Tradition Dictates That You Be Welcomed... To The Coastal Zone

[foolinc]

Oh no, It looks like infinitywpi learned how to book. ;) Congrats on getting back to Cult.

[FINisher]

[quote=foolinc;535216]Oh no, It looks like infinitywpi learned how to book. ;)[/quote] Ouch. That's harsh man, harsh! :D

[foolinc]

[QUOTE=FINisher;535222]Ouch. That's harsh man, harsh! :D[/QUOTE] I wouldn't say it, if infinitywpi didn't already turn it into a running gag back in 2004! :cool:

[infinitywpi]

To be fair, I made it a running gag in 2005. 2004, all you had to do was change the Zone from 'Modern' to 'Sports Entertainment' and you got metric arseloads of money and overness with every show. 2005, it started requiring an actual brain, and that's about the point I proved I don't really have one. CZCW Coastal Tour June 2013, week 2, Sunday West Texas, Midsouth USA William "The Grand Avatar" Peers, Head Booker. So, here we are again. Cult status. This time, we have enough people on the roster to not look small... and just in case, we've gone on a spending spree and brought on a few more names. Expensive names. Names I had to promise a title run to. Names who refused to sign for less than a year and a half. Names who, if all goes well, will job out to Zoners to get them over. We'll see. You've already met Teddy Powell and Dragon del... Whatever. We've also brought in former TCWer Aaron Andrews, Freddie Datsun, formerly of SWF and DAVE, and Steve Gumble, also formerly of TCW. This, my friends, is what we call a stacked main event. It's also what we call a crisis of concience. All these big names means less time for the little guys we want to build up. Which means less discoveries like last week's Acid/Kirk and Dragon/Jonnie pairings. We'll have to decide how we want to handle that... but first, we have to handle some other things. Among them, this week's show. So, let's shall, shall we? We do a fifteen-man mayhem match as people are filling into the arena. Acid II, Brimstone, Brooke, Brasil, Harrison, Apollo, Jackpot, J2, Jonnie, Justin, Kirk, Speedball, Panda Mask II, Velvet, and Whippy are all in there. Team Panda manages to eliminate each other out of the final four, letting Acid take out J2 for the win (D). Lauren starts the show out with a promo on Teddy Powell, and how all the newcomers to the Zone will be dealt with (C-). We then announce a slew of new names to the Zone, and set up a four-way match at Surf Slam for the next #1 Contender, betwee Andrews, Datsun, Gumble, and Kingman (C-). The opening match is possibly one of the best opening matches we've had in... a long, long time, and has Flying Jimmy Foxx involved... go fig. He loses, of course, to teve Gumble, but it's still one hell of a match... and this is with a -rusty- Steve Gumble (C). He cuts a mean promo too, hyping Surf Slam, and promising to take the Zone title (C-). Next up, Freddie Datsun cuts a promo along the same lines (C-), and then takes on Jim Force. It's nowhere near 'Force/Brave', but it's still a decent match; perhaps just a tad long, and surprisingly enough... Jim wins it. Well, surprising to the crowd. I like to slip 'em up once in a while. Who said the new guys always have to win? (C-) The next match (I could have sword I scheduled interviews between them) finishes off our 'introduce the guys' series, as Aaron Andrews takes down Ultimate Phoenix in nearly half an hour... and it's one hell of a half an hour (C+). I start to worry... no way the main event can live up to that. We get a promo from Andrews (C-) to calm the crowd a bit, and then... the main event. Teddy, Dragn, and Sleep defeat Lauren, Fox and Machine in another near-half-hour match. And while I'm right, it doesn't live up to the sub-main, it's still a damn good little match. Teddy gets the pinfall, just to show Lauren he's a threat, and we wrap things up nicely (C). Once again, it's a good show... heck, for us, a damn good show(C). Attendance is down a bit, since we haven't been here for a while, but when we swing back into the Southwest those numbers should swing up. In the meantime, we had to deal with the changes backstage, as new guys Freddie and Dragon were caught up in... something. We yelled at both of them, pointed to all the other new guys, and mentioned how none of them were irrepacable. This was the Zone; we handle main eventer turnover all the time. On the next Coastal Zone: With growth comes growing pains.

