MAW: 10 Simple Rules...

[James Casey]

My jaw dropped, and I fumbled with the buttons on the phone to put it on speaker. If this wasn’t some bizarre, late-night-fast-food induced dream, I wanted Katie to be able to verify it for me in the morning. [COLOR="Red"]“Yes, it’s me. Long time, no see.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Yeah... no kidding. How are you, Jay?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“I’m doing well. TCW has been good for me. Good to me, too.”[/COLOR] I nodded thoughtfully. Jay and Darryl Devine were the tag team champions – now at nearly five months into their reign. They’d only defended their belts three times, but that was a minor detail – they had a storyline going where they only defended the titles when required to do so by Tommy Cornell, which had earned them a fair bit of heat. [COLOR="Green"]“Yes, we’ve been keeping a close eye on you. It’s good to hear from you.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Thanks. Listen, James...”[/COLOR] He paused. [COLOR="Red"]“I’m sorry about how things played out last year between us.”[/COLOR] I was left speechless again. [COLOR="Green"]“Really?”[/COLOR] I asked. [COLOR="Red"]“Really,”[/COLOR] he replied. [COLOR="Red"]“It was unprofessional. Look... I’m not the... easiest person in the world to get along with- Sorry?”[/COLOR] Katie had clamped a slim hand over my mouth just in time to prevent me saying something I might have regretted. [COLOR="Green"]“Nothing. I was just clearing my throat. Sorry, go on.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“I’m not the easiest person in the world to get on with. I know that – I push myself hard to try and live up to Dad. Sometimes I blow off steam and it upsets people. I can be arrogant, and rude...”[/COLOR] I was nodding along. [COLOR="Red"]“But out here in LA I’ve been seeing a psychiatrist about it all. Losing Mom, not having Dad around that much... It made it hard, growing up alone a lot of the time. So I’m trying to sort myself out, James. And a part of that is apologising to you, if you’ll accept it.”[/COLOR] I looked across at Katie, who shrugged. She had the same look of disbelief on her face that I no doubt had on mine. Covering the microphone with her hand, she quietly asked: [COLOR="Magenta"]“What harm can it do?”[/COLOR] Well, it could make me look like an idiot... But then, I was hardly blameless in the whole affair. I could have handled Jay a lot better from day one, and maybe he would still have been with us and the whole sorry affair would never have happened. I nodded, and she uncovered the speaker. [COLOR="Green"]“Jay, I accept your apology. I know it can’t have been easy for you to do this. I’m glad you’re happy out in Hollywood, but if we can ever be of help to you please let us know.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Thank you, James,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="Red"]“Sleep well.”[/COLOR] The phone was hung up, and Katie and I slumped back on the bed. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Wow,”[/COLOR] she said. I nodded my agreement. [COLOR="Magenta"]“What do you think brought that on?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“I wish I knew,”[/COLOR] I replied. [COLOR="Green"]“I wish I knew if it were permanent, or even if it were genuine. Maybe Rip and Jay are having a good laugh right now. Maybe Jay’s having a good laugh and Rip’s oblivious. Maybe no-one’s laughing and Jay’s for real. Who knows? But you’re right – it can’t do any harm to believe the best of him. He’s out west, a long way from us, so wishing him all the best is better for the soul at the very least.”[/COLOR] I shook my head. [COLOR="Green"]“And if nothing else, at least he got Rip to call at something approaching a reasonable hour for once...”[/COLOR] * [CENTER][B]MAW Iron[/B] Team Honor vs. The Second Sons vs. Always Breakin’ Hollywood Spectrum Infinity vs. The Dark Raptors Scarlet Strike vs. Black Eagle Amazing Fire Fly vs. Lord Geoffrey Windameer JD Morgan vs. Rudy Velasquez Rich Money and Kirk Jameson vs. Aaron Andrews and The Great Ota[/CENTER]

[Tigerkinney]

Team Honor vs. The Second Sons vs. [B]Always Breakin’ Hollywood[/B] [I]ABH look to be most in line for a big push out of these three teams[/I] Spectrum Infinity vs. [B]The Dark Raptors[/B] [I]Tag champs retain[/I] Scarlet Strike vs. [B]Black Eagle[/B] [I]Another win for the Fallen[/I] Amazing Fire Fly vs. [B]Lord Geoffrey Windameer[/B] [I]Lord Geoffrey via some form of tom foolery[/I] [B]JD Morgan[/B] vs. Rudy Velasquez [I]Morgan's on a roll and I don't see him losing to Velasquez[/I] [B]Rich Money and Kirk Jameson[/B] vs. Aaron Andrews and The Great Ota [I]Money's got to win at least one of his matches in his guest run, and this is the ideal contest for him to get a win over the champ.[/I]

[pepper2008]

You and Jay's shimmering tension has finally gone? So when Rip dies you wont be fired

[Hyde Hill]

Team Honor vs. [B]The Second Sons[/B] vs. Always Breakin’ Hollywood Spectrum Infinity vs. [B]The Dark Raptors[/B] Scarlet Strike vs. [B]Black Eagle[/B] Amazing Fire Fly vs. [B]Lord Geoffrey Windameer[/B] [B]JD Morgan[/B] vs. Rudy Velasquez [B]Rich Money and Kirk Jameson[/B] vs. Aaron Andrews and The Great Ota

[Slim Jim]

Possible Jay return? :eek: Even if he doesn't re-sign, getting him back into the story off-screen is definitely a plus in my book. Has he improved all that much in his time away skills or popularity-wise? Oh and if you could get Mainstream Hernandez back in MAW, I might just mark like a little girl. I've taken to renaming him James Chord and pushing him as Rip's "other" son in a couple of games now.

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: Yeah, the tension between us disappeared about a month after he signed a written deal with TCW :rolleyes: Gotta love the kid. In terms of his skill, it's been pretty stable since day one, actually - he seems to have low potential in this game. Popularity wise, he's topped out at around C/C- across the US. I'll go into that more in a few posts time - but if he did return he'd on about a par with Aaron and just above Kirk popularity wise. Mainstream would be fantastic to bring back, but he's on a written deal with TCW as well - and he's off the charts, popularity wise. I think getting him would be a bigger deal then Rich Money, but I have nothing to trade for him, unfortunately. And hey - we're past 800 posts :D[/I] * [CENTER][B]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Iron Friday, 12th August 2012[/B][/CENTER] Rich Money started the night off in the middle of the ring: [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]"Tonight's main event will see me facing off against Aaron Andrews once more – but this time it will be a tag team match. I will be teaming with Kirk Jameson. Aaron, you can choose whoever you want as your partner."[/COLOR] Rip also had an announcement to make: [COLOR="Purple"]"We're going to roll back to something I really enjoyed last time we tried this: The All Action title is now on the line. So long as there's a qualified referee around to make the call then the title can change hands anywhere – in the ring, on the ramp, hell, even in the can. Let the fun begin!"[/COLOR] * “Dogfight” Donnie J was backstage and getting the news from a backstage worker when he was ambushed from both sides by the Dark Raptors. Firebird threw the smaller man into a stack of crates and teed up for a spinning kick when Black Eagle seized his team-mate from behind and threw him headfirst into Donnie, sending both men sprawling to the floor. Eagle dived on top of the champion, getting a three count to take the title – literally – from around Donnie’s waist. Eagle paused to help Firebird upright. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Masterful,” [/COLOR]Firebird said. [COLOR="darkorange"]“I may lead The Fallen, but in so many ways I am still the apprentice at your feet.”[/COLOR] * [B]Team Honor vs. The Second Sons vs. Always Breakin’ Hollywood[/B] This match continued the development of three of our established tag teams. Primus Allen looked impressive in the early going as he threw the four members of the opposing teams around the ring fairly freely. However, when he tried to outwrestle Antonio, the former RCI champion showed some impressive technical skills of his own, turning the encounter into a stalemate. With the two men tied up, Lassana Makutsi hit a flying clothesline that took Lenny Brown out of the equation, leaving the way clear for Jared Johnson to hit the MDK Powerbomb on Casey Valentine to score the win. Winners: Team Honor (D-) * [B]Spectrum Infinity vs. The Dark Raptors (c) for the MAW Tag Team Titles[/B] This match was basically a squash, with the champions going over the masked challengers in fairly short order, Eagle pinning Scarlet Strike with a New Jersey Turnpike. Winners: The Dark Raptors (D) * Strike wouldn’t be kept down, however, as he tried to score a surprise win over Eagle for the All Action title with a roll-up – only for Firebird to make the save and hustle his team-mate out of the ring. * [B]Amazing Fire Fly vs. Lord Geoffrey Windameer[/B] In another short match, Lord Geoffrey put Fly away quickly with a High Society. Winner: Lord Geoffrey Windameer (D-) * After the loss, Fly made his way backstage, his expression beneath his mask clearly – and understandably – sour. However, he brightened on seeing Black Eagle at the craft services table and crept up on his fellow masked wrestler. Spinning him around by the shoulder, he grabbed Eagle’s head and leapt high in the air, hitting a Cutter through the table as Sienna dived out of the way. She sprinted from the room as the still-suffering Fly tried to make his way over to Eagle, and he was able to drape his arm across the All Action champion for a two count – only for Firebird to once again make the save and throw Fly halfway across the room before dragging Eagle clear. However, before the duo – and Sienna – could get far, Lassana Makutsi blocked their way, arms folded across his chest as he blocked the doorway. [COLOR="Blue"]“I offer an honourable challenge,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="blue"]“Let the Eagle face me now for the title that he captured dishonourably. I will take it in the manner that he captured it – and then through my actions, I will bring honor to the All Action championship.”[/COLOR] Firebird and a barely-standing Eagle exchanged looks. As one, they lashed out with kicks that caught Makutsi in the stomach, doubling him over as they hurried past. The two men found themselves in a darkened corridor, and paused for breath as Sienna kept watch. Eagle clapped one hand on Firebird’s shoulder, appreciatively. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“You have shown me the virtues of competition,”[/COLOR] Firebird said, in an unusually modest fashion. [COLOR="darkorange"]“Loyalty... and opportunism!”[/COLOR] Firebird lashed out, the edge of his hand catching Black Eagle in the throat and making him crumple to the floor with barely a gasp. Before Firebird could capitalise, however, Donnie J emerged from the shadows and blasted him in the face with a metal briefcase, stunning him for long enough to score with a Death From Miami Beach on the still-gasping Eagle and make the three-count to recover his All Action title. [COLOR="Blue"]“Hello, love,”[/COLOR] he said, with a wink to Sienna. [COLOR="blue"]“Remind you of anyone you used to know?”[/COLOR] He walked off with a strut, leaving Firebird and Eagle down and Sienna looking after him with an odd expression on her face. * Rudy Velasquez was backstage when Primus Allen and Lenny Brown approached him. [COLOR="blue"]"'Sup, dawg?"[/COLOR] Lenny Brown began. Velasquez ignored him, concentrating on lacing his boots properly. Primus Allen grabbed him by the shoulder and span him around. [COLOR="blue"]"The man's talking to you, punk,"[/COLOR] he growled. [COLOR="blue"]"'The man' might want to try speakin' English, [I]pal[/I],"[/COLOR] Velasquez replied, before turning away – or trying to, as Allen still had his shoulder. [COLOR="blue"]"Nice attitude,"[/COLOR] he rumbled. [COLOR="blue"]"We didn't come here to fight."[/COLOR] [COLOR="blue"]"Then you came to the wrong part of the arena, 'cos that's all I do here,"[/COLOR] Rudy replied. Lenny chuckled. [COLOR="blue"]"Nice, real nice, just like she said. Listen, [I]esse[/I], our manager thinks you'd be the ideal fourth member of the group she's putting together. We got finesse in Deeley, me and the big man bring the glamour and the bang... You'd be the grit." "The grit?" "Damn straight. Listen-" "No, you listen,"[/COLOR] Rudy said. He grabbed Primus' wrist and twisted, eliciting a gasp of pain from the big man and dropping him to his knees. A jab to the throat left Allen down on all fours, gasping for air. [COLOR="blue"]"I'm not here to play nice. I'm not here to make friends. I'm sure as ---- not here to buddy up with a pair of wannabe ghetto superstars like you and the man mountain here, you get me? What I do, I do by myself. I ain't responsible to nobody, you got me?"[/COLOR] Brown scowled as he helped Allen upright. [COLOR="blue"]"Yeah, bro, we got you. Don't think is over, [I]esse[/I], 'cos it ain't. You'll be hearing from us real soon." "Lookin' forward to it,"[/COLOR] Velasquez responded. [COLOR="blue"]"Now go get back to your straight trippin' woman and her crazy-ass ideas. Just 'cause we're all LA doesn’t make us [I]homies[/I], you got me?"[/COLOR] Allen and Brown glared at him, but walked off. Velasquez snorted, and turned back to lacing his boots. * [B]JD Morgan (c) vs. Rudy Velasquez[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Traditional title[/COLOR] Velasquez entered the ring in a fired-up mood, and in the early going his energy seemed to overwhelm the veteran champion. Morgan took the brunt of Rudy’s high-powered offence, but a swift reversal a few minutes in left the champ on top as he brought the young challenger’s momentum to an abrupt halt. Morgan tried to wear down his challenger with technical holds, but Velasquez was able to consistently break the holds with cheap strikes that kept him in the match until Morgan shifted gears and outfought the younger man, before nearly putting him through the mat with A Shot Of JD for the win. Winner: JD Morgan (C) * Haley Buck emerged from backstage and shook her head expressively. [COLOR="Magenta"]"You can't even make the street rat submit, JD. You're clearly suffering without me to guide you. Such a shame... But don't worry. Soon Sean will take the Traditional title from you, and you can sink back into obscurity again. I know it will come as a relief." [/COLOR] * Rich Money and Kirk Jameson came down to the ring, looking every inch equal to each other. Rich took the mic: [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]"I’ve been hoping that I’d get my chance to get my hands on Firebird. He’s the one who’s ultimately responsible for the actions of The Fallen. Apparently, it’s not to be, however. Instead, we’ve been signed against Ota and Andrews. Make no mistake, these two are fierce and respected competitors, and we’re taking the match very seriously. And if I can’t strike at Firebird directly, then helping to eradicate the menace that he’s let loose on the world will just have to do. My friend Kirk and I have only goal in mind tonight – the dissection and obliteration of the team that The Fallen have chosen to send against us."[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]"You see, I'm getting into this whole gig. It took me a while to find my feet, but after so long spent reacting to the assaults and attack of others... Well, it's nice to be proactive. Chasing after The Fallen, never letting them find their feet, pursuing the goals I've set for myself-"[/COLOR] Aaron Andrews appeared at the top of the ramp with The Great Ota backing him up. [COLOR="darkred"]"Just shut up,"[/COLOR] he snarled. [COLOR="darkred"]"Bad enough that I have to share locker room space with Firebird and Father Johan, but listening to you two makes me sick."[/COLOR] [COLOR="blue"]"Trouble in Hades?"[/COLOR] Kirk asked, receiving a scowl in response. [COLOR="darkred"]"Bite me, Jameson. Your big plan isn't working. I've still got my belt. You couldn't beat me for it. Money couldn't take it off me, Kid Toma, Donnie J... Everyone I've faced has ended up the same way – on their back in the middle of the ring hearing the referee count to three."[/COLOR] [COLOR="royalblue"]"But it only takes one slip, Andrews, and as you say yourself: Three seconds later and you've lost your title."[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkRed"]"It'll never happen. I'll never be pinned for this belt. Certainly not by you, Money. I’ve got this guy backing me up, and do you know how good The Great Ota is? He’s the only one to really test me in this company,”[/COLOR] Andrews said, as the fans booed the obvious lie. [COLOR="DarkRed"]“That’s why I refused to join with The Fallen unless he joined as well. I wanted someone around to watch my back. And after so long spent alone in the boiler room, after being abandoned by his student, well, Ota was eager to join and enjoy the benefits of being aligned with the group – but most especially with me. There’s no-one I’d rather have by my side, and believe me, you’ll understand why once this match begins. In fact, let's get this done with now."[/COLOR] * [B]Rich Money and Kirk Jameson vs. Aaron Andrews and The Great Ota[/B] The one problem with having Rich Money around is that he can kind of make our guys look a bit inferior. Make no mistake, I’d rather have him than not – but he’d about thirty percent more popular even than Randy or Aaron. That’s a big hole in the roster after his final match next month. As for the match, Rich looked fantastic and everyone else played off him. Ota and Jameson tangled well, but Money just totally owned Ota – by design. Andrews seemed intent on spending the entire match on the apron, clearly wanting no part of either of his opponents. In the end, though, he had no choice but to tag in and his reward was being taken to school by Money for several minutes before he managed to swing the match back in his favour by going low with a punt. Kirk Jameson protested to the cheating, and tried to get his hands on Andrews – but that just made the referee block him off, leaving Money open to double-teaming by the heels who finally seemed to have the match going their way. However, the referee turned in time to catch the dastardly duo in the act, which meant that Jameson was able to charge into the fray, Andrews ducking just in time to avoid a thunderous clothesline that instead took Ota out of the picture. Moving quickly, Andrews grabbed Jameson and heaved him up and over the top rope to the floor below. Looking pleased with himself, Andrews turned, as the crowd went ballistic, to find that Rich Money had risen from the mat – and one Bank Roll later, the champion was down for the count! Winners: Rich Money and Kirk Jameson (B) [B]Overall: C+[/B] [I](Eagle has great chemistry with Fly and good chemistry with Makutsi. Meanwhile, Money and Jameson make for an awesome team. And, of course, Iron has now risen to an Above Average show.) Next: Almost everyone does something interesting. To me, at least...[/I]

