MAW: And You Thought Cuban Was Bad

[Phantom Stranger]

[I]Taken from [url]www.midatlanticwrestling.biz[/url][/I] MAW is proud to announce Protect and Survive this Friday. As ever, we're coming to you from Stanley Hall. So far matches scheduled include: [COLOR="Red"][B]Jimmy Foxx[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Stan 'the Man' Manna[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]Des Davids[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Antonio[/B][/COLOR] [B][COLOR="Red"]Insane Machine[/COLOR][/B] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack G. Wells[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]Natural Storm[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Canadian Blondes[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Tag Titles [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Championship We've also heard that [COLOR="Blue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] wants a match with the [COLOR="Red"][B]Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR], but no confirmation has been made as yet. [COLOR="Red"][B]Ricky Douglas[/B][/COLOR] returns from injury - what does this mean for Des Davids? [COLOR="Blue"][B]Erik Strong'[/B][/COLOR]s been friendly with the Natural Storm of late. Can he cancel out [COLOR="Red"][B]Huey Cannonball[/B][/COLOR]? Why am I even asking?

[Sonfaro]

[B]Jimmy Foxx[/B] vs. Stan 'the Man' Manna [I]Foxx is better.[/I] [B]Des Davids[/B] vs. Antonio [I]Despite an expected run-in, Davids and his new Three-Point Bomb will win the day. Consequently, is the [B][COLOR="Indigo"]Quarterback Sack[/COLOR][/B] still in his moveset for you?[/I] [B]Insane Machine [/B]vs. Jack G. Wells [I]Insane gets a win to get back into the picture.[/I] [B]Natural Storm[/B] vs. The Canadian Blondes for the MAW Tag Titles [I]Come on man. It's the storm. They're not going to loose to a [COLOR="Red"]Canadian [/COLOR]boy band... Right?[/I] Mainstream Hernandez vs. Steven Parker for the MAW Championship [I]Draw. I expect you'll want to stretch this out till Where it all Begins Again[/I] We've also heard that American Elemental wants a match with the Mean Machine, but no confirmation has been made as yet. [I]If it's a match, AE wins it, just because I don't think Parkers loosing the belt just yet, and if (when) he retains, he'll need a new challenger.[/I] Ricky Douglas returns from injury - what does this mean for Des Davids? [I]A run in.[/I] Erik Strong's been friendly with the Natural Storm of late. Can he cancel out Huey Cannonball? Why am I even asking? [I]He'll probably not be much help now, but he'll do wonders later.[/I] - Sonfaro

[Dragonmack]

[B]Jimmy Foxx[/B] vs. Stan 'the Man' Manna [B]Des Davids[/B] vs. Antonio [B]Insane Machine[/B] vs. Jack G. Wells Natural Storm vs. [B]The Canadian Blondes[/B] for the MAW Tag Titles Mainstream Hernandez vs. [B]Steven Parker[/B] for the MAW Championship

[foolinc]

[b]Jimmy Foxx[/b] vs Stan 'the Man' Manna Des Davids vs. [b]Antonio[/b] [b]Insane Machine[/b] vs. Jack G. Wells Natural Storm vs. [b]The Canadian Blondes[/b] for the MAW Tag Titles Mainstream Hernandez vs. [b]Steven Parker[/b] for the MAW Championship

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Sonfaro;380848] [B]Des Davids[/B] vs. Antonio [I]Despite an expected run-in, Davids and his new Three-Point Bomb will win the day. Consequently, is the [B][COLOR="Indigo"]Quarterback Sack[/COLOR][/B] still in his moveset for you?[/I] [/QUOTE] Yes, but I only know about it via Wrestling Spirit 2 - the data was blank on finishers when I looked. So the Quarterback Sack is now a solid anti-jobber move or a good mid-match main event spot, rather than a full-on matchwinner.

[Phantom Stranger]

