MAW: 10 Simple Rules...

[ShadowedFlames]

[B]MAW The Rip Chord Invitational[/B] QF: [B]El Heroe Mexicano[/B] vs. Davis Wayne Newton QF: Bradford Peverell vs. [B]Sean Deeley[/B] QF: [B]KC Glenn [/B]vs. Swoop McCarthy QF: “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. [B]Ernest Youngman[/B] Final: [B]Youngman[/B] vs. Mexicano (I smell an upset....) Alicia Strong vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. [b]Lauren Easter[/b] (c) – MAW Women’s title [b]The Gatekeepers[/b] vs. The Second Sons (c) – MAW Tag Team titles [b]???[/b] vs. Raphael (c) – MAW All Action title (Chris Caufield?) "Machine" Jean Cattley vs. [b]Rip Chord[/b] – grudge match (I sense shenanigans...) [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. Ruin (c) – MAW World title

[FINisher]

QF: [B]El Heroe Mexicano [/B]vs. Davis Wayne Newton QF: Bradford Peverell vs. [B]Sean Deeley[/B] QF: [B]KC Glenn[/B] vs. Swoop McCarthy QF: “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. [B]Ernest Youngman[/B] [I]Deeley for the win![/I] [B]Alicia Strong[/B] vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. Lauren Easter (c) – MAW Women’s title The Gatekeepers vs. [B]The Second Sons (c)[/B] – MAW Tag Team titles [B]??? [/B]vs. Raphael (c) – MAW All Action title [B]"Machine" Jean Cattley[/B] vs. Rip Chord – grudge match [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. Ruin (c) – MAW World title

[NoNeck]

[I]It's been awhile JC, but it's too big a show to not get in on. :) Great stuff as always.[/I] QF: [B]El Heroe Mexicano [/B]vs. Davis Wayne Newton QF: Bradford Peverell vs. [B]Sean Deeley[/B] QF: [B]KC Glenn [/B]vs. Swoop McCarthy QF: “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. [B]Ernest Youngman[/B] Shooter Sean/KC Glenn Final, won by Deeley. Alicia Strong vs. [B]Joanne Rodriguez[/B] vs. Lauren Easter (c) – MAW Women’s title The Gatekeepers vs. [B]The Second Sons (c) [/B]– MAW Tag Team titles [B]??? [/B]vs. Raphael (c) – MAW All Action title "Machine" Jean Cattley vs. [B]Rip Chord[/B] – grudge match [I] This could be a great storyline, couldn't it? I'm serious. [/I][B] Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. Ruin (c) – MAW World title

[Editor6]

MAW The Rip Chord Invitational QF: [B]El Heroe Mexicano[/B] vs. Davis Wayne Newton QF: Bradford Peverell vs. [B]Sean Deeley[/B] QF: KC Glenn vs. [B]Swoop McCarthy[/B] QF: “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. [B]Ernest Youngman[/B] -Because no one's picking Swoop. He won't win - that'd be [B]Deeley[/B] - but I could see him making a run to the finals, scoring two slight upsets in the process. Alicia Strong vs. [B]Joanne Rodriguez[/B] vs. Lauren Easter (c) – MAW Women’s title -J-Ro pins Lauren, allowing Alicia to play the "You still haven't beaten ME" card The Gatekeepers vs. [B]The Second Sons[/B] (c) – MAW Tag Team titles -Eh. [B]???[/B] vs. Raphael (c) – MAW All Action title [B]"Machine" Jean Cattley[/B] vs. Rip Chord – grudge match -Like D-Lyrium said, Rip winning a Last Man Standing match? Dubious. [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. Ruin (c) – MAW World title

[James Casey]

[QUOTE=Remianen;690674]First off, what's up with KC using Josh Jones' finisher? Secondly, who's Joanna? Third, what's the prestige on your titles? I know the tag titles must be almost bottomed out (as well as the All Action) but where's the Traditional and World at?[/QUOTE] Carolina Crossface is actually Jared Johnson's finisher :p Don't know what you mean... All Action - 66% Tag Team - 51.4% Traditional - 70% Women's - 72.4% (just upgraded from Midcard to Main Event) World - 99%

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=James Casey;691210]Carolina Crossface is actually Jared Johnson's finisher :p Don't know what you mean... All Action - 66% Tag Team - 51.4% Traditional - 70% Women's - 72.4% (just upgraded from Midcard to Main Event) World - 99%[/QUOTE] Yeah, I always mixed those two up. Yikes, that's surprising. And I notice you fixed the 'Joanna' thing. :p I'm actually surprised a few of your titles haven't bottomed out. Then again, maybe it's just blind hate for Casey & Antonio on my part. :)

[SeanMcFly]

[B]MAW The Rip Chord Invitational[/B] QF: El Heroe Mexicano vs. [B]Davis Wayne Newton[/B] QF: Bradford Peverell vs. [B]Sean Deeley[/B] QF: KC Glenn vs. [B]Swoop McCarthy[/B] QF: [B]“Bulldozer” Brandon Smith[/B] vs. Ernest Youngman SF : Davis Wayne Newton vs [B]Sean Deeley[/B] SF : [B]Swoop McCarthy[/B] vs "Bulldozer" Brandon Smith Final : Sean Deeley vs [B]Swoop McCarthy[/B] [B]Alicia Strong[/B] vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. Lauren Easter (c) – MAW Women’s title The Gatekeepers vs. [B]The Second Sons (c)[/B] – MAW Tag Team titles [B]???[/B] vs. Raphael (c) – MAW All Action title "Machine" Jean Cattley vs. [B]Rip Chord[/B] – grudge match [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. Ruin (c) – MAW World title

[Nightshadeex]

Crap. I've been away for so long... I have no idea what's happened in the past three or four years of game time. Looks like I'll be catching up the hard way.

[jesseewiak]

MAW The Rip Chord Invitational QF: [b]El Heroe Mexicano[/b] vs. Davis Wayne Newton QF: Bradford Peverell vs. [b]Sean Deeley[/b] QF: KC Glenn vs. [b]Swoop McCarthy[/b] QF: “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. [b]Ernest Youngman[/b] [b]El Heroe[/b] vs. Deeley Swoop vs. [b]Youngman[/b] El Heroe vs. [b]Youngman[/b] Yeah, these are wacky predictions. But, I figure, should be a little different than everyone else even if I'm totally wrong. :-) [b]Alicia Strong[/b] vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. Lauren Easter (c) – MAW Women’s title J-Ro continues to be frustrated. The Gatekeepers vs. [b]The Second Sons (c)[/b] – MAW Tag Team titles The Cult take the 1-0 lead. [b]???[/b] vs. Raphael (c) – MAW All Action title Mystery men win versus glorified jobbers. [b]"Machine" Jean Cattley[/b] vs. Rip Chord – grudge match Chord's retired. Plus, it'll even it out. [b]Tim Westybrook[/b] vs. Ruin (c) – MAW World title The huge blowoff to end the feud and start the endgame of the diary.