[James Casey]

Randy Bumfhole has finally found a replacement employer after leaving us earlier in the year. He’s signed on for what appear to be the last days of 4C. The company has a pretty stacked roster, headed by Rich Money but also including both Bumfholes, Jared Johnson, Bobby Thomas, Nate Johnson, Ryan Powell and Kirk Jameson. However, recent months have seen the departures of talent like Trent Shaffer, Kid Toma, Benny ‘Elmo’ Benson and our own Rudy Velasquez. It looks like that much quality has just drained the resources of the company, which is continuing to operate on a single show per month – even though I have to imagine that running shows in both Quebec and Ontario each month would see them make a big turnaround. The odd thing is, even though they must be paying Money a downside guarantee to work for them – and it’ll be more than we’re paying him – they haven’t actually put him in so much as an angle since his arrival. Why have a star of that calibre, and not use him? Maybe he’s just not over enough in Canada to make a difference? Maybe I shouldn’t be trying to understand the logic behind the booking of a company that’s $400k in debt. I just hope that Money’s still around when his big blow-off match with Aaron comes about – we need that match... * Randall Hopkirk has announced his impending retirement from the business. The forty-seven year old has shown an incredible passion for the business, improving the whole time right up to this point, and while he was never a great wrestler he did do a lot for the industry in general. A great example to younger workers, he’ll go out on a high as he is the reigning CZCW and USPW champion. * Ex-MAW star Citizen X has signed with CZCW. The high-flying anarchist should do better for them than he did for us in his second stint. * Masked “Providence” Patriot is once again being cited as a future star by the wrestling dirtsheets. He’s certainly coming along, but he’s also still pretty green – I’d say we’ve got another two or three years before we have to worry too much about a big company taking an undue interest in him. * Former MAW Traditional champion Jonnie Perez (No, really – he had, like, ten defences and was involved in Hugh de Aske’s worst MAW matches) has left the company after his contract expired. Perez is the reason for MAW’s existence, in a way, as we try and season the stars of the future. But Perez simply had no improvement in him. Too bad... Following him out the door is ex-Trios titlist Roderick Remus, his departure marking the end of our attempts, at this time, to make silk purses from sows’ ears. Of his Trios partners, incidentally, Nelson Callum is also gone from the company, while Jared Johnson is still working for us... But isn’t that much more visible than when he was Trios champion on the Tour shows. * ‘Bart Biggz is relevant’ shock! Somehow I’ve failed to notice that in the last two years Biggz has won three TCW All Action titles. I mean, it’s about as prestigious and meaningful as our old Trios titles... But still. An International company has made a Biggz a champion. Who’da thought it? * The Masked Mauler has been canned as 4C booker – not a great surprise as the company is over half a million dollars in debt. I expect that 4C will be gone by month end. * South of the Border Pro Wrestling are also feeling the heat. The company has fallen to Cult status, which is a shame as they’ve been putting on good shows – but unfortunately the international expansion of both TCW and SWF has seen the Mexican leaders losing ground almost daily. * We actually lost around $2,500 in August, but we’re making steady gains in popularity. I think the way forward will be to run one show in each area in the coming months, as we’ve pretty much reached the limits of what we can gain from the Internet at this time. We’ll give it a go after October, and see what happens. * This could get messy: Rumours are flying that Kirk Jameson is going to be let go by NOTBPW when his contract expires in a few weeks time. Although these rumours often turn out to be completely false, it's enough to bring me out in a nervous sweat: Almost anyone else I could accept leaving for SWF, but Kirk has been my one stand-out project since I joined MAW, and if it took me a while to truly recognise his worth, I feel I've made up for it in my fervour... Simply put, if Kirk doesn't re-sign with North of the Border, then he will be open to offers from other companies. And if he ended up leaving then I think that I would cry. * Or something more manly but equally emotional, anyway. * From the 'About Time Too' category, Nemesis is back in the business as he takes the Masked Mauler's place as booker of 4C. Quite how having Nemesis on their roster is going to help them cut costs I don't know, but there it is. * [CENTER][B]MAW Back To School[/B] "Dogfight" Donnie J, JD Morgan and Amazing Fire Fly vs. Providence, Eddie Powell and Sean Deeley The XX Factor vs. Always Breakin' Hollywood Smith & Singh vs. Ford & Speed Randy Bumfhole vs. The Great Ota Kirk Jameson vs. Rudy Velasquez Team Honor vs. The Dark Raptors Rich Money vs. Aaron Andrews[/CENTER]

[Hyde Hill]

[B]Dogfight" Donnie J, JD Morgan and Amazing Fire Fly [/B]vs. Providence, Eddie Powell and Sean Deeley The XX Factor vs. [B]Always Breakin' Hollywood[/B] [B]Smith & Singh [/B]vs. Ford & Speed [B]Randy Bumfhole [/B]vs. The Great Ota [B]Kirk Jameson [/B]vs. Rudy Velasquez Team Honor vs. [B]The Dark Raptors[/B] [B]Rich Money[/B] vs. Aaron Andrews dq win

[Tigerkinney]

[I]So it appears that the All Action Title is now some 24/7 belt, how are these title changes showing up in the title history, if they are not matches per se and more angles ?[/I] [B]"Dogfight" Donnie J, JD Morgan and Amazing Fire Fly[/B] vs. Providence, Eddie Powell and Sean Deeley [I]Could go either way, but how about Firefly on the winning side for once[/I] The XX Factor vs. [B]Always Breakin' Hollywood[/B] [I]Thought ABH would win last time out, I was wrong on that occassion but they should get the win over the all female jobber pairing.[/I] [B]Smith & Singh[/B] vs. Ford & Speed [I]Ford & Speed are one up from XX Factor is terms of jobberness[/I] [B]Randy Bumfhole[/B] vs. The Great Ota [I]Bumfhole to edge this one.[/I] Kirk Jameson vs. Rudy Velasquez[B] (DRAW)[/B] [I]You like Jameson, but are probably unsure about how hard to push him at this moment in time, and I feel you have plans for Velasquez. I see this going to some kind of Draw....perhaps of the Time Limit variety. [/I] Team Honor vs. [B]The Dark Raptors[/B] [I]Dark Raptors retain the titles[/I] [B]Rich Money[/B] vs. Aaron Andrews [I]Got to agree with Hyde Hill, Andrews retains the belt in the ultimate chicken**** heel way...the DQ loss ![/I]

