the same thing twice. What?” “I mean, is this going to be a case of you telling me why I should come and work for you, or of me telling you why I would be a good investment and why you should pay me money?” I took a moment to throw out my expectations of how this conversation might have gone. “Tell you what,” I suggested, “how about we take it in turns? You tell me why you think you’d work well in TCW, then I try to convince you to take what I’m offering. Sound good?” Steve grinned. “Sounds like speed dating. Alright,” he continued before I could respond. “I’ve been in this business for a long time. I can call a match well enough to make just about anyone look good. I’m good in the air or on the mat, I can brawl if I have to…” He paused for a second, thinking. “I’ll do the job for anyone you say I have to and make them look good doing it, I’ll keep an eye on things backstage…” he thought for a second longer, then shrugged. “That’s me. Can’t really think of anything else.” “Okay.” I consulted my finance sheets. “In which case, here’s our offer. We’d be looking to stick you in the Tag Division, probably pairing you up with Sean Deeley if we can sign him. You’ll likely be playing Face, because we don’t have enough Face tag teams, and we’ll probably work you into a title program with The Machines straight away while we see about giving the Young Guns a bit more experience. We’d be paying you $2,850 a month for 18 months, you’d be on national TV and working with some of the best wrestlers in the business today. Or at least, some more of them.” I paused. “Sound good?” Steve pulled at his beard for a second, before shrugging. “Sure, sounds cool to me. Mind if I have my legal people look the contract over first?” “They won’t find anything less than kosher, but sure, go ahead!” I shook his hand. “Welcome on board with TCW.” I thought more about our conversation after Steve left. Coming from anyone else, that attitude would have sounded like pure arrogance. But from Steve Flash? Not so much. In the end, Steve’s a veteran in all areas of the industry. He probably does know more about contract negotiation than I do. He’s been stiffed out of paycheques, worked as an undercard jobber, held his promotion’s main belt and everything in between, and in the end, he knows what matters. Respect is a matter of attitude, of honesty about what everyone wants and how they want to get it. Wearing a smart suit or making speeches doesn’t make the job any easier. Just coming in and sorting things out does. I felt somehow reassured.

[Regis]

Fumihiro Ota and Insane Machine also signed up with little fuss, in a slightly more conventional style. Ota even went as far as calling me ‘sir’. Hell, he even called Tommy ‘Mister Cornell’, which made me wonder how the hell Tommy hadn’t managed to get him out of that habit the last time he worked here. Sean Deeley, however, proved reluctant to sign up – North Of The Border had snapped him up. DAMN YOU, DAN STONE! However, all was not lost. I still had another phone call or two to make – although this one was going to be somewhat more expensive. I checked my trans-Atlantic timetable, and dialled Don Henderson’s number. It rang for a while before a grumpy-sounding voice answered. “What?” “Don? It’s me, Jonathan Fowler. Are you awake yet?” “Nah, I’m still in bed. The hell do you want?” “To talk business. Is Billy there?” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Don, this isn’t a sitcom. Not everything I say is a cheap double entendre. I mean, is Billy Robinson, your tag team partner and best mate, crashing at your house because you worked a show last night?” “Oh. Yeah, he’s downstairs.” “You both get the message I sent you?” “Yeah, we did. Are you serious about this?” “About you guys coming to America? As serious as I’ll ever be. I’ve got big plans over here, and we need British talent to do it. Well, more people than Tommy Cornell, anyway.” Don paused for a while. “It’s a big thing you’re asking me, here.” “It’s a big opportunity, Don. Did Merle get his contract as well?” Don chuckled. “Oh, yeah. He was over the damn moon. I thought he was having a fit, he nearly smiled.” “No wonder. Don, this is a chance to get The Shooters into the big time. You get on TV. You get a chance to keep on in this business without taking pennies from Ring Of Fire or having to go begging to Jeff Nova. I’m not asking you for a decision now, but if you do want to take this offer, you’re going to have to make your mind up soon. Okay?” Don paused again. “I’ll… I’ll talk to Billy about it.” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “You do that, Don. I hope I’ll see you soon.”

[Phantom Stranger]

[B]IT BEGINS.[/B] ...I love the Shooters.

[MVP]

I'm liking it so far, bringing a strong British presence in TCW seems interesting, and I think it's great bringing in The Shooters, even though you'll have to build them up alot because they have what, F- pop on the states right? But they're a perfect fit into TCW, and I think especially Robinson will do great. Btw, here are my predictions: In The Dark: Painful Procedure vs. [B]The Nation Of Filth[/B] [I]Both of them suck and are undeserving of a win, but since it's a dark match, you could give the win to the worse team, they have to look minimally "strong" to job to the Young Guns[/I] Charlie Thatcher vs. Ronnie V Pain vs. [B]Texas Pete[/B] [I]Just a guess[/I] In The Main Show: [B]The Young Guns[/B] vs. The Tag Team Specialists [I]You need to build the Guns as a credible threat to The Machines.[/I] [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Aaron Andrews [I]Ota's just debuted, he's going after the All Action title, Andrews is still in testing phase[/I] [B]American Buffalo[/B] vs. Ice Man C.A. [I]Squash[/I] [B]Rocky Golden[/B] vs. Giant Tana for the International Title [I]As much as I like Tana, Rocky's gonna get the win, but don't underestimate the Samoan giant, his mic skills are good, and he can get a B+ match with, for example, Troy Tornado, he could be very useful[/I] [B]Wolf Hawkins[/B] vs. BLZ Bubb [I]I'm a Wolf Hawkins fan, I'm wearing his T-shirt right now in fact:D [/I] [B]Tommy Cornell[/B] vs. Liberty, non-title. [I]The champ remains strong, but he may be challenged after the match...[/I]

[praguepride]

Grab Keith Adams and Brilliant White :D

[1PWfan]

I concur, especially with Keith Adams. Him and Rick Law as a new tag team? GOLD.