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Coastal Tour June 2013, week 3, Sunday Grissom Auditorium, Southwest USA Queen Emily, Color Commentator and Den Mother. Life has this funny way of going full circle, if you wait long enough. I spent four years being a color commentator for SWF, when they were arguably the biggest company in the country... possibly the world. About seven years ago, we had a dissagreement over how much I was contributing to the product, and I left them. Just a couple years after that, SWF went down the toilet, and I wound up working here in the Zone. I like to think it's because of my natural ability, but really it's because Cliff and I have this natural love-hate relationship that comes through really well. Seriously, half the time I think he's a genius, the other half I think he's an incredibly old stick in the mud. And yes, I know I just hit 40 and have no right to call anyone else old. So the Zone has had an influx of new people recently... possibly the biggest influx of names since they first opened, and there's a lot of big names. Pretty much all of them... Datsun, Powell, Andrews, Gumble are all in the main event picture; the only Zoners remaining there are Lauren, Phoenix, and Force... who some of the kids still don't think of as a 'real Zoner'. Most of the 'O.Z.' Original Zoners -- Fox, Machine, Remus, Patriot, Jimmy Foxx -- are in the upper-midcard now, with Sleep and Kingman. At Kingman's salary (Don't ask me how I know this), I wouldn't be surprised if he winds up leaving in a couple months; there's no way that his salary is justified with where he is. Enough gossip. That's not what you're here for. Two shows to go before Surf Slam, you're probably wanting to know what happened at the show, aren't you. Well, you didn't miss much if you showed up on time; the 'early match' was Sleep over Brimstone, and while the two work well together, the kid's still got stuff to learn (D-). The show itself started with Kirk Jameson calling out Acid II; apparently, their early match two weeks ago got Peers to give them a spot at Surf Slam, and they're trying to hype it up (D-). The first match is a tag, Kirk and Foxx lose to Acid and Patriot; it's a fun match because I get to chat a lot about how these guys have been growing lately before the Acid Rain Bomb lands (D+). Acid cuts a poor promo afterwards, telling Kirk there'll just be more of the same at Surf Slam (E+). Next match is a nice cool-off match... which is a way of saying it didn't suck, but wasn't good... with Rod Remus getting a submission from Speedball (D). Up next we get a slew of pre-taped interviews from the four guys in the Surf Slam #1 Contendership (C-, C-, C-, C-), and then a tag match pitting them against each other. Sheer star power gets the crowd into it, and Andrews and Datsun come out looking good as they get the pin over Gumble and Kingman (C). Gumble's still looking rusty, but that should go away soon. I wonder how long it's been since he actually wrestled. To wrap the show up, we get dueling promos in the ring from Lauren and Teddy (C-, D-), with a six-man main event that manages to steal match of the night from the previous one; Teddy, Phoenix and Dragon get the win over Lauren, Fox and Machine when Dragon, of all people, gets the pinfall on Lauren (C+). Last time we hit cult status, the crowd left the next show grumbling; this time, they left happy, calling it a good show (C). That's what we wanted, that's what we got. It was an improvement, definately. What they didn't see, though, was backstage. Apparently, Aaron Andrews felt he was the new alpha dog, and tried tie-dying Pee-Wee's ref shirt before the show. When Aaron went out for his match and didn't see Pee-Wee in colors, well, he got seriously torqued. When I got back there from the announce table, Peers was livid and tearing into Andrews, talking about how here, we respect our refs, especially the ones with more seniority than you'll ever have. And he brought up the three strikes policy... sayin all the new guys as a whole now had their second strike. The next one to mess up, leaves. On the next Coastal Zone: We do last-minute buildup for some matches, and maybe something stupid happens. Maybe. After all, we -are- trying to figure out how to balance the old and the new...

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Coastal Tour June 2013, week 4, Sunday Grissom Auditorium, Southwest USA Marc 'Speedball' Speed. First thing's first: Steve Gumble is an *******. Of all the new people to get hired in the Zone recently, he's the one I wouldn't mind seeing gone. I know we all have our own opinions on who needs to leave, but he gets my vote. Nothing in specific... just his ego, his mannerisms... you know, his general jerk-ass-iness. That, and badmouthing me on the radio. Could be worse. He would be Jimmy "Stupid enough to get caught with heroin" Bumfhole. Freakin' idiot. Cliff would never hire him now. Not that, y'know, that was ever an option for us. We've got to make do with has-beens and never-weres... no actual stars. Tho they all act like they were. Seriously, they think being here makes them all better than us. Next time I hear the phrase 'indy trash', I'm gonna slap a hammerlock on someone and remind them they work for an indy now, too. Buncha punk-ass little... I know, I know. Calm down. Breathe deep. Recap well. I was sheduled for the first show of the night, so me and Kirk threw ideas at each other during the pre-show warmup. Jim Force had volunteered to run Brimstone through some of the spots not commoonly seen in the Zone, and the kid did okay. I think once he gets his name out there, he'll be a great performer, but until he does... he's a jobber. But, hey, jbbing to Jim Force ain't half bad for most promotions in this country (E+). The show itself starts with Kirk delivering a promo against Acid, promising to get his revenge (E+). I then come out, and we do a nice, tight little ten-minute affair that's not half bad, if I say so myself... I may be biased, because I got the win when Acid came out of nowhere for a flying Acid Rain Drop, which let me get the pinfall (D+). Backstage, Lauren and Teddy argue over their title match on Wednesday, and... y'know, it wass pretty generic (D). The next match, however, was simply great... which surprised the hell out of me, honestly. Team America's been in the doghouse lately, and they lost again... but they lost to Phoenix and Dragon, the latest incarnation of Team Lucha, which isn't all bad... and they looked damn good doing it (C). The new Team Lucha they hypes up the tag title match at Surf Slam (D+), and I'm suddenly thinking it might be possible for them to sub-main the show, instead of being third on the card. I don't envy Peers the decisions he has to make sometimes. So, if the last match was better than expected, the next one... manages to fail to fail to live up to expectations. The tag champs, Fox and Machine, faced Datsun and Gumble in a tag title match. I was thinking, DQ ending, or Datsun and Gumble miscommunicating. But no, Kingman and Andrews show up to attack their contendership opponents... after what felt like about half an hour, and let Fox get the pin on Andrews of all people (C+). The tag champs then cut a decent promo of their own Team Lucha (D+). Backstage, Kirk was beating the crap out of Acid; not many people seemed to care, so we cut away from that (E) and got started on the main event a bit earlier. I wondered what the extra time would be used for. After the last match, the main was a bit of a let-down, but still a good match; Lauren and Kingman lost to Powell and Andrews, but it was Andrews who got the pinfall (C) and afterwards, he shoved both Lauren and Teddy, and made the "I'm gonna wear the belt" signal to both of them... apparently saying he was going to be winning the contendership match (C+). I hate these primadonnas. I really do. But I can't deny they make our shows better, and drasticly improve the reaction we get (C). I shouldn't complain. Hell, I'm working for a Cult-sized company now, right? On the next Coastal Zone: Surf Slam 2013!