[CENTER][U][B]MAW: Protect and Surviv[/B][/U]e Friday Week 3 July 2007 Held at Stanley Hall 102 in attendance[/CENTER] We broke the century mark. I don't believe it. DARK MATCH – RATING: D- DARK MATCH – RATING: D [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Marv Earnest[/B][/COLOR] and [COLOR="Red"][B]Rip Chord[/B][/COLOR] kick off the internet broadcast with a warm welcome and their usual bickering. The announcer's bickering segued into a new video we'd edited together hyping Mainstream's struggle with the Firm and Parker in particular. RATING: D- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Erik Strong[/B][/COLOR] warns [COLOR="Red"][B]Huey Cannonball[/B][/COLOR] not to dare interfere in the tag match tonight. RATING: E- [COLOR="Red"][B]Jimmy Foxx [/B][/COLOR]vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Stan 'the Man' Manna[/B][/COLOR] Well, Kristen did pretty well. Mostly this was about playing up the Apopalypse via our resident tag jobbers, with [COLOR="Red"][B]Cameron Vessey[/B][/COLOR] sliding under the ropes while Kristen kept [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Jay Fair[/B][/COLOR] distracted. A number of sweet double-teams ensued and Jimmy capped it off with a Flying Foxx springboard bulldog for the win. Jimmy Foxx def. Stan Manna following interference by Cameron Vessey RATING: E+ [COLOR="Red"][B]The Canadian Blondes[/B][/COLOR] got some promo time following this to promise new tag champs tonight. Oscar's getting better at this, but he's also looking like he needs to transition role soonish. Which is fine. RATING: E+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Des Davids[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Antonio[/B][/COLOR] I'm sure Antonio will not be overjoyed to know that his knack for working with Des has him slated to regularly do the job when our gridiron warrior needs a fall guy. It's rare at the moment to find worthwhile chemistry in MAW, though, so I'll take what I can get. Antonio is not the man to finally beat Des clean – or not without some damn build - but the pair of them put on a match that's exceptional for a MAW undercard bout, in part due to Des showing off some new holds and transitions with a fluency that hadn't been the case before. Again, the Three Point Bomb is what ends things, Antonio also selling it by dropping flat and not moving. Des Davids def. Antonio RATING: C- [COLOR="Red"][B]Ricky Douglas[/B][/COLOR] is suddenly in the ring with a chair in hand. He lays Des out with a shot to the back and continues to work him over. RATING: E A hype video next for the Storm against the Blondes, centring around that backstage assault a few months back. RATING: E As we cut back, [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] is alone in the ring. He makes a quick case – the [COLOR="Red"][B]Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR]'s run-in last month, in his eyes, cost him the match, and he wants to clear that issue up tonight. RATING: D- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Insane Machine[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack G. Wells[/B][/COLOR] I actually enjoyed this one a lot. We're still not exactly fluent together in the ring, but Chris is really good, and as a result we were just about able to overcome that problem and not let Des and Antonio down. On top of that, maybe it's his WLW work but Chris pulled out a neat little discus slam on me I hadn't seen before and nearly creased me with a backdrop driver, that latter being part of a counter sequence we'd figured out. Eventually I just managed to win with a rope-assisted Sleeper which Jay didn't quite catch. Jack G. Wells def. Insane Machine by submission RATING: C- Erik appeared again, talking up both tag teams in detail before their match. I think he's going to need a little revision soon, too. RATING: E [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Natural Storm[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Canadian Blondes[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Tag Titles I can't recount this too well, it was a testament to the power of overbooking, more than anything else. After all the build, naturally Huey ran in with a Cannonball Splash on Eddie, and naturally Erik came in, threw him over the top rope, and then jumped onto the rope to hit what Marv coined a 'Strong Star Press' to the outside. If Flash had been really firing on all cylinders, it could've been great; as it was, it was just about acceptable. It was even Flash who got the win, felling Eddie with a kick to the nuts before rolling him up, but even this didn't motivate him. The Canadian Blondes def. Natural Storm following run-ins by Huey Cannonball and Erik Strong RATING: D- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR] I'm beginning to wonder if Jean clicks with anyone, not that Elemental's doing much better thus far. A feud between these two won't work, so maybe we need to figure out something else for them. Elemental gets the win, however, hitting that great Inferno Splash to move forward. Just need to figure the rest of it out... American Elemental def. Mean Machine RATING: D+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Championship After all that time it comes down to this. Hernandez started out with some sharp wrestling holds and takedowns, but Parker got through that by turning it into a brawl – and Mainstream showed he could handle that, too. That's when [COLOR="Red"][B]Ricky Douglas[/B][/COLOR] hit the ring, with Jay almost disqualifying him before Cruise persuaded him not to. Douglas and Parker got a double suplex on Mainstream and went for a tidal wave, but Mainstream got out of the way and clotheslined Ricky over the top rope while Cruise snagged Parker's leg, preventing a charge to rescue him. Parker kicked out at Cruise, rolled out of the ring, and ate a clothesline before hopping back up and laying the movie star out with a Future Shock. As he re-entered the ring, however, he found Mainstream more than ready; Hernandez went for a superkick, missed, countered the Future Shock, whipped Parker into the corner and as Steven rebounded a second superkick felled him for the pin. Great work by both men here, and the title finally changes hands – both doing so on the same show. Mainstream Hernandez def. Steven Parker following interference by Ricky Douglas and Tom Cruise RATING: C That... was our best show yet, in front of our biggest audience yet. Things are looking up – at least, so long as all the money wasn't in Hernandez' chase. I think I'll celebrate by bumping tickets up a couple bucks. OVERALL: C-

[Dragonmack]

Are you still advertising your shows as small? Because you should be able to pull in twice as many viewers by now, even in a bad economy.