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: Some interesting predictions, and it's great to see the reasoning behind choices - as well as all the people who've bracketed out the tournament as a whole. It's very much appreciated. Anyway, with 12 matches on the show, I'm putting this up in two posts to help the 'undercard' (which includes the women's triple threat which could easily have main evented) make an impact before we get onto the top half of the card. Either that, or I want to increase the post count and drag things out a bit... :cool:[/I] [B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: The Rip Chord Invitational Monday, 22nd January 2014[/CENTER] QF: El Heroe Mexicano vs. Davis Wayne Newton[/B] We decided to keep it simple and send out two great talents first to put on a great match. Mission accomplished – they saved the fancy stuff, for the most part, and concentrated on putting on a solid, back and forth contest highlighted by Newton going to air with a Moonsault. Sadly for him, he missed as Heroe moved swiftly out of position, before rolling adroitly back into position to clamp on the Mexican Mutilation to pick up the win and advance to the semi-finals. Winner: El Heroe Mexicano (B-) * Sean Deeley was backstage, with Haley Buck hanging on his shoulder. While he rotated his shoulders and loosened up his wrists, she smiled wolfishly at the camera. [COLOR="Magenta"]“The biggest threat in this competition has already been eliminated. With Davis gone, there is no-one left in this tournament who is capable of defeating my client. You see, on his day, Davis is one of the most talented wrestlers in the world...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“...but every day is my day,”[/COLOR] Deeley cut in. Buck took a step back, allowing him the spotlight, and Rock noted that was a sign of just how much she had invested in her client. [COLOR="Blue"]“Davis made a mistake. I don’t do that. I will leave here tonight with that trophy in my hands. I’ve done it before, and tonight I’m better than I was a year ago. When it comes down to it, that’s all there is to it.”[/COLOR] * [B]QF: Bradford Peverell vs. Sean Deeley[/B] This was more of a case of brawler and technician, and the two men took their time laying out an effective story of Deeley trying hard to contain and wear down Peverell, who could do a lot of damage with a well-placed fist and win back a lot of momentum. Deeley realised early on that focusing on Peverell’s arms was they way forward, and once he was able to trouble Peverell enough that the rangy biker was unable to strike effectively, the match quickly came to an end with Deeley forcing a submission via a Seated Stretch Armbar to set up a semi-final match with Heroe. Winner: Sean Deeley (C+) * Swoop McCarthy stood in the centre of the ring, beaming out at the crowd. [COLOR="Teal"]“There is only one man who can walk out of here tonight a double champion,”[/COLOR] he proclaimed. [COLOR="Teal"]“And that man is Swoop McCarthy. When God himself made Swoop, he took a pinch of perfection and instead of sharing it out among the whole human race, he gave the whole lot to the man standing before you right now, the supreme specimen, Swoop McCarthy. “KC Glenn has been a busy boy of late, getting into gang fights and beatdowns and making himself a target. Swoop isn’t normally the kind to lie low... but with glory, gold and the chance to achieve the kind of recognition that someone like Swoop expects on the line... Well, the last few weeks have represented the chance for some welcome R and R. Tonight you will all see what happens when Swoop is well rested as he goes on to become the Invitational champion.”[/COLOR] * [B]QF: KC Glenn vs. Swoop McCarthy[/B] Glenn’s technical wizardry and Swoop’s explosive power game don’t mesh that well, it must be said. Despite that, they managed to put together an effective and spirited match that saw Swoop deliver several big, crushing blows – only for Glenn to refuse to stay down. Swoop grew visibly more frustrated, but Rip noted with a degree of admiration that he was able to swallow his feelings and stick to his game plan – and it was only a single mistake that opened the gates for Glenn to score with a Tune Up The Sunshine Band that gave him the win, and the third quarter-final spot. Winner: KC Glenn (C) * Brandon Smith was backstage, kibitzing with a couple of roadies as he pumped iron. He set down the dumbbells and did a couple of stretches to loosen up, but before his pre-match routine could go any further, he was jumped from behind by Ernest Youngman and The Second Sons. The Cult members battered the former NFL star to the ground, laying in the boots and fists before Antonio and Valentine dragged him upright, holding him against the wall as Youngman launched into a dropkick that crushed Smith against the unforgiving concrete wall. Fortunately for Smith, the cavalry arrived in the form of Jean Cattley and The Gatekeepers who chased off his attackers – but it was clear as Smith crumpled to his knees that he had been hurt by the assault, and that his chances of winning the next match had become significantly worse. * [B]QF: “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. Ernest Youngman[/B] After the beating at the hands of The Cult, Smith started slowly in this match, giving Youngman ample opportunity to inflict some heavy-duty damage. However, the ****y youngster seemed unwilling to end the match quickly as he taunted and mocked Smith. The former NFL star took exception to this, and drove Youngman off his feet with an almighty spear that gave Smith the time he needed to clear his head, and take the fight to Youngman. The action rocked back and forth, with Youngman at times seemingly despairing of making progress. He fell back on his brute strength, an unusual choice against Smith, but an effective one as the two traded power blows, before Youngman suddenly shifted gears and got past Smith’s guard with a fine display of chain wrestling that left Smith immobilised in the centre of the ring. Youngman went to work, wearing Smith down and leaving him hobbled, before changing gear once more to drive him hard into the mat with a crushing Hit for the win, setting him against Firm rival KC Glenn in the semi-final. Winner: Ernest Youngman (C) * Alicia Strong was backstage with Dawn. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Alicia, why did you agree to Joanne Rodriguez being added to this match?”[/COLOR] Strong considered the question for several moments before replying: [COLOR="Blue"]“I’ve already seen one match where I’ve been fighting one of these two spoiled by interference,” [/COLOR]she said. [COLOR="Blue"]“I could take that risk again, but I prefer to have the two of them where I can see them.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“Do you consider that this increases your chances of leaving without the Women’s title?”[/COLOR] Strong smiled. [COLOR="Blue"]“I’m confident of my chances. I think that Joanne and Lauren may have more important things on their mind than me.”[/COLOR] * Joanne Rodriguez was backstage, with Sara Silverman lurking in the background. [COLOR="Blue"]“Lauren, you know this isn’t personal,”[/COLOR] Rodriguez said. [COLOR="Blue"]“This is about me. I’ve been here for a year now – and I deserve to be rewarded with the title. It’s not arrogance, it’s not claiming something that I don’t deserve... but I’ve never had a real chance to take that belt, and that’s a crime. I will walk out of here tonight with the title...”[/COLOR] She paused, and her determined, cool expression faltered slightly. [COLOR="Blue"]“Afterwards, if you want to learn from me again, you can. I’m not stupid. I can well imagine what you think of me right now, and how difficult it will be for you to accept when I take that title... But when I do, you have a chance to accept that what I’ve said is true – that I’m the better wrestler, and that you can still learn from me. There’s a lot of fun to be had still, and a lot that I still could teach you. You’re already a great wrestler, Lauren. With my help, you could be even better than me...”[/COLOR] * Lauren was shown backstage, talking to Haley Buck. The camera could just pick up Lauren’s words: [COLOR="Blue"]“Yes, I know... Do you think I’m stupid? Look, I worked hard for this title... Yes, it is difficult to face Joanne... But this title is more important... I’ll do what I have to – tonight...”[/COLOR] * [B]Alicia Strong vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. Lauren Easter (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Women’s title[/COLOR] As soon as the bell rang, both J-Ro and Alicia went after Lauren, confusing both of them as they clearly had no wish to ally with each other, even for a few seconds. Then J-Ro and Lauren went after Alicia, but J-Ro hung back as she clearly didn’t want to be in any way dependent on the woman she was trying to usurp as champion. Finally, Alicia and Lauren went after Rodriguez, but there it was Easter who shied off, unwilling to double-team her friend. The crowd awaited the outcome of the mini-series with baited breath as the three stars stared one another down. It was actually Easter who acted first, biting her lip before throwing herself at Rodriguez, who struck back almost by instinct, and found herself overwhelmed by her protégé, clearly surprised that Easter was throwing caution to the wind. For Strong, it was a case of hanging back as she let her two rivals go at it – but for Strong, such a course of action clearly didn’t sit well. She jumped into the fray, and soon all three women were mixing it up at full throttle, busting out innovative one-on-two and two-on-one moves as though it were only natural for any combination of the three to be united. Perhaps strangest of all was a full forty-five second burst of Rodriguez and Strong unity, where the long-time enemies battered the champion from pillar to post before it seemed to dawn on them who they were united with – prompting an equally thrilling spell where the two tore into one another as Easter tried to gather her thoughts on the outside. However, as Easter re-entered the ring she found herself in between J-Ro and Strong as J-Ro charged at Strong in the corner. Rodriguez pulled up short a split second before she cannoned into her protégé, and the two faced off for a long, tense moment. What may have come next can only be speculated at, as Alicia took the chance to hop up to the second turnbuckle and leap off, scoring with an almighty Strong Arm Tactic that took down both her opponents. She paused for a second as she looked from one downed rival to the other, before covering Easter for the three-count – and the MAW Women’s title! Winner: Alicia Strong (B) * The Gatekeepers were backstage. Their dressing room was sparsely furnished – a straw mat for Ota, on which the Japanese star was perched, meditating, and a simple wooden stool for Powell. Powell stared at the camera. [COLOR="Blue"]“Neither of us is much for the big speech before the battle,”[/COLOR] he said, slowly. [COLOR="Blue"]“But Fumihiro and I have had a lot of trouble with The Cult in these last few months. We’ve both been put into hospital because of them, we’ve taken hellacious beatings, we’ve bled... But the worst of it is that these men, these youngsters, have tried to convince us that our time is past.”[/COLOR] Powell smiled slightly, clearly amused by the idea. [COLOR="Blue"]“We may have been around the block a few times more than most, but as you’re about to find out, that just means we’ve learned all the tricks – and invented a few of our own...”[/COLOR] * [B]The Gatekeepers vs. The Second Sons (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Tag Team titles[/COLOR] The Sons went all out in the opening minutes of this match, ignoring the referee’s admonishments as they both attacked at full throttle, bouncing Ota and Powell around the ring with their best moves, clearly trying to win the match through sheer adrenaline. But as their initial enthusiasm waned, Powell and Ota acted seemingly as one, slapping on the brakes with a Roundhouse Kick from Ota to Antonio, and a Dropsault from Powell to Valentine. The Gatekeepers then went to work, methodically dissecting the champions, the referee clearly unwilling to prevent the tornado rules-like approach when he’d allowed it for the champions. Antonio and Valentine tried to fight back, but were overwhelmed by the experience of their challengers, and in the end Ota pinned Valentine after he and Powell combined for The Fastened Portal Barred as The Firm gained its first title! Winner: The Gatekeepers (C, The Firm 1-0 The Cult) [I]Next: Part 2 - probably... :p[/I]