[infinitywpi]

Surf Slam 2013 July 2013, week 1, Wednesday Gorski Ballroom, Southwest USA Aaron Andrews. What a strange trip these last six months have been. I used to work for TCW. I was there when they went international, went global. In five years there, I won thirty-five matches... and lost nearly a hundred. My last win was November 2012, agaisnt Ronnie V. Pain; he got his win back the next week. Near the end of 2013, I... well, I wasn't fired. But I wasn't re-hired, either. I don't know why. I was good. I was damn good. I just... don't know. I wound up in need of a job... USPW jumped on me, and I worked for them; Canada came calling, so I worked for NOTBPW. Then, last month, CZCW said they were in a spot and could use me. So, I came here, too. I'm working three times as hard for one-third the money I used to make... so yeah, I'm a bit bitter. But let's face it... I'm skilled, I'm popular, why wouldn't I be bitter? I'm... I'm better than this, dammit! At least this 'Peers' person recognizes my innate talent. He's using me in every show he has, and he's treating me with respect, not using me as some... some common jobber to get his precious indy trash a win over a big name. Although maybe I shouldn't speak too soon. Damned egotist doesn't tell anyone what he's planning beyond the night's show. Given how often things go bad around here, I'd bet he doesn't even -have- plans beyond the night's show. Take tonight's show, for instance. This 'Surf Slam' is supposed to be one of the 'four original' CZCW shows; a pretty big deal. From the card that's written up in the locker room, I can believe it... in a way. The big match is only next to the main event; the main still has indy trash taking on someone who deserves better, but then, what do you expect from an indy... even a large indy? Although this is an indy that puts ability over popularity... three of the five matches tonight are scheduled for over half an hour. There's not a whole lot of time for things that aren't taking place in the ring. This guy would never cut it booking TCW. He relies on his workers too much, to put on long matches. To make it global, you've got to do storylines, more angles, it's all got to weave together. This guy doesn't weave. He braids, at best. The pre-show is what we professionals call an 'apology battle royal'. It's main purpose is to make sure people get paid for working instead of collecting downsides. Although these guys don't really have downsides. Jim Force takes the win over... hell, a bunch of jobbers. I don't know any of them (D). The show itself starts with, not a thrown-together match, but a mini-feud that's been going on for a few weeks... and I gotta say, these two impressed me. One of them is named Kirk Jameso, the other is some guy who impressed Acid enough to get franchise rights to the gimmick. From this match... I can see why. The two work great together, and I'd almost think these two could curtain-jerk in a bigger promotion. I'll have to let TCW know, maybe they'll be interested in them. Anyway, Acid II gets the pinfall, but they had me beliving it could go either way (C). And after a good opener, we go to the indy part of the night, as the 'Xtreme champion'... the guy who used to be Panda Mask, believe it or not... comes out, complains about being left off the card, and some kid called Sleep comes out to challenge him (D). The match between the two... well, was indy through and through, and these two just... well, they sucked an egg. Panda Boy retained his title (D). They like to play up 'respect' and 'tradition' a lot here, so before the tag title match both teams come out and talk about how much they respect the other. Makes me puke a little. They should be hating each other, ready to tear into each other... this isn't drama, this is... this is self-fellatio (D). The match, tho, is a good one... for not having any of us 'hired guns' involved, it's damn good. These guys all know what they're doing in there and, except for Dragon, have a lot of experience with each other. This is the first of the half-hour matches, and the booker makes the right call; the actual tag team gets the win over the two singles guys who only hold the titles via fluke (C+). I'm betting the singles guys are going to wind up in feuds with -real- talent. At least they won't have to be carried... but they'll probably wind up with wins over people they had no business winning over. Time was tight, so instead of us all getting interviews before our match, they do a little hype video first (D). C'mon, cut the match by ten minutes, let us all talk. Anyway, we all head out there, and we work our butts off for longer than any of us should have to work. Freddie blows up first. Kingman and Gumble follow a little while after. Me? I keep right on going, shouldering as much of the work as I could manage. I do what I can... and honestly, it's not enough. Four people with our talent should be putting on better matches than tha... of course. How could I be so blind? He sabotauged us! The damned booker put us on too long on purpose... but I get the win, which means I'm probably in line for a title match soon (C-). The CZCW Champion, Lauren the Lion, comes out and cuts a promo on her opponent and on me (C-, C-)... do they really expect me to fight a girl? I mean, her offense looks good, but I hate having to sell things I can barely feel. There's a little hype video (D), and then the main event. It's decent enough, but I still put my money on the tag match for the match of the night; Naturally, the champ retains after a long match; the submission finish is a good idea, nobody's going to buy her using striking or throws for a victory (C). So, that's the story of the show.. Good, not great, with an impressive tag match in the middle of it (C-). And apparently, as Peers tells me afterwards, I'm slated for a title match in two months at the next big show. He's even considering putting the belt on me. He recognizes my talent. Pity; with what he's paying me, and the reputation this place has? If anyone else comes calling, I'm dropping the Zone like a bad habit and leaving. Hopefully it'll come soon... but if not, hey, what this place lacks in payment it makes up for in respect. On the next Coastal Zone: Peers has set himself a new goal. Will the Zone be able to score a national television show this season? And if so... what nation? Will that Mexican tour finally happen, or will we focus on growing even more? We'd better decide soon -- despite having saved up, we now only have about ten months of cash available. But first: Who needs a little redemption.

[Astil]

Infinity! Great idea! Hire Hell's Bouncer. Use his Colossus alter ego. Make him world champ.