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Dragonmack;382467]Are you still advertising your shows as small? Because you should be able to pull in twice as many viewers by now, even in a bad economy.[/QUOTE] I swear I thought I'd already bumped to Medium, but no. Ah, well. Won't kick in until WiaBA, though, as that's the next event to actually run.

[Phantom Stranger]

Contrary to his current record, I like Erik Strong. I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see him hold gold before he graduates past us – at least assuming he continues the development he's shown since I came to MAW. Tom's not so impressed, however – I'm not sure why, but because our other faces are basically half the top level of the company and the best tag team we have, I think he's gotten it into his head that our faces job is to train the heels. I'm not even going to try to explain this to him – I don't have a spare couple of years. On the plus side for Erik is the fact he's clearly been the better man out of most of his bouts to date. (The exception being the excellent Frankie Dee, a man who badly needs a couple of good wins under his belt.) Does this matter to Cruise? Not hugely, though he admits it's a plus factor. I even tried the 'legitimacy' argument, but I don't think it has much more life in it; he gets annoyed whenever the word 'legit' crosses my lips, which is awkward with some of our booking meetings. What eventually got him was suggesting that effectively splitting up the Strong/Hernandez tag team had killed Erik's push. Guilt, basically. And guilt I'll pay for when it comes time to split the Rock City Stars up and see if Stan Manna actually has anything worth developing.

[Phantom Stranger]

[i]Taken, once again, from [url]www.midatlanticwrestling.biz[/url][/i] Mid Atlantic Wrestling offers you a glimpse of the future. Spend next Friday with us and the [B]Children of the Revolution! [/B] Matches scheduled include: [B][COLOR="Blue"]Eddie Howard[/COLOR][/B] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Huey Cannonball[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"][B]The Canadian Blondes[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Apopalypse[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Tag Team Titles [COLOR="Blue"][B]Erik Strong[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Curtis Jenkins[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]Insane Machine[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Frankie Dee[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B] American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack G. Wells[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Championship and [COLOR="Blue"][B] Des Davids[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] in a Cage Match (No Escapes Stipulation) Also: The fallout from last month's epic title matches! [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] has asked to say a few words, and... ...[COLOR="Red"][B]Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] is still looking for his title rematch! [COLOR="Blue"][B]Tom Cruise[/B][/COLOR] has refused so far, but can he hold out? With Eddie's match against Huey, the [COLOR="Blue"][B]Natural Storm[/B][/COLOR] look to return to the tag title picture. And [COLOR="Red"][B]Kristen Pearce[/B][/COLOR] has promised an [COLOR="Red"][B]Apopalypse[/B][/COLOR] rave party at [B]Thrillseekers[/B] if they win here! Tickets $8

[Sonfaro]

[B]Eddie Howard[/B] vs. Huey Cannonball [I]- To allow the Natural Storm back in the tag title race (and cause more dissension betwixt Howard and Rayne.)[/I] [B]The Canadian Blondes[/B] vs. The Apopalypse for the MAW Tag Team Titles [I]- I doubt you'll drop the titles off these guys so soon.[/I] [B]Erik Strong[/B] vs. Curtis Jenkins [I]- Will this even be a contest?[/I] [B]Insane Machine [/B]vs. Frankie Dee [I]- Machine is better now, but who knows. In a year or so, Dee could be main eventing.[/I] American Elemental vs. [B]Jack G. Wells[/B] [I]- Tough to call, though I suspect since you'll need good heel challengers for Hernandez soon, I guess Bookerman with the win[/I] [B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B] vs. The Mean Machine for the MAW Championship [I]- Hernandez isn't going to loose just yet, but it will be a close one.[/I] and [B]Des Davids[/B] vs. Steven Parker in a Cage Match (No Escapes Stipulation) [I]- Curse you for this! I know Parker will win, but darn it I'm a Davids mark. Screw logic, THREE POINT BOMB FROM THE TOP OF THE CAGE... Okay, I'm done.[/I] Also: The fallout from last month's epic title matches! Mainstream Hernandez has asked to say a few words, and... [I]- Gets blindsided by The Mean Machine, setting up their match and fued proper.[/I] ...Steven Parker is still looking for his title rematch! Tom Cruise has refused so far, but can he hold out? [I]- No.[/I] - Sonfaro

[Dragonmack]

[B]Eddie Howard[/B] vs. Huey Cannonball [B]The Canadian Blondes[/B] vs. The Apopalypse for the MAW Tag Team Titles [B]Erik Strong[/B] vs. Curtis Jenkins [B]Insane Machine[/B] vs. Frankie Dee [B]American Elemental[/B] vs. Jack G. Wells [B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B] vs. The Mean Machine for the MAW Championship and Des Davids vs. [B]Steven Parker [/B]in a Cage Match (No Escapes Stipulation)

[Phantom Stranger]