[Regis]

[I]OOC: It took a while to get it written up, but here it is - show 2! Next week I debut some of my new talent, although I can't by any means guarantee when it's going up. On with the show...[/I] [B]Painful Procedure vs. The Nation of Filth[/B] Once again, Painful Procedure danced in the dark, this time taking home a victory against the Nation Of Filth. The Nation actually didn’t drag this one down too badly – although it still wasn’t anything to write home about. Keep it short, keep it sweet, and let them beat the hell out of each other seems to be the formula here. [B]Billy Jack Shearer pins Stink with a Rhythm and Bruise at 5:53.[/B] [B]RATING: D-[/B] [B]Charlie Thatcher vs. Ronnie V Pain vs. Texas Pete[/B] And once again, three guys I don’t have much to do with. Three Heels brawling for supremacy – and in the end, the crowd accepted it. All these guys have a couple of good spots to their name, which made this match something a bit better than the average bar fight, especially when Texas Pete hit Charlie Thatcher with a Snake Eyes onto the crowd barrier before demolishing Ronnie with the Lone Star Drop. [B]Texas Pete pins Ronnie V Pain with a Lone Star Drop at 9:48. RATING: C-[/B] [B]The Young Guns vs. The Tag Team Specialists[/B] Robert Oxford is a veteran, but he knows how to work a match. Damn, but he looked nasty out there. The Tag Team Specialists practically radiated contempt for their inexperienced opponents, tying them up in knots with complex hold sequences and easily evading their return offence. At least, until the last four or so minutes, when the Guns started to kick it up to the next level. They even managed to time the finish right, although the ref only got a one-count before the time limit expired. [B]Time Limit Draw at 15 minutes. RATING: C-[/B] The Young Guns tried for a handshake after the traditional did-we-win-or-didn’t-we bit. The Specialists took their hands, and then… well. They don’t like young punk kids running around, making them look bad. How the hell Robert Oxford can safely German Suplex someone into the turnbuckle is beyond me, but he managed it, just as Joel Bryant tossed Steve Gumble through the middle ropes, head-first into the crowd barrier. The crowd booed, but the Young Guns aren’t fan favourites enough to get a really huge pop. [B]RATING: D-[/B] [B]Fumihiro Ota vs. Aaron Andrews[/B] Yeah! Fumihiro Ota makes his triumphant re-debut, and good though Aaron Andrews is, Fumi needs the build more than he does. Ota was on fire with speed and skill, dominating much of the match. That said, it’s a testament to Andrews’ resilience that he managed to avoid being totally squashed, working over the ninja’s leg with a series of basement dropkicks and leg-locks whenever he got a chance. In the end, however, Fumi managed to hit the Ninja Strike, a wicked-looking karate chop to the back of Andrews’ neck that left him twitching on the floor as Fumi took home the win. [B]Fumihiro Ota pins Aaron Andrews at 13:58 with a Ninja Strike. RATING: C-[/B] Next, a brief word from the announce table. Jason Azaria speaks: “Well, ladies and gentlemen, recently Floyd Goldworthy requested an opportunity for his client, American Buffalo to show his wrestling skills for the TCW audience. American Buffalo has made a great mark lately, and his rise to the top has been quite astonishing in his speed; as a result, the TCW booking committee have decided to award American Buffalo a match against Ice Man C.A., one of our most promising young rookies to date. Will the Ice Man pull off an upset? Or will American Buffalo continue to dominate? I spoke to Floyd Goldworthy earlier today, and he had this to say…” We cut backstage to a gym where American Buffalo is training with a punch bag. Jason Azaria, pulling backstage interview duty, stands there with Floyd Goldworthy. Now, Floyd pulled off a hell of a promo – the guy can talk and talk well, no doubt about it. But throughout the whole thing, I could not take my eyes off the Buffalo. He pounded the sh*t out of that bag! He slammed his fists into it so hard I’m surprised he didn’t bleed. He headbutted it. He slammed his knees into it. He grunted and roared and laid into that thing like he was seconds away from ripping it to shreds. Then, as Floyd started to wrap things up, he took a few steps back, paused, and delivered The Stampede, that vicious Spear that makes me wince every time I see it – and he ripped the thing off its damn chains! I know it was gimmicked, but hell! That’s impressive, no matter how you cut it. [B]Match Announcement and Manager Hype rated: D+ and C.[/B] [B]American Buffalo vs. Ice Man C.A.[/B] Once again, for a Monster versus a jobber, this one pulled surprisingly well. Buffalo toyed with the Ice Man for quite some while, throwing him around the ring, military-pressing him maybe half a dozen times, and generally slamming him around the place. Ice Man sold like a champ for this one; he yelled, he grimaced, he staggered about, but he somehow kept on kicking out. He and Buffalo continue to play well off each other, with a couple of moments of banter and teased comebacks here and there, until eventually the Buffalo just got sick of it, and charged in for the Stampede… Only for Ice Man to hit a drop toe hold, shooting Buffalo into the ropes, then catch him as he came back for the swinging reverse DDT that he calls the Ice Breaker, and the three-count. Buffalo was up in seconds, but Clark was already staggering for his life by that point, with the ref raising his hand in victory. Looks like the Buffalo shouldn’t be so complacent in future… [B]Ice Man C.A. won at 11:32 with the Ice Breaker. RATING: C+[/B] Next up, Jason and Kyle announced tonight’s Main Event – our champion, Tommy Cornell, would be facing Liberty in a non-title match. It’s a hard thing to sell Liberty as a credible threat these days – his momentum got badly damaged by that crappy Heel turn last year, and his easy-going persona doesn’t lend itself to descriptions of how powerful he is or how intense he gets about his matches. Let’s face it – he really doesn’t. What they could talk about, though, was Liberty’s tenacity. The never-say-die attitude is always something that goes over well with the TCW audience, and the prospect of seeing an underdog taking on the big boss got the crowd going rather well. Not too bad, all things considered. [B]RATING: B[/B] [B]Rocky Golden vs. Giant Tana[/B] Rocky continues to make defences of his International Title, and the crowd continue to grow in loathing of him. Rocky is the classic old-school Heel. He’s really not as good as his opponents, to the point where half the audience seems to think that if they got into the ring they could take him on themselves. So when he resorts to dirty tactics, like he always does, they go berserk. In this case, Tana’s comedy spots couldn’t save him as Rocky got a nasty-looking blow with a pair of brass knuckles before the three-count. [B]Rocky Golden pins Giant Tana at 10:06 after a foreign object shot. RATING: C[/B]