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Coastal Zone July 2013, week 1, Sunday West Texas, Midsouth USA Mercutio Sleep. I was this close, man, this close to the big time where I belong. I know some of the guys think I have an ego... but I didn't rejoin the Zone to job. Okay, so, I took a bit longer than expected to get back up to speed. I worked here before... from late 2010 through early 2012. I had a few decent matches back then... I could tear it up with Lauren, y'know? But other than that... I guess I was mediocre at a high price tag. I realized that. So, when they dropped me, I hit the indy circuit. And I sucked there. I did five matches with Grease Hogg, of all people. Five more with Pete the Hillbilly. Nobody can make those guys look good. It was... humbling. I realized that I had it good in the Zone, and I treated it like it was beneath me. So, I came back when they asked me. And I've still been sucking. Tonight's my night, though. Tonight, I redeem myself. Tonight, I get to tear it up with Lauren again. The pressure's on, sure. If I can't perform as well with her as I used to, well, then it's jobbertown for me. But if I can pull this off... if I can show them I'm still an asset... then there's hope for me. If those big-shots don't hog all the spotlight. The show opens with Andrews in the ring, celebrating his win and talking about how he'll be the next CZCW Champion... and how tonight's tournament for a title match is an insult to him. Out comes Insane Machine to tell him to quit complaining, and that he didn't beat anyone from the Zone to win his title match. Andrews gets in Machine's face and says that if he needs to beat someone from the Zone... he just found a volunteer (C-). The first round of the tournament is nice and simple, and a bit underwhleming. Kirk Jameson beats Island Boy Apollo (D-), and then I head out there and stink up the place with Whippy the Clown (E+). I tried to work a good match... this is my redemption night, I have to show Peers his faith in me isn't misplaced... but we stink up the place. We just don't work well together, and neither ofus was able to compensate for that. Kirk comes out and badmouths my match... it's hard to come up with responses to that kind of promo when you know they're well-deserved... and we get in each other's face (D). The bell rings, and we go at it. I do better with Kirk than I did with Whippy, but I can still feel it... it's not good. I hit the Go To Sleep and cover Kirk, glad the bell rang (D-). After I get through the curtain, I look for Lauren. I apologize in advance. I'm single-handledly ruining the night. She tries to cheer me up... tells me it's because we're in Texas, and Texas crowds are always slow to get into matches... I don't believe her. I just tell her I hope her back's feeling good, 'cause she's carrying me through the main event. Her voice turns sharp, she tells me that if that's my attitude, then to not even show up to the main event. I look up... and there's a camera on us. $#!% (D). And just to make things worse, I spend the next half-hour back in the Green Room, watching Andrews and Machine tear it up. Those two are... hell, they're what the Zone is about. A Japanese-trained American Indy darling and a TCW-trained world-recognized name entertainer going at it. Andrews gets the win; there's no surprise there, you don't job out your contender, but it's one hell of a match (C+). Lauren heads out there and basicly calls me out... asking if I've got the stones to finish the night. (D+). I don't have a choice... I bail out now, there's nothing for me here. At least if I go out there and suck, I can say I'm no quitter. So, out I go. Four minutes in, Lauren leads me through a spot we used to do, a Go To Sleep reversed by her old finisher, the Lion Pounce. I forget what happened earlier tonight. Ten minutes in, I mis-time a punch and catch her in the jaw. She spits out a tiny drop of blood, then licks her lips -- she bit her tongue. She grins at me, and I've forgotten that year of fighting Grease Hogg and Pete the Hillbilly. Fifteen minutes in, a vicious kick to my ribs makes the entire crowd wince in pain -- I barely feel it, as she pulls at the last minute. But the sound of the crowd... we've got them. We're tearing it up, just like we used to. I know I've got this huge, crap-eating grin on my face... Lauren does too... I keep it on even when Pee-Wee gives us the two-minute warning signal. We tease her Belly to Belly... tease my Go To Sleep... tease her Figure Four... and then Andrews runs in with a chair. I'm closer, so he nails me first, then nails Lauren. Pee-Wee calls for the bell, and I hear myself announced as the winner by DQ since I was hit first (C). It wasn't the best show. But it was a good show. I know Lauren deserves all the credit, but for a little while, I let myself feel good. I just won a main event match against the CZCW Champion. A good match. A match a Texas crowd got into. A match that I should, in time, be able to have with anyone, not just Lauren. Tonight was my redemption night. On the next Coastal Zone: We've got people complaining about not being used; we've got people complaining about being on a losing streak. Let's try to take are of their complaints, shall we?

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Coastal Tour July 2013, week 2, Sunday Grissom Auditorium, Southwest USA Barry "Son of the Crippler" Kingman. I don't really consider myself a Zoner, you know. I was just big name they hired. Come in, raise some hell, get into a title feud, lose, and then spend some time either jobbing to the other stars or getting into a position for another losing feud. At least, that was the plan at the time. Then things went to hell with people leaving, and I wasn't enough star power to keep things going. They brought in this new bunch, relatively big names, all of them. Big egos, too. This one guy, Freddie Datsun... well, let's put it this way. I'm no spring chicken. I'm part of the 'nearly forty' club, along with Phoenix, Force, Harrison, and Machine. But Datsun... he's half-past-forty already, and thinks his being here shows how fit he is. Truth is, he's slowing down. He refuses to admit it. And when I tried to talk to him about it, he spit on me. He actually spit on me. As the show tonight was starting, he came up to me and snickered. "I'm getting a win tonight, Barry. And a tag title run. What're you... oh, that's right. You're jobbing to the locals, right? Well, good luck with that." Bastard. The pre-show is the usual painful affair; this one had Justin Sensitive defeat Brimstone rather quickly (well, for us) (E+). The actual show kicks off with something that could have easily been a pre-show matc, as Fox Mask defeats Velvet Suarez in about ten minutes... the two don't have any chemistry at all, which is sad (D-). We get going with Jim Force saying that the Force demands a title shot, and since the three-way for the Xtreme Title is already full, he wants Lauren. Lauren comes out and agrees to the match, as she's beaten him before, doing it again should be no problem (D+). I head down to the ring for the next match; I get a good twenty minutes with Masked Patriot. Patriot's got the skills to be a good wrestler, he's just never really gotten a good chance... he's wasted here, but then, most of us are. Case in point: I lose the match by 'snapping' and choking Patriot to near-unconciousness (C-). Not bad for a night's work; for what I'm paid, I should be doing more than this. There's no way Peers is keeping my salary when I re-sign... but I'll try like hell to justify it to him. Force cuts a promo on Lauren (D-), and then it's on to the next match. It's the triple threat ladder match for the Xtreme Title. It's better than most Xtreme matches lately; Hash, Perez, and Remus are in it, and it's probably Remus that's the reason it's better. And it's Remus who gets out of the match with the title (D+). Lauren comes out for a promo of her own (C-), and then the stuck-up Datsun gets his match... He and Gumble team up to beat on Team America for a bit. I smile a little at how bad the match is. It doesn't stink, but it's not good... and given how Team America did against Team Lucha, well, I think we know which side to blame here (D). Afterwards, Gumble and Datsun declare their intentions to take tag gold the same night Andrews takes the CZCW Title... the Zone got too big for their own good, and now they've made themselves a target (C-). And then, finally, the main event. I'll give Lauren this much... the girl can work miracles. First she pulls that Sleep kid to a good match... the kid's green, he's twenty-two years old, and has a long way to go, but she gets a good match out of him. And now, she gets just as good a match out of Jimmy Force before making him tap out to her Figure Four (C). Sadly, it's not considered that good of a show... even the main event couldn't save it after that underwhelming tag match (D+). But I get to tell Datsun that I may have lost my match, but mine was better than his. On the next Coastal Zone: Team Lucha rallies to face this new threat, and Rod Remus decides to be a fighting champion.