[CENTER][B]MAW: Children of the Revolution[/B] Friday Week 3 August 2007 Held at Stanley Hall 113 in attendance[/CENTER] I'm stunned that we actually managed to pull in a larger audience than last month. Evidently this whole thing's done something for us. I just don't know what. DARK MATCH – RATING: D DARK MATCH – RATING: D [COLOR="Blue"][B]Marv Earnest[/B][/COLOR] and [COLOR="Red"][B]Rip Chord[/B][/COLOR] kick off the internet broadcast in their usual style, except with more crowing on Marv's part following Mainstream's title win. This is quickly replaced with a video recap of the growing issues between Des and Ricky. RATING: E+ Returning to the night of the broadcast, [COLOR="Blue"]Mainstream Hernandez[/COLOR] hits the ring with Cruise in tow and, for a change of pace, speaks for himself. We had to do a lot of work backstage to convince Tom of this, but Mainstream's speech was damn close to shoot in its honesty, and in his joy at becoming champ. Suggestion of scripting wouldn't have helped. RATING: D [COLOR="Blue"][B]Eddie Howard [/B][/COLOR]vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Huey Cannonball[/B][/COLOR] A nice simple match to allow the Natural Storm some payback and momentum. Howard basically spent three minutes destroying Huey then pinned him without a care in the world. Wasn't a good match by any standards, but we knew that – Huey needs more training than I'd like to admit. Eddie Howard def. Huey Cannonball RATING: E+ Eddie just stayed in the ring, waiting, as Oscar and Flash came down. Oscar and Eddie shared a captain's staredown as Eddie finally left the ring. RATING: E- [COLOR="Red"][B]Kristen Pearce[/B][/COLOR] and the [COLOR="Red"][B]Apopalypse[/B][/COLOR] then hit the ring, with Kristen promising victory and a 'party rave' before the match began. RATING: E+ [COLOR="Red"][B]The Canadian Blonde[/B][/COLOR]s vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Apopalypse[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Tag Titles Well, this was significantly... weak. But that says nothing about how it'd be as a full-on match – this was designed to make the Blondes look stronger and give Apopalypse showtime. Early on Kristen got a low blow on Oscar, there was a Flying Foxx to Jay to give both teams room to play dirty, and by the time he recovered both teams were looking for so many dirty tricks [COLOR="Blue"][B]Jay Fair[/B][/COLOR] just disqualified them both. With an actual ending, this could do well for us. Really good stuff, but I'm gonna have to warn Flash and Oscar not to take some of the bumps they did. A spike Vessey Driver on Oscar looked nasty, and Flash had tried a comedy spot where he'd attempt to punch a chairshot back into Jimmy's face but fail and hurt his hand. The way he was shaking it out I think he genuinely hurt himself. Still, a couple days to rest won't hurt 'em any. The Canadian Blondes drew with The Apopalypse due to mass disqualification RATING: D- We cut backstage to Mainstream and Cruise. Mainstream was trying to discuss strategy for Parker's rematch, while Cruise was adamant that Parker didn't deserve one. RATING: D+ ...and then the door was kicked in and Parker told them both he was here to demand just such a rematch. Cruise and he went back and forth for a while, but the key word 'contract' overrode the key word 'Xenu'. RATING: D+ [COLOR="Blue"][B]Erik Strong[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Curtis Jenkins[/B][/COLOR] You don't need me to tell you this stank the house out. It was, pure and simple, a quick squash to help Erik. Erik Strong def. Curtis Jenkins RATING: E+ Following that, a quick hype video showcased [COLOR="Blue"][B]Insane Machine[/B][/COLOR]'s past year's successes. RATING: E [COLOR="Blue"][B]Insane Machine[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Frankie Dee[/B][/COLOR] Oh, yeah! These two just know each other so well. The result was greatly entertaining despite the clear disparity in pushes and the total lack of suspense over this match that resulted. I'm glad I gave this the time it needed; Insane Machine eventually put Frankie away with the Insanity Tsunami but despite Frankie's jobber status he gets a heck of a lot of time, looking stronger than CJ or Max – who are both technically higher on the card, if only due to inertia. Insane Machine def. Frankie Dee RATING: D+ I came out next and explained that I would do to [COLOR="Blue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] what I'd learned to do to masked wrestlers in Japan; I promised that I was familiar with his style and guaranteed his total destruction. RATING: D- [COLOR="Blue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack G. Wells[/B][/COLOR] Ah. I think we may have found the feud for Elemental we didn't get from Jean, as this one saw me and Elemental mesh perfectly in the ring. It is the Japanese influence, I suspect, but it goes deeper than that; he was just always right where I needed him to be and I think I was for him. When you wrestle someone who works with you that well there's always a real element of joy to the match and I think that brought another level out of us; you could feel Elemental, myself, and Jay really having fun in there for the short time it lasted. Elemental capitalised, however, to put me away with the Inferno Splash after he ducked my Red Mist, leaving me open for a thrust kick to the jaw. Pretty much the only nit I'd pick on this match was that Marv couldn't keep up with us on commentary. But MAW hasn't traditionally required you to know a Japanese moveset, after all. American Elemental def. Jack G. Wells RATING: C [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Championship Another lovely match; again, Marv floundered at points but again we got away with it. Fairly early on Jean began cheating, but Hernandez pulled through several times before [COLOR="Red"][B]Antonio[/B][/COLOR] ran in and laid him out with the DDT. As Tom Cruise piled in and threw Antonio out, Marv begged Rip to explain what his protege was up to. Had he joined the Firm? The controversy was still raging on the announce table when Mainstream got a lovely slingshot leg lariat he's calling Apparition #20 preparatory to the Apparition #14 to end the match. Mainstream Hernandez def. The Mean Machine despite interference from Antonio RATING: C [COLOR="Blue"][B] Des Davids[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] in a Cage Match (No Escapes Stipulation) Not as good as the prior two bouts, or at least not as well received – but you expect that; they'd been yelling themselves hoarse for the best part of the past twenty minutes before this even started. Des and Steven worked a near-repeat of their prior cage match for a while, with the lack of escape possibility heightening the tension whenever Des hit a massive move or Parker pulled off a dirty trick. Watching backstage, though, Tom wandered over to me and asked why I'd squandered the main event, the cage shipping budget, and a repeated main event on this. I hushed him and told him to keep watching, and as I did so we came to it – Des whipped Steven into the corner and scaled the ropes around him. Catching hold of the former champ's arm, he sandwiched arm and head between his legs for a vicious-looking triangle chokehold – then reached up with his free arm, hooking that thick steel bar at the top of the cage... ...and he pulled, man, lifting Parker off the floor as he did everything to amplify the choke. Parker just passed out, and I breathed a sigh of relief; we'd gotten past Des' usual lack of submission credibility with a hell of an image. And it had come through on the cameras, too; everything down to Des' roar as he boosted them both higher and higher, using Steven's own weight against him... Des Davids def. Steven Parker RATING: C- So we didn't equal last month in overall quality, but our main event scene really gelled and we saw development almost everywhere else. I can live with that. OVERALL: D+

