MAW: 10 Simple Rules...

[James Casey]

[B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Mother, May I? Friday, 26th May 2010[/CENTER][/B] [B]Masked Patriot vs. Raphael[/B] This was a short, high-powered opener to get the fans buzzing for the rest of the night. Raphael tried to buy off the muscular Patriot to start the match, but Patriot swatted the cash from his hand and responded with a stiff lariat. Raphael tried to beg off throughout the match, but Patriot wore him down quickly, putting him away with a Patriot Slam Winner: Masked Patriot (D) * Backstage, Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh approached Fumihiro Ota in the boiler room. [COLOR="blue"]“Fumihiro, have you seen Phoenix around anywhere?”[/COLOR] Smith asked. [I]Gong.[/I] [COLOR="blue"]“No? We are becoming very worried about him – no-one seems to have seen him since last month’s show,”[/COLOR] Kashmir said. Ota shrugged. [COLOR="blue"]“Well, thank you. If you do see him, will you please let us know?”[/COLOR] [I]Gong. Go-[/I] Without warning, all three men were attacked by a trio of masked men. As the masked men beat down the fan favourite trio, Rock noted that they were wearing matching attire – different colours, but the same cut in each case. Each man was attired in loose fitting trousers and a fitted mask that covered their entire head, leaving only the eyes and mouth visible. One of the men was black, and his attire was pure white. The others were white – one in black garb with purple and green highlights to his mask, the other in silvery grey clothing. The uniformed trio beat down the faces, hurling Ota into a boiler with a sickening thud, piledriving Smith on the concrete floor and setting about Singh with a lead pipe. The arena security arrived in force before too much damage could be done – chasing off the attackers as their victims lay beaten on the boiler room floor. * [B]Shaffer & Grayson vs. Valentine & Johnson (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Tag Team titles[/COLOR] We may just keep Shaffer and Grayson together for a spell again. They work pretty well together, and the matches are improved as a result of having two quite high-profile workers in the ring. They even helped Casey Valentine out here, as he was able to improve his brawling skills visibly as the match went on, having realised there was no way he could outfly or outwrestle his gifted opponents. Johnson was able to tie up Shaffer and Grayson somewhat, but it fell to Valentine to get his hands dirty, bulling past the popular duo and eventually nailing Grayson with a perfect Sweet Sweet Heartbreak for the win. Winners: Valentine & Johnson (D+) * The camera cut to the treatment room, where Ota was laying shirtless on a treatment table, having ice packed onto his raw back where he had been thrown against the boiler. Brandon Smith was being checked for concussion, and Kashmir Singh was having his knee taped up. Singh glared at the camera. [COLOR="blue"]“Whoever you are,”[/COLOR] he snarled. [COLOR="blue"]“If you want a fight, then you’ve picked the right three men to start with. The three of you each just earned yourself a match tonight. And even as sore as we are, I have no doubt that we will emerge victorious.”[/COLOR] The door to the room crashed open, and the white clad newcomer charged in, attacking Singh and dragging him out of the room before anyone had a chance to react. The cameraman managed to follow them out of the room, and follow as they brawled along the corridor towards the ring. Getting up close, it was possible to see that the attacker had the word [I]Ricochet[/I] printed down one leg of his trousers. * [B]Kashmir Singh vs. Ricochet[/B] The brawl eventually spilled into the ring, where Chad Brent signalled for the bell. Ricochet immediately upended Singh with a beautiful takedown, and set to work wearing down the battered Indian’s defences. Ricochet showed commendable technical skills – maybe even on a par with Jean Cattley’s – as he wore down the plucky Singh. As an added twist, he worked at remarkable speed, giving the injured Singh no real chance to defend himself against the onslaught before he was put away with a Cross Armbreaker. Winner: Ricochet (D) * Rip smirked as he entered the ring, the ****y grin on his face seemingly welded in place nowadays. [COLOR="purple"]“Decisions, decisions... I’ve done a lot of matchmaking on the fly tonight. We’ve seen an impressive debut from Ricochet, and I expect that his colleagues Sharp and Toxin – oh yes, I know who they are – will do well tonight, as well. “Of course, it can’t all be about the new guys. And until they get a few wins under their belts, I’d be out of order to consider them a part of the various title races here in Mid Atlantic Wrestling. So I won’t – tonight’s title shots are all going to established stars. We’ve already seen Shaffer and Grayson reuniting to take on Valentine and Johnson. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a permanent reunion, at that.”[/COLOR] This earned a mixed response. The fans were pleased that the former champs might be reuniting, but weren’t pleased that neither would be challenging Jay Chord for his title. [COLOR="purple"]“The Traditional Title match... well, tonight I think that shot deserves to go to a young man who shows a great deal of promise. One of my own students, in fact, Antonio!”[/COLOR] The fans were very sure that they didn’t like this – nepotism is an ugly, ugly word. [COLOR="purple"]“And I have a couple of announcements to make regarding my son’s Heavyweight title. Firstly, Erik Strong and Hugh de Aske will square off next to determine who gets to face Jay next month. Secondly, Jay’s opponent tonight is that renowned titan of the ring, Kirk Jameson!”