[D-Lyrium]

Noooo, Joann(e/a)! :( :p You'll get 'er next time, girl. Assuming you haven't retired by then.

[James Casey]

[I]/Majel Barrett And now, the conclusion /end Majel Barrett[/I] * Sean Deeley made his way to the ring, accompanied by Haley Buck. [COLOR="Blue"]“Lord knows that I’ve faced some difficult challenges in the last few years,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="blue"]“In this company, in Canada, in Japan... I’ve fought the best, and I’m still standing. I’ve been through the crucible... and I’ve been forged into something stronger, harder, better.”[/COLOR] He paused. [COLOR="blue"]“But you know what? If I was facing my next opponent when he was at one-hundred percent, I’d be worried. “Make no mistake, El Heroe Mexicano is one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Someone who looks set to dominate wrestling south of the border for maybe the next twenty years. “But I’m better. I’m not arrogant enough to claim that I’m the best wrestler in the world-“[/COLOR] [COLOR="magenta"]“He is, though,”[/COLOR] Buck interjected. [COLOR="blue"]“-but there are plenty of others who’ll do so for me. And even if I weren’t as good as I am, then there’d be something else in my favour: My opponent tonight is injured. One month ago, El Heroe Mexicano was involved in a War Games match, and ever since then he’s been wearing bandages under his mask. If I were an honourable man, I might give Heroe a break – focus my attack on his limbs or his body. It would probably be enough... but I have another match tonight after this, and I intend to win that as well, so Heroe, you may as well just admit defeat now. You’re injured and me, well, modesty forbids, but...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="magenta"]“He’s the best wrestler in the world.”[/COLOR] Heroe’s music played, and the masked man emerged to a rapturous reception from the crowd. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Some say that you’re the best wrestler in the world, or that I am, on my best day.”[/COLOR] He smiled, and shrugged. [COLOR="royalblue"]“All I know is that you’re right – I am still hurting from last month. But Sean, let’s not kid ourselves: Pain is the nature of this business. If you can’t cope with it, you really need to find another job. So Sean, you can target any part of me you want. I’m ready for you – and you might be able to beat me... but you won’t find it anything like as easy as you seem to believe.”[/COLOR] * [B]SF: El Heroe Mexicano vs. Sean Deeley[/B] Heroe once more set out at a blistering pace, peppering Deeley from every angle as he soared around the ring. Deeley held his ground, taking hits on some attacks, but blocking others as he scouted Heroe’s attacks. However, in the end he seemed to realise that Heroe had seemingly an attack for every degree of the compass, and resorted to chasing the masked man – which worked about as well as you might expect. It was up to Haley Buck to make a difference, as she caught the referee’s attention, allowing Deeley to break out the cheater’s array – low blow, eye gouge, back rake and hair (mask) pull, the latter momentarily blinding Heroe as Deeley twisted his mask so that it covered his eyes. Deeley took control of the match, clearly suffering somewhat, but equally glad to be able to re-assert his preferred slower pace. He grounded Heroe and worked over his legs, nullifying Heroe’s great strength as he had done with Peverell, Rip noted on commentary. He worked over Heroe with a series of leglocks, torquing on the left limb in particular as he singled out a point of attack – not forgetting to drill Heroe with punches and elbows whenever his head came in range. However, in doing so, he underestimated Heroe’s formidable all-round game, and as Deeley tried to wrap Heroe up in a half Boston crab, Heroe unleashed a barrage of punches from his back, stunning Deeley and allowing Heroe to break free. From his position on the mat, he wrapped Deeley up in an armlock that ripped at Deeley’s shoulder and triceps as Heroe alternated using his own weight, his upper-body strength and his leg strength to work on different areas of the arm. Deeley was, at last, able to tear his way out of the hold, but it was clearly at the expense of having sustained some major damage as his arm hung limp at his side. Heroe then rose to his feet as Deeley backed away, and while Heroe was slightly hobbled by Deeley’s assault, Deeley was the more injured, and while he was able to fend off Heroe for a short spell, he quickly found himself in the centre of the ring, trapped in the Mexican Mutilation, with no choice but to submit – making Heroe the first of the Invitational finalists! Winner: El Heroe Mexicano (B) * Katie Cameron stood in the centre of the ring, beaming as she looked out at the crowd, ready to announce her newest client. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Ladies and gentlemen, I could give a long, long list of my client’s many achievements in this business. But really, I only have one question for you...”[/COLOR] She paused, and allowed the moment to build on itself. One or two of the smarter marks had been online during the show, and picked up on the rumours of who was backstage. They shouted out who they thought it was – but in a crowd of over 3,500, their voices were mostly lost. Of course, not everyone backstage was actually taking part in the show, so not all of them had it right, anyway – there was to be no Phil Vibert investment in MAW. Katie grinned, and took a deep breath. [COLOR="magenta"]“Who’s hardcore?!?”[/COLOR] The crowd erupted, yelling out in unison... [CENTER][IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/jamescasey_photos/ChrisCaulfield.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [COLOR="Blue"][B]“Caulfield’s hardcore!”[/B][/COLOR] * [B]Chris Caulfield vs. Raphael (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW All Action title[/COLOR] in a [COLOR="purple"]Hardcore match[/COLOR] Caulfield has justly become a legend since the days of DaVE. Whether he’s the ‘Hardcore Handyman’, the ‘Everyman Warrior’ or the ‘Psychobilly Patriot’, the appeal of Caulfield lies in his being impossible to stop. He embodies sheer, dogged persistence and possesses a preternatural ability to absorb punishment. It all means that, no matter what you do to him, he’ll keep coming. Caulfield was at the heart of a celebrated angle in SWF where Remo speared him off the edge of the entrance stage, sending Caulfield into a genuine stack of production equipment, killing half the arena lights. Caulfield was contorted in a sickening manner, his body bent in an unnatural way around the uneven contours of the equipment. Apparently it took a chiropractor two weeks to get all his bones back in the right place – but that night he still got up and finished the match. Over the years, he’s added bits and pieces to his act – being the ‘Craziest American’ allowed him to bring flag waving up to date, for example. My favourite innovation, however, is the toolbelt that he always wears to the ring. It may not sound like much, but suffice to say that the staple gun hanging on one side is the only recognisable domestic appliance attached – other fun tools include brass knucks, a sawn off polo mallet, a night stick and the head of a golf club. Perhaps my favourite is the bulging pouch that contains several hundred drawing pins – if for no other reason than when Caulfield digs into them, he always ends up with a dozen or so sticking into his fingers and hand. As a snapshot of what Caulfield will do for this business, it’s hard to beat. As an aside, the very sight of the toolbelt was enough to gain a decent pop from SWF crowds, and companies that manufactured them reported an upsurge in sales in the months after its introduction. Not bad for a gimmick Caulfield came up with to try and disguise his widening backside... There was no need to resort to the toolbelt in this match, though – which isn’t to say it wasn’t hardcore. Raphael brought it to the DaVE legend in the first minutes as he tried to use the All Action title as a weapon, but after Caulfield unloaded with a 260lb dropkick that blasted the title belt into Raphael’s face, the debutant rolled out of the ring and grabbed a chair. Raphael backed off, his usually sullen expression giving way to fear as Caulfield advanced, chair ****ed for a baseball swing. Raphael went low with a big kick, doubling Caulfield over, but as Raphael tried to take advantage, Caulfield grabbed the back of his head and dropped to the mat, jamming Raphael’s throat down across the back of the upright chair. From there, it was a simple matter for Caulfield to nail a Danger Drop – onto the chair, for added emphasis – and score the pin to claim the All Action title! Winner: Chris Caulfield (C) * KC Glenn was walking backstage when he was attacked by Ruin and Ernest Youngman. The two Cult members beat Youngman’s opponent to the ground, before Ruin grabbed him around the throat and hauled him upright. However, before they could do worse, Cattley and Tim Westybrook charged onto the scene, and Youngman and Ruin made a tactical withdrawal. Cattley helped Glenn to his feet, the younger man looking pale and rubbing his throat where Ruin had held him. Westybrook, for his part, glared after the Cult duo, giving the impression of a dog straining at its leash as he awaited his much-anticipated showdown with Ruin. * [B]SF: KC Glenn vs. Ernest Youngman[/B] Youngman had clearly failed to learn his lesson from the previous match – he taunted and mocked Glenn at the start of the contest as he had Brandon Smith, even despite Glenn being less affected by the attack. He suffered for it again, as Glenn retaliated with a series of hard clotheslines that left Youngman seeking solace on the floor. Glenn, however, took a leaf from his stablemate’s book as he went to the air with a stunning no hands plancha to the arena floor that left both men suffering and gasping for air in the aisle. Youngman, remarkably, was first to his feet – but he was so shaken that he was unable to capitalise. Glenn worked his way upwards, starting with hard blows to his foe’s gut that left him doubled over, before grabbing his head and scoring with a rolling suplex that left him straddling his foe, and raining shot after shot onto his head. Youngman was suffering, and but for the referee’s count, might have lost the match there and then. But Glenn suffered his own burst of pride as he dragged Youngman back into the ring on nine, immediately going for a cover that only got two. Youngman seemed to be stirred by the near fall as he staggered upright, blocking a series of punches almost on instinct before a backhand split Glenn’s mouth open. Glenn stopped, checked the blood by putting his hand to his mouth, and that was all the opening Youngman needed. He scored with The Hit to put Glenn down for the three count and the win – but even as he celebrated advancing to the final to take on El Heroe Mexicano, it was clear from his pained movements how much Youngman had suffered from his two fights thus far. Winner: Ernest Youngman (B-) * Rip Chord made his entrance first, the fans jeering him from curtain to ring, only switching up when Jean’s music played and he walked down the aisle. The two men regarded one another coolly from opposite corners until Rip spat on the mat in a show of disrespect. That was all it took for Jean to charge forward, and the referee had to jump between the two. On commentary, Rock noted how the two had been all things to each other – mentor and protégé, friends, allies, and now hated enemies. [COLOR="Blue"]“Rip built this company around Jean,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="blue"]“Cattley thinks that he has more to give, but Rip says that his day is past. Rip may be even older than his opponent, but he’s one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. This match is no disqualification, no countouts, no pinfalls, no submissions... You can only win when you ‘ve beaten your opponent enough to knock them out, and for these two, there could be no other match to settle things.”[/COLOR] * [B]"Machine" Jean Cattley vs. Rip Chord[/B] in a [COLOR="purple"]Last Man Standing match[/COLOR] This was just a wild brawl, with both men entering the ring with weapons. Rip had opted for the tried and trusty chair. Jean had brought in a kendo stick. The two played duelling weapons for a short spell, before abandoning their equipment and settling for beating the hell out of each other with fists and feet. Rip took the worst of it, being both older and in poorer physical condition than Jean, but he was quick to resort to dirty tricks, and no-one in the history of the business has as big an arsenal of dirty tricks as Rip Chord. He was relentless in his application of cheap tricks, and although Cattley scored an eight count with a kendo strike followed by a piledriver, when Rip arose on shaky legs he pulled an atomiser of mace and sprayed it directly into Cattley’s face. As Cattley recoiled in pain, Chord grabbed his head and planted him with a Rip Chord DDT – onto Chord’s steel chair. From there, the ten count was academic, and Chord had levelled the scores for his side. Winner: Rip Chord (D+, The Firm 1-1 The Cult) * Heroe came down to the ring, but before he could speak, Ernest Youngman slid into the ring behind him and tried to take him down. Heroe was able to shrug him off, and a hard backhand strike sent Youngman back to a corner of the ring. Heroe glared at him. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]“Ambush after ambush after ambush...”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="royalblue"]“Some say that you only took down Brandon Smith and KC Glenn through sheer weight of numbers, and that on your own you’re nothing special.”