[Sonfaro]

... Holy crap. If I didn't mark for Davids before... Holy Crap! Excelent event dude. Sorry about the main event not being as good, but screw it, that was a heck of an image! - Sonfaro

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Sonfaro;385429]... Holy crap. If I didn't mark for Davids before... Holy Crap! Excelent event dude. Sorry about the main event not being as good, but screw it, that was a heck of an image! - Sonfaro[/QUOTE] No need to apologise - I expected it to be weaker, but a cage match goes on last, dammit. And yeah, I had the image of that finish in my mind for about three shows before finally finding room for it here. I just hope the writeup did justice to the version in my head - as the fact I went backstage for part of it hopefully shows, this was a main event all about getting to a single moment, so that moment best live up to it. This was intended to be the show that finally got every piece positioned for the run into Where it all Begins Again. Sometimes, life has a way of twisting on you...

[Phantom Stranger]

I'd been really happy with the show, too. The following morning I got a phone call, on the end of which I heard the words every booker dreads. Flash was the one who called; during the cluster**** at the end of the tag defence, turns out that chair punch had messed up his index finger, currently splinted to his middle finger. He told me he could work, but I wasn't of a mind to make him yet. But he hadn't been calling about himself. The drive out to the hospital is a bad time; there's a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, a sense of dread that always gets deeper just when you swear it can't. As well as someone embroiled in a hot story, Oscar was a good young talent and a hell of a jazz player – something we'd never been able to work into a storyline, but which I personally wanted to. Powerbomb through a grand piano, anyone? No? Ah, well. I did work for HGC. It's probably rubbed some bad habits off on me. He was also a good person, and over the past few months had become fast friends with Jean – who was there before I made it. He gave me the bad news, his tone sombre. “Concussion,” he said. “The bad kind.” “How bad?” I asked, remembering the Vessey Driver gone wrong. “A year at least before he gets in the ring,” Jean said. “He only realised something was wrong this morning.” “Yeah?” “Still couldn't sleep at six a.m. Ibuprofen hadn't helped what he figured was a migraine plus a sore head. Flash drove him in, thank God.” “Thank God?” Jean nodded. “His coordination's shot to hell. Was by the time he got here. It's bad, Jack. But not the worst. He'll live.” “I'll talk to Tom,” I said. “MAW can't afford to handle his medical beyond the insurance, but he might agree to help-” Jean nodded. “Thanks, Jack. You could see your way clear to popping round every so often, I'd appreciate it.” “Let's hope so,” I said, letting the air out slowly. “Damn, man.” He offered half a smile in sympathy. “You got at least a month before we've got to figure out the title situation,” he said. “Let's go with that.”