[/COLOR] The fans were really not happy about this – Strong, de Aske and Jameson would be a long way down most people’s lists of contenders, after all. * Backstage, Hugh de Aske was standing by with Sienna, and he looked pretty cross: [COLOR="blue"]“Now, Hugh de Aske is a proud pirate, and there are times that being both is not an easy thing to live with. On the one hand, pirate! Any chance I get to get my hands on some gold, I’ll take and thank you very much. On the other hand, this whole deal stinks like a week-old barrel of mackerel. I’ve served under some scurvy old salts in my time, and I know enough to see that Rip has put me in this match because he thinks that his son can beat me – with or without his help. Well, it seems like someone hasn’t been paying attention, doesn’t it, my love?”[/COLOR] He slapped Sienna on the hip, and she giggled. [COLOR="Blue"]“For the record, Rip, you’re a lousy deal maker. And when I bury my cutlass in your son’s heart and snatch away the treasure that he values the most... Well, then you’ll understand why you should never underestimate a pirate. Arr!”[/COLOR] * [B]Erik Strong vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] to name the [COLOR="purple"]#1 contender to the MAW Heavyweight title[/COLOR] Have I mentioned how much I love Hugh de Aske? I do – truly. Anyway, this was a blistering match that saw the wily pirate hamstringing every effort by Strong to go airborne, while Sienna neutralised Katie Cameron on the outside. Strong struggled on the mat as de Aske threatened to completely overwhelm him, but was able to avoid a Skull and Crossbones attempt, giving him enough of an advantage that he could take control of the match. Hugh fought back to the best of his ability, but Strong was able to maintain control long enough to score with a Strongsault, giving him the victory in an excellent match. Winner: Erik Strong (C) * [B]“Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. Sharp[/B] The silver-clad Sharp was all over Smith from the bell, hammering away at the larger man and trying to capitalise on his earlier injury to wear him down. Smith shrugged him off and went on the offence, targeting the masked man and trying to hit him with enough of his high impact offence to put him down. The match was an enjoyable brawl, with Sharp doing his best to match Smith move for move, but eventually coming up short as he fell to a Backdrop Driver. Winner: Brandon Smith (D) * Antonio came down to the ring, looking smug. [COLOR="Blue"]“It’s always nice to have my greatness recognised. Only yesterday, I was hailed by the New York Stock Exchange as the fastest rising star on the trading floor. Today, I’m set to become the Traditional champion. Tomorrow, I’ll probably hit a home run for the Mets or something. Its good to be me.”[/COLOR] * [B]Aaron Andrews (c) vs. Antonio[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Traditional title[/COLOR] Antonio did his best to take advantage of Andrews’ evident distraction throughout this very enjoyable match. The champ kept being distracted by the presence of Rip at ringside, and while Rip professed innocence, he did nothing to make himself less conspicuous, either. Antonio gleefully took every opening offered him as he sought to finish Andrews off, but while the Traditional title may not have been Andrews first choice, he was now loath to sacrifice it too easily. He fought back gamely, outbrawling Antonio with ease and matching the financial wizard’s best efforts to go to the air or take it to the mat, before catching some air himself with a Flying Body Press to score the win. Winner: Aaron Andrews (C-) * After the match, Andrews propped himself up on the top rope, and glared down at Rip. [COLOR="Blue"]“I’ve beaten your hand-picked challenger – now give me a match against your son!”[/COLOR] [COLOR="purple"]“No, kid. You lost your last match against him – I’m not convinced you deserve another one yet. Keep trying, though – we’ll find you another challenge next month.”[/COLOR] * [B]Fumihiro Ota vs. Toxin[/B] What could have been... It was clear from the bell that these two were capable of putting together a fantastic match. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen as both men seemed to have their minds elsewhere. This is worth trying again – but in the meantime Toxin took the win with a roll-up. Winner: Toxin (D) * Jay and Rip are clearly related – the smirk on Jay’s face was a perfect replica of Rip’s own smirk. Taking the mic, he addressed his challenger: [COLOR="Red"]“Kirk... I see a lot of promise in you. It’s why I insisted on having you as my challenger this month. I feel like this could be a major step on your career path. But let’s be honest – you’re not going to win.”[/COLOR] * [B]Kirk Jameson vs. Jay Chord (c) [/B]for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Heavyweight title[/COLOR] It’s got to be said – Jay hasn’t exactly set the world alight since winning the belt. This was one of his better matches, though, despite being full of Sportz Entertainment shenanigans. Jay had underestimated his foe, and paid the price as Jameson pasted him all over the mat in the early going. Jay fought back, and went for a desperate Cradle Piledriver – only for Jameson to backdrop his way out of it. As Jay crashed down, his foot caught Chad Brent, sending our ref sprawling. With no back up, there was no-one to count as Jameson nailed The Bullseye, and covered for a count that on commentary I made to at least thirty – and a slow thirty, at that. Such is the way of things, though, that when Brent recovered and began his count, Chord was by now recovered enough to kick out at an agonisingly slow two. Jameson betrayed his inexperience by becoming frustrated at his near miss, and this allowed Jay to rapidly make up some ground as he nailed a series of big moves. Jameson was able to maintain enough control to clamp in a Kirkhold and try and squeeze out a submission – but Jay was able to make it to the ropes to break the hold. As Jameson vented his frustrations by screaming upwards at the lights, he turned into a boot to the gut, swiftly followed by a Cradle Piledriver as Jay escaped with his title from a match that was a lot more challenging than he clearly expected. Winner: Jay Chord (D+) [B]Overall: D[/B] [I]You all went for the same predictions - you all got one wrong. I'm not [U]too[/U] predictable just yet :p[/I]