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: The All Action title is a normal belt - but one that Rip likes to have defended in gimmick matches or under certain stipulations, such as the all-night situations we've had a couple of times now. I don't like doing it that often, but a couple of times a year hopefully won't hurt too much. The important thing about it is a chance to give someone who hasn't had the reign expected in their contract the reign they want. Even if it only lasts a few seconds... Oh, and as for the segments with Sienna coming up: I like goofy stuff - as you'll probably realise...[/I] [B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Back To School Friday, 5th September 2012[/CENTER][/B] [B]"Dogfight" Donnie J, JD Morgan and Amazing Fire Fly vs. Providence, Eddie Powell and Sean Deeley[/B] Six-man matches live or die by how well the workers involved gel, and in this case both Eddie Powell and Amazing Fire Fly seemed out of sorts in this environment – Ironically, as they were attempting to work a standard tag match despite the individual issues their partners had with their opposite numbers. Being the low men on their teams, this just made them look a bit clueless. The match was otherwise watchable as the pairings of Morgan and Deeley and Providence and Donnie tangled in an attempt to prove their individual superiority. Haley screamed her support for Deeley every time he stepped in the ring, mingling curses and vile imprecations whenever he tied up with Morgan. The finish of the match came down to Deeley and Morgan, as Deeley had the Traditional champion tied up in a Front Choke Lock in the centre of the ring for what seemed like a certain submission victory, only for Morgan to roll back onto his shoulders. The referee counted three before Deeley could realise what had happened and he had a victory over Morgan – but not the tap-out that he'd wanted and boasted about. Winners: Providence, Powell and Deeley (D+) * [COLOR="SlateGray"]"Enough's enough, Morgan,"[/COLOR] Deeley snarled. [COLOR="SlateGray"]"That's one each. Let's make this a decider. At Where It All Begins Again I want you in the ring in a submission match!"[/COLOR] * Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh were making their way backstage when they met The Fallen coming in the other direction. There was a tense moment, before the former tag champions stood aside – leaving the heels to walk past to their locker room. Aaron Andrews sneered at them as they passed, but otherwise the group ignored them. [COLOR="DarkRed"]"Listen, I've come up with a way of keeping my title tonight, but we have to plan for the future – this group just doesn't work without me as champion..."[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]"We do not exist just to serve your selfish agenda, remember that-"[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkRed"]"Whatever. You want visibility to convert... What are you doing?"[/COLOR] Andrews had turned to address Sienna, who looked up in surprise. [COLOR="DarkRed"]"Coffee, woman. I told you. Black, two sugars. For God's sake, if this the best you can manage by way of a convert, I don't know why I bother."[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]"Go, woman. We must have a discussion and you are not needed,"[/COLOR] Firebird said. She turned to Black Eagle, but his attention was fixed solely on Firebird and Andrews, his expression – so far as could be told behind the mask – one of blank contemplation. Providence and Ota just looked bored, as though the discussion had been going on for some time already. Providence was playing with a penknife, apparently oblivious to The five men entered their dressing room, leaving Sienna shut out with Smith and Singh. [COLOR="Blue"]"You do not have to fetch him coffee,"[/COLOR] Kashmir said. [COLOR="Blue"]"He's right. Tell him to get it himself. Or, get it for him and pour it in his lap. Boiling hot coffee to the groin is always funny,"[/COLOR] Brandon added with a beaming smile. It faded to a frown as Sienna didn't react. [COLOR="Blue"]"Sienna, sweetheart, you're clearly not happy."[/COLOR] [COLOR="Gray"]"Black Eagle is my master..."[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]"Does Black Eagle ever speak to you? Or give you any sign that he cares for you?"[/COLOR] Sienna's silence was expressive. [COLOR="Blue"]"Look, I do not wish to force my opinions on you, merely ask you to consider my words. And of course, when I am feeling down, or when Brandon is feeling down, we like to sing! Perhaps you would care to join us? [I]"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with string, These are a few of my favourite things.[/I] "Brandon?"[/COLOR] The Bulldozer bobbed in time with the (non-existent) beat, cleared his throat a couple of times, and then in a rough but not untuneful voice picked up the tune. [COLOR="Blue"][I]"Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudel, Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, These are a few of my favourite things."[/I][/COLOR] Both Smith and Singh were swaying in perfect synchronicity with the (entirely imagined) tune. They looked expectantly at Sienna, who looked nervous but strangely unrepelled. Suddenly, as though manifesting the spirit of Julie Andrews, the three of them took the third verse together. [COLOR="SlateGray"][I]"Girls in white dresses and blue satin sashes, Snow-flakes that stay on my nose and eye-lashes, Silver white winters that melt into spring, These are a few of my favourite things,"[/I][/COLOR] Completely taken with the song, Sienna began to dance in the corridor, spinning in circles and showing a remarkably graceful form. Her pitch-perfect voice echoed in the corridor as she took the chorus on her own. [COLOR="Gray"][I]"When the dog bites, When the bee stings, When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, And then I don't feel, so bad."[/I] [/COLOR] Beaming freely at the two men, she made her way down the corridor towards the craft services area. Smith and Singh exchanged satisfied smiles. [COLOR="Blue"]"Everyone has a little Broadway in them,"[/COLOR] Kashmir said, as the locker room door opened, and Andrews stuck his head out. [COLOR="DarkRed"]"What the hell is all this noise?"[/COLOR] he demanded. [COLOR="DarkRed"]"And where's Sienna with my coffee?"[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]"Ah, Aaron,"[/COLOR] Kashmir said, with a wink at his partner. [COLOR="Blue"]"Join us! [I]"I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty, and witty and-"[/I][/COLOR] Andrews' face contorted in revulsion, and he slammed the door. [COLOR="Blue"]"Don't worry. Everyone's a critic,"[/COLOR] Brandon consoled his friend. * Always Breakin’ Hollywood were standing by backstage with Haley Buck. [COLOR="Blue"] “No offence to Jaime Quine and Thea Davis, but old man Chord might as well have given us the night off,”[/COLOR] Lenny Brown declared. [COLOR="Blue"]“You see, we’re right in line with women’s lib and equal rights and all that stuff. If it gives us an easy match like the one we’re about to have, that’s all to the good,”[/COLOR] Primus Allen said. [COLOR="Blue"]“Don’t think that we take any particular pleasure in beating up women. We don’t.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“That’s right. We’re not animals. Just sensible enough to not look a gift horse in the mouth.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“XX Factor, you may as well just submit as soon as my boys here reach the ring,”[/COLOR] Haley Buck purred. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Because only some freak accident will prevent them handing you your own heads on a plate tonight. And when they do, it’s another win bonus for us – and another loser’s check for you. Frankly, after collecting so many, I’m surprised you can afford to keep working in this business. You’re not too bad looking. I have some contacts in the entertainment industry that could probably get you work as extras or something. You don’t have the quality to be stars, of course – but better you learn your limits now than keep deluding yourselves.”[/COLOR] * [B]The XX Factor vs. Always Breakin' Hollywood[/B] This was another short tag match, this time pitting the monstrous ABH against the clearly outgunned XX Factor. The women tried hard against their foes, and in the opening exchanges seemed to have the better of them as they threw everything at them. But when Quine went for a cross body on Allen, he caught her easily. Davis followed suit, hoping to topple the big man but Brown grabbed Allen from behind and helped him hold on to both women before he delivered a devastating double spinning side slam, driving Quine into the mat with all the weight and velocity of both himself on Davis on top of her. The pinfall was academic, and ABH had notched up another impressive victory. Winners: Always Breakin' Hollywood (D) * Backstage, and interviewer Jenny approached XX Factor. [COLOR="Magenta"] “Jaime, Thea – another loss against male opposition. Can you see yourself picking up any wins here in MAW?”[/COLOR] Jaime Quine scowled at Jenny, but Thea cut in quickly: [COLOR="Blue"]“We’ll always try our best, Jenny. We’re realistic enough to know that we’re at a disadvantage against most teams because of our size and strength, but we hope in time to make up for that in speed and skill. And we certainly expect to pick up a lot of wins in the future.”[/COLOR] * [B]Smith & Singh vs. Ford & Speed[/B] I'm sort of hoping that the former champions' lengthy title reign and extensive run of victories will allow them to cope with their post-reign run of form as they're pretty much doing the job to any heel team that needs a little love from the booking team. These four have tended to put on above average matches for us (for the tag division, anyway) and the same was true here as the heels came out on top of a close contest, Ford pinning Smith with Fallen Chances for the win. Winners: Ford & Speed (D+) * [B]Team Honor vs. The Dark Raptors (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Tag Team titles[/COLOR] Team Honor have been on a run of indifferent form of late, and weren't much fancied against the dominant Fallen pairing. But the face duo put on a strong display, Johnson matching the champions hold for hold while Makutsi took to the air with the grace of the two masked men – before outbrawling them on the mat. At one point, Eagle turned to Sienna for support, but received nothing in response. This seemed to shock him so much that he turned into an MDK Powerbomb from Johnson, leaving him down and vulnerable to a Carolina Crossface as Makutsi drilled Firebird with a Lassana Stunner to prevent his interference, leaving Eagle no choice but to tap out and surrender the titles to Team Honor. Winners: Team Honor (C-) * Team Honor celebrated with their newly-won titles as Firebird and Eagle nursed their injuries in the ring. Sienna climbed through the ropes but before she could say anything, Eagle shoved her away and for a second it looked like he was going to go further and physically assault her. [COLOR="Blue"]"Don't even think about it,"[/COLOR] Kashmir Singh declared from the top of the ramp. [COLOR="Blue"]"Touch her and you'll regret it,"[/COLOR] Donnie J said, emerging to stand beside Singh. [COLOR="Blue"]"The lady deserves respect, and Ah'll be sent down to Lucifer himself before I let you lay one more finger on her,"[/COLOR] Brandon Smith announced, completing the trio. They made their way purposefully down to the ring as Firebird and Eagle seethed. Positioning themselves between the former champions and their manager, they prevented any contact between the two sides. Donnie turned to Sienna. [COLOR="Blue"]"Sienna, dear, sweet girl... We've all been so concerned about you. You don't need to stay with these creeps. We see how they treat you, and it's not fair to you. You can do anything you want – you don't have to take this from them."[/COLOR] Eagle tried to jump through the picket line, but Brandon Smith caught him easily and tossed him back, sending him smashing into Firebird and taking both men off their feet. [COLOR="Blue"]"Sienna, you are my angel of the night, for you have the voice of an angel. You should be making music, far from here. Far from the insidious influences of these masked martinettes,"[/COLOR] Kashmir declared. [COLOR="Blue"]"Go to New York, my sweet lady. Brandon and I can introduce you to song writers and get you parts in Broadway plays. Go to New York... for I think that is where your heart truly lies, no?"[/COLOR] Slowly, hesitantly... Sienna nodded. Black Eagle was now back on his feet and gesturing wildly at Sienna. The three faces parted before her as she approached him. Taking a mic, she said: [COLOR="Gray"]"My lord the Black Eagle..."[/COLOR] She paused, and when she began to speak again her voice was much more that of a normal woman, neither husky nor piratical. [COLOR="Magenta"]"I loved you. I honoured you. I gave everything I had for you... And never, ever, did I receive anything in return. I only have one more thing to say to you..."[/COLOR] She lowered the mic and from nowhere produced a flick knife. Eagle's eyes widened at the sight of the blade, but before he had a chance to move Sienna had slit her long skirt right the way up to her waist, giving her complete freedom to move her legs – freedom she used to fire off a high kick right between Eagle's legs. If possible, Eagle's eyes widened even further as he doubled over, his hands clutching at his injured groin. With a wide smile, Sienna left the ring, waving hesitantly to the fans who cheered her on as she passed through the curtain for the final time. * Backstage, and Rudy Velasquez and Kirk Jameson came face to face: [COLOR="Blue"]“You’ve had some impressive performances,”[/COLOR] Kirk said, neutrally. [COLOR="Blue"]“And you’ve done well for yourself around here,”[/COLOR] Rudy replied. [COLOR="Blue"]“Hope I’m not stepping on your toes... Not that I care.” “Of course not. But like I said, you’ve looked impressive. Care to get in the ring tonight and see if you’re going to stay near the top of this company?” “Anything to show how good I am.”[/COLOR] * [B]Kirk Jameson vs. Rudy Velasquez[/B] Small wonder that I've been tracking Rudy V since pretty much day one – only our heavy heel bias at that time prevented me bring him in. These two worked really well together, their near-veteran experience and previous history in FCW allowed them to put together a compelling battle that was more fluid than most of our matches, and was a definite show of how far the two have come since their early days. Velasquez was true to his word in that he couldn't be put down easily, fighting out of seemingly inescapable holds and positions to bedevil Jameson time and again, and coming close to a victory with a Street Cutter that left Jameson too close to the ropes to be pinned. But ultimately Velasquez' lack of technical skills proved to be his undoing as he was too worn out to fight free when caught in a Kirkhold in the centre of the ring, and was left with no choice but to tap out rather than be broken in two by the hold. Winner: Kirk Jameson (C) * Randy Bumfhole was backstage, and looked grim: [COLOR="Blue"]“I’ve forgotten how many times I’ve fought alongside Fumihiro Ota. Of all the things that The Fallen have accomplished, the thing that sickens me the most is seeing my former friend walking alongside them – aligned with them. Why he’s done this, I don’t know. He’s never been much of a talker...”[/COLOR] Bumfhole paused as a few people laughed. [COLOR="Blue"]“I don’t believe that he’s signed up to be Aaron Andrews’ bodyguard. I don’t believe that he’s got any more patience for the crap that The Fallen spew then I have. All I know is that he’s turned his back on all his friends, and on what we believed. That’s his choice – just like it’s my choice to try and beat some sense back into him.”[/COLOR] * [B]Randy Bumfhole vs. The Great Ota[/B] Ota has been revitalised by his recent turn, and he gave his all against Bumfhole in this thrilling clash. The two flew around the ring at high speed, mixing brawling, technical skills and high flying acrobatics with considerable ease. The two men traded the advantage time and again, neither able to gain a definitive momentum swing to their side, and in the end the match was ruled a draw. Winner: No-one (B-) * Aaron stood in the centre of the ring as the cage was lowered. He was gripping the title belt so tightly that his knuckles were white. Rich Money came down the aisle looking determined, but relaxed. On commentary, we noted that Rich was on the last match of a three match run with the company, and therefore the match was a non-title affair. The two men came face-to-face in the centre of the ring, Rich grinning in a slightly smug manner as Aaron jawed at him. Eventually, Aaron subsided, Rich still smirking at him. Aaron turned away, but swung back quickly, title belt aimed at Rich’s head. Rich was ready for the swing, and blocked it easily before using Aaron’s momentum to spin the champ around and catapult him towards the bars. Aaron pulled himself up short, but turned to see Rich with the title belt still smirking. Andrews scowled, and charged at the superstar. The match was on! * [B]Rich Money vs. Aaron Andrews[/B] in a [COLOR="Purple"]non-title cage match[/COLOR] Rich's first three-match stint with us ended on a high as he and Aaron tore into one another inside the steel cage. Without the title on the line, it seemed that the result of the match was a foregone conclusion but, in fact, Rip and I had left the result in the hands of the wrestlers themselves. We took the view that a strong showing from Aaron would be enough to get him over even more with our crowd, even if he didn't win – besides, Rich would only block an attempt to put Aaron over him... The match was a thriller from bell to bell, with both men beating each other against the unforgiving steel bars. Rich took the early lead as he overpowered Andrews and drilled the champion skull first into the steel, drawing a trickle of blood. Money worked over the champ's head for a few minutes, trying to block off the circulation and disorient Andrews, but Andrews was able to catch a lucky break when he pitched Money off and into the cell. The two men tussled back and forth, rapidly worn down by their repeated collisions with the steel bars. Money was staggering in the centre of the ring, trading shots with Andrews who kept trying to kick Money in the gut for the Twisting Face Crusher. But Money blocked time and time again, operating seemingly on instinct before he caught Andrews' leg and in one swift move rolled through and drilled him with the Bank Roll. Money began to claw his way towards the cage door as Andrews lay motionless in the centre of the ring. As the door swung open, Andrews began to stir, desperately dragging himself towards Money who was by now halfway out of the door. Andrews grabbed Money's foot and hauled himself up Money's body, pinning his opponent in place and seemingly giving him the advantage... ...right up until Money snapped his head back, cracking it into Andrews' jaw and dropping him to the mat, giving Money just enough time to scramble through the door and drop to the mat beyond, claiming the narrow win to the crowd's delight as Andrews was left slumped against the bars, his expression a mixture of fury, disgust... and worry? Winner: Rich Money (B) Overall: B- [I]Next: Why, Eagle, why?[/I]