[Phantom Stranger]

It came a while after that, but it's tied to it, in a way; at the start of September roughly half of the staff's contracts came due for renewal. DC Rayne stung us for a significant hike; Flash Savage settled for exactly what he'd been making before. I think he was afraid that we'd have nothing for him with Oscar gone. Stan and Ricky both signed on the dotted line without much of a pay boost, Stan because we were still willing to use him and Ricky because, I think, he's still in a program with a main eventer, just one where he's not yet the main focus – but he will be, rest assured. I was amused when he tried to ding Tom for a costume budget, but Jean interceded – turns out he's got something appropriate lying around the place from years ago. We've sent it to be properly cleaned in readiness. Randy (Max Mayhem to those of us who never caught his prior indy career) and CJ both settled for miniscule increases, as expected. Again, I had to argue with Tom over keeping them both, but quite frankly – they're new, and they're learning. That's what MAW's about. And they are learning – a heavy dark match diet against various main eventers has ensured that for us. Sure, they've gone from absolutely bloody useless to not quite useless, but that's an improvement. The decider was ultimately a simple one; they're extremely cheap, and Rip sees the potential to become a halfway decent jobber in both of them. We could use cheap jobbers with established heat. The big price hikes were Jean and Insane Machine and, you know, I can understand that. They're major, major attractions by our standards, big names, and they're clearly not going to be in the main program for a while in either case. Giving them the boost keeps them happy, even if I raised both their PPAs by the same amount Frankie Dee now earns in total.

[Phantom Stranger]

The place to be for thrills and excitement is Stanley Hall this Friday to join Mid Atlantic Wrestling's [B]Thrillseekers[/B]! Among other things: [B][COLOR="Blue"]DC Rayne[/COLOR][/B] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Huey Cannonball[/B][/COLOR] [B][COLOR="Red"]Flash Savage[/COLOR][/B] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jimmy Foxx[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]Des Davids & Insane Machine[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Rock City Stars[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"][B]Ricky Douglas[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Blue"][B]Erik Strong[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"][B]The Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Cameron Vessey[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack G. Wells[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Championship All this, and [COLOR="Blue"][B]Tom Cruise[/B][/COLOR] has an announcement to make - what does he plan for Where It All Begins Again? And what will happen to the Tag Titles? (Get well soon, Oscar!) Tickets remain $8, and we promise the best value Friday Night in the Mid-Atlantic region.

[Sonfaro]

Among other things: [B]DC Rayne[/B] vs. Huey Cannonball [I]- Tries to prove he's as good as Eddie.[/I] Flash Savage vs. [B]Jimmy Foxx[/B] [I]- I just like Foxx better.[/I] [B]Des Davids & Insane Machine[/B] vs. The Rock City Stars [I]- Davids teases heel turn here (crosses fingers) but nothing comes of it... yet.[/I] [B]Ricky Douglas[/B] vs. Erik Strong [I]- I think he needs to look Strong. (He is still fueding with Davids, right?)[/I] [B]The Mean Machine[/B] vs. Cameron Vessey [I]- He just re-upped for more money. Make him earn it.[/I] [B]American Elemental[/B] vs. Jack G. Wells I don't know. Flip a coin. [B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B] vs. Steven Parker for the MAW Championship [I]- I don't think he'll loose it here. Maybe at WiaBA. But not here.[/I] All this, and Tom Cruise has an announcement to make - what does he plan for Where It All Begins Again? / And what will happen to the Tag Titles? (Get well soon, Oscar!) [I]- Tag Title Tournament/Battle Royal.[/I]

[Phantom Stranger]