[/COLOR] He smiled toothily, and shrugged. [COLOR="royalblue"]“All I know is that you’re here, and even with the help of your teammates, that’s impressive. But I made it here on my own, which is even more impressive. “I’m glad it’s you, Ernest. A month ago, you slammed my head into the steel bars of the War Games cage. I was hurt bad – I came back before the doctors said I should. I was risking serious injury... but I wanted to get my hands on you. But it’s okay now – I took care, and my head...”[/COLOR] He grabbed a loose piece of bandage trailing from his mask and pulled. A whole roll of the material came away easily, and Heroe smiled. [COLOR="royalblue"]“...is fine. You had your chance to put me down last month, Ernest, and you couldn’t manage it. Tonight I will show everyone here that your Cult isn’t ready for the big time – not if you’re one of its best prospects.”[/COLOR] Youngman scowled as he took the mic. [COLOR="Blue"]“Talk, talk, talk,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="blue"]“At least I do things. In fact, there’s nothing I won’t do to get ahead in this business. There are no lengths to which I will not go, no depths to which I will not sink... Yes, I tried to take you out a month ago, and yes, I’ve been attacking people all night. And it’s all so that I can be successful, because to me, that’s the only thing that matters... almost. I don’t much care for people who think that they’re superior to me, and from the way you act, it seems that you fall into that category. What I did last month was just business – taking out a rival. What I’ll do to you tonight... Well, that’s different. You’ve got on my bad side, Heroe, and if you don’t have an injured head anymore, by the end of tonight, you will.”[/COLOR] * [B]El Heroe Mexicano vs. Ernest Youngman[/B] in the final of the [COLOR="Purple"]Rip Chord Invitational[/COLOR] With both men hurting, there was a slow start to this match. Heroe tried to take to the air, but his movements were slower, and Youngman was able to block him off. Youngman was still in pain from his encounter with Glenn, however, and his own ability to take advantage of Heroe’s weaknesses was stunted by this. The two began to pick up the pace after five minutes or so, after a largely tentative opening. Youngman was first to gain his second – or third, or more – wind of the evening as he unloaded with a string of right hands to stagger Heroe. The masked man came back with kicks, but was clearly feeling the effects of the blows as he delivered them. Gritting his teeth, he was able to knock Youngman down, and he went after The Cult member’s head with a series of elbow drops, his rapid rise back to his feet each time showing that the adrenaline had kicked in for him as well. The two battled back and forth. Heroe concentrated his attack on Youngman’s head and shoulders, trying to disorient and weaken his foe. Youngman went after Heroe’s legs, slowing his opponent more and more with each strike, until Heroe was limping so badly that he seemed to prefer standing still and fighting on an upright base. Here his tactics suddenly came into focus, as he was able to hold his ground while Youngman, feeling the effects of the masked man’s attacks, was unable to take Heroe down and make the difference with his superior strength. Heroe played it cautiously before Youngman overreached on a punch. Summoning his reserves, Heroe sprang forward and rolled over Youngman’s shoulder even as he righted himself, landing on his feet behind Youngman. Slowly by his standards, but quickly by anyone else’s, Heroe wrapped his foe up in the Mexican Mutilation. For the third time that night, Heroe had an opponent trapped in the painful submission hold in the centre of the ring... ...and for the third time, Heroe’s opponent tapped out. Heroe released the hold, and the two men slumped to the mat in exhaustion, Heroe just managing to raise one hand into the air in celebration of becoming the 2014 Rip Chord Invitational champion. Winner: El Heroe Mexicano (B-) * Ruin made his entrance with Rip at his side, Westybrook with Katie Cameron in his wake. The two men entered the ring and stood toe-to-toe, staring each other down unflinchingly. [COLOR="Blue"]“Since Ruin debuted in MAW more six months ago, these two have seemed set on a collision course. Since Westybrook joined The Firm, it’s been inevitable. And now, at last, we have this match,”[/COLOR] Rock said. [COLOR="blue"]“It’s a battle for dominance, for control of this company, for possession of the World title that shows you to be the best in the business.”[/COLOR] He paused as Westybrook’s face split into a confident grin, a rare display of overt emotion from the usually taciturn Iron Man – but then, Ruin could make a statue look emotional, as he stared back, unblinking, the only hint of an expression the slightly flared nostrils as his chest heaved, his breathing heavy, flooding his body with oxygen in preparation for the battle ahead of him. * [B]Tim Westybrook vs. Ruin (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW World title[/COLOR] and [COLOR="purple"]control of MAW[/COLOR] The two men stared at one another for several long seconds after the bell rang, neither colossus moving as their eyes remained locked on one another. Slowly, haltingly, Westybrook extended his hand for a test of strength. His eyes never moving, Ruin slowly raised his own hand, and for the first time the two titans locked up, their hands knotting around each other, before they slammed into one another, shoulder to shoulder as they sought for ground, neither man giving nor gaining an inch as they established beyond any doubt their parity in strength, size and will to win. As the two men tried to find an advantage, something unusual began to happen outside the ring. It started with Brandon Smith and Bradford Peverell. Next to follow was Alicia Strong, and then Swoop McCarthy, Marc Speed and Jefferson Stardust. In ones and twos, the roster of MAW filtered out from backstage to stand in the aisle, watching the match before them unfold, the future of the World title and the whole company hanging in the balance. Back in the ring, Ruin had taken control with a boot to Westybrook’s gut giving him the early momentum. Bombarding Westybrook with a series of snap suplexes and hard slams, he put the Iron Man down with a big boot, before scaling the top rope and giving lie to Jason Reso’s predictions for this match. As Westybrook climbed groggily to his feet, Ruin leapt off, over 300lbs of muscle crashing down on Westybrook with a flying clothesline that turned him inside out. Ruin rose smoothly to his feet, and turned to look down at Westybrook – only to find Westybrook already rising to his feet. Ruin frowned, his expression one of curiosity as he stalked his foe, trying to put him down with a charging clothesline. But Westybrook seized Ruin’s arm and, with a grunt of effort, stopped the World champion dead in his tracks. Before Ruin had a chance to react, Westybrook planted him with a uranage before dragging him upright – a feat even for someone as large as Westybrook – and throwing him into the corner. Taking a two-step runup, Westybrook launched himself at his foe, only for Ruin to move, and Westybrook to land with a sickening crunch against the turnbuckles. So the tone of the match was set. As the crowd and roster watched on in rapt attention, the two behemoths battered each other back and forth, neither able to hold the advantage for more than a few moves before they overextended or their opponent rallied back to seize the momentum briefly for themselves. Westybrook blocked a Descent Into Hell, and tried to convert it into a TNT Whirlwind, only for Ruin to reverse that into a powerbomb that left both men down. Minutes later, Ruin attempted a vertical suplex, only for Westybrook to show astonishing agility in reversing it into a tornado DDT. Both men lay on the mat, chest heaving, taking up much of the ring as they lay unmoving. Ruin tried to sit up, but didn’t even get halfway before collapsing back onto the mat. Westybrook rolled onto his chest, and struggled onto all fours as the referee’s count reached seven. He pushed himself upright on nine, before staggering back into the ropes, clutching at the top strand with both hands to stay vertical as Ruin used the ropes on the far side of the ring to pull himself shakily to his feet. The two men stared at each other from across the ring, their bodies wearied and their limbs aching. They crossed the ring toward one another, any trepidation or concern forgotten as they unloaded once more, huge, clubbing blows being exchanged that shook the ring and bounced the referee inches into the air. A shred, calculating expression played across Ruin’s face for a second, and he stepped back, for the first time voluntarily giving ground – but it was a ploy, and Westybrook swung wildly at thin air, allowing Ruin to grab him and set him up for a Descent Into Hell. As the crowd gasped, Westybrook twisted free, seizing Ruin’s arm and wrenching him almost out of his boots and into position for a TNT Whirlwind. But Ruin had too much momentum and slithered across Westybrook’s shoulders, perhaps lacking something in grace, but not in spectacle. He landed surprisingly lightly on his feet, and before Westybrook had a chance to react, had him set up for a Descent. As he tried to lift Westybrook, however, the Iron Man dropped to his knees, tearing himself free of the hold as Ruin stumbled back. Westybrook positively sprang to his feet, seizing Ruin before the World champion had a chance to react and hoisting him aloft, before spinning around into the TNT Whirlwind. The impact shifted the ring several inches from its original position as Westybrook and Ruin crashed to the mat at the same time. This time, however, Westybrook rolled over and draped an arm across Ruin’s chest. The referee dropped to the mat and counted the three, making Westybrook the winner and new World champion, and costing Rip Chord his ownership of MAW! Winner: Tim Westybrook (B-, The Firm 2-1 The Cult) * On the outside of the ring, Rip’s legs seemed to give way as he staggered backwards to the announcer’s desk, clutching at the tabletop to keep himself upright as for the first time he saw Ruin defeated in MAW. The ring flooded with bodies, Jean Cattley and El Heroe Mexicano helping Westybrook to his feet, Alicia Strong bringing him his World title belt and strapping it around his waist. The babyface side of the roster applauded and cheered as Westybrook raised one weary arm into the air, accepting a handshake from Chris Caulfield. Rip and Ruin made their way slowly down the aisle. Casey Valentine and Antonio stared in disbelief at them, seemingly lost now that The Cult would be dissolved, their mentor taken from them. Ernest Youngman alone of The Cult seemed unmoved by the loss – instead staring up at the victorious Westybrook with a calculating expression on his face before turning and walking up the aisle, slightly hobbled by the beating he’d taken in his three matches, but proud and upright, and with a hint of a knowing smile on his face. In the ring, the celebrations began to wind down, and people began to leave. Soon, the only ones left were The Firm, Chris Caulfield, Alicia Strong... and Swoop McCarthy. The Traditional champion stood in one corner of the ring, belt securely around his waist as he offered a half-smile to his fellow champions and the rest of The Firm, before turning and leaving the ring. KC Glenn was next to leave, shaking the hands of Westybrook and Heroe before departing. He was followed by Alicia, then Caulfield, and finally the Gatekeepers, all of whom received the cheers of the crowd as they held their titles – and toolbelt, in Caulfield’s case – aloft. And then, finally, there were three: Heroe, the new Invitational champion; Cattley, the leader of The Firm; and Westybrook, the new World champion. The three stood together in the ring, arms raised in celebration of their triumphant night before Jean stepped back, shook the hands of the two new champions, and left to the loudest ovation yet. Westybrook and Heroe were alone in the ring. They turned to face one another, and shook hands – a shake that was held as the two stared one another down. [COLOR="Blue"]“Of course,” [/COLOR]Rock noted, [COLOR="blue"]“Heroe hasn’t just won the Invitational tonight – he’s won a guaranteed title shot that he can cash in at any time...”[/COLOR] At last, the handshake was released, and it wasn’t quite clear who had been making their impression on whom. Heroe left the ring, walking up the ramp and turning at the top, raising the Invitational trophy in the air as Westybrook stood in the centre of the ring, the World title held over his head, their eyes locked on one another as the show came to a close. [B]Overall: C+[/B] [I]OOC: The formatting looks a bit odd in my browser, so if it comes out weird I'll redo it tonight. Also, I've 'borrowed' the Caulfield pic from monkeypox' DaVE diary, so I need to swap that around later as well - but I wanted to post this today as the next few days promise to be busy. If I wasn't looking to go on beyond this point, the above segment would have been the last one ever written for this diary, leaving the door open for a possible return down the line somewhat. However, things will change as a result of things continuing, so I hope you all enjoyed - and are ready for the next chapter in MAW history. Speaking of, I'll try and get the pdf chapters updated over the next few days - I've been going through and adding/editting the first few years to include new worker photos and so on, so it all reads a bit more consistently.[/I]