[Regis]

That being done, we cut to backstage to hear what Liberty has to say. We recorded this segment a few days ago, so that drink Liberty has in his hand? That’s not fake, he’s actually sipping a White Russian throughout the whole thing. However, in his own words… “Hey there, dudes and dudettes. This is Liberty here, coming at you from the summer of love to bring good vibrations to every one of you, right here in New York City!” Gotta love that cheap pop. “Now tonight, Liberty is taking on the boss, Tommy Cornell. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, Liberty, dude, why do this? Tommy owns this place, Tommy pays your wages, Tommy’s got the title, Tommy’s never going to let this one go anywhere. Why risk a beating when you could be sitting back and chilling out, dude? Well, Liberty has this to say to all of you guys out there: it’s cool that you care so much, but Liberty’s gotta do what Liberty’s gotta do, right? I mean, I’m not a dude that gives up easily, y’know? Did I give up when Genghis Rahn near broke my skull with that club of his? No! Did I give up when Troy Tornado laid me out with that Mic stand? No! Did I give up when BLZ Bubb powerbombed me through the ring? Hell no! Liberty stands tall, and Liberty stands proud, and Liberty doesn’t back down from anything. I can’t promise to beat Tommy Cornell, ‘cause hey, Tommy’s damn good. But I can promise to you that I will go out there tonight and give it one-hundred-ten percent, I will work my ass off, and tomorrow afternoon I will get up, look myself in the mirror, and say, ‘you know what? Liberty abides.’ I don’t know about you, but I find that comforting.” As Liberty turned to leave, he nearly bumped into Ricky Dale Johnson. RDJ grinned. “Hey, Liberty. Nice rug.” “Thanks, dude.” [B]RATING: B+[/B] [B]BLZ Bubb vs. Wolf Hawkins[/B] This was a disappointment – it should have been a lot better than it was. Alas, though, it wasn’t, and both Wolf and Bubb looked slightly lost. I suppose a goodly part of it comes from their contrasting styles, really – Wolf is Tommy’s man, through and through, trained to work through fast-paced technical and flying routines, keeping the pace up. Bubb, on the other hand, is a monster and has always played as one, and a monster lives on slowing the pace down and keeping his opponent grounded. In the end, the two of them ran through their spots and took it in turns to dominate, but they both looked a little bit lost whenever they weren’t in control, neither sure how to sell for a style of offence they weren’t used to seeing. The finish came with Hawkins poised on the top rope to deliver the 450 Splash he calls the Bad Moon Rising when Jay and Raul Darkness rushed the ring, Jay distracting the referee while his brother bumped the ropes, causing Wolf to crotch himself on the top. From that moment it was Bubb all the way, in classic style: slam from the top rope, gorilla press gutbuster, and then the Hades Bomb for the win. Wolf’s good, but you don’t job out someone like Bubb without a very, very good reason. [B]BLZ Bubb pinned Wolf Hawkins at 11:33 after a Hades Bomb and interference by The Darkness Warriors. RATING: C+[/B] Then, before the Main Event, the champ gets his chance to speak. Another pre-recorded segment – we’ve got the time, and it gives both guys the chance to focus on warming up for the match rather than worrying about their lines. Tommy ran through his usual promo formula, that always gets the crowd popping – I’m the best in the world, my opponent’s a loser, this is my company, this is my belt. The contempt coming from him whenever he mentioned Liberty’s name was almost palpable, even through the screen. This looks like being a good one. On a side note, I find myself privy to one of the greatest secrets in the wrestling world: Tommy Cornell suffers from almost crippling stage fright. When he started out in the business he regularly used to throw up from pure nerves if he was called upon to talk to the camera. Now, he’s been in the business for a long time, and he’s managed to lessen it to some extent, but he still doesn’t eat anything on the day of a Pay-Per-View. It still amazes me that he’s ever got as good at talking as he has – but he’s spoken on both shows so far, and I’m damn glad that he has. [B]RATING: B+[/B] [B]Liberty vs. Tommy Cornell[/B] And now… our MAIN EVENT! Liberty didn’t even get to start with a show of Face dominance, as Tommy jumped straight on him. It looked like a foregone conclusion, I had to admit – Liberty was getting a punch or a kick in here and there, maybe managing a whip to the ropes if he was lucky, but Tommy was a house on fire, working Liberty’s neck and back for the Guilt Trip. Liberty sold it like the pro he is as well, floundering and staggering around, barely able to stand. When Tommy got a long two-count after a flapjack that saw Liberty getting air normally only seen by the All-Action Division, a nearly stood up and applauded him. Then… something strange happened. Tommy set Liberty up for a corner charge, one last move before the Guilt Trip took things home, when Liberty managed to dodge. Tommy took the turnbuckle full in the sternum, winding himself, then got caught with a nasty-looking backbreaker from Liberty for a two-count that almost convinced the crowd that it was all over. And from that point on, Liberty sustained a comeback that was almost biblical in nature. Liberty plays underdog wonderfully, even when he’s on the offence, and at any moment it looked like this would be the move that Tommy would reverse, that this would see the end to it – but no. And the number of falls that those guys nearly got! A backbreaker got two, a dropkick to the Tree Of Woe got two, a fallaway slam got two-and-a-half, and each time the crowd was building up to a fever pitch. They could have gone for the finish a bit earlier, as the peak had passed somewhat, but still, when Liberty hit the Liberation Slam, which is a jumping brainbuster and not a slam but there you go, and got the count. One… two… three! Nice one Liberty – let’s hope you can repay my trust next time. [B]Liberty wins at 21:11 with a Liberation Slam. RATING: B-[/B] As Tommy rolled out of the ring, shock written across his face, Liberty posed, celebrated and generally worked the crowd, throwing Peace signs everywhere he looked. I cheered, but still, this could have gone a lot better. Liberty’s not as over as RDJ, and he’s going to need a lot more build if he’s ever going to be a truly credible long-term threat to Tommy. On top of that, the rest of the show had been somewhat of a disappointment, especially after last week. I just hope we didn’t peak on our first show. [B]RATING: B[/B] [B][I]OVERALL RATING: C+ TV Rating: 27.14[/I][/B] [I]OOC: Nobody got 100% of the predictions right, but we had some good guesses! Rated in order of accuracy: Phantom Stranger: 5/8 Midnightnick: 5/8 1PWfan: 4/8 Tigerkinney: 4/8 MVP!: 3/8 ...And I didn't even need to change the order of posting! Hardly anyone guessed Tommy/Liberty, and nobody ever picks a Draw for match outcomes so the opening Tag match wasn't guessed either. Painful Procedure don't suck.[/I]