[infinitywpi]

As a way of saying "Thank You" for voting me Cornellverse DOTM for November... I present to you the most requested post so far. CZCW Coastal Tour July 2013, week 3, Sunday Grissom Auditorium, Southwest USA Jim Force. *Silence* *Silence* *Silence* Recaps are for those who live in the past! Living in the past is futile, for the Force exists in the present! The past is for those who cannot handle the present, cannot handle the Forrrrrrrce! The future has not happened yet, so it does not matter to us, for the Force does not care about the future! Actually, that's not true. I care about the future quite a bit. I'm nearly forcety years old, and I never really saved up my money when I was making it... so now, I'm learning from these kids quite a bit. I'm learning to be thrifty, to stick four, five, six people in a hotel room when we travel, to eat cheap and still be healthy. Sometimes, people ask me when I'm going back to the big leagues... this is as big as I'm getting now, and I realize that. But that's fine with me. I like it here. They let me be me. They let me prove that the Force is strong, the Force will not roll over and die. And do you know why? Because the Force is the strongest Force in the Forceniverse! Only through mastery of the Force can one learn to control their destiny, even though destiny is of the future and the Force is not concerned with the future, but it works anyway! Take the word of the Jim Force, Lord Of The Force! Tonight, with my partner in Fox Force Five, Fox Mask, we shall pit the power of the Force against that of those outsiders who think they are better than we! The power of the Fox is second only to the power of the Force, so our victory has been Forcetold! There are many in the Zone with the potential to be future masters of the Force. One of these is called Brimstone; but the Stone of Brim is still learning. Before the show, he learns from Brasilia, the Capital of Brazil, some of the finer points of the Inverted Figure Four (D-). The boy has so much potential, like many of the young Force Warriors here, he simply needs confidence in himself and his Force. The show begins with our champion, Lauren the Lioness, one who I have fought many times and whom I respect, calling out Aaron Andrews, and the two argue over if Andrews should be showing some respect. I have every confidence in the Lioness beating some respect into this interloper (C-). The first match consists of the Lucha Tag Team Champions facing the Forceless team of J4, and getting the win fairly quickly (C). The champions then deliver a stinging rebuke of the team of Gumble and Datsun... I presume... The Force does not habla Espanol (C-). The Xtreme Title has fallen far since the time that the Force held it; although young Roderick Remus has a certain kind of Ancient Roman Force about him, he must get away from the Panda Hash; although they have a ladder match, it is not exciting at all and certainly looks bad on young Remus' record (D-). Young Remus then delivers an open challenge for anyone who wants a title match to face him next week, and the week after, and the week after. The Force has a saying: When one's promos are better than one's matches, then one is on the true path of the Force (D). The next match is repeat of last week, as The Son Of The Crippler takes on Patriot Mask; the match is as good as their last one, with Barry, Man of Kings getting his 'win back' (D+). The Force cares not for win-loss records, the Force only cares about impact, thus the Force does not believe in matches where one gets their win back. But now, The Force and The Fox are by the curtain, awaiting their turn. Gumble and Datsun are in the ring, using their biggest asset: Their egos, talking themselves up. The Fox Force Five comes out to answer them, and insults are thrown... well, they insult us. We simply tell the truth about them. And it winds up with someone (The Force admits; it was I) suggesting a match, right here, right now (D+). Our match is a good one; The Force and the Fox are, of course, one of the premire teams and singular talents of the Zone; The Force is even greatter than the almighty Kayfabe, so I shall not make excuses for our loss; the booker demanded it, and the Booker is... well, not stronger, but just as strong as The Force (C-). Afterwards, Aaron Andrews comes out to toss a few quicck insults before his match (C+), and then we have the main event, a tag match. Andrews had selects the Sleep child as his partner, while Lauren has selected the Second Acid. Why, I have no Forcing clue, but then I am not the booker. I can only imagine some deranged alternate Forceality where Jim Force is the head of his own promotion; The Force cannot see much of a future for that, but it would be fun. The match itself is not a great match, but is still a good match, and evil gets their temporary victory as Andrews gets a body press on Second Acid for the victory (C-). The Force knows he shall not be part of many great shows from now on; but The Force is content to be among the best part of decent shows (C-) rather than the worst part of good shows. Here, The Force is not a joke; The Force is wise and tells truth. Here, The Force is not a gimmick; The Force is a philosophy. Here, The Force is not a champion; The Force does not need to be one. On the next Coastal Zone: Someone figures out our booking style.