[James Casey]

Black Eagle's contract came up for expiry and, for some reason, he was unhappy with me. Why, I don't know – we kept faith with him when he was injured and his only disciplinary issue arising after that didn't make him unhappy. And yet despite his Tag Team title run, and his evening with the All Action title, he just wouldn't enter negotiations. Sienna's contract came up at the same time – serendipity has its uses – and both have now left the company. The original plan for the Sienna/Hugh/Eagle storyline was for Sienna to disappear following the WIABA between the two men and Hugh to become involved with Haley Buck – professionally only. This would make him deeply unhappy as she would have taken away his pirate image bit by bit until Sienna made her return at Eagle's side. That would have led to shenanigans resulting in the return of pirate Hugh, Haley ending up in a tub of jello – wrestling's traditional way of dumping your valet – and the reunion of Hugh and Sienna. With Hugh gone, KC Glenn was drafted to fill that role, starting with some initial shows of chivalry and building to the eventual culmination where he... well, either seduced her away from Eagle or convinced her to be her own woman. The ending of that storyline was always going to be a bit more be-your-own-goddess type of thing. With KC gone, I considered making Donnie J Sienna's love interest, but decided to go with the female empowerment thing when I realised I was going to lose Eagle anyway. * [CENTER][B]MAW Great Lakes Triumph[/B] Bradford Peverell and JD Morgan vs. Firebird and Providence The West Texas Peacekeepers vs. The Second Sons Team Honor vs. The Canadian Blondes Kirk Jameson vs. The Great Ota Randy Bumfhole vs. Aaron Andrews[/CENTER]

[ReapeR]

That sucks. I absolutely loved the way you wrote her. I for one will miss her "dark" sexiness.

[Tigerkinney]

[B]Bradford Peverell and JD Morgan[/B] vs. Firebird and Providence [I]Morgan's on a roll, so I'm going for the faces in this one[/I] The West Texas Peacekeepers vs. [B]The Second Sons[/B] [I]Just get the impression the West Texans are near the bottom of the tag team heap.[/I] [B]Team Honor[/B] vs. The Canadian Blondes [I]Can't see Team Honor losing the belts in their first defence[/I] [B]Kirk Jameson[/B] vs. The Great Ota [I]A bad night for The Fallen, as Jameson scores the win over Ota[/I] Randy Bumfhole vs. [B]Aaron Andrews[/B] [I]Andrews may have lost last time out, but that was non title.....for some reason I just don't see Bumfhole winning, then again Andrews has been so dominant it could be one of those out of nowhere sort of title changes. [/I]

[Hyde Hill]

Bradford Peverell and JD Morgan vs. [B]Firebird and Providence[/B] The West Texas Peacekeepers vs. [B]The Second Sons[/B] [B]Team Honor[/B] vs. The Canadian Blondes [B]Kirk Jameson [/B]vs. The Great Ota Randy Bumfhole vs. [B]Aaron Andrews[/B]

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: I miss Sienna as well. However, she's nearly forty and not going to improve much more as a manager so in terms of the business now's the time to let her go...[/I] [B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Great Lakes Triumph Tuesday, 9th September 2012[/CENTER] Bradford Peverell and JD Morgan vs. Firebird and Providence[/B] While Firebird and Providence have been on/off allies for well over a year, it's not that long ago that Morgan and Peverell were fighting over gold here in MAW. They were clearly ill-at-ease teaming together as a result – and The Fallen capitalised on this by goading the two men into a bout of one-upmanship, resulting in an error on Peverell's part that allowed Providence to nail an Eye Of Providence for the win. Winners: Firebird and Providence (C-) * Peverell and Morgan were met backstage by Kirk Jameson and Donnie J, who commiserated with them on their defeat. [COLOR="Blue"]“Look on the bright side,”[/COLOR] Kirk said. [COLOR="Blue"]“Eventually Aaron will lose the Heavyweight title. I mean, who’s he beaten lately? It might be Randy tonight, or Donnie next time they fight – or even you, JD.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“I could do it,”[/COLOR] Morgan said, confidently. [COLOR="Blue"]“Any of us could. Aaron’s gone backwards since joining The Fallen. He seems to think that they’re there to back him up, but I don’t think so. Sooner or later they’ll realise he’s of no use to them, and we won’t have to worry about them as they fracture and shatter.” “And then we can pick them off, one by one,” [/COLOR]Bradford said. [COLOR="Blue"]“And make this company safe – or at least, as safe as it can be. There’s always someone who’ll try and step over the line. But there’s no question in my mind that the end of The Fallen is a noble goal.” [/COLOR] Kirk laughed. [COLOR="Blue"]“And they call me the white knight,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="Blue"]“Anyway, we may be losing some of the battles, but I have a feeling that we’re going to win the war.”[/COLOR] * [B]The West Texas Peacekeepers vs. The Second Sons[/B] This was just yet one more short tag team match as the division continues to develop. The Peacekeepers were their usual rough and ready selves, but were met punch for punch by Casey Valentine who was, as ever, eager to brawl. Antonio was more focused on outwrestling his foes, and the teamwork of the heel duo was enough to put Sheriff Blaze down after he ate a Sweet Sweet Heartbreak. Winners: The Second Sons (E+) * [B]Team Honor (c) vs. The Canadian Blondes[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Tag Team titles[/COLOR] The new champions made their first defence of their titles in this match, which pitted them against the most experienced team in the company. The Blondes at first outwrestled the champions, using their speed and superior teamwork to bamboozle Jared Johnson – but a stiff clothesline from Makutsi rescued his partner, and the champions were able to capitalise on the break in momentum to gain the advantage, Makutsi eventually putting Savage away with a Code Of Honor for the win. Winners: Team Honor (D-) * [B]Kirk Jameson vs. The Great Ota[/B] This was a wild brawl as we gave both men free license to play the match out however they wanted. They battered each other in the ring, and even took a brief detour outside the squared circle as well. Ota gained the upper hand with a series of quickfire palm strikes and backhands, leaving Kirk groggy and vulnerable to a Ninja Strike to give Ota the slight upset victory. Winner: The Great Ota (C+) * Randy Bumfhole was shown backstage: [COLOR="Blue"]“Aaron, I was brought back for one reason, and one reason only. That’s to show you that you’re not as good as you think you are. You’re not perfect. You’re not invulnerable. You’re not unbeatable. You’re just a man, and a man who’s going to drop that title, sooner or later. Get used to it, champ. Leave the belt at home now and then when you go out. Maybe lock it away rather than taking it to bed with you. Soon you’ll be without the title all day, and all night. And I’d hate for you not to be prepared.”[/COLOR] Andrews was pacing backstage in The Fallen’s locker room. Fumihiro Ota was meditating in the background. [COLOR="DarkRed"]“Lose my title? Lose my title?!?”[/COLOR] Andrews scraped his hair back from his face with both hands, pulling the skin taut and giving him a slightly inhuman look. [COLOR="DarkRed"]“Bumfhole, you’re a joke. I put you out of this company once before, and I’ll do it again. No-one’s going to take this title from me. There’s nothing that I won’t do to prevent it. Nothing, do you understand me?!? “Nothing!” [/COLOR] * [B]Randy Bumfhole vs. Aaron Andrews (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Heavyweight title[/COLOR] I'd hoped to give Aaron a narrow victory in this match, but in his last match of this stint Randy blocked the move, claiming that 4C wouldn't want him to end on a low. Well, 4C looks likely to end on a low soon enough, so would it really have mattered? Regardless, that meant that we had to book a time limit draw which actually plays more to the story Andrews is on. The only problem is that neither man is quite strong enough to carry a full thirty minute match, even working together as they were. There were a few spots during the match that lagged a little as the two tied it up in rest holds while they tried to work out the next sequence. It didn't affect things too badly, but our fans are smart enough to spot things like that and it resulted in the heat cooling a little for the contest. Despite that, the bulk of the match was an enjoyable back and forth effort, with Andrews looking strong against one of his most difficult challengers, having clearly learned from their previous matches how to handle Bumfhole. However, Randy is no slouch and showed a familiarity with Andrews that prevented the champion from scoring the decisive win that he would have liked after his comparatively poor recent form. Instead, he was forced to settle for a time-limit draw and it was clear that he was far from satisfied with the result as after the bell rang he nailed the referee with a Standing Hot Shot before piledriving Bumfhole when he tried to make the save. Andrews crouched by Bumfhole’s unconscious body, snarling and spitting defiance as the show drew to a close. Winner: No-one (B-) [B]Overall: C+[/B] * Black Eagle has now left the company. There's no bad blood between us, and in theory we'd bring him back in the future... But he's an odd one. Against anyone remotely competent he delivered the goods, but if ever he was the senior man in a match you could almost see him phone it in – he just wasn't the veteran professional that I would have liked. * [CENTER][B]MAW Fall Of The King[/B] The XX Factor vs. Ford & Speed vs. The Second Sons Spectrum Infinity vs. Always Breakin' Hollywood Amazing Fire Fly vs. Rudy Velasquez Bradford Peverell vs. The Great Ota JD Morgan vs. Lord Geoffrey Windameer Kirk Jameson vs. Firebird “Dogfight” Donnie J vs. Aaron Andrews[/CENTER]