[steev42]

I think I'm hooked on another dynasty. Well done; and Liberty as "The Dude" Lebowski for the win. :)

[Greg McNeish]

Liberty totally has to do an angle in a bowling alley. Totally.

[Regis]

[QUOTE=steev42;371522]I think I'm hooked on another dynasty. Well done; and Liberty as "The Dude" Lebowski for the win. :)[/QUOTE] [quote=Greg McNeish]Liberty totally has to do an angle in a bowling alley. Totally.[/quote] You just wait and see what happens with Liberty's rug.

[SadisticBlessings]

[QUOTE=Regis;371603]You just wait and see what happens with Liberty's rug.[/QUOTE] Oh, dude... not the rug, man... it really tied the room together! As already has been mentioned, you're doing a good job of making familiar CornellVerse workers into living, breathing characters. Anyone who does TCW properly can easily get my readership, and right now you've got it - I'm thrilled someone finally came up with a creative solution to TCW's weak roster. Also, for the first time since I've started reading TCW diaries, I wholeheartedly approve of Liberty beating Tommy Cornell. Sure, he may not win the title, but the guy deserves at least a sustained push based on his charisma and overness alone. B+ segment ratings don't fall out of the sky in TCW, you know? :D Lastly, let me be the first to say that every Dude needs a Walter and Donnie to watch his back. Walking around with no allies is very un-Dude. I would mark so hard for a stable based on this concept it'd probably reset the server. Keep up the good work!

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=SadisticBlessings;371646] Lastly, let me be the first to say that every Dude needs a Walter and Donnie to watch his back. Walking around with no allies is very un-Dude. I would mark so hard for a stable based on this concept it'd probably reset the server. Keep up the good work![/QUOTE] Donnie should clearly be a hapless manager of some kind. Walter, I'm not sure...

[Regis]

While I can't comment on anything else, there are two British wrestlers called Walter Morgan and Donny Damage. Donny's a roadie these days, but nonetheless...