[D-Lyrium]

Let's try and ruin more surprises :D Sharp... I can't get Silver Shark out of my head. Because of the silver, and the shar[i]p[/i]. So I'm almost certainly wrong on that one. Toxin... Acid would be too obvious.... ... ... or would it? He'd probably have gotten a better match out of Ota though. Has Acid 2 debuted yet? ¬_¬ Almost no clues here, so... meh. Ricochet... black guy, high chain wrestling and/or aerial and as good as Cattley on the mat. Not ringing any bells, but at least it excludes Xavier Reckless. ¬_¬ The only black guy I can think of that's likely to be available and can match Cattley is Stevie Stoat, and he's unlikely to have been out of work long enough to become available in the US. So unless Arthur Dexter Bradley has been training 24/7 with Cornell or McFly, I dunno. I'm such a failure :p

[James Casey]

Let's see: 1. Right lines, wrong guy - you might have to trawl the free agent list a little, but you won't need to go [I]too[/I] far 2. Interesting thought, but no. As much as I'd love to get Acid - and I would [I]love[/I] to get Acid - he's on a written deal with... WLW, I think. One of the Japanese feds, anyway. You're kinda on the right line with the name. Sorta. 3. Not even close :p The day I hire that feckless twerp ADB is the day I hire Big Smack Scott. A little clue: Ricochet is also the name of a Marvel hero (and former Spider-Man alias). They guy under the hood shares his usual nickname with another Marvel hero, who's also spent some time in the Spiderypages over the years. The true identities of these guys isn't the least bit important, incidentally, they're just three guys I picked up who fit the loose Speed/Technical/Rumble archetypes I was after. If they'd ended up flopping, they'd have been gone after a few shows with no-one any the wiser about their IDs. As it happens, they put on some good matches, so that was a welcome bonus. A couple of freebies, though: Cannonball Kid was under consideration - but at a starting price of $900 ppa was way above what I was looking for (hence the comment to Rip a couple of posts back). Also, none of the guys has any masked pictures. And I could tell you - but I like masked workers. And it's fun trying to work this kind of thing out :D Knowing who's under the masks isn't as important as what they can do - which is bring some quality to the MAW ranks.

[Dragonmack]

I don't really have a clue about the other two, but my money is on Joey Poison being Toxin.

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=James Casey;479341] 3. Not even close :p The day I hire that feckless twerp ADB is the day I hire Big Smack Scott. A little clue: Ricochet is also the name of a Marvel hero (and former Spider-Man alias). They guy under the hood shares his usual nickname with another Marvel hero, who's also spent some time in the Spiderypages over the years.[/QUOTE] The horribly badly-written-of-late Robbie Baldwin, then, which means he was my first guess. Marc Speed.