[ReapeR]

*bows* ALL HAIL THE FOR... UM, I MEAN THE ZONE!!! Congrats man, well deserved.

[pepper2008]

Congrats. Lovely style of Jim. To infinitywpi and beyond

[Nightshadeex]

Very nice.

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Coastal Tour July 2013, week 4, Sunday Grissom Auditorium, Southwest USA Penalope "Velvet" Suarez. Hola. Mi nombre es Penelope Suarez. Don't let the mask fool you; I speak English just fine. Like most Mexicans born in the late 20th century, I was brought up knowing English as well as Spanish. I've even learned to hide my accent when I speak. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of my heritage, but even in 2013, there's some really stupid people out there, y'know? Anyway, yeah, I know. I'm a combination of three different cliches. The luchadore, come to the Zone for experience agaisnt non-luchadores. The youngster, come to the Zone hoping for a big break. And the female, looking to prove she can hang against the males. I'm a triple threat, right? And I should be breaking into the big time... well, any day now. I know, I know, I'm still a little green. A lot of us 'kids' are. You know at one point, nobody in the Zone was over the age of thirty-one? Now, there's only five of uss under the age of twenty-three... me, Brooke, Simon, George, and Mercutio. Brooke and I actually share an apartment to save on cash; Simon and I bond sometimes over being non-Americans; George... well, George keeps to himself. And Mercutio... don't tell him I said this, but he's kinda cute. Very driven though. He keeps beating himself up that he can't have a good match with anyone but Lauren. I think he's sweet on her. Which means he'll never notice me. Ah, well... I got sidetracked, sorry. I do that a lot. I think it's why I like wrestling... in the ring, I can focus myself a lot better. Outside the ring, I'm a bit ADD. Where was I? Oh, right. I'm still a little green. So I've been doing pre-show matches here and there to get better. At one point, I was supposed to be part of a 'hot new tag team' with Captiao Brasil Jr... but we just don't work well together. See, Americans dont' realize it, but there's different styles of luchadore... and our two styles? Tey don't mesh. So until Peers and Cliff decide what to do with me, I'm learning what I can. Like tonight. Tonight's pre-match, I'm in a tag match with my fellow 'student', Brimstone. Right away, I like the idea. Velvet and Brimstone just -sounds- cool, right? We actually have a pretty good match, but we're learning from two of the best; Peers has Lauren and Andrews in masks as our opponents. We work a mat-based clash, somethingg Brimstone and I aren't too used to, but that's how you learn, right? Ten minutes, we lose, but I had fun... and got my share of the rent money (D+). Brimstone and I head back to the Green Room to watch the rest of the show and talk about what we've learned... Aaron, workhorse that he is... I mean, he's been in the big time, he's got to have a work ethic, right?... he's out there talking about how he faces Lauren at Reach For The Sky, but tonight is a Pick Your Poison match, and he wants to know who his opponent is... and out comes Ultimate Phoenix, and I just totally mark out, y'know? Phoenix is, like, the whole reason I'm here... the man's a legend, and I can't wait to see this match tonight (C). The first match promsies to be good... it's a four-way ladder match to see who faces Rod Remus next. I'd give almost anything to be in there... even my mask... but I know I'm not ready yet. Jonnie Perez held the title and did okay with it... Masked Patriot and Jimmy Foxx both held it at some point... Teddy Powell hasn't, but he seems like a big name to hold it. I'm a bit surprised when Powell is the winner (D+). Out comes Remus, and the two go nose to nose, and Powell tells him not to get hurt tonight... he'd hate to have to claim the title by forfeit (D-). I don't think anyone's ever won a title here via forfeit. I don't think that'd go over well. Triple-threat tag match next, as the contenders... Datsun and Gumble... get to spend some time beating up Fox Force Five and the team of Speedball and Apollo. Speedball and Apollo used to tag together years ago; from the looks of this, they may wind up teaming again. They looked good. Of course, the contenders win here (D+)... to to keep their heat going into the title match... but I suddenly realize I'm losing out by having my tag team be a failure. We've got a lot of teams ready to go now... I could be on one of them, and not acting like a student. The winners cut a promo on Team Lucha for the next show (C-), and I wonder if I can talk Peers into letting me be a distraction in the match... Teddy Powell is backstage, doing a promo on Rod Remus... Remus, also cute, but not really my type... and that might actually be a nice match (D-). The next match is non-title as Remus and Lauren wrestle, with Lauren getting the win (C). Aaron then runs out and attacks Lauren, while Powell keeps Remus from doing anything (D+)... I'm starting to see a stable forming, and I'm not sure how I feel about Team Lucha having competition like that. We're kinda unique here, y'know? Remus rants at Powell as Pee-Wee tries to get control of things (D-), and then Phoenix comes out for the main event... and I was right, it was a pretty good match. I bet if we actually built up to it, it could be amazing... (C+) ... really built up to it.... ohhhhhhhh, snap, vato... I think I know what's happening at Reach for the Sky... and with this good of a show leading into it (C), I bet it's gonna get the crowd really riled up... I'm gonna go ask Peers if I'm close or not... On the next Coastal Zone: Reach for the Sky! In August? Someone's messing with the schedule again...