[Regis]

And now, the predictions key for the next show! [U]In The Dark:[/U] The Shooters (Billy Robinson and Don Henderson) vs. Painful Procedure [U]On TV:[/U] Aaron Andrews vs. Freddie Huggins vs. Merle O'Curle Fumihiro Ota vs. Ice Man C.A. Rick Law vs. Texas Pete Flash And Flare (Steve Flash and Insane Machine) vs. The Machines, non-title Ricky Dale Johnson vs. Troy Tornado Plus: Liberty and Tommy Cornell speak on last week's match! American Buffalo offers learned commentary on his defeat! An announcement from the TCW Booking Committee! Have fun!

[Greg McNeish]

The Shooters (Billy Robinson and Don Henderson) vs. [b]Painful Procedure[/b] [i]Painful Procedure are still a little valuable, and The Shooters have zero Popularity. They'll have a good showing, but that's it. It could be a draw, though.....[/i] Aaron Andrews vs. [b]Freddie Huggins[/b] vs. Merle O'Curle [i]I mark for the Hugginator. Sue me.[/i] [b]Fumihiro Ota[/b] vs. Ice Man C.A. [i]Ice shatters when struck by a Ninja Strike.[/i] [b]Rick Law[/b] vs. Texas Pete [i]Law has to be on his way to the main event scene (as he's got some talent), whereas Texas Pete... isn't, and doesn't.[/i] [b]Flash And Flare (Steve Flash and Insane Machine)[/b] vs. The Machines, non-title [i]Non-title gives the non-champions a chance. Just like the dark match, I could see this being a draw, just to keep the Machines strong, while still giving F&F the rub.[/i] Ricky Dale Johnson vs. [b]Troy Tornado[/b] [i]This is a great potential feud. Tornado cheats, and RDJ serves up some Southern Justice sometime in the future.[/i] I can't wait to hear American Buffalo's "commentary".

[juggaloninjalee]

In The Dark: [B]The Shooters (Billy Robinson and Don Henderson)[/B] vs. Painful Procedure [I]Shooters are in TCW to move up the card not be jobbers.[/I] On TV: [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] vs. Freddie Huggins vs. Merle O'Curle [I]Aaron Andrews is really talented and could make a push for the All Action Title.[/I] [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Ice Man C.A. [I]Ota is the man![/I] [B]Rick Law[/B] vs. Texas Pete [I]Law is being built up to win the World Title.[/I] Flash And Flare (Steve Flash and Insane Machine) vs. [B]The Machines[/B], non-title [I]The Machines are amazing and will win this match.[/I] Ricky Dale Johnson vs. [B]Troy Tornado[/B] [I]Troy Tornado wins dirty.[/I] Plus: Liberty and Tommy Cornell speak on last week's match! [I]Should be good.[/I] American Buffalo offers learned commentary on his defeat! [I]I don't know what to think of this.[/I] An announcement from the TCW Booking Committee! [I]Ricky Dale Johnson can still battle for the World Title even if Tommy has it.[/I]

[Phantom Stranger]

The Shooters (Billy Robinson and Don Henderson) vs. [B]Painful Procedure[/B] [I]But a close-run thing, I suspect.[/I] [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] vs. Freddie Huggins vs. Merle O'Curle [I]Aaron's the immediate prospect, Freddie's a little weaker, Merle gets more over just by being featured.[/I] [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Ice Man C.A. [I]Buffaloference.[/I] [B]Rick Law[/B] vs. Texas Pete [I]You clearly have plans for Law. We've seen none for Pete. Accordingly...[/I] Flash And Flare (Steve Flash and Insane Machine) vs. [B]The Machines[/B], non-title [I]If the Machines and F&F don't go into a feud you can get a lot more training done in the tag division, because Steve Flash can teach enough to make up for Machine. So the Machines retain and face someone else while Flash and Flare go on to school a team that needs it.[/I] Ricky Dale Johnson vs. [B]Troy Tornado[/B] [I]Troy gets a leg up in what's likely to run just under your title feud for a while.[/I] Plus: Liberty and Tommy Cornell speak on last week's match! [I]"No, the Dude minds, alright? The Dude minds. This injustice will not stand..."[/I] American Buffalo offers learned commentary on his defeat! *WHAM* An announcement from the TCW Booking Committee! "We've successfully got our heads out our collective backsides!"

[Tigerkinney]

In The Dark: The Shooters (Billy Robinson and Don Henderson) vs. [B]Painful Procedure[/B] [I]Shooters might move up the card eventually and are better skilled wrestlers already than PP ever will be, but for now the duo with the experience and overness in TCW goes over.[/I] On TV: [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] vs. Freddie Huggins vs. Merle O'Curle [I]Andrews is the brightest prospect out of this lot. Huggins is pretty average and O'Curle is a rock solid technician but lacks the personality to be a major player in TCW[/I]. [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Ice Man C.A. [I]Ice Man C.A is a jobber and alwys will be a jobber[/I] [B]Rick Law[/B] vs. Texas Pete [I]Law will eventually go after the World Title, Pete is probably being jobbed on his way out of the door[/I] Flash And Flare (Steve Flash and Insane Machine) vs. [B]The Machines[/B], non-title [I]Non Title it may be, but I can't see The Machines losing this one.[/I] Ricky Dale Johnson vs. [B]Troy Tornado[/B] [I]Difficult one to call, but I think Tornado will get the first win in what could be a good feud to eventually decide the next contender to Cornell's or perhaps even Liberty's World Title.[/I]

[praguepride]