[Hyde Hill]

Sharp= Insane Machine, Toxin= Joey Poison, Ricochet= Marc Speed. My guesses as well

[Sagitta]

I'm going to venture a guess that Ricochet may be Art Reed, back from Japan.

[James Casey]

Two dings - no third Toxin is Joey Poison, a talented speedster and better than average all-rounder. I'm delighted to get him - I was sure he'd be too big for us. Ricochet is Marc Speed (well done, Phantom Stranger) whose moniker Speedball is shared with a former New Warrior, iirc, whose had his issues elsewhere of late. I'm also pleased to get Speeed, as he was a star for me in my 07 game who never quite made the leap to the top of the card. I always felt bad for never giving him the top spot, so we'll see what happens now. Insane Machine? Nope - Think East Coast for Sharp's alter ego :p

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=James Casey;479614] Ricochet is Marc Speed (well done, Phantom Stranger) whose moniker Speedball is shared with a former New Warrior, iirc, whose had his issues elsewhere of late. I'm also pleased to get Speeed, as he was a star for me in my 07 game who never quite made the leap to the top of the card. I always felt bad for never giving him the top spot, so we'll see what happens now. [/QUOTE] I have a soft spot for the guy myself - he's been one of my most reliable tag workers for years, and in a division that really gels for me.

[James Casey]

The ringing of the phone jolted me from unconsciousness once more. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Hoozded?”[/COLOR] I managed to croak into the phone, as the red blur of the alarm clock’s digits resolved themselves into three digits - 5:02. [COLOR="Purple"]“Kid, shouldn’t you be up by now?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“What? What? Rip? What’s the matter?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Purple"]“Nothing, kid. I’m up early for my daily run. Want to join me?”[/COLOR] I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. Feeling a little more awake, I sighed as I put the phone back to my ear. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Rip, I don’t run much nowadays,”[/COLOR] I said, making my way gingerly back into the bedroom, and picking up my cane. Rip laughed heartily as I made my way downstairs and put the kettle on. I flicked on my computer as well – I figured that as Rip had so kindly awakened me, I might as well get on with my day. [COLOR="Purple"] “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that the kid and I had a bit of a disagreement last night.”[/COLOR] I rolled my eyes heaven-ward. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“What now, Rip?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Purple"]“Ahhh, he’d got hold of some stuff off the web and was showing it around the locker room.”[/COLOR] My finger paused over the mouse button, the cursor in turn paused over the ‘Connect’ icon. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“What sort of stuff?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Purple"]“Let’s just leave it at stuff, kid.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Stuff that embarrasses Rip Chord? Must have been bad.”[/COLOR] Rip emitted a big belly laugh. By the time he’d finished, I’d logged on, downloaded my e-mails and started sifting through them to try and find the genuine ones. [COLOR="Purple"]“Well, I tried to have a word with him, but I may have handled it wrong. He blew up at me, and stormed off.”[/COLOR] I sighed. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“OK, Rip. I’ll do my best to not tread on his toes for the next couple of months. Out of curiosity, did you ever hit Jay growing up?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Purple"]“No, why?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Just might have helped, is all. Anyway, go and run. I’ll speak to you later.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Purple"]“See ya, kid.”[/COLOR] * $6k profit this month. With our new hirees, it might seriously be worth considering a three hour monthly show... We’ll see. * Of course, it may not be necessary. TCW have risen to Global, and the offers began pouring in. Let’s see: Alex DeColt – snubbed due to loyalty to CGC Remmy Skye – signed and no longer available to us Groucho Bling – signed Kirk Jameson – snubbed due to loyalty to NOTBPW (not to MAW, but hey...) Bart Biggz – signed Shawn Gonzales – signed Andre Jones – signed Oh, and... [COLOR="Blue"]“Boss?”[/COLOR] I looked up, absently wishing for one of Katie’s massages. But that would mean replying to her text message, and so far I’d been enough of a coward that I hadn’t done that. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“What’s up, Darryl?”[/COLOR] I asked, as the blond youngster stood nervously in my doorway. [COLOR="Blue"]“Uh... I’m here to give in my notice. Sorry,”[/COLOR] he said, quickly, as my jaw dropped. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“What? Why?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“Didn’t you hear? TCW are recruiting.”[/COLOR] My shoulders sagged. TCW were skating on thin ice. They weren’t offering written deals to our talent, so weren’t strictly speaking stealing them – but at the same time, they quite often approached guys with multiple contracts, and too often those guys ditched their least prestigious employer. Which was us, more often than not. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Okay, Darryl. Thanks for all you’ve done here. I’m sorry we can’t give you a decent send off.”[/COLOR] I shook hands with him, wanting to wring Tommy Cornell’s neck. But what can I do? We’re a small promotion – it comes with the territory. When the day comes that Jean Cattley tries to jump ship, then I’ll consider suing. Until then, I’ll just try and make sure we can sustain the odd body blow like this. * [CENTER][B]MAW Summer Showdown[/B] “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh vs. Ricochet & Sharp Shane Nelson, Amazing Fire Fly and Riley McManus vs. The Firm The Bailey Boys vs. Primus Allen and Findlay O’Farraday Internet Favourites vs. The Canadian Blondes Aaron Andrews vs. Casey Valentine vs. Jared Johnson Stevie Grayson vs. Hugh de Aske Erik Strong vs. Jay Chord [/CENTER]