[NoNeck]

I don't know what superlative to use, my man. That show was simply amazing. The last few segments built especially well; it just had that big show feel that not many writers can really put their finger on. And to be truthful, some of the intensity that came from reading the main event for me came from the way that you wrote it. I was convinced that I was reading the last part of the last chapter of a great book. Glad to see things continuing for sure, but for a few minutes, you had me wondering. I didn't need it to be confirmed, but this is why you're a sure Hall-of-Famer in my mind. Well done, friend. :)

[Phantom Stranger]

Great show, and a worthy first PPV.

[D-Lyrium]

I don't think I've ever verbally 'marked out' whilst reading a dynasty before. But I did when Heroe won the RCI :D Great show. And if that was the last ever show, I don't think many would mind.

[Bigpapa42]

That would definitely make a grand finale. But I'm more than happy that you are continuing with things. I marked out to see Westybrook as champion - wanted to see that since you first introduced him. Great work, JC.

[ShadowedFlames]

Bravo, sir. One of the better shows I've read in a long time on these boards. Just wish I would have gone Heroe over Youngman and not vice versa...and nice intro with Caufield. Well done...though how in the heck can you follow that up? Will be interested to see what's next.

[Hyde Hill]

"That was awesome!" *clap, clap,* "That was awesome!" *clap, clap*. Seriously great show JC, as noted above would have been a great finale and at the same time glad you are continuing for more MAW goodness.

[Candyman]

So close to perfection! Why didn't I pick Alicia... Amazing show, even by your lofty standards. Like others have said, that would've been a awesome way to end the diary, but it's great to see it'll continue.

[James Casey]

In the absence of scoring a B graded show, this thing may run and run. If and when I get to National (and how much use of the editor would [I]that[/I] require?) then my goals will improve. But right now, getting a B grade for a whole show is my aim - I've topped off at B-, if memory serves. Anyway, thanks for all the comments. Good to know people have been enjoying the show, and are happy to stick around for more. Inspired by bigpapa42, and the realisation that I didn't do a 2013 in review, I'm going to aim to do a diary-in-review post for those who want to jump into this diary but don't want to wade through just shy of 1,700 posts to do so. Nevermore, I have an eye on your record... :p

[Bigpapa42]

[QUOTE=James Casey;694947]In the absence of scoring a B graded show, this thing may run and run. If and when I get to National (and how much use of the editor would [I]that[/I] require?) then my goals will improve. But right now, getting a B grade for a whole show is my aim - I've topped off at B-, if memory serves. Anyway, thanks for all the comments. Good to know people have been enjoying the show, and are happy to stick around for more. Inspired by bigpapa42, and the realisation that I didn't do a 2013 in review, I'm going to aim to do a diary-in-review post for those who want to jump into this diary but don't want to wade through just shy of 1,700 posts to do so. Nevermore, I have an eye on your record... :p[/QUOTE] Are we gonna have a race to post 2K, JC? Looking forward to reading the review. Even having read every show, its still nice to have that overview, I think. And as a writer, its interesting to go back through it all and see what one did. Doing the Gen-S one made me remember all the storyline plans that were started and then abandoned for some reason. Good times.

[Tigerkinney]

[quote=James Casey;694947]In the absence of scoring a B graded show, this thing may run and run. If and when I get to National (and how much use of the editor would [I]that[/I] require?) then my goals will improve. But right now, getting a B grade for a whole show is my aim - I've topped off at B-, if memory serves. [/quote] Great show as ever, but it's not like you need to hear it again. I think trying to score a B grade show is one of my motivations to keep my FCW diary going, so I know how you feel about that.

[James Casey]