[U]In The Dark:[/U] The Shooters (Billy Robinson and Don Henderson) vs. Painful Procedure [I]I predict a draw. Shooters aren't here to job to the jobbers, but they're still too new to give a push for. I think they'll show their worth by going to the wire with PP[/I] [U]On TV:[/U] Aaron Andrews vs. [B]Freddie Huggins [/B]vs. Merle O'Curle [I]Merle is too new and you said that it isn't Aaron's time yet[/I] [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Ice Man C.A. [I]Another day, another Ice Man Job[/I] [B]Rick Law[/B] vs. Texas Pete [I]Rick has so much more potential[/I] [B]Flash And Flare (Steve Flash and Insane Machine) [/B]vs. The Machines, non-title [I]Non-title matches favor the non-champions, plus a team as strong as those two need to be pushed hard and early to get them into the tag team championship contention which I would imagine is your purpose.[/I] [B]Ricky Dale Johnson[/B] vs. Troy Tornado [I]Ricky needs a win to restore his momentum. To me it sounds like Troy will be getting bumped down to the upper midcards once you bring up a new main eventer, like Wolf or another talented youth.[/I]

[Astil]

In The Dark: The Shooters (Billy Robinson and Don Henderson) vs. [B]Painful Procedure[/B]On TV: [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] vs. Freddie Huggins vs. Merle O'Curle [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Ice Man C.A. [B]Rick Law[/B] vs. Texas Pete [B] Flash And Flare[/B] (Steve Flash and Insane Machine) vs. The Machines, non-title Ricky Dale Johnson vs. [B]Troy Tornado[/B]

[Regis]

There’s something inspiring about watching a good wrestler go through their paces. There’s a sense of awe as the best fliers in the business work their spots, and believe me, until you’ve seen them go in person you really won’t understand. A TV screen is small, even the largest of them. It can’t convey the scale when, say, Remmy Skye dives off the top of a ladder to the outside of the ring. The height these people can get! How do they not die when they hit the ground, even inside the ring? How have they not broken every bone in their bodies? And yet they do it anyway. The very best brawlers I’ve seen still scare me. I’ve watched Jungle Jack Marlowe beat the living hell out of a man, and the sheer brutality of the display was more than I’d ever seen before. Hell, I’ve seen men in street-corner fights that did less damage to each other than that man did to his opponent. And watching Larry Wood in a Hardcore match? I don’t even want to know how that man thinks when he comes up with some of these spots. The words ‘barbed wire’ don’t even cross my mind in the course of a normal day, let alone in the context of using it on people! The penchant for inventive brutality these guys display is as scary for the audience as it is for their opponents – and who doesn’t enjoy a little scare every now and then? Watching Merle O’Curle and The Shooters working through a few sequences in the ring, however, reminded me quite decisively that seeing a proper technician at work is perhaps the most inspiring sight of all. The best of them can just about match the speed of the aerialists when they have to, switching from hold to counter-hold to reversal so fast that it baffles the eye as to how they managed it. I’ve heard it said, mostly by troglodytes from the very bowels of the internet, that technical wrestling is somehow ‘pansy’ compared to a straight-up fight – well, those fellers have obviously never been in a front facelock in real life. I’ve seen technicians stretch people so brutally it looked like they’d break in half, I’ve seen them play submission sequences entirely for comedy (hint: it involved a lot of humping), I’ve seen them work with speed, with deliberation, with absolute focus, even with wild anger. I know it’s purely a personal bias, but I honestly believe that the best wrestlers in the world work in this style. It’s a long way before Billy, Don and Merle get there, of course. They might never do so. But still, for all of that, I like their style. These boys have got a long way to go; it’s up to me, it seems, to give them the chance to make it. [I]OOC: Next show is being written up, worry not - it'll be here at some point. Though I make no guarantees as to when. :)[/I]

[Greg McNeish]

That last post was beautifully written. Every once in a while it's nice to be reminded why I love watching grown men pretend to beat each other up. Kudos.

[Regis]