[mad5226]

Sucks you're losing Darryl, I don't think you'll ever have to worry about losing Jean though.

[Hyde Hill]

[B]Bulldozer” Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh[/B] vs. Ricochet & Sharp Shane Nelson, Amazing Fire Fly and Riley McManus vs. [B]The Firm[/B] [B]The Bailey Boys[/B] vs. Primus Allen and Findlay O’Farraday Baily boys???? [B]Internet Favourites [/B]vs. The Canadian Blondes [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] vs. Casey Valentine vs. Jared Johnson Stevie Grayson vs. [B]Hugh de Aske[/B] Erik Strong vs. [B]Jay Chord [/B]

[Showtime4Lajf]

“Bulldozer” Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh vs. [B]Ricochet & Sharp[/B] [I]They seem to be doing well enough for themselves to deserve a win here to gain more credibility.[/I] Shane Nelson, Amazing Fire Fly and Riley McManus vs. [B]The Firm[/B] [I]Seems like the Firm is facing the Job Squad here...[/I] The Bailey Boys vs. [B]Primus Allen and Findlay O’Farraday[/B] [I]If the Bailey Boys were to be taken seriously you would've at the very least told us who they are... unless you're trying to FOOL ME, and give the "job team" a win because of lack of communication or something![/I] [B]Internet Favourites[/B] vs. The Canadian Blondes [I]I dunno... their name suggest that they should be favorites of mine...[/I] [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] vs. Casey Valentine vs. Jared Johnson [I]Andrews inches ever closer to his title shot...[/I] Stevie Grayson vs. [B]Hugh de Aske[/B] [I]De Aske is on a roll! How could I ever doubt him?[/I] :p Erik Strong vs. [B]Jay Chord[/B] [I]Andrews will likely be the one to dethrone young Chord down the line, which means Strong can't be dethroning him now.[/I]

[D-Lyrium]

[QUOTE=Showtime4Lajf;479890]“Bulldozer” Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh vs. [B]Ricochet & Sharp[/B] - New guys always win, fact. As for Sharp, I'm still stumped. The best I can come up with is The Wolverine, based on the facts that we need to fill a brawling slot with an East Coast guy who's initial isn't far from S in the list and has some sort of connection to Silver Shark, so I'm guessing either a colour or an animal/fish, and thus, Wolverine. Plus there's the Marvel clue from Ricochet that's stuck in my head. Fairly sure I'm wrong though. Shane Nelson, Amazing Fire Fly and Riley McManus vs. [B]The Firm[/B] The Bailey Boys vs. [B]Primus Allen and Findlay O’Farraday[/B] - I'm assuming TJ is one of the Bailey Boys, which means they'll lose. Every match. Or else. As far as I know, TJ doesn't have any genuine relations in the game, thankfully, so I guess it's someone who looks a bit like him, and since Stevie Grayson is already in the company, bit stumped there. Crappy Elwood, maybe. Or Mark Smart. Or a new worker. Christan Vars maybe, or Brett Starr. Bugger it, dunno. :p Internet Favourites vs. [B]The Canadian Blondes[/B] - Bloonnnnddddeeeessss! Hey, it worked last time... [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] vs. Casey Valentine vs. Jared Johnson - I foresee some shenanigans with The Firm working together, but then arguing over who gets to pin him. Stevie Grayson vs. [B]Hugh de Aske[/B] Erik Strong vs. [B]Jay Chord[/B] - The two biggest locker-room annoyances in one ring. The backstage area will be loving this.