[Candyman]

Too bad Randy and Andrew couldn't quite repeat their magic from 11 months ago...maybe it was because the fans were wondering why Randy gets a title shot in his last match when Rich Money didn't get the same. :p [B]MAW Fall Of The King[/B] The XX Factor vs. Ford & Speed vs. [B]The Second Sons[/B] Spectrum Infinity vs. [B]Always Breakin' Hollywood[/B] Amazing Fire Fly vs. [B]Rudy Velasquez[/B] Bradford Peverell vs. [B]The Great Ota[/B] [B]JD Morgan[/B] vs. Lord Geoffrey Windameer [B]Kirk Jameson[/B] vs. Firebird “Dogfight” Donnie J vs. [B]Aaron Andrews[/B]

[James Casey]

[QUOTE=Candyman;567279]Too bad Randy and Andrew couldn't quite repeat their magic from 11 months ago...maybe it was because the fans were wondering why Randy gets a title shot in his last match when Rich Money didn't get the same. :p[/QUOTE] [I]OOC: Because I thought Randy might put Aaron over, and forgot to change it to non-title when it didn't happen :p[/I] * [B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Fall Of The King Friday, 12th September 2012[/CENTER] Bradford Peverell vs. The Great Ota[/B] Ota has been riding an enviable wave of momentum of late, and he carried that through this match as he took the fight to the game Peverell from the off. He seemed intent on exposing Peverell's weakness, tagging him with quickfire kicks while being as hard to grasp as mercury. Peverell tried to maintain a guard to limit the damage he was taking, but he was never really able to get started, and fell to a Ninja Strike. Winner: The Great Ota (D+) * Aaron Andrews led the rest of The Fallen out to the ring. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, and his face looked slightly sallow as he took the mic. [COLOR="DarkRed"]“Some people have been questioning my commitment to The Fallen,”[/COLOR] he began, his voice rough and gravelly. [COLOR="darkred"]“But what they don’t know is that I’ve been pursuing a course of study behind the scenes. I’ve been intent on understanding what it is to fall. I understand the strength that comes with giving in to one’s darkest urges... to sacrificing restraint... to accepting that only when one breaks through the limits. Tonight is the night that I complete my fall.”[/COLOR] Firebird looked ecstatic as he regarded his prize pupil. The Great Ota looked implacable. Providence rocked back and forth slightly, only barely seeming to pay attention to what was going on around him. [COLOR="darkred"]“And by completing my fall I will gain the strength that I need to retain my title.”[/COLOR] Firebird’s reaction was that of a man who’d walked into a brick wall. He took a step back, and looked stunned as he gazed at Andrews. [COLOR="darkred"]“So tonight I issue a challenge to the Knights Templar. Four of you, and four of us... in a War Games match!”[/COLOR] Kirk Jameson emerged from the back on his own, and was sensible enough to stay at the top of the ramp. [COLOR="Blue"]“The most brutal match conceived, fought between us and you?”[/COLOR] One by one, JD Morgan, Bradford Peverell and Donnie J came out and lined up with their leader. [COLOR="blue"]“We accept.”[/COLOR] * [B]The XX Factor vs. Ford & Speed vs. The Second Sons[/B] Perfectly Acceptable Wrestling in the next match, with three of our junior teams squaring off. With the departure of Black Eagle, a spot has opened up at the top of the card for a tag team willing to take it, and all three teams seemed aware of the opening. However, both Ford and Speed seemed to be on fire throughout the match, and their opponents struggled to hold them – eventually being overwhelmed as Casey Valentine walked into Fallen Chances to send the former masked men home the winners. Winners: Ford & Speed (D) * As the Second Sons displayed their frustration at defeat, The XX Factor looked quite pleased that they hadn’t been the ones to take the fall. [COLOR="Sienna"]“Look at you,”[/COLOR] Casey Valentine sneered. [COLOR="sienna"]“That’s what makes us superior to you. We were prepared to risk defeat in order to try and get a win. You’ve been beaten so many times that you don’t even know what victory is.” “Don’t assume that avoiding defeat in this match makes you in any way superior to us,”[/COLOR] Antonio said. [COLOR="sienna"]“In fact, why don’t we arrange a match between just the two of us teams. That way we can prove who the superior side is beyond any question.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“You’re on,”[/COLOR] Thea Davis responded. [COLOR="blue"]“And when we celebrate for real next time, you’re going to look even more foolish then you already do,”[/COLOR] Jaime Quine added. [COLOR="blue"]“If you’re all finished,”[/COLOR] Marc Speed said. [COLOR="blue"]“Then get out of the ring while the winners enjoy their success.” “To the winners go the spoils,”[/COLOR] Greg Ford declared. “In this case, the spoils are the right to issue a challenge to the champions. We want a title match, and we will have it. Face us, Team Honor, and prove that you live up to your name.” * [B]Spectrum Infinity vs. Always Breakin' Hollywood[/B] Given the lack of experience of three members of the quartet, I was quite pleased with this match – especially considering that they managed to eke out a decent crowd response for their small vs. big storyline. The masked duo stung their larger opponents with Lenny Brown taking the brunt of the offence before Primus Allen got tagged in and he snared first one, and then both of his opponents in painful looking elbow locks, before hoisting both men up and slamming them into the mat. Brown was tagged back in and the pair drilled Blue Shift with a Sunset Boulevard for the win. On commentary, Rip noted that ABH had impressed to the point that he was going to give them a title shot at a future show. Winners: Always Breakin' Hollywood (D-) * [B]Amazing Fire Fly vs. Rudy Velasquez[/B] There was great chemistry on display in this match, which helped elevate it above most of Fly's matches. Fly threw himself around and above the ring, his style momentarily fazing Velasquez, but the Latino all-rounder was able to catch up with the masked youngster and plant him with a Street Cutter for the win. Winner: Rudy Velasquez (D+) * [B]JD Morgan (c) vs. Lord Geoffrey Windameer[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Traditional title[/COLOR] This was an excellent match, boosted by the great chemistry between the two competitors. The two men put forth a technical tour de force, with Sean Deeley's contention that Morgan isn't that good a technician put firmly too rest. Ultimately, though, Morgan wasn't able to force the submission from his opponent, and had to put Windameer away with A Shot Of JD. Winner: JD Morgan (C+) * [B]Kirk Jameson vs. Firebird[/B] These two have met on a number of occasions now, and always manage to produce the goods. Jameson is the undisputed leader of the Knights Templar, whereas Firebird and Andrews seem to be equal first in their group – if not always pulling in the same direction. The two proved to be evenly matched, momentum shifting back and forth as they traded big moves at high speed. Firebird taunted his opponent repeatedly about Andrews' continuing descent into darkness, and for a time he seemed to be getting under Jameson's skin. But Jameson had learned the lessons of previous meetings with Firebird, and was able to rally, almost visibly forcing Firebird's insidious words from his mind as he mounted a surge that resulted in Firebird trapped in the Kirkhold in the centre of the ring, with nowhere to go and nothing to do but tap out. Winner: Kirk Jameson (C+) * Donnie J was backstage: [COLOR="Blue"]“Aaron and I have done the business before, and to my mind we’ve never really settled who the better man is. Tonight will settle that one, I think. Aaron, you’ve made a big mistake by making this a war. And tonight, when I’m standing tall with your title in my hands, you’ll realise that your mistake was just the beginning of a long period of pain and suffering for you.”[/COLOR] * Aaron Andrews stood in semi-darkness. Notably, he was not in The Fallen locker room: [COLOR="DarkRed"]“A mistake? Do you honestly believe, with my title on the line, I would ever make a decision that I wasn’t sure of? Do you think that, given the chance to rid myself of four very annoying insects that I wouldn’t make my choice with the utmost care? “Tonight I’ll show you what you face in the cage. Tonight I’ll make you understand what happens you chase me, and push me, and force into a corner. Tonight will be remembered as the night that I crossed lines that would scare a normal man. Take my title? You’ll be lucky if you leave the ring tonight upright and on your own.”[/COLOR] * [B]“Dogfight” Donnie J vs. Aaron Andrews (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Heavyweight title[/COLOR] Blast. A potentially fantastic show was blown because, despite the fact that these two have great chemistry and always put on a great show, the fans weren't too interested in their fourth match in four months or so. It may also have been because Andrews was just downright vicious throughout the match, never once giving Donnie a moment's respite and, even when he was on the defensive, he still projected the air of a barely-leashed rabid animal. He fired off closed fists into Donnie's face, apparently caring nothing for the damage it did to his own hands as he brutalised his challenger, who was left with little defence as the match wore on, eventually succumbing to a Twisting Face Crusher as Andrews retained his title. Winner: Aaron Andrews (C) [B]Overall: C-[/B] [I](Rubbish – the last match really hurt us. I'll have to take careful note of that in future... Despite that, the show has risen in importance)[/I] [I]Next: For those of you who enjoy the backstage stuff... Cornell. Strong. Eisen. Chord... in Las Vegas![/I]

[Slim Jim]

[QUOTE=James Casey;567862] [I]Next: For those of you who enjoy the backstage stuff... Cornell. Strong. Eisen. Chord... in Las Vegas![/I][/QUOTE] Going to check out the competition at BSC? Or a super-secret pro-USA meeting against the DeColts and Stones? Oh possibilities... :p

[pepper2008]

My vote is they "accidentally" saw each other at the BSC mega-event of The Buck Naked Match between Dharma Gregg vs. Charlize Angelle:cool:

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: Here's the first part (of three) of our little Vegas oddysey...[/I] USPW have finally decided, after seven years or so, that a four woman women’s division is a bit... pointless. So instead they’ve scrapped the Women’s title and instituted a Top Contender’s title. Eddie Howard, the former MAW Tag Team champion, was the first holder, but the belt currently resides with Primus Allen. Elsewhere in USPW, the World title is vacant after Randall “The Bandit” Hopkirk retired from active competition. Hopkirk had also been champion in CZCW, but dropped the belt to Colossus in his last match with the company. However, Colossus also works for USPW as Hell’s Bouncer and it was he who put The Bandit over in his final match to allow Hopkirk to retire as the champion. * Once a year the North American promotions down sticks and get together in a neutral location. Well, not everyone, of course – just the owners and usually the head bookers. Normally, I can’t go because of the schedule we work, but in the last year we’ve had the last couple of weeks of each month free – and that means that this year I was available to go along. Katie insisted that she came along (I think she was worried about me being around the Sin City girls) so it was a rare chance to get away together as we had a week in Las Vegas before the convention itself. It’s a funny deal, with each company touting its successes in the last year. Workers who’ve got over, big cards, particular signings... We were showing off Aaron Andrews as our key worker, conscious of the fact that in TCW he’s a midcarder, although in NYCW he’s a main eventer and reigning Empire champion. Our big signing, of course, was Rich Money on loan – although the rise of JD Morgan and Kirk Jameson was something we were proud of as well. So, anyway, the convention side of it is really just a silly gimmick. The companies pool their cash (about $10,000 each, I think) to hire a hotel and conference centre for a few days and just generally relax and unwind, trade war stories, exchange tips on workers who might be suited to their competitors’ companies – or who might cause the company’s downfall, not everyone being friends after all – and generally act like human beings in an attempt to show that we can be civil despite how much time we otherwise spend each year at each others’ throats. It’s fun. It probably doesn’t sound it, but it is. It’s a little like an auto show in layout, with TCW playing Ford (reliable, accessible, occasionally brilliant), NOTBPW playing BMW (supremely reliable, a bit outside some people’s tastes, and with the kind of technical excellence you’ve come to expect) and SWF being Alfa Romeo – fantastic to look at, likely to blow up in your face when you try and change a sparkplug, but if you have petrol in your blood then you can’t help but love it. As metaphors go, it needs a little work. I’ll admit it, but there it is. It was great to catch up with some of the old-time SWF guys who were around when I was there – not that there’s that many of them left. Christian Faith had been someone who’d fought both Rip and Sam Strong many, many times and the four of us ended up spending a long evening exaggerating how big our pops were (me) and how great our talent was (them, a little). Curt O’Malley was working the room, setting up contacts like he did every year. He’s been in and out of SWF a dozen times over the years, although in the later years of his career he settled down there and when he retired Richard made him a road agent. He’s not bad at the job, either, although I’d been better even when I was just starting. None of the ex-MAW workers were there, which was a shame as I’d hoped to catch up with them – but wrestlers rarely attend the event unless they’ve reached Faith levels of popularity and longevity, so between the eleven companies, only thirty or so wrestlers were there. NOTBPW had brought the most, unsurprisingly, as the Stone clan was out in force, along with Sean McFly, Maverick and Bruce The Giant who gave Rip and I a burly hug on seeing us that crushed our heads against his chest and left us both with sore necks for the next several hours. Bruce is one of the friendliest guys around when you take him away from the business, but after forty years he could stand to learn to watch his strength a little. Nice to see him, though... The convention is a rare chance for us all to just relax – to get away from the grind and be among people who really know what it’s like to work in our confusing business. And besides, a lot of these people are just a lot of fun to be around. [I]Next: Politics, TCW style[/I]

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: Part 2 tonight. Final part tomorrow.[/I] One wrestler who was there was Jay Chord, arriving on the Saturday morning in time to see his dad stagger from the elevator and into the dining area where he attacked the buffet with a gusto only matched by that of Bruce the Giant and Giant Redwood. In that moment, Tommy Cornell and Duane Stone dubbed him Giant Rip, a name that stuck for the rest of convention. [COLOR="Red"]“Dad looks a bit... unsteady on his feet,”[/COLOR] Jay said, uneasily. I almost jumped in surprise, but then remembered our late night phone conversation. [COLOR="Green"]“Yeah... Nothing bad, though,”[/COLOR] I assured him. [COLOR="Green"]“Well, probably not. Er, your dad got lucky last night.”[/COLOR] Jay’s eyes widened. [COLOR="Red"]“Who with?”[/COLOR] I nodded my head in the direction of the BSC table. [COLOR="Red"]“Nooo...”[/COLOR] I nodded. [COLOR="Red"]“Nooo...”[/COLOR] I nodded again. [COLOR="Red"]“She’s half his age!”[/COLOR] We looked at the two women sitting at the table. [COLOR="Green"]“Not Honey Golightly,”[/COLOR] I said. [COLOR="Green"]“Marilyn.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Oh,”[/COLOR] he said, sounding relieved for a moment. Then realisation struck. [COLOR="Red"]“[I]Oh.[/I] Oh, gross.”[/COLOR] His face contorted as though he’d been fed a lemon. [COLOR="Green"]“Even old people need to feel loved, Jay,”[/COLOR] I said. [COLOR="Green"]“Now come on, you can tell me what you’re doing here. Holly and Katie aside, you’re giving up a couple of decades to most people in the room...”[/COLOR] Jay and I had breakfast with Rip, who was mostly quiet as he macerated his way through several platefuls of scrambled eggs – yolks only, he’d requested, for reasons I didn’t want to go in to. [COLOR="Red"]“...so Tommy thinks that the time could be right in the next few months to start moving me up the card,”[/COLOR] Jay was saying. [COLOR="Red"]“I mean, me and Darryl have had the belts for six months now. It’s time to move on, I say. He thinks we can wait...”[/COLOR] It was weird, having a relatively normal conversation with Jay. After all our troubles, I’d never have imagined it possible – but here he was. [COLOR="Green"]“You’re still young, Jay,”[/COLOR] I said. [COLOR="Green"]“Twenty-two, right?” He nodded. “Well, you’ve got time. I mean, I know you’re the same age Frehley was when he got the belt in SWF, but you’ve got a way to go before you’re at TCW main event standard.”[/COLOR] For a moment Jay looked offended, and I wondered if he were about to lose his temper with me. Then he shook his head. [COLOR="Red"]“I’m not talking about the title. Just gradual process. I want it, and Tommy thinks that I can make it.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“How are you getting on backstage?”[/COLOR] I asked. He frowned. [COLOR="Red"]“It’s difficult. I’m having to bite my tongue a lot. I know that I’m in the big leagues now – and I don’t have Dad to protect me if I mess around. If I screw up, well, I’m not built like Big Smack Scott. Not that that would make a difference in TCW anyway,”[/COLOR] he mused. [COLOR="Green"]“You do seem to be maturing,”[/COLOR] I said, cautiously. He nodded. [COLOR="Red"]“I see some of the guys backstage, and what they can do... It’s humbling. Look, I want to be the best, and I want to get there on my merit... But at the same time, I can see who to make friends with, who I can make fun of, who’s easy meat...”[/COLOR] Rip chuckled roughly, and clapped his son on the shoulder. I frowned. [COLOR="Green"]“And Tommy lets you get away with it?”[/COLOR] I asked. Jay nodded, smirking as he took a bite of his omelette. I looked over his shoulder to Tommy, who caught my eye and started miming something. It wasn’t until he came to the universal pantomime for putting a noose around one’s neck that I realised what he was saying: He was giving Jay enough rope to hang himself by. Yes, suddenly it made sense. Chord and Devine – another one who could let success go to his head, although with us he was never anything but professional – were being taken under Tommy’s wing, but they weren’t getting over. And that was funny because they were in the perfect position to benefit from their storyline association with Tommy. Instead, their cowardly, three-defences-in-six-months title reign and moderate booking was resulting in them treading water, neither getting over nor being obviously punished. Tommy, at the end of the day, was British, and a little more subtle than most in this line of work. I wondered if Jay would ever notice that his longed-for push would never materialise until he followed up his pretty words with hard work and genuine self-improvement. If not, well, he could continue to stand still – Tommy had no obligation to push him. If, on the other hand, Jay was able to improve himself as a person as well as in-ring, well, the sky was the limit for him. He’d repaired his relationship with Rip (or, at least, to the extent that he could learn from Rip how to play politics) and it seemed that he’d learned not to alienate potential allies. So long as he was a nasty piece of work at core, though, I suspected that Tommy would continue to promise free beer tomorrow. Feeling a little – and only a little – ashamed of how cheerful I found the thought, I turned back to my breakfast. [I]Next: Going all in...[/I]

[Pampero Firpo]

Casey, I just wanted to compliment you again on this diary -- it's incredibly well done and a lot of fun to read. I'm glad you decided to keep it going and hope you'll continue to do so once the little one arrives. Oh, I don't think I ever offered my congratulations, by the way. You're in for a hell of a ride. Kids are a lot of work, but they're a lot of fun too. Hope you're a better father than Rip, though...

[D-Lyrium]

I'm baaack! Sorry, was unexpectedly cut off from t'internet for a few months, and then it was Christmas, then New Year, blah blah. But yeah... I'm back now, and man did I miss this. It took me ages to even find where I left off, but now I have (back on page 35 :o 20 pages to go...) I'll soon be back to posting feedback. Go Blondes!? Or is that redundant now? Only one way to find out...