I’m trying to ignore the disappointing final rating for the Invitational. Overall, it was a fantastic show – but it peaked in the middle, and that always leaves the crowd feeling a bit down at the end. I know we can do better, so we’ll see what happens. I’m not prone to making rash decisions, but it’s something that Rip and I have been discussing. Anyway, in the spirit of ignoring issues until they blow up in front of me, here’s an odd one: Jean Cattley recently won the NYCW Regional belt. However, Jean was only on loan up in New York – his victory over Buck Winchester for the belt was the last of his deal as the three months expired shortly after. I honestly don’t know if NYCW didn’t realise, or if they just wanted to do something nice for Jean. He’s been strangely tight-lipped about the whole thing. * [CENTER][B]MAW: 2008 – 2014[/B] [U]2008[/U][/CENTER] 2008: Long-time friend, ally and injury victim of the once-great Rip Chord, James Casey becomes the head road agent and booker of Mid Atlantic Wrestling when Chord convinces him that building the future of professional wrestling is something he really wants to do, and in no way will he get overwrought when the future of professional wrestling realise that their future lies with bigger companies, paying more money and offering them greater exposure. No-one has ever accused Chord or Casey of being realistic, but someone having a quick word with them at this point may have saved a lot of drama later on. Chord doesn’t play favourites, exactly, but it’s clear that he has some workers he wants to be successful. To be specific, his trainees: Antonio, and Casey Valentine. The new booker takes one look at his projects, picks up the phone, and signs half of the FCW roster, including some no-hoper called Kirk Jameson who spends the next two years losing to everyone. The Rip Chord Invitational is blighted by cheap finishes and heel/heel matches that could easily have been avoided. In what will become a running theme, the best matches are not at the end of the show. It what will also become a running theme, Jean Cattley’s main event performance saves the day. Antonio gets the RCI win, while Valentine is associated with Cattley as part of The Firm, and will go on to hold with Cameron Vessey. Casey’s first challenge of significance lies in the heavy heel bias of the roster when he joins. Rather than try turning a couple of workers face (Antonio, for example), he opts to bring in several new faces who earn a lot and don’t do much. This, too, will become a running theme. Stevie Grayson is nominated for biggest waste of space in the diary, and surprises no-one by winning the award in every other diary in the forum as well. Towards the end of the year, Casey’s patience with the roster cracks. Champion Erik Strong is canned and replaced with Cattley, while Fumihiro Ota, Ultimate Phoenix and Black Eagle all join. Eagle will go on to be an unreliable, but highly popular bad guy due to his association with – and somewhat uncofomrtable mistreatment of – the darkly sexy Sienna LeNoir. Ota and Phoenix will serve time on both sides of the face/heel divide, generally serve MAW very well, but be prevented by their age from getting true main event pushes. Elsewhere, the Internet Favourites give Max Mayhem and Hugh “Huey Cannonball” Lee an unlikely niche as their geek appeal strikes a chord with the MAW fandom, but they fail to rise above opening level status due to their lack of in-ring talent. [CENTER][U]2009[/U][/CENTER] The year opened with two shocks – first, with masked bump machine Kid Arachnid winning the Rip Chord Invitational. Second, Arachnid unmasking himself to reveal none other than Jay Chord, the son of the company’s owner. Jay proceeded to torment his father for the next nine months, eventually forcing him to agree to a match at Where It All Begins Again. Along the way, the feud took in a bloody War Games match that saw Rip’s squadron of four stars uniting to force Jay to submit. Rumours that the four men – Mainstream Hernandez, Trent Shaffer, Stevie Grayson and Erik Strong – went all out to actually hurt Jay during the match on James Casey’s orders remain unconfirmed, if highly plausible. Jay’s luck didn’t change in the father/son match, as he was brutalised by Rip in a shocking display of violence. Rumours that Rip decided to hand out eighteen years worth of corporal punishment in one night are considered unlikely, but not entirely impossible. Elsewhere on the show, the recently-returned Steven Parker regained the Heavyweight title from Jean Cattley in the third match of a fantastic series. Backstage, James Casey is considered to be in mixed spirits as he looks around the locker room and realises that he can’t rely on anyone else to provide anything like that quality of match. Still, Casey and Chord tried. Mexican wrestling fever hit MAW with the introduction of the six-man Trios title. The belts, admittedly designed with the idea of fulfilling title promises, quickly fell into disrepute due to the difficulty of having all three holders available on any one show and not already involved in other matches. [CENTER][U]2010[/U][/CENTER] After two years, the focus of the company shifted slightly as Chord and Casey made a conscious effort to bring in younger, talented workers who could work alongside the older, talented workers and the younger, untalented workers. Although this had been tried before with Trent Shaffer, Davis Wayne Newton and Frankie Perez, the latter two had quickly been snapped up by bigger companies, and the former had turned out to be a big disappointment, although it took Casey a long time to realise this. The Rip Chord Invitational was won by Primus Allen, who received a big push that Casey prefers to pretend never happened. Never an MAW-type worker, Casey was blinded by the promise of the big man, and his great look. MAW fans prefer substance, however, and Allen was too much of an Easter egg – not much to him once you get past the wrappings. He would continue to flounder until paired with a similarly flashy tag partner much later, at which point it was realised that he could throw people around with some ease and expectations were lowered accordingly. Future MAW franchise Aaron Andrews debuted to considerable acclaim as he threw himself right into the Heavyweight title hunt. That meant chasing Jay Chord who’d parlayed his previous RCI success into a shock win over Steven Parker in Parker’s last match before moving to SWF. The two feuded without fighting for most of the year as Andrews was shoved into matches with anyone that Chord and his now-doting father could choose. Andrews and Chord would eventually face off at the October super-event, Where It All Begins Again, with Andrews winning to begin a lengthy run on top. Elsewhere, MAW’s premier stable, The Firm, began to crumble as Casey Valentine began to grow too big for his boots. Team leader Jean Cattley eventually agreed to a match between the two for control of the stable, and while Cattley won, the result was the end of the group as Valentine was left abandoned by his former stablemates. Meanwhile, Ultimate Phoenix went to the dark side when his heroic attempts to clean up MAW came up short. Re-dubbing himself Firebird, the masked man showed untapped charisma in his new role as a cult leader – albeit one that had to be toned down a lot to not upset MAW’s largely conservative fan group. The question everyone’s lips was: “Why has the rum gone?” Indy supernova Hugh de Aske made everyone he faced look good – even the name-trading Jonnie Perez – as he played up to his pirate gimmick. Comfotably the best wrestler on the roster for long stretches, the Belgian worker had good or great matches with almost everyone he faced. Despite this, he never had a sustained main event run due to – for them – disappointing results from matches with Aaron Andrews. [CENTER][U]2011[/U][/CENTER] Supergroups don’t come much bigger than the pairing of Heavyweight champion Aaron Andrews RCI winner Kirk Jameson. Jameson had risen from nothing in the last three years, his skills improving constantly as he fought everyone in the company. The two feuded with Firebird and his minions, before Andrews grew jealous of his partner’s burgeoning popularity and turned on him to begin their epic – and sometimes well-received – feud that would dominate the company for over eighteen months. The early honours rested with Andrews, as he retained his title in a strong match at the year’s Where... event. Elsewhere, Jay Chord walked out on the company, citing dissatisfaction with his push and the company’s disciplinary procedures under James Casey. In fact, Chord had been de-pushed since his title loss, and had been associating with the dregs of the company in an attempt to improve his attitude and their segment ratings. At the time of his departure, Chord had plunged to the depths of endorsing Antonio and Casey Valentine – the not exactly subtly named Second Sons. The team was my almost last ditch attempt to get something worthwhile out of the duo, as their real-life relationship to Rip had been freely acknowledged by us in the past, and by putting them together they only sucked the life out of one match on a card – not two. The departure of Jay brought matters to a head between Chord and Casey. Years of simmering tension between the two boiled over in a knock down, drag out fight backstage before Where... that at least cleared the air. Elsewhere, it was the year that MAW exploited the big feds – and learned that bearding a lion in its own den will have unpredictable results. Randy Bumfhole and Chance Fortune arrived in the company, and formed the focus for the show in a revived Firm alongside