[Hyde Hill]

Sharp 2 new guesses Ash Cambell or Brendan Idol. Outside shot Teddy Powell

[Dragonmack]

My guess for Sharp would be Sayeed Ali

[kowalewski]

[B]“Bulldozer” Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh[/B] vs. Ricochet & Sharp Shane Nelson, Amazing Fire Fly and Riley McManus vs. [B]The Firm[/B] [B]The Bailey Boys[/B] vs. Primus Allen and Findlay O’Farraday Internet Favourites vs. [B]The Canadian Blondes[/B] Aaron Andrews vs. [B]Casey Valentine [/B]vs. Jared Johnson Stevie Grayson vs. [B]Hugh de Aske[/B] Erik Strong vs. [B]Jay Chord [/B]

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: I hope Jean never tries to leave - I'd be severely vexed... And no-one's got Sharp yet? It's not Ash Campbell - who's only just ahead of BSS and ADB on my 'to hire' list. And Teddy Powell has a daft beard :p Have another clue: He starts out at NYCW. And the Bailey Boys are TJ and Cheetah Boy aka CB Bailey. I never claimed they were going to be any good - consider them my my Kai En Tai :D[/I] * [B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Summer Showdown Tuesday, 23rd June 2010[/CENTER] “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh vs. Ricochet & Sharp [/B] The masked duo gave the fan favourites a run for their money in this opening match, with each man isolating their opposite number. Ricochet tied Smith up in knots, keeping the patriotic wrestler off his game. When Singh managed to tag in, Sharp was immediately tagged in too, and the brawler kept the Indian star on the back foot. However, the face duo worked their way back into the match, and Smith was able to take Ricochet down with a Backdrop Driver for the win. Winners: Smith and Singh (D) * After the match, Ricochet and Sharp refused to give up, resuming their attack on the face duo with unabated fury. Smith and Singh seemed to be in trouble – until a masked man sprinted down the aisle and slid into the ring, a chair in his hands. The fans popped as they recognised Ultimate Phoenix, who immediately swung for Ricochet. But at the last second, Phoenix swerved to one side, planting the chair firmly between the eyes of Brandon Smith. Without pausing for breath, he spun and brought the chair around and into the face of Singh. He stood over his fallen foes, and smiled evilly. Taking a mic, he addressed the crowd: [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“I have seen the truth. I have seen the light. It hurts, it burns – but I was reborn!”[/COLOR] With a sharp tug, he pulled off his trademark blue and white mask, revealing a black and red one underneath, highlighted with flames. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“I am Firebird!”[/COLOR] * [B]Shane Nelson, Amazing Fire Fly and Riley McManus vs. The Firm (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Trios titles[/COLOR] This was a straightforward Trios match, with luchadore Amazing Fire Fly trying to lead the charge for the face team, but being left hanging as they were unable to match up to The Firm. Of most interest in the match was the absence of Darryl Devine, with Primus Allen stepping into the role as the third member of the team. It was Allen who scored the first pin, putting Nelson down with a Running Powerslam. Powell scored The Firm’s second straight pin with a Canadian Lariat on Fly to make another successful defence. Winners: The Firm (D-) * Backstage, and Jean Cattley caught up with Casey Valentine. [COLOR="Blue"]“Where’s Darryl?”[/COLOR] he demanded. [COLOR="Blue"]“Darryl’s gone – didn’t he tell you?”[/COLOR] Casey replied. [COLOR="Blue"]“No. We had to draft in Primus to take his place – and now he’s got to wrestle twice tonight.” “Huh. Too bad.” “When did you hear?” “We were talking a few days ago. He got an offer from out west – I figured he was going to tell you.”[/COLOR] Jean growled, and stalked away. Valentine smirked as he watched him go. * [B]The Bailey Boys vs. Primus Allen and Findlay O’Farraday[/B] TJ and CB Bailey were making their on-screen debut here, and mostly got thrown around by Primus Allen in his second match of the night. Despite his remarkable stamina, however, he tired and was forced to bring in Findlay. The gargantuan Findlay towered over the Baileys, but they used hit and run tactics to beat down their opponent, before CB came off the top rope to score a big upset for the youngsters. Winners: The Bailey Boys (E) * [B]Internet Favourites vs. The Canadian Blondes[/B] - [COLOR="Purple"]#1 contenders match[/COLOR] As with the previous match, the MAW fans don’t take kindly to obviously laid out matches, which means that, with neither of these teams having any psych majors on board, the fans lost interest fast. The Favourites won via CtrlAltDel. Winners: Internet Favourites (E-) * Rip entered the ring, trademark smirk in place. [COLOR="Purple"]“It’s time for the Traditional title to be defended. Now, I’m a big defender of tradition – family values, respect for your elders, that sort of thing. But at the same time, I consider it can be worth changing with the times, as well. So today the Traditional champion will be defending his title in a Triangle match against Casey Valentine... and Jared Johnson!”