[FINisher]

One little wish/request/addition: Could you make a quick list of results at the end of every show? Sometimes it gets too chaotic to read and the list would be something really small and fast to add without taking anything from the diary :) Congrats man on the DOTM win, don't lose your momentum. ^^

[pepper2008]

Good job Peers, putting masks on your top wrestlers so no one will recognize them, or their favorite moves. Who are those mask men?:p A list of results would help

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Reach For The Sky August 2013, week 1, Wednesday Gorski Ballroom, Southwest USA Justin Sensitive. It's always nice to be a part of one of the big shows, y'know? I used to take being used on shows for granted... but somewhere around my fifth year in RIPW, never being called up, never getting pushed, I realized... being used every show isn't always a good thing. So when RIPW cut me, I somehow managed to wind up in the Coastal Zone. I've had one win in the year and a half I've been here, and that was over a jobber-in-training. But I'm learning more here than I ever did in RIPW. And tonight? I'm getting used again, I'm losing again, but hey... I'm enjoying myself. And I don't mean as part of the "Everyone not on the card, do a battle royal before the show" match, either. I'll say this for Peers... he likes making sure everyone gets a paycheck, at least once a month. And for a change, the battle royal is fun to watch... but then, he's got some of the 'bigger names', like foxx, Sleep, and Patriot in there. I'm a little surprised that Eagle Washington got the win... and so is Peers. Apparently, he didn't tell anyone whow as going to win, and let them work it out for themselves... but, y'know, Eagle's a former tag champion, so why not? (D+) Cliff and Emma do their welcome, and the show starts. Andrews is out first, talking ****y about how he's going to be the new champion, and how it'll be the start of a new day, and yadda yadda. The man talks a good talk (C+), I can't wait to see the match. But the first match is just somethingg that got thrown together, as Fox Force Five takes on Insane Machine and Barry Kingman. Logic dictates that the actual team defeats the thrown-together team, and that's what happens, but it's still a good opener to get the crowd going (C-). Teddy Powell does a quick word backstage to hype up his match with Rod Remus (D), and we move on to another thrown-together match... lucha-style three on three. Team Lucha is represented by Acid II, Velvet, and Brasil, while the other team is Jared Johnson, Jackpot Jordan, and yours truely. We just need to not suck, eat up some time... and, y'know, we eat up some time. But I fail to not suck. I fail so bad. The others try to cover for me, but y'know... I'm kinda glad when Jared taps out to Brasil's leglock and I can go back with my tail between my legs (D-). Remus comes out to cut a promo on Powell (D), and then they bring out the ladder and we begin our actual advertised matches. The Xtreme match is first... that's why they bring out the ladder... Rod Remus vs Teddy Powell. It's a huge improvement from Panda Mask's time with the title... I mean, I respect Hash, but he's not... well, exciting. This match? Much better than that. They do a good twenty minutes before... Remus loses? Didn't he just get the title? Wow, that was... a short reign (C-). Lauren does a promo for the main event (C-), and then we go on to the tag title match. Phoenix and Brasil have managed to have good matches with almost any team they've faced... I'd love to find a partner and fight them, but after twenty five minutes... well, maybe I won't get that chance. Teddy Powell does a run-in and and the Gumble/Datsun team with no name gets the win and the tag titles (C). Hype video for the main event (D+), and then the main event itself, Lauren vs Andrews. The way I see it, if all the titles have changed hands so far, then that makes Lauren look all the stronger for holding onto hers, right? So the two put on a... long... long match, I think we nearly hit forty minutes... but then Powell, Datsun and Gumble all run down and Lauren falls to the numbers game, giving all the titles to the new guys (C). That's... not what I was expecting at all. But for some reason, Velvet's walking around backstage with a smirk on her face, like she knew what was going on... Still, it's a good show (C), and that's not anything to be upset about. I guess now we do a whole "Coastal Zone Seeks Redemption" type thing? Wonder how the Original Zoners feel about this... Summary: Force Force Five def. Machine & Kingman (C-) Team Lucha (Acid II, Velvet & Brasil) def. Jared Johnson, Jackpot & Justin Sensitive (D-) Xtreme Title: Teddy Powell def. Rod Remus(c) (C-) Tag Titles: Gumble & Datsun def. Team Lucha (Dragon & Phoenix) (C) CZCW Title: Aaron Andrews def. Lauren the Lion (c) (C) Show rating: C On the next Coastal Zone: We're back to monthly big shows, as the build to CZCW Redemption begins! Oh, and PGHW has fallen to Cult, so we're now as big as two of the biggest companies on the planet!

[Beeker]

I hope Teddy Powell heels things up with the XTreme title by defending it in purely non-extreme style matches. Should be an interesting storyline, especially since Peers doesn't do storylines.

[BuddyGarner]

Do a post by Victor "Victory" St. Hubbins! And a post by God(Adam Ryland).

[infinitywpi]

Between Shows August 2013, week 1, Friday Adam "The God" Ryland. What? You want me to do a recap? Listen, you bloody tosser, I think I've given you more than enough recognition over the years. I took Fox Mask's finishers from your Wrestling Spirit diary, I used your TEW diary's name as the official name of one of CZCW's shows, hell, it's because of you that CZCW is Coastal Zone -Championship- Wrestling instead of Combat Wrestling. Now you want more from me? Sod off. I've got games to make. Damn Americans, always wanting more, more, more... On the next Coastal Zone: We try not to tempt fate more than we already have.