MAW: Thrillseekers Friday Week 4 September Held at Stanley Hall 96 in attendance Damn. I'd hoped we could keep our momentum, but thus far it hasn't happened. Next month maybe we can pull back over the century figure. DARK MATCH – RATING: D DARK MATCH – RATING: D Marv and Rip sound off as the internet broadcast begins, acknowledging the injuries suffered by the tag champs and wishing Oscar well. [COLOR="Blue"][B]Tom Cruise[/B][/COLOR] begins the show, letting the fans in attendance know about Oscar too and again giving him our best wishes. “But the doctors tell us he'll be out for over a year, and we can't have the tag titles do nothing for that long. So I'm here to tell you that next month, Where It All Begins Again, there'll be a tag team tournament for the titles. [COLOR="Red"][B]Flash Savage[/B][/COLOR], find yourself a partner – you gotta go through the [COLOR="Blue"][B]Natural Storm[/B][/COLOR], the [COLOR="Red"][B]Rock City Stars[/B][/COLOR], and the [COLOR="Red"][B]Apopalypse[/B][/COLOR]!” RATING: E He grins and continues. “And also at Where It All Begins Again you're going to see something new in MAW history as we select the new number one contender for whoever the champion is tonight. It'll be a random-draw elimination series – the winner of the last match takes all. Look for whoever loses tonight to join the star-studded lineup – [COLOR="Blue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR], [COLOR="Blue"][B]Insane Machine[/B][/COLOR], [COLOR="Blue"][B]Des Davids[/B][/COLOR], and [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack Wells[/B][/COLOR]!” RATING: E+ Jean's music hits then and the [COLOR="Red"][B]Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR] looks fired up, even if his gimmick isn't sitting as well with the fans as we'd hope. “Are you serious?” he snarls. “You put a guy who loses out tonight in that mix over the first ever MAW champion?” “Well, Mr Machine, you, uh, you don't have the best win-loss record at the moment, and-” Jean cuts him off with a shot to the jaw, then follows up with a Mood Swing. “Tell Hernandez I'm due to take back what's mine,” he growls before rolling out of the ring. RATING: D+ [COLOR="Blue"][B]DC Rayne[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Huey Cannonball[/B][/COLOR] No one's gonna pick this wrong. Huey gets put away fast with the Storm Damage as Rayne works hard to reestablish himself. It's done in under three minutes. DC Rayne def. Cannonball RATING: E+ Marv and Rip discuss Hernandez' title defence tonight. RATING: D [COLOR="Red"][B]Flash Savage[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jimmy Foxx[/B][/COLOR] Kristen still works well with Jimmy, and, uh... yeah, that's as good a comment about this as I'm willing to make. Flash isn't working as well with his current persona as he had been – I think folks are hoping to see some real violence out of him in response to last month. He opens up more than he usually would, and he's helped by a [COLOR="Red"][B]Huey Cannonbal[/B][/COLOR]l run-in, but when [COLOR="Red"][B]Cameron Vessey[/B][/COLOR] joins the Apopalypse have the numbers game sorted and Flash gets put away. Jimmy Foxx def. Flash Savage following interference on both sides by Huey Cannonball and Cameron Vessey RATING: E+ [COLOR="Blue"][B]Des Davids[/B][/COLOR] gets a brief moment of microphone time, next, and addresses [COLOR="Red"][B]Ricky Douglas[/B][/COLOR]' cheap tactics two months ago. “I know as well as you I only ducked 'em last month because of the cage. Don't play with me, man. Don't even try it. You think I hurt you before, you'll realise how wrong you were if you piss me off.” RATING: E+ [COLOR="Blue"][B]Des Davids & Insane Machine[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Rock City Stars[/B][/COLOR] Marv told the audience at home that the Stars had requested a 'tough tag team match-up' after learning of the tag tournament a couple of weeks ago, as a way to warm up. Frankly, I think they're not going to be able to keep the arrogant rock star gimmick going much longer – they never get much response, but even less this month. Insane Machine's the guy who gets the win here, effectively saving the Stars from a Three Point Bomb by laying out Stan with the Termination Kick. You'd have thought Rip would protect Stan over Ryan, but there you are. Des Davids & Insane Machine def. The Rock City Stars RATING: D- [COLOR="Red"][B] Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] promises victory against Hernandez backstage. “Because not even your boss's sci-fi religion tells you how to stop The Future!” RATING: D [COLOR="Red"][B]Ricky Douglas[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Blue"][B]Erik Strong[/B][/COLOR] Ah, a blessing here as Erik and Ricky turn out to work well together. Not only that, but it looks like Ricky's been working on his brawling preparatory to future standoffs with Des, and that helped here too. Still only a fairly mediocre match – I really do expect too much out of Ricky in terms of being able to lead a match, even under script – but it worked, and a rope-assisted figure-four carries the day for Ricky. Ricky Douglas def. Erik Strong via dubious tactics RATING: D Ricky then grabs the mic and again calls for the banning of the Three Point Bomb. RATING: E+ [COLOR="Red"][B]The Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Cameron Vessey[/B][/COLOR] Rip explained here that the Machine and Oscar have become quite friendly backstage, and made it clear this was something of a revenge bout demanded by the Machine. Cameron's ace up his sleeve – other than Kristen – was a [COLOR="Red"][B]Jimmy Foxx[/B][/COLOR] run-in, but a countercharge by [COLOR="Red"][B]Antonio[/B][/COLOR] laid Jimmy out before he even reached the ring and led to more Marv and Rip speculation on just why Antonio was helping out the Machine before a Mood Swing put Cameron away. The Mean Machine def. Cameron Vessey RATING: D+ [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] and [COLOR="Blue"][B]Tom Cruise[/B][/COLOR] got some mic time backstage next. While Tom went off into a rant about the slur on Scientology, Mainstream coolly and collectedly warned Parker that what was coming to him would destroy him. RATING: D [COLOR="Blue"][B]American Elemental[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack G. Wells[/B][/COLOR] Another match 'demanded by a competitor' here, as I – the audience were told – wanted to prove Elemental's victory last month a fluke. And, indeed, I got the win here – [COLOR="Red"][B]Frankie Dee[/B][/COLOR] distracted Jay, I hit Elemental with the Red Mist, I distracted Jay and Frankie landed the Shinanju Kick to the back of Elemental's head before I scored the pin. It was a quick, tactical blindside of a finish to a short match during which Elemental dominated. Lovely work, though – I really, really enjoy working with him, and that extra little familiarity made this, if anything, better than our prior match. Jack G. Wells def. American Elemental following Frankie Dee interference RATING: C 'Paid for by the Cruise Consortium' the video began. A quick, professional rundown of the Hernandez/Cruise/Parker issues dating from January. RATING: D [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] for the MAW Championship More crisp, professional work, but again not quite on the level of the match preceding it, in part because Marv got lost on the stick again. Parker put up a hell of a fight here, confining himself under Jay's careful scrutiny to only legal stratagems while continually shooting worried glances toward the entrance ramp. That was what undid him in the end, as whatever he was waiting for didn't happen – but a final moment of distraction led to a spinwheel kick connecting with him and an Apparition #14 to finish. It really looked like Parker might've been able to score a clean win without the distraction at times. Mainstream Hernandez def. Steven Parker RATING: C- Another reasonable, if not great, show. I can live with that. OVERALL: D+