Steve Flash, who had signed in late 2010. The trio could have done a lot more, but were put to work feuding with some of the company’s midcard talent, in the belief that this would help the latter to improve and get over. In spite of this, Bumfhole did have a fantastic match against Andrews as part of his time with the company. However, in a rapid acceleration of an old trend, SWF were on the upswing of their annual Cult-Global-Cult cycle, and over the course of six months Fortune, Flash, Hugh de Aske, Erik Strong, the MAW stalwart Jean Cattley, and hot prospect Ernest Youngman were all signed up to exclusive Supreme contracts. As 2011 came to an end, MAW was left bereft of big name talent, and while this could only be expected of a smaller fed, the drop in show quality was marked – and decidedly underwhelming. [CENTER][U]2012[/U][/CENTER] Despite the slow end to the previous year, MAW had been expanding rapidly. New faces continued to debut as Chord and Casey found ways to keep the match quality high. In this, they were benefited by the fans’ expectations of high performance over high popularity, although both Bumfhole brothers passed through the company, as did Rich Money. Money played against type in an impressive manner, leading the company’s babyfaces against Firebird and his followers, which now included Aaron Andrews as he sought to keep his title around his waist, despite the persistent attention of the rapidly improving Kirk Jameson. Andrews had been proactive in his approach to title defences, relying both on his own considerable skill, and the assistance of his hired thugs Shady K and Knuckles, who used the more-PG name of Lockdown and played silent thugs for hire. The duo looked good in their time in MAW, and took part in one of the best tag team matches ever in the company at the 2012 Rip Chord Invitational, although sadly this was their last appearance in MAW. They are almost unique in being a tag team from the Casey years that are remembered fondly by the head booker. The Andrews/Jameson feud took up the better part of the year, starting slowly as the two were separated for a time after their October ’11 clash, but spreading to encompass much of the company as Andrews sought solace with Firebird’s Fallen stable, a collection of misfits comprising Black Eagle, Fumihiro Ota and the deranged, sociopathic Providence – the former Masked Patriot, another character who had to be closely written for fear of falling foul of the censors. The multi-person feud all came together at a vicious War Games match in September, which saw veteran JD Morgan go down with a shattered knee before Andrews pushed the boundaries of MAW’s audience by choking Jameson into unconsciousness with a leather strap after bleeding him nearly-dry with help from the steel cage. Morgan’s injury badly disrupted the company’s plans as his personal feud with Sean Deeley was set to result in a thrilling clash as the #2 match at Where It All Begins Again. Despite this, Where... was a fantastic show, highlighted by Jameson’s victory, after a near two-year build, over Andrews for the Heavyweight title. For the second time, the Rip Chord Invitational was captured by Kid Arachnid – and for the second time, the masked man unmasked himself immediately. This time, instead of Jay Chord, it was young starlet KC Glenn under the mask. The kid had been floundering somewhat since Jay had left the company months before, scuppering the plans for a blow-off match in the feud between them at Where... From this, Casey would hopefully learn to keep his stars on his good side, at least in the run-up to a big show. It can also be argued that Jay has no good side as he’s just an unmitigated ----. Elsewhere, the tag team division was truly competitive as established teams like The Dark Raptors, Smith & Singh, the Canadian Blondes and Ford & Speed mixed it up with newer tandems like Spectrum Infinity and Team Honor. The last team scored the year’s big upset as they upended the Raptors for the titles, and held off all challengers. Meanwhile, The XX Factor challenged people’s perceptions as two women (Jaime Quine and Thea Davis) tried to compete alongside the men. This had been quite successful for Wanda Fish earlier in the year, but the ladies were less successful. The fans were willing and able to accept Wanda fighting men, as mostly she was taking on the undercard and not stretching the gender barriers too far. For Quine and Davis, however, it was too much, too soon – neither woman had the star power or raw talent to cross the boundaries. [CENTER][U]2013[/U][/CENTER] This was the year that MAW came of age – sort of. TV gave them a national presence, no question, but brought with it a whole new set of problems: increased costs tat threatened to cripple the company and a roster who all wanted to be on one hour of TV a week. You’d almost think that the folks in charge didn’t know what they were doing. We opened the year with the Rip Chord Invitational, where new champion Kirk Jameson rolled over TCW reject Genghis Rahn in one of our less-inspired ours-beats-theirs matches – an idea that rose time and again throughout the diary. Elsewhere on the card, Sean Deeley picked up the Invitational title. Talented, young, mature and growing in charisma and all-round talent, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when he was snapped up shortly after, on the verge of a megapush. And yet, somehow, it did. Worse was to come as World champion – no harm in thinking big – Kirk Jameson became the newest SWF signing. Rip’s reputation got us a lot of friends in the early days as we forged working agreements across the globe. Not with Richard Eisen’s company, though, as the two don’t get on. To say the least. The belt went back to Jean Cattley for caretaker duties, despite the strong claims of newcomer Tim Westybrook – but it was case of who was available on the one night Jameson was available, and that was Cattley. It was a transitional reign, although highlighted by a tremendous feud with Westybrook and the visiting Zimmy Bumfhole before the arrival of Ruin, who was being led by the mysterious Mentor. The masked man assembled a stable comprising the monstrous Ruin – AKA Texas Pete – The Second Sons – who had the tag team titles – and Raphael, the human heat vacuum. In spite of these issues, Mentor also brought back Ernest Youngman and unmasked to reveal none other than Rip himself, out to restore MAW to the building place of the future instead of the over ambitious, present-obsessed behemoth that had arisen in its place. Their first victim was James Casey, lured out of retirement by an attack on his family to act as Rip’s punching bag prior to his unmasking. The Cult Of Chord preceded to dominate the company until Jean Cattley reformed The Firm to combat them – and protect his own job, as The Cult were intent on clearing out the older members of the roster to give themselves free rein at the top. The Firm went so far as to bring Chord’s family into the war, bringing Jay Chord back from TCW for a brief visit to add significant firepower to the match. Elsewhere in the company, the brutal duo of ABH – Lenny Brown and Primus Allen – dominated the tag team division before dropping the straps in a shock defeat to The Canadian Blondes, the long-time cornerstone of the tag division picking up another reign as the company had a shakeup, with several new teams debuting and older teams splitting. The match quality, if anything, dropped as a result. James Casey continues to scratch his head over this, and is considering throwing money at the problem to try and make it go away. One significant bright spot for the company was the creation of a Women’s division. Spinning out of the failed XX Factor experiment, the division initially consisted of eight largely unknown women, before Casey and Chord decided to up the recognition factor and bring in Joanne Roriguez, Suzanne Brazzle, Lauren Easter and eventually Alicia Strong to build the best women’s division in the west. With the bulk of the company’s titles in The Cult’s control, individual goals were set aside for the year-end show, End Of Days when The Cult and The Firm went at in a War Games match. Chord masterminded a victory within the cage as he exploited his knowledge of former protégé Jean as The Cult brutalised his temmamtes, and forced him to watch – the only way to save his allies being to concede the match to The Cult. As brutal as War Games was, it only served to further fuel issues between the contestants, and the build-up to the 2014 RCI saw the future of MAW hanging in the balance as Firm member El Heroe Mexicano met Cult man Ernest Youngman in the tournament final, Cattley and Chord tangled in a Last Man Standing match, and Westybrook and Ruin met with the World title on the line. And that brings us to 2014 – and hopefully everyone’s caught up. * Apropos nothing, here’s the card from the first show after last year’s Invitational: Amazing Fire Fly vs. Lord Geoffrey Windameer – Both gone Spectrum Infinity vs. Ford & Speed – Two of four gone The XX Factor vs. Always Breakin’ Hollywood – All gone Bradford Peverell vs. Providence – One gone “Bulldozer” Brandon Smith vs. Sean Deeley – Both still in the company MAW had a lot of turnover in 2013 – ten of the fourteen people on that show left by year end (Deeley came back, of course). Some of them have even gone on to better things, remarkably... * [CENTER][B]MAW Nationwide[/B] El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley vs. The Second Sons Suzanne Brazzle vs. Lauren Easter vs. Joanne Rodriguez Phoenix vs. Swoop McCarthy (c) – MAW Traditional title Tim Westybrook (c) vs. Ernest Youngman – MAW World title[/CENTER]