[B]The Shooters vs. Painful Procedure[/B] We opened the night for the Live audience only with our newest acquisitions taking to the ring – The Shooters, pride of Ring Of Fire’s Tag Division, taking on Painful Procedure. Randall Hopkirk wasn’t too happy about the result I’d booked, and I suppose that’s understandable – he’s a solid midcarder with some years of service under his belt, while Billy and Don are a no-name team from a British fed so small it might as well be Indie. Still, I’m inclined to say the hell with him. The Shooters have plans ahead for them, and until that point hits they will be made to look good and strong. As a result they carried the day against the rock stars, with Don forcing the tap-out. [I]Don Henderson makes Billy Jack Shearer tap at 12:02 with the Scottish Deathlock.[/I] [B]RATING: D-[/B] [B]Merle O’Curle vs. Aaron Andrews vs. Freddie Huggins[/B] And now into the first match of the televised show, and once again the other performers complained in this one. Andrews is looking forward to finally getting a push at some point, I think, so when he got told he was to tap to the Celtic Wreath he got a bit snotty about it. Can’t be helped, though. Merle is due a spot much higher up the card than this, and as a result he’s got quite a way to go. For that, I can sacrifice a jobber’s rise, and can postpone re-building the Hugginator. And come on! Merle’s a bloody machine out there – he wrenched, stretched and damn near broke poor Andrews in half before the final ending came. Nice one Merle, and don’t worry, Aaron – your time will come. [I]Merle made Andrews tap at 13:56 with the Celtic Wreath.[/I] [B]RATING: D+[/B] Next up, we cut to backstage. Tommy Cornell is walking along – big pop for that one, no surprises there – when American Buffalo and Floyd Goldworthy pop into frame behind him. Floyd starts pestering first, wisely enough. “Hey, To – Mister Cornell! Excuse me, can we speak to you, sir?” Tommy’s face was a picture. The Boss is not used to being stopped when he’s walking. “What?” Floyd paused a moment. “My client and myself have a request we’d like to put to you, sir…” “What request? I’m not giving out more money, if that’s what you want.” “I want a damn match!” Yeah, Buffalo yells a lot in his promos. It’s what he’s best at, and it suits his crazed style of manic intensity. “I want another shot at that little Ice Man runt! That piece of crap got lucky when he beat me! He made me look like an idiot, and I’m going to pound his little head into a bloody pulp for that!” Tommy snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that. Anyway, what are you asking me for? Talk to the bloody booking committee if you want that, they’re in charge of matches these days.” “Yes Mister Cornell,” Floyd oozed into the conversation once more, “but I was wondering if you could, you know, have a word with them, put in a good word on my client’s behalf – we would be exceptionally grateful…” “Oh you would, would you?” Prepare yourselves, here it comes. Tommy Cornell is about to start ranting. “Well let me tell you something, I’ve got more important things on my mind than you and your Armenian Rhino or whatever he’s called buggering things up against some dumb rookie! You want a shot at him, you get it the same as anyone else, and you don’t go pestering me about it! I’m not going to the booking committee, I’m sick of the bloody booking committee, and if you ever treat me like your errand boy again, I will personally stretch you so hard you’ll be six inches taller than when I started!” And on that note, the boss stormed off. Floyd turned back to the Buffalo. “Looks like Plan B, then.” [B]RATING: C+[/B] [B]Fumihiro Ota vs. Ice Man C.A.[/B] Ice Man looked damn strong off the back of his shock win against Buffalo – there were even a few signs in the audience name-checking him (The Ice Man Cometh, which isn’t inventive but is a good slogan nonetheless). Still, Fumi is the Super Ninja, and it would take another fluke to unseat him. And, indeed, they managed to work that fairly well – Ice Man got a couple of snap roll-ups that actually popped the crowd, in between being dominated by his opponent as usual. Then… well. Then Plan B happened, when Floyd Goldworthy jumped out of the crowd carrying a steel chair, and as the referee tried to wrestle it from his hands, American Buffalo hit the ring and nailed Ice Man with The Stampede before jumping out of the ring before the ref saw. Fumi, who had ninjed it under the ring when he saw the Buffalo coming, popped out, hit the Ninja Strike to make absolutely sure, and pinned the spasming jobber for the three-count. [I]Fumi wins at 11:32 with the Ninja Strike after American Buffalo interferes.[/I] [B]RATING: C[/B] Ota made his escape with alacrity, and not a moment too soon as Buffalo was back in again. Chair shots and another Stampede damn near killed Ice Man, and in the end Floyd had to call Buffalo off to let the EMTs get the poor devil to the back. [B]RATING: D[/B] Next up, Liberty speaks on his victory over Tommy. The boards had been buzzing with the new take on Liberty’s character – there are a lot of Big Lebowski fans out there, it seems – so when we did the pre-taping, I told him to just go with it. He’d brought along a dressing gown and a pair of beach shorts as a joke, and so he dutifully changed into them, grabbed another White Russian, sat down, and began running through a series of quotations. He dragged up a couple of his old catchphrases in there as well, but really, the whole thing was kind of derivative and formulaic. You could tell at the start of every sentence exactly how it was going to end, all the jokes were signposted, and when he repeated the ‘Liberty abides’ line at the end, we were all mouthing along before he even started. To be honest, I didn’t expect much more than a comedy pop from the audience. Oh boy, was I wrong. The boards were, if anything, underestimating the love for this new face of Liberty. Everywhere in the crowd people were holding up ‘Liberty Abides’ signs! The blonde wigs and flowery headbands that we sold before the show were sold out! And with every single joke, every single catchphrase, the crowd went wild. America’s love affair with Liberty got a bit de-railed last year, but here we saw its rekindling. I put Liberty in to feud with Tommy on a whim, just to see where it was going to go – and now, I’m very glad that I did. [B]RATING: A!!!![/B]

[Regis]