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: Thanks to both of you for your comments - and welcome back, D-Lyrium. I think I even asked at one point if anyone had seen you for a while. As you'll know by the time you get to this point, the Blondes are still around, although they've been a bit quiet of late. However, I'm gearing up for a revitalised tag scene right now - so who knows what might happen? Anyway - part three...[/I] * The Saturday night was the focus of the whole event, and each year – so I’m told – one of the companies takes the time to put something special together. This year, BSC had the lead, and appropriately we were treated to a Vegas-themed evening straight out of Caesar’s Palace with gladiators and slavegirls serving our drinks as we mingled in the casino that had been put together while we were attending Tommy and Dan Stone’s seminar on ‘Development of Talent and Getting Them Over Through Coherent, Continuous and Comprehensive Storylines’, at which I took copious notes. By the time the evening rolled around, most people were pretty well oiled, and the money was flowing freely back and forth across the tables. Giant Redwood was cleaning up at craps – which was too easy a joke for anyone to make – while Puerto Rican Power was proving unbeatable at blackjack. The Dans Stone, Sr. and Jr., were engaged in a bloodthirsty battle against Christian Faith and Steve DeColt over a hand of gin – and a couple of bottles of the same, that DeColt had demanded be included. Jay Chord was putting the moves on a slavegirl, blissfully unaware that her gladiator boyfriend – who was built along the same lines as Bruce The Giant – was watching every move with the look of someone calculating precisely how much their target was going to suffer. On the dance floor, Edd Stone was busting some moves. The youngest of the famous siblings had long since reconciled with his family, but still worked for TCW. I understood that his presence at the shindig each year was paid for by the Stones, although officially he attended as part of the TCW delegation. Inwardly, I shrugged. Politics. I had no talent for it, and no inclination for developing one. My friendship with Rip had opened doors, it was true, but I could honestly say that I’d never sought to exploit it. Katie was kibitzing with Victoria Stone-McFly and Jennifer Cornell, who was making a rare public appearance. Tommy’s wife is a charity campaigner, and has been known to use her husband’s fame to her advantage – but one can hardly complain about that. What Katie was discussing with the girls was probably something I didn’t want to know too much about. The junior members of the two families – Tommy Jr. and Lucy Stone-McFly – had been running around earlier in the day, and Tommy and Sean had joined them in an impromptu mixed tag team match that ended when Tommy and Sean tapped out, at the same time, to each other’s children. It’s all very well putting the younger talent over, of course, but would a decisive finish have hurt either of them? [COLOR="Blue"] “James!”[/COLOR] I looked around, and up, to find Bruce himself smiling down at me. Experiencing a mild case of vertigo – apparently a lot of people get it around Bruce – I smiled up at the man whose career had intersected mine only briefly, as the man who put an end to Rip Chord’s time in SWF. [COLOR="Green"]“Hello Bruce, are you enjoying yourself?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“Well, y’know, it’s alright,”[/COLOR] he said, his Australian accent as thick as it had ever been, despite almost fifteen years in America. [COLOR="Blue"]“Could do with a little more beer. Everyone here seems to be on ****tails and other stuff that barely touches the sides on its way down.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Allow me.”[/COLOR] I stopped a gladiator on his way from the bar and took two large steins of beer from him. [COLOR="Blue"]“Sir, those are for-“[/COLOR] he began, before he followed one of the steins as I handed it off to Bruce. His gaze travelled up the Australian’s chest and met his deep-set eyes. It’s amazing how many people just fail to see Bruce, but I’ve noticed that if you’re not eye-to-eye with someone, or at least close to it, you can easily look past people. More than a few people have mistaken Bruce for a pillar in the past. [COLOR="Green"]“For Mr. Bruce, right?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“R-right,”[/COLOR] he said, before he nearly sprinted back to the bar for refills. Bruce let out a great, guffawing laugh. [COLOR="Blue"]“Aw, stripe me pink... It should get old, but it never does,”[/COLOR] he grinned. I remember Bruce as a callow young giant when he arrived in the States. Rip had tried to outdrink him one night, back when a development territory was the name for the period after the ring was set up, but before the turnstiles were opened. He’d lived to regret it, not quite realising how much alcohol a 400lb man could consume without feeling the effects. That night had really warmed Rip and his drinking circle to a worker many had cringed at the thought of sharing ring time with. Myself, Rip, Sam, Robert Oxford... We’d all put ourselves through the wringer for hour after hour to teach Bruce how to look good in the ring. Even after his debut, he was pushed for a long time as someone who went out there and smashed people into the ground in just a few minutes, although to his credit Bruce had never stopped working at improving himself. No-one would ever confuse him with a Dan Stone Jr., or even an Edd Stone. But he was still a very good wrestler, and whenever we crossed paths he made a point of thanking me for the time that we’d put in with him. I spent a bit of time with Bruce, getting caught up on his life. He mentioned that Davis Wayne Newton spoke well of his time with MAW, and that a few of the boys in the locker room liked to watch our DVDs after Kirk Jameson brought some with him on a trip up north. I didn’t ask for more details – that would be pushing it. They may have enjoyed watching out amateur efforts. I did learn that Sean had taken a personal interest in Kirk, and was helping him with his technical wrestling. That was good – Kirk is a very good all-rounder, but it would be nice if he stood out in one area above the others. After a couple of beers, I’d just about reached my limit, while Bruce was looking hopefully at the bar. Knowing that I was in no condition to drink with the world’s largest athlete, I made my excuses, my place at the bar immediately taken by Giant Redwood. I spotted Nemesis sitting on the other side of the room, with his son Ash looking a little out of place beside him. The legend was chewing on a fat cigar, trading war stories with Jeremy Stone and Mitch Naess. Ash sat by, looking like his father’s assistant more than a wrestler in his own right. I pondered going over to say hello, but decided that the risk of getting talked into hiring Ash was too big a risk. Instead, I drifted towards the centre of the room. A few of the older guys had settled down around a poker table, although the average age was lowered a fair bit by Tommy’s presence. In fact, I noted, it was only the owners playing – Rip, Tommy, Sam, Richard and CZCW’s Cliff Anderson. Katie was busy chatting with Victoria Stone, so I wandered over to see how Rip was doing, and as I did Cliff bombed out, running a worthy full house into Sam’s four aces. [COLOR="Purple"]“Kid, take a seat,”[/COLOR] Rip growled, as Cliff laughed off his misfortune and headed for the free bar. I took his chair, and Tommy immediately dealt me in. “It’s five card draw, two draws allowed.” [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Fifty bucks minimum bet,”[/COLOR] Richard explained, from my right. I nodded and one of the slave girls brought me a rack of chips. I emptied my wallet and took six, which drew a snort from Sam. [COLOR="YellowGreen"]“This shouldn’t take long,”[/COLOR] he said, from behind a stack of chips that looked to reach triple figures. [COLOR="Green"]“I’m not much of a player,”[/COLOR] I commented. Tommy hesitated in his deal, but I think I was the only one who noticed. Across from me, though, I could see Rip hide a smile behind his glass of club soda. The first deal did me no favours, as I had a Jack high and nothing to work with. I bought two cards, which got me a queen and a nine to make a pair with another. Richard, I could tell, had a strong hand while the others seemed to have nothing. The second go-round saw Rip fold. Tommy hesitated, looking at me for a long moment, before he bought in. Richard played without thinking and so did I. Sam toyed with raising the bet, before sticking with fifty. The next deal brought me a ten and a little switch flicked in my head as I realised that, but for my second nine, I had a run of clubs. An eight or a king on the last draw would get me a straight flush, which would surely be enough to take the pot – and make me my money back and more. I had no illusions of holding my own in a long game with my opponents, but I’d certainly enjoy beating them in a one-off hand. Tommy folded and Richard raised, which I followed without comment, four of my six chips now on the table. [COLOR="YellowGreen"]“Fold,”[/COLOR] Sam said, pitching his cards into the centre of the table. The last deal brought me a three of diamonds, which I took with as little reaction as I could. Richard paused for a long moment, and then slid two more chips into the pot. I followed suit. [COLOR="Green"]“What’ve you got?”[/COLOR] I asked. He flipped his cards to reveal a jumble of nothing, with a ten as his high card. I breathed a sigh of relief as I flipped my own cards over, my higher card taking the pot. [COLOR="YellowGreen"]“Last time I fold on a pair,”[/COLOR] Sam groused, as I took the chips from the pot. I was already up by nearly double my initial buy-in, and felt like I could play a little more... * The game continued for a couple of hours. Tommy folded after thirty minutes or so, twenty-thousand dollars down after a couple of bad hands where Sam had fantastic luck. But that luck failed him as Richard turned the tables on him and took almost everything he had. I dropped out not long after, a nice amount richer after playing cautiously and knowing to stop when the cards began to turn against me – five deals without anything better than a pair of threes and a high card of eight told me that my luck wasn’t in. That left Rip and Richard, and it seemed that everyone and their mother was gathered around the table. The ancient history went unspoken. The recent history between the two men, with so many of our workers making the step up to SWF, susurrated around the crowd. The two men stared across the table at each other. They were playing seven card stud now, with four cards face up on the table in front of them, and three hidden in their hands. Rip had the makings of a Royal Flush, just needing a King. Richard could have had almost anything, and my quick calculations suggested that there was about a 25% chance that he could beat Rip. Rip seemed to know the odds too, as he raised Richard, the pot swelling to more than ten thousand dollars. Rip had always been leary about using his own money to finance MAW’s losses, but equally he had no problem splashing out for his own entertainment. Richard, on the other hand, was notoriously tight-fisted if he wasn’t spending money on his company. For him to match Rip’s bet – which he did – meant that he was comfortable with his hand. That, or he believed that Rip was bluffing. Both men turned over their cards. There was a hiss of indrawn breath as Rip revealed his Royal Flush. Richard frowned momentarily, then sat back in his chair and lit a cigar as Rip scooped up the cash. Neither man had said anything to each other for close to an hour. [COLOR="Red"]“Dad?”[/COLOR] Jay had appeared at Rip’s elbow. [COLOR="Red"]“Can I make a suggestion?”[/COLOR] I glanced over at Richard, and noted that Eric had made his way through the crowd as well. We nodded to each other, although I barely remembered him from my days with Supreme. Eric and Jay both began to speak in hushed tones to their fathers as Tommy took the deck and began to shuffle them. Jerry Eisen cut the deck, and Tommy dealt five cards to each man. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Five card draw, gents,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“One draw. Anyone care to suggest a starting bid?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Well, if Chord junior has the same idea as my boy, then I think we both know what we’re playing for,”[/COLOR] Richard announced, blowing a smoke ring to punctuate his sentence. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“If I lose, then SWF enters into a working agreement with MAW on the 1st January. If I win... Then MAW can no longer approach any worker that SWF has under contract.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Purple"]“Acceptable,”[/COLOR] Rip said, looking at Tommy as he said it. The hand began. Richard immediately pushed chips worth twenty-thousand dollars into the centre of the table. Rip hesitated, before matching it as the crowd watched on in clear surprise. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“One,”[/COLOR] Richard said. Rip took two. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Raising to fifty thousand,”[/COLOR] Richard said, pushing the chips across the table. Rip looked down at his pile, and then across the table. [COLOR="Purple"]“I don’t have fifty thousand,”[/COLOR] he said. I frowned. [COLOR="Green"]“How much are you short?”[/COLOR] He looked up at me. [COLOR="Purple"]“About ten.”[/COLOR] I did a quick calculation and pulled out my wallet. The wad of $100 bills I’d won landed on the table. [COLOR="Green"]“If that’s not enough, we’re good for the rest,”[/COLOR] I said. Rip nodded once to me, but my gaze turned to Jay. He was looking across at the Eisens with a hungry look on his face. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“You first,”[/COLOR] Richard said, his eyes fixed on Rip’s. Rip stared straight back, and laid his cards down on the table. The crowd exhaled in unison. Rip had a flush – King through nine of clubs. For a second, I was sure the Queen had winked at me. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Very good,”[/COLOR] Richard said, taking another drag on his cigar. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“But you ought to know by now, Rip...”[/COLOR] I closed my eyes. It was clear what was coming. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“I’ve always got an Ace up my sleeve.”[/COLOR] One by one, Richard laid a ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of diamonds on the green baize of the table. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Not that I really care about you using our guys,”[/COLOR] he said, tapping a chunk of ash off the end of the cigar. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“But I don’t want you making it bigger off the back of my efforts any more.”[/COLOR] Rip turned to look at Jay, but the youngster had vanished. I was hot on his heels – at least, as much as I could manage while I tried to avoid tripping over slavegirls and centurions with my cane. I was so focused on him that it wasn’t until I caught up to him that I realised he’d stopped and was deep in conversation with Eric Eisen. [COLOR="Sienna"]“...next time, maybe,”[/COLOR] Eric was saying. [COLOR="Sienna"]“But that’s the luck of the draw. Literally.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“You can talk to your father, and I’ll talk to mine-“[/COLOR] [COLOR="Sienna"]“It wouldn’t work,”[/COLOR] Eric said. [COLOR="Sienna"]“He’ll be laughing about this for weeks. Look, I’m sorry. My dad’s not a bad man, exactly – but he’s very committed to his business. A lot of people rely on him for their paychecks every month, and anyone who puts that in jeopardy, like your father did, well, Dad never forgives them. Never. Sorry, Jay. Good to finally meet you, anyway. James,” [/COLOR]he added, with a nod to me as he walked off. Jay span around. [COLOR="Red"]“What are you doing here?”[/COLOR] he demanded. [COLOR="Green"]“I’m wondering what Tommy’s going to think of you trying to broker a deal between two of his competitors.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“MAW and SWF aren’t TCW’s competitors, not now,”[/COLOR] he said, dismissively. [COLOR="Red"]“Besides, it’s family.”