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Coastal Tour August 2013, week 1, Sunday Grisom Auditorium, Southwest USA "The Marksman" Kirk Jameson. When I started off in this business, I was bi. No, not that. Bi-Coastal. FCW on the East Coast, CZCW on the West Coast. Then I expaded a bit and started working for NOTBPW. I like it up north. Hell, July? I spent more time there then in the Zone. I've even picked up some shows with RIPW... maybe get a developmental contract, maybe make the big leagues sometime. To be honest? I'm a much bigger name in Canada now. I get a better reaction up there. I love those Canucks. I haven't gotten used a whole lot lately in the States. Tonight, I am. Heck, I'm getting a title match. Buuuut I'm still jerking the curtain. It's a tradeoff. But, still, title shot, y'know? No pre-show stuff this week... I guess Peers is trying to save a few hundred on talent costs... which means, me and Andrews are up first. It's not bad, as Zone matches go... probably the best I've had in a while... one of the longer ones, too, it goes eighteen minutes, and then I collapse under a Flying Body Press for the three-count (C-) and quietly slide out of the ring as Lauren comes out to berate Andrews for stealing her title. Andrews tells her that he took the title because, like all champions, he's the dominant force in the company. Lauren says he's not dominant... he's just a prick who needed three friends to beat someone. Andrews laughs, and tells her that his friends are still around. Datsun, Gumble, and Powell come out from the crowd, and the beatdown commences, with Lauren selling like hell to make up for the guys not wanting to hit her too hard... and then out come Remus, Dragon and Phoenix to make the save (D). Next match is a nice little tag match as Fox Force Five defeats Team America... again... (C-), and then make an open challenge for any team to face them... obviously intending to face Gumble and Datsun, but worded so anyone 'with guts' can do the job (D+). Next, Lauren (suitably bandaged up) faces Barry Kingman; despite playing injured, we get a great match, a Zone-standard near-half-hour clash, with Lauren showing 'gumption' and 'spirit' and getting the win (C). After Lauren leaves, Barry leaves, and is met backstage by Aaron Andrews, who talks about his loss, and if he'd likee to get some revenge (D+). The main event for the night is a six-man tag, as Andrews' buddies face Remus and Team Lucha, another half-hour match that sees Gumble get the pinfall on Phoenix while using the ropes (C+). Afterwards, Andrews comes out and the four of them give everyone notice the The Professionals are taking over... and if anyone has a problem with that, well, they'll be at Redemption if anyone wants to 'discuss' things (D+). I'm not sure I like how this is getting started... I mean, I'm a professional, just not as well known in this country... it's a little insulting to those of us who're pros, just not famous ones. I gotta think Whippy and Harrison aren't too happy with this storyline. Summary: CZCW Title: Anddrews (c) def. Kirk Jameson (C-) Fox Force Five def. Team America (C-) Lauren the Lion def. Barry Kingman (C) The Professionals (Gumble, Datsun & Powell) def. Rod Remus, Dragon & Phoenix (C) Show rating: C On the next Coastal Zone: The Zone's habit of hiring big names has come back to bite them in the arse. With five of the biggest names to ever enter the Zone aligned, what can stand against them?

[infinitywpi]

CZCW Coastal Tour - Professionals Take Over August 2013, week 2, Sunday West Texas, Midsouth USA Jonnie Perez. I blame my brother for everything. Sure, he may have helped keep us growing... but his leaving caused these... they call themselves the professionals. But they're always insulting people, pulling pranks backstage... if that's professional, I want to stay an amature for life. And to make matters worse, since they're the biggest names on the roster, they get the lion's share of attention... no offense, Lauren... it's not like their egos need much more stroking, right? Especially with how much money they get paid. Money is suddenly important for us again... I overheard Peers and Cliff talking, and we've got less than a year before we go into debt. They're looking for ways to cut costs... using less people... which is going to get the long-time Zoners upset... yeah, I think most of us are glad we work for more than onee company right now. But, hey, we're working Texas tonight, so at least there's some new scenery, right? Well, eight of us are working Texas. The show starts with Jimmy Force calling out Andrews, saying he knows his friends are there, but he doesn't care, he wants to take the title back and bring it to the Zone where it belongs. Andrews and him jaw for quite a while... I think it's the longest we've ever gone without a match, really (C-). The opening match has Steve Gumble gets a pin on Speedball... I forget if it's Steve or Freddie Datsun who hates Speedball's guts, it's one of them... it's a decent match (C-), and I can kinda see the point to it. Texas doesn't know a lot of the lower-card guys here, but they know the big names, so it's kinda a rebuilding period here. Force says a few words backstage over how he's more proforceinal than the guys with the belts... seriously, proforcinal? He's really reaching now (D-). Datsun and Sleep are up next, with Datsun getting the win... I don't know what it is with Sleep. He can turn out great matches with Lauren, as good as the main event crowd can do, but against anyone else... he just doesn't have it (D+). But he's getting better, at least. I head down to the ring to complain about how Powell isn't 'Xtreme' and certainly doesn't deserve the title; Powell comes out to say he's ready to prove otherwise, and I grin and tell him that if this is a title defense, it has to be an Xtreme title defense... bring out the ladder! (D-). I put all I've got into this match... it's sort of my way of trying to show I should have never lost the title, especially to that embarassment of a title reign that was Harrison Hash's... and with Remus being part of the anti-Professional group, I don't know when I'll be a part of the title picture again. We go... well over twenty minutes, I think, and yes, I don't win. But dammit, I do what I can to make sure the title stays Xtreme (C-). Not my best work, but it's not one of those matches I'm embarassed by. Andrews comes out to joke about Jim Force, about how he's not a has-been, he's a never-was (D+), and out comes Force for the main event. It's... possibly one of the best matches I've seen Jim Force pull off, and he wasn't part of a tag team for this one. He still starts losing his breath a lot sooner than anyone else in the Zone would, but he makes up for that with intensity for the part of the match that he's awake for. In the end, yes, he loses... but he had me buying that maybe, just maybe, he'd be pulling off the impossible here tonight (C). All in all, I think we had a good show (C-). As we were leaving, I heard some fans talk about hwo I shouldn't've been in the sub-main event... screw them, right? Someday they'll be telling their kids about how they saw me when I was just a youngster... Summary: Steve Gumble def. Marc Speed (C-) Freddie Datsun def. Mercutio Sleep (D+) Xtreme Title: Teddy Powell (c) def. Jonnie Perez (C-) CZCW Title: Aaron Andrews (c) def. Jim Force (C) Show rating: C- On the next Coastal Zone: As cost-cutting continues, the greatest Coastal Zone tradition of all makes a triumphant return: Tidal booking!

[foolinc]

Tidal booking? Time to mark out!

[Nightshadeex]

I love Tidal Booking. Cult sucks so much...