[B]Rick Law vs. Texas Pete[/B] Next up, two strong contenders for the International Title face off, one on one. To be honest, until next week, the International Title division is in a bit of a holding pattern. After this, though, I think I’ll have something worked out. And it’s definitely going to involve Rick Law. I say it every time he shows up, and I’ll say it again – I love this guy. He’s got the clean-cut good looks, he’s got the stiff style, and he’s definitely popular enough. The only people who mark for Texas Pete, on the other hand, are people who like the **** he spreads about the Eisens. I’ve got no time for him, myself, and so it was that he ended up staring at the ceiling. Keep a civil tongue in your head, Pete, and maybe you’ll get a push. [I]Rick wins at 12:11 with the Long Arm Of The Law.[/I] [B]RATING: C+[/B] After that, Jason rose from his position at the announce table and made his way out to the ring. Jason’s playing interviewer and voice of the Booking Committee these days, which is helpful and gets his talents a bit more use. Opening an envelope and removing the paper within, he began to make his announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, the TCW Booking Committee have lately been considering a very tricky issue: who is to be named the Number One Contender for Tommy Cornell’s World Heavyweight Championship.” Pop. “After long consideration, we have taken into account the actions of the various possible contenders and come to a unanimous conclusion: the Number One Contender position is hereby awarded to Liberty, in view of his sterling performance against–” The rest of that sentence was cut off not just by the massive pop from the crowd but by Tommy’s music. Did I ever mention just how useful entrance music is in these cases? Anyway, back to Tommy. “Wait one second, Azaria!” I s******ed at this point – Tommy’s been pronouncing Jason’s name wrong since he met him, and always makes a point of doing it in promos. “Liberty? You’re putting that damn hippy against me? Pull the other one mate, it’s got bells on. Now come on, tell me I’m beating Johnson again and then we can get on with our lives.” Jason looked thoroughly confused. “I’m sorry, Mister Cornell, but I’m afraid that the Booking Committee is quite definite about this: Liberty is your Number One Contender, and you will face him for the title at Malice In Wonderland.” Tommy paused for a second. “Yeah, right. Ha ha, very funny. Let’s all laugh at the World Champion. I’m rapidly losing patience here, so if you could see your way clear to kindly just getting the hell on with it and telling us all what’s going on, I’d be much obliged.” Jason looked like he didn’t know what to say. “Mister Cornell, there’s no joke. The Booking Committee has spoken. Liberty is the Number One Contender. That’s all. I’m sorry if you object, but…” “No! No buts, Azaria! Now, obviously there’s been some kind of mistake. Obviously the Booking Committee have their heads so far up their behinds that they can’t read the names on our roster properly. But you go back to them, and you tell them that if I don’t get a proper Contender named by the next show then there will be… trouble.” [B]Contender Announcement and Protest Rated: B, B+[/B] [B]The Machines vs. Flash And Flare[/B] Oyy… The pain. The unmitigated pain. I should have tried Steve and the Machine out in the dark first, I know I should, but to be honest I wanted them out in the limelight for Malice In Wonderland, and so they made their debut here. And, good though they both are, they fluffed it. They must have blown maybe half a dozen tag spots? Insane Machine nearly took Steve’s head off with a mistimed dropkick while Steve held Machine #2 for him – although fortunately that was the worst we saw. Still, I think it’s fair to say that Steve Flash and Insane Machine have absolutely zero chemistry. Yet in spite of all that, they did quite well for themselves. The best tag spot they managed was a stereo dropkick that sent the Machines flying, and on their own they worked well. Still, in the end, it wasn’t enough – the Machines got the Machine Gun (though just barely) to take the victory. Still, Flash And Flare looked damn dangerous. Even with their chemistry issues, I’m still going to call them the most credible challengers right now. [I]The Machines win at 21:46 with a Machine Gun.[/I] [B]RATING: C[/B] Next up, our team in the van spliced together a video package to hype Troy vs. RDJ. Without a feud to go on, they had to bodge it up a bit, but they did a damn good job. They took a bunch of promo lines out of context, put them together, and almost made it look like a heated series of insults and self-hype. It wasn’t supposed to be, but it worked well together. They took stuff out of context, and used it to make two guys look awesome. Some politician should get them to do campaign ads. [B]RATING: B+[/B] [B]Ricky Dale Johnson vs. Troy Tornado[/B] Another good old-fashioned TCW match here – the egotistical cheat against the hard-drinking, hard-fighting man of the people. Troy’s disdain at being in this match was almost as much as Tommy’s for Liberty last week. None of the Heels seem to have any respect around these parts – just as it should be! Heels are there to get the fans riled up, to piss them off and make them want to see a righteous beating dished out in return. Luckily enough, then, Johnson is just the man to dish out such a beating. It’s why he’s so over, and why he’s justified in having a position this far up the card. We started with another handshake sequence at the start. The crowd were fired up for another headbutt, but no – this time, Troy cautiously shook Johnson’s hand. The crowd were disappointed, at least until Tornado caught his opponent with a nasty-looking kick to the gut which doubled him over with shock. Troy looked as smug as anything, making me wonder how the hell he managed to stay Face for so long without someone wanting to punch him. But then, surprise surprise! As the Tornado turns around, RDJ obliges the crowd with an uppercut that knocked the smug bastard clean off his feet, getting the match well and truly underway. With the benefit of hindsight – ah, cruel, cruel 20/20 hindsight – this went on a bit too long for Ricky. He’s fit, but going all-out for nearly half an hour tired him out. Still, he wasn’t too tired to pull off a particularly awesome sequence. The ref was down, I forget why, when Tornado headed outside for a chair. Ricky was staggering at this point, barely still on his feet, when Tornado got back in and swung for the hills – only to have RDJ catch the chair and drag it out of his hands! Troy begs off like a pro, while Ricky works the crowd – should I let him have it? The crowd roars its approval. Ricky winds up for a big swing, starts, and then laughs and tosses the chair aside as Troy flees for the corner like a scalded cat. After that point it was academic – RDJ dominating for a few more minutes before hitting the Southern Justice for the win. [I]Ricky Dale Johnson wins at 27:44 with a Southern Justice.[/I] [B]RATING: B-[/B] [B][I]OVERALL RATING: B- TV Rating: 27.86[/I][/B]