[/COLOR] I doubted that Tommy, at least in his capacity as Jay’s employer, would understand the distinction – or, at least, care about it enough to let Jay get away with it. I decided that I’d keep my opinion to myself. [COLOR="Green"]“Jay, I don’t know what you were playing at there, but-“[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“I’m trying to solve our company’s biggest problem,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="Green"]“[I]Our[/I] company?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Of course – do you think Dad’s going to keep going forever?”[/COLOR] I frowned. I hadn’t given it much thought for a while now. Rip seemed to have an unstoppable energy. [COLOR="Red"]“He’s a drunk – he admits it himself. He may have given it up, but it affects him even today,”[/COLOR] Jay said. [COLOR="Red"]“And sooner or later he’ll want to retire. And who do you think will take over the company then?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“You will.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“So I want a company that can elbow its way up to the buffet table,”[/COLOR] Jay said.[COLOR="Red"] “I won’t settle for second best.”[/COLOR] I nodded. [COLOR="Green"]“I understand. But taking the SWF guys away from us... You know that means no Chance, no Jean, no Ernest...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“You’ll have to find a way around that, won’t you? Besides, it’s not like it’s a written contract. If we need to break it, then we will.”[/COLOR] I shook my head. Jay still had a lot to learn about the business. [COLOR="Green"]“It’s not written, Jay – but it was a deal made before everyone that matters in American wrestling. If Rip goes back on that without a bloody good reason, then we may as well piss on Eisen as well, because that’s the reputation we’ll have in the industry. Everyone knows about the deal, and that Rip’s made that deal by losing to Eisen. Even if was just a game of cards-“[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Ah, James, here’s your change.”[/COLOR] Richard Eisen might have looked like a caricature, had it not been that it was my own money sticking out of each pocket, bulging with Rip’s many chips. He held up a hundred for me, and I took it warily. [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Just what was left over from you helping out Chord... Speaking of which, thank you, Jay, it was nice to do business with you. I’m looking forward to more in the future. Let me know if you’re looking for work in the future. I’m sure we can find a job for you.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Yes sir,”[/COLOR] Jay said, brightly. I shot a glare at him. Richard took a drag on his cigar and favoured us both with a wide, beaming smile as he sauntered off, tipping a passing waitress with one of my hundred dollar bills. [COLOR="Green"]“Your dad wouldn’t be impressed with you sucking up to Eisen,”[/COLOR] I said, as I turned back to Jay. [COLOR="Red"]“I’m not sucking up to him,”[/COLOR] Jay said. [COLOR="Red"]“I’m being professional – something that you and my father could stand to learn. Supreme may be down, but they’re the biggest company in the world, and if we’re on favourable terms with them then it’s only good for us.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Sure,”[/COLOR] I said. [COLOR="Green"]“And when they decide to change the terms? They’ve got the clout to do things how they want, Jay. And that’s why we try and keep them at arm’s length. If it were just me... I might agree with you, Jay. But the relationship your dad has with Eisen affects our every dealing with them. You heard what Eric said: His dad will never forgive yours for what happened all those years ago. Maybe he shouldn’t. I could have sued SWF for millions. I could have put them out of business. If it had been someone other than me, well, Eisen might have lost his company. Your father put him in that position, and so I don’t think Richard is ever going to be able to treat him like just another company owner. Even if he could, and even if you didn’t upset him and you didn’t end up paying for Rip’s mistakes... I suspect that Richard doesn’t willingly agree to any deal where he didn’t have the advantage.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Soon the company will be mine, James. And I’ll do things my way – and that means working with Richard Eisen.”[/COLOR] I nodded. [COLOR="Green"]“That’s your prerogative, Jay. But don’t say that I didn’t warn you if Richard doesn’t share your utopian vision.”[/COLOR] Having banged my head against a brick wall, I headed back to the crowd in search of Rip – but he was being comforted by Marilyn. A discreet check showed no alcohol in view, and so I went in search of Katie, who was talking to Tommy. [COLOR="Magenta"]“James? Where have you been?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Talking to my next boss,”[/COLOR] I said, taking her hand. Tommy grinned. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“How is Jay? I didn’t invite him, you know.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“I know. Rip did. I understand that you’ve got big plans for him.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“I know exactly what I want to do with him, that’s for sure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must say goodbye to Cliff. Nice to meet you at last, Katie,”[/COLOR] he inclined his head and headed off. Katie and I did the rounds, and went back to our room. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Tommy asked me to give you something,” [/COLOR]Katie said, as I closed the door. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Away from Rip – and Jay.”[/COLOR] She passed me an envelope. I opened it to find a piece of paper that, when unfolded, bore the TCW logo on top with a spiky, messily handwritten message beneath: [I][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]James, Shame we couldn’t do business last year, although I’m glad that you and old man Chord are still making a go of it. I’ve had my run-ins with Rip over the years, but I always liked him deep down and he seems to really have cleaned up his act. I guess we can call it quits. If you don’t want to wait around for Jay to get the extra forty years of maturity that his dad has, then let me know – we can always find a job for you. And if you don’t want to worry about giving me orders then I have another proposition for you. Give me a ring sometime and we can talk. Tommy[/COLOR][/I] I frowned as I passed the paper over to Katie. [COLOR="Magenta"]“What does he mean, another proposition?”[/COLOR] I shrugged, and dialled reception, asking to be put through to Tommy’s room. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Hello James,”[/COLOR] he said, on answering. [COLOR="Green"]“What other proposition?”[/COLOR] I asked. He chuckled. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Interested? No, don’t answer that. Look, here’s the deal. We’re trying to build up to the future in the company, and we’ve got kids like Wolf, Randy and Edd Stone... But the next half-generation-“[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“You want me to run a development territory for you?”[/COLOR] I asked, suddenly feeling very weary about the way that business was conducted in my life. Card games and hotel rooms... [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Exactly.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Why me?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Because you like wrestling done the TCW way, and because you’re keen on developing young talent. We’d be writing you a blank cheque, and could probably even swing you a late night TV deal in the local markets.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“I can’t leave MAW, Tommy.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Not yet, no. But James, Rip won’t work in the industry for ever.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“You’re the second person to say that to me tonight. As far as I’m concerned, he’s giving it his best shot.”[/COLOR] Tommy laughed. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Okay James, no hard feelings. The offer’s open to you. Whenever you want to head up your own company, let us know.”[/COLOR] I sat back on the bed as I recounted the conversation to Katie. [COLOR="Magenta"]“You don’t want to leave MAW, do you?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“No, I don’t. It’s fun working here. I like trying to get us to grow. I like the challenge of losing workers occasionally, and of having others develop over years – or explode in a few minutes. But if I had to work under Jay...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“I understand.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“You do?”[/COLOR] Katie nodded. [COLOR="Magenta"]“None of the girls liked Jay very much. And we tend to be better judges of character than you guys.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Hey, I-“[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“We never thought he’d grow up to be a main eventer, for a start.”[/COLOR] My eyes narrowed. [COLOR="Green"]“Oh, so you’re suddenly a better booker than me?”[/COLOR] I challenged her. She laughed. [COLOR="Magenta"]“No. Our child’s going to have to get those genes from you.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“So long as they get their looks from you... What?”[/COLOR] She bit her lip, but kept her gaze locked on mine. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Surprise,”[/COLOR] she said. [COLOR="Green"]“I... I... What?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“You’re going to be a dad,”[/COLOR] she said. [COLOR="Green"]“I... When... How...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“You want to know how?” [/COLOR]she asked, a half-smile tugging at the corner of her lips. [COLOR="Green"]“When?”[/COLOR] I said, half-standing. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Next summer – June, I’d say.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“But... but...”[/COLOR] I stared at her in disbelief. Pregnant? With a baby? Me, a father? I dropped stiffly to my knees in front of her. [COLOR="Green"]“Well,” [/COLOR]I said, trying to compose myself. [COLOR="Green"]“That’s certainly not something I was expecting.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“But...”[/COLOR] she said, and the look on her face was like a glass of water thrown in my face. [COLOR="Green"]“It’s amazing news,”[/COLOR] I assured her, taking her in my arms. [COLOR="Green"]“I’m... overjoyed.”[/COLOR] She beamed, and I couldn’t help but join her. We suddenly had a whole lot more to talk about, and Tommy and Rip and Jay could all wait. * Up north, CGC patriarch George DeColt has retired. The father of Jack, Alex, Ricky and Steve has pretty much defined Canadian Sports Entertainment over the last twenty-plus years. Alex DeColt has taken over the company, and will now be looking for a new head booker. DeColt’s first act as owner, interestingly, was to drop the CGC World title (his sixth reign) to Ryan Powell. Powell had previously enjoyed a seven month run with the title three years or so back, so is a proven hand with the title. However, it’s interesting to note that since Ricky DeColt won the title for the first time in September 2007, Ryan Powell has been the only other newcomer to the World title ranks. The other six reigns have seen Alex (his fourth, fifth and sixth reigns), Steve (his fourth reign) and Ricky DeColt (his second reign) hold the belt, along with a second reign for Dan DaLay. The belt in that time has gone from Ricky to Alex to Steve, then on to Ryan, back to Alex and on to Ricky, then to Dan DaLay and finally to Alex once more before Ryan picked up the belt again. The DeColt’s have a certain... heroic image in Canada, and it’s not undeserved as they’re very talented workers. Nonetheless, letting someone else play with their ball might be an idea occasionally. At least the family doesn’t dominate the tag and Canadian title scenes. * The Supreme Wrestling Federation has fallen to Cult. Again. Richard Eisen’s approach to business has its benefits, no question. When the SWF are on fire, and they often are, they look like a million dollars. Ultra high definition television broadcasts, webisodes, prime-time broadcast slots... But it’s all-or-nothing. When they run cold or, perhaps more importantly, when someone else runs hotter, then SWF’s shortcomings are visible to everyone. It’s not even that they haven’t been running decent shows of late. There’s been some very good shows indeed (A Dubois/McClean main event a few weeks back must be in the running for Match of the Year), although a few clunkers have been in the mix. The company suffers because it’s going up against TCW in every market in the world – and losing almost every time. That kind of constant defeat takes it toll, as the company has fallen to Cult no less than four times since I took over the book. It’s unfortunate, of course – SWF is the most popular company in the world, and should be battering TCW. However, with the top-level losses they’ve suffered from their yo-yoing over the years they just don’t have the quality in their main event to sustain a prolonged tilt at TCW (and NOTBPW, INSPIRE and the myriad other companies they’re tussling with). Their undercard is very good indeed (and not just the ex-MAW guys) but they lack the number of super-over guys required to get the likes of Hugh de Aske over effectively. * Thanks to Rich Money, we finished top of the company ratings in September, beating out NYCW and PSW, who had a nightmare month with their show flopping spectacularly. Our recent improvements have seen us move ahead of PSW and CZCW in the promotion rankings, meaning at least that we don’t have to book around them anymore. It doesn’t seem to free up any more days for us to book our shows on but it’s nice nonetheless. As for our finances, we lost $425 last month. Our wage bills are up $15,000 on average from four months ago, a figure I can’t quite place given the number of departures in that time. I think it’s down to using the top workers in the middle show of the month. I’ll have to try and make sure that show’s reserved for the cheaper workers... * 4C have issued a bankruptcy warning. The company is almost seven hundred thousand dollars in debt – an amount that appears to be unrecoverable. Blood Brothers appears likely to be their final show. For reasons unbeknownst to me, Rip called Troy Winner, 4C’s owner, and enquired whether the company would be interested in selling out to us. Quite where Rip was intending to get the money I don’t know. Even he’s not that rich – I think. Anyway, Troy knocked us back. He won’t sell out to a smaller company (4C are at Cult). Which means that they’re likely to fold – and that’s a shame as it’s a good company, but as Troy’s too proud to be rescued by us then it’s goodbye to 4C, who will join APW, ELPF and WEXXV in having gone out of business since I joined MAW. * [CENTER][B]MAW All The Leaves Are Brown[/B] Smith & Singh vs. The Canadian Blondes Spectrum Infinity vs. The Second Sons Jaime Quine vs. Rudy Velasquez Thea Davis vs. Sean Deeley Team Honor vs. Ford & Speed War Games: Kirk Jameson, Bradford Peverell, Donnie J and JD Morgan vs. Aaron Andrews, Firebird, Plague and Providence[/CENTER] [I]OOC: While I can't promise to cut SWF out of this diary all together - they deliver much too much drama for that - the agreement does prevent me going after any of their workers who come up on PPA deals. I've left myself a loophole, but if Jean or Hugh or whoever becomes available but is still part of the SWF then I can't sign them. It may not always seem like it, but I do want to develop my own talent - not just raid Richard's undercard. Of course, if Hugh or Jean or whoever get released, well, all bets are off :p[/I]

[Tigerkinney]

MAW All The Leaves Are Brown [B]Smith & Singh[/B] vs. The Canadian Blondes [I]Surely this time, the former tag champs end their current funk[/I] Spectrum Infinity vs. [B]The Second Sons[/B] [I]Got to give the edge to the Sons[/I] Jaime Quine vs. [B]Rudy Velasquez[/B] Thea Davis vs. [B]Sean Deeley[/B] [I]I'm all for equal rights and all that but I just can't take the women seriously, for me they'll never rise above being jobbers.[/I] [B]Team Honor[/B] vs. Ford & Speed [I]Team Honor to retain the belts[/I] War Games: [B]Kirk Jameson, Bradford Peverell, Donnie J and JD Morgan[/B] vs. Aaron Andrews, Firebird, Plague and Providence [I]Whilst I don't think this will end the feud, this will be the turning point in the feud as the Knights Templar (which is a super cheesy name by the way) pick up the victory....in what has always been one of my favourite gimmick matches.[/I]