[/COLOR] * [B]Aaron Andrews (c) vs. Casey Valentine vs. Jared Johnson[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Traditional title[/COLOR] Neither Valentine nor Johnson seemed comfortable in this match, which we played off as their being unhappy at potentially having to fight each other. This point came with Andrews down for the count, as neither Firm member seemed willing to allow the other to go for the pin. Andrews was able to use this to his advantage, as the tag champs were more and more often at one another’s throats until, finally, Johnson walked into Sweet Sweet Heartbreak, only for Andrews to nail Valentine with a Flying Bodypress to score the win. Winner: Aaron Andrews (C-) * [COLOR="Blue"]“Enough is enough, Rip,”[/COLOR] Aaron barked into the house mic. [COLOR="Blue"]“I won this title. I beat Antonio; I beat the tag champs single handed... Give me another shot at Jay!”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Purple"]“Sorry, kid – no can do,”[/COLOR] Rip smirked. [COLOR="Purple"]“You see, to make it fair, it’d have to be title vs. title. And we can’t have double champions – that’s not how it works in this company. So I think you’ll just have to keep defending the Traditional title until you lose it. But I’ve got to say, I don’t think someone who loses their matches is going to be seen as championship calibre, do you? Keep trying, kid. The rules may change – some day.”[/COLOR] * Backstage, Hugh Lee was standing with Fumihiro Ota. [COLOR="Blue"]“Master Fumihiro has no time for people who attack in such a cowardly fashion,”[/COLOR] Hugh said, as Ota glowered. "So tonight, Firebird, Master Ota wants to face you in a match and make you suffer for the indignities that you have heaped upon him and his colleagues.” Hugh turned to Ota. [COLOR="Blue"]“Was that okay?”[/COLOR] [I]Bong. Bong.[/I] [COLOR="Blue"]“Cool. I really liked that ‘indignities that you have heaped upon him’ bit. That was really portentous.”[/COLOR] [I]Bong. Bong.[/I] [COLOR="Blue"]“Can I learn to speak like that as part of my training?”[/COLOR] [I]Bong.[/I] [COLOR="Blue"]“Oh... It’s just a natural thing?”[/COLOR] [I]Bong. Bong.[/I] [COLOR="Blue"]“Well, I’ll just keep practising, eh?”[/COLOR] [I]Bong. Bong.[/I] * [B]Stevie Grayson vs. Hugh de Aske[/B] With Jenny by his side to get the crowd worked up, Grayson took the fight to de Aske in this excellent match. The action see-sawed back and forth, with neither man able to hold the advantage over the other. Pirate Hugh was quick to pounce on any little chink in Grayson’s armour, but with Jenny marshalling her man from the outside, Grayson was able to fight back, using his speed to outmanoeuvre his opponent before hitting a Shining Wizard for the win. Winner: Stevie Grayson (C-) * Jay Chord came down to the ring, not a hair out of place, the MAW title secure around his waist. [COLOR="Red"]“You know, there’s a lot of people whining and sobbing into their drinks about the intelligent way I’ve conducted myself since becoming champion. They want to see me taking on the biggest and brightest names. Me, I say that the record books don’t show who a champion defends against – just how long he holds the belt for. And I want to set a record. It’s only fit for a worker of my magnificence. “However, I do admit that there’s one person in the back who I’m itching to beat. That’s the man who was champion when I first arrived here in MAW – Erik Strong. “After all, when I kick his --- then there can be no question that I am the greatest wrestler this company has ever seen.”[/COLOR] * [B]Erik Strong vs. Jay Chord (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Heavyweight title[/COLOR] This was possibly Jay’s finest match to date, as one of Rip’s former favourites went after his son with the whole of the Mid Atlantic on his side. The battle between the former and current champion lived up to its billing. Strong battered Jay mercilessly, targeting the youngster’s legs to keep him on the mat and blunt his big attacks, while Jay, for once forced to fight a clean fight, came back with his focus on the challenger’s back. The work paid off, on both parts, with Strong’s Strongsault lacking its usual grace and range, meaning that he only just grazed Jay and took a hard landing. This was just enough to allow Jay to hit a weak Cradle Piledriver – but weak as it was, it was enough to allow him to score a narrow victory. Winner: Jay Chord (C-) * [B]Fumihiro Ota vs. Firebird[/B] If I have a fault as a booker, it lies in being unable to finish a show properly – I’m struggling to remember the last card I booked where the main event was the best match on the card, and that causes a significant letdown. That was very much the case here, as I’d expected Ota/Firebird to be a stunning match – and in fact it was just ordinary. Ota is frustratingly inconsistent, and while I’d planned to revisit this match down the line, I think I’ll reconsider that. Anyway, the match was decent, given who’s involved, but failed to yield a winner as the time limit expired before either man could score the decisive blow. Winner: No-one (D+) [B]Overall: D+[/B] [I](The fans may not have appreciated the length of the main event, either...)[/I]