[Phantom Stranger]

And all over a woman... Turns out while I hadn't been paying attention, Cameron and Ricky had both been making advances toward Kristen. I don't think either of them got anywhere, but goddamnit – during my match last night (Jean told me this morning) the pair of them came to blows backstage and had to be pulled apart. This could get problematic if it continues... I'd liked having a quiet locker room, I really had. For a mostly-rookie group, they're a fairly quiet bunch – Rip has enough weight backstage (particularly, word has it, after a couple of sparring sessions before my time left Ryan Turner almost a decent person for a couple months) to keep things under control, and there aren't too many out-and-out arseholes (sorry; picked it up when I did a few months with MOSC. The 'r' makes it that much more satisfying to say) on the roster. But Cameron – Cruise's golden boy, you'll recall – can be a real pain when he wants to be. Maybe I need to see about a few more backstage men with rep, if I can ever find a way to afford them...

[mad5226]

Am I the only person who wants to see Jimmy Foxx do well?? Yeah probably but I think he could make things interesting for you. And dang it I can't say this enough but why oh why does everyone like Des Davids? What is so appealing about him , because I got nothing. On another note sucks about Ricky and Cameron though. If I had to chose one I'd probably lean towards keeping Cameron, but Ricky has senority, not saying you should get rid of eaither of them, but if the problems continue...

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=mad5226;388485] And dang it I can't say this enough but why oh why does everyone like Des Davids? What is so appealing about him , because I got nothing. [/QUOTE] He's got a lot of momentum and an unbeaten streak coming into play, making him someone you can build with early. If (like me) you're committed to keeping as much of the roster as a core as possible, he's a great early worker.

[Phantom Stranger]

One day to go before our second biggest event of the year – maybe even the biggest, depends how you argue it. One freaking day, and I get a phone call in the middle of my morning workout. Turns out Rip checks the dirtsheets and sites first thing every day. And who's making the kind of waves I can do without? The same man who concussed Oscar Golden out of contention, picked a fight with Ricky Douglas, and all the rest. Cameron goddamn foisted-on-me-by-Tom-Cruise Vessey. And the true tragedy of all this – we need him in the tag scene right now. We need him not throwing hissy fits. He'd been booked to grab the belt tomorrow. May still; I don't know yet. What do I do? I gotta go. That's Cruise on the cell. ...And that's Jean on IM. Guess he just finished his workout. ****.

[Phantom Stranger]

[i]To be broadcast live on midatlanticwrestling.biz, it's...[/i] [CENTER][B][U]MAW: Where It All Begins Again[/U][/B][/CENTER] Our signature show undergoes a radical change in [COLOR="Blue"][B]Tom Cruise[/B][/COLOR]' regime. Two major tournaments will be held at Stanley Hall this Friday: [U][I]For the MAW Tag Team Titles:[/I][/U] [COLOR="Red"][B]The Rock City Stars[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Apopalypse[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"][B]The Natural Storm[/B][/COLOR] vs. [COLOR="Red"][B]Flash Savage & Huey Cannonball[/B][/COLOR] Plus the tournament final! For the #1 Contendership to [COLOR="Blue"][B]Mainstream Hernandez[/B][/COLOR]' Championship, a gauntlet match involving: [COLOR="Blue"][B]American Elemental Insane Machine Des Davids[/B][/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"][B]Jack G. Wells Steven Parker[/B][/COLOR] Order of entry is random draw and not known at this time. Who will have the big advantage? All this, and the fallout from the [COLOR="Red"][B]Mean Machine[/B][/COLOR]'s shocking actions at Thrillseekers! At only $8 you can't afford to miss out...