[1PWfan]

Started out in NYCW? Then he's got to be eith Sammy the Shark or the New York Doll. And I'm guessing it's Doll- don't know why, he just seems more likely than Sammy

[mad5226]

I would love it if it were The New York Doll. I've always wanted to push him, just never got around to it lol. What's up with not having your championship match be the main event though?

[Hyde Hill]

yeah probably sammy the shark then. I was thinking High Flyers for the third one tough. So it could be Flash but I didn´t think he would put on such a mediocre match on his debut.

[James Casey]

[QUOTE=Hyde Hill;480137]yeah probably sammy the shark then. I was thinking High Flyers for the third one tough. So it could be Flash but I didn´t think he would put on such a mediocre match on his debut.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=1PWfan;480095]Started out in NYCW? Then he's got to be eith Sammy the Shark or the New York Doll. And I'm guessing it's Doll- don't know why, he just seems more likely than Sammy[/QUOTE] Sammy it is - he was available at the right price. He's probably the weakest of the three signees, but he's holding his own. And I'm not big enough to bring in Flash - which is especially annoying as he pops up in every other diary on this site. I'm halfway expecting a burly masked woman by the name of Stephanie to pop up in an AAA or 5SSW diary any day now. [QUOTE=mad5226;480097]I would love it if it were The New York Doll. I've always wanted to push him, just never got around to it lol. What's up with not having your championship match be the main event though?[/QUOTE] As noted, I'm not the best at choosing a main event - in my mind, Erik Strong will never take part in a match superior to one featuring Ota and Firebird/Phoenix. The one time I'm wrong on that, sad to say, it comes back and bites me... :rolleyes: [I]Next: Goodbye - again...[/I]

[D-Lyrium]

Not Hugh. Dear God, not Hugh de Aske. It won't be Jay, Cattley or Valentine, Johnson is way too new... the Blondes won't leave either, so please... anyone but Hugh?

[Hyde Hill]

My guess stevie or ota will leave.

[James Casey]

[I]Thought this already posted... Grumble, grumble, grumble...[/I] * $1,500 profit – back in the black once more * Raphael and Jefferson Stardust have been hanging out backstage. Two blonde pretty boys spending all their time together... I’m waiting until Jay finds out and starts making something of it. * [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Run this past me again,”[/COLOR] I said, slowly. It had been a long day, and it had just got significantly longer. [COLOR="Blue"]“I’ve had an offer. From the SWF.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“It’s for a development deal?”[/COLOR] He nodded. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“And you’re taking it?”[/COLOR] He nodded again. I hung my head. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Blast.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“I’m sorry, boss,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="Blue"]“I know it’s rotten timing...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“We’ll have to run an extra show to cover you leaving,”[/COLOR] I said. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“It could certainly have been better.”[/COLOR] He winced. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Look, it’s not your fault, mate,”[/COLOR] I said, trying to assuage his guilt even as a part of me called for him to be bombed out of my office so hard that Richard would have no use for him anytime soon. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“It’s just the way the Eisens do business. Any opportunity to remind us that they’re the big dogs...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“Yeah, I know. But I have to give it a try, eh?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkGreen"]“Of course. Look, if I’m honest, I had a great time up there. But that was a while ago now. Things are different. Still, I’ll watch your career with interest – you’ve got what it takes to be a star, and even if they don’t use to your best advantage up north, someone will make the most of you. And anyway, you leaving actually helps build up our new storyline, in a way...”[/COLOR] * [B]July – Hotter than Hot[/B] Riley McManus vs. Curtis Jenkins Ota, Smith and Singh vs. The Firm Amazing Fire Fly vs. Jefferson Stardust Aaron Andrews vs. Firebird [I]Screw you, Ryan Powell...[/I]