[Hyde Hill]

[B]El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley[/B] vs. The Second Sons Suzanne Brazzle vs. Lauren Easter vs. [B]Joanne Rodriguez[/B] Phoenix vs. [B]Swoop McCarthy (c)[/B] – MAW Traditional title [B]Tim Westybrook (c)[/B] vs. Ernest Youngman – MAW World title

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: Post 1700. How weird does [I]that[/I] sound? I think my longest diary before this had about 100 posts. Also, Adam came up with a wonderful present for me in-game recently. Anyone a West Ham fan, by any chance?[/I] * [B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Nationwide Friday, 26th January 2014[/CENTER] Phoenix vs. Swoop McCarthy (c)[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW Traditional title[/COLOR] We opened with a fast-paced clash pitting the rising star against the veteran masked man. Phoenix had the better of the opening exchanges, while Swoop still scored some points with big hits on his challenger. The match see-sawed back and forth, with neither man quite able to decisively take control, but in the end Swoop caught Phoenix in mid-air as he tried for a flying cross-body, and in an impressive display of strength spun him around into the Swoop Stunner to score a big victory. Winner: Swoop McCarthy (C+) * [COLOR="Teal"]“Only one person left the Invitational with the title they entered with,”[/COLOR] Swoop declared. [COLOR="Teal"]“And that was Swoop McCarthy. Make a note of the time and the place – this has been another example of the greatness of the world’s finest – Swoop McCarthy.”[/COLOR] Swoop made his way up the ramp, title held aloft, passing KC Glenn and Jean Cattley on the way. The two Firm members applauded the victorious champion, although on commentary Rock wondered if the applause was somewhat sarcastic. * [B]KC Glenn and “Machine” Jean Cattley vs. The Second Sons[/B] Glenn and Cattley were initially troubled by the Sons, who were smarting over the loss of their titles and Rip’s favour. It seemed the Sons might score a big win as they were able to isolate their opponents. But Glenn and Cattley showed their talents individually, bringing themselves back into the match before Cattley scored with a Mood Swing on Antonio for the win. Winners: Glenn and Cattley (D-) * We came back from the break with Jean Cattley carrying two bottles of water into The Firm’s dressing room. He stopped short in the doorway, before charging forward and dropping to his knees beside the prone and bloodied form of KC Glenn. A steel chair lay tellingly beside him, and shards of glass from the coffee table were scattered around, and tangled in his hair. [COLOR="Navy"]“KC? KC!”[/COLOR] Cattley barked. He span around. [COLOR="Navy"]“Someone call an ambulance!”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“Oh, look at that... That’s a damn shame...”[/COLOR] The camera turned to find Ernest Youngman leaning on the doorframe, hands in his pockets as he watched the scene before him. [COLOR="Blue"]“Wow, that’s a lot of blood.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Navy"]“Did you do this?”[/COLOR] Cattley snarled, rising to his feet, his fists clenched. [COLOR="Blue"]“Me? No. Why would you think I had anything to do with it?”[/COLOR] Cattley scowled. [COLOR="Navy"]“Get out of here, Youngman, or else I’ll do to you what’s been done to Glenn.”[/COLOR] Youngman smirked, but backed away – hands up. [COLOR="Blue"]“I’m going, Jean, but...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Navy"]“What?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“Well, if I were you, I’d watch out – and I’d wonder if this was just random, or if someone wanted to make a point...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Navy"]“What do you-“[/COLOR] Cattley charged forward, but before he had a chance to tackle Youngman, EMTs flooded the room, keeping The Firm’s leader at bay as Youngman vanished into the backstage area. * [B]Suzanne Brazzle vs. Lauren Easter vs. Joanne Rodriguez[/B] Unlike the title match at the Invitational, Easter and Rodriguez seemed to have no major problems going after each other, in what Rock and Reese on commentary theorised was a potential #1 contender match for Alicia Strong’s newly-won Women’s title. Although Easter and Rodriguez were mostly united against Brazzle, equally they had no trouble interrupting each other’s pinfalls – and even battling against one another at one point, although it was clear that Easter was still holding back somewhat. In the end, this cost her the match as she pushed Brazzle out of the way of a J-Rocker to prevent her mentor scoring the potentially match-winning move, only for Rodriguez to leap from the top rope and nail her with the move instead, scoring the three count before Easter had a chance to recover. Winner: Joanne Rodriguez (C) * As Rodriguez rose to her feet, she looked torn about what had just happened. Before she had a chance to do anything about it, Sara Silverman was in the ring, and shepherding her client away from the scene of her victory. The two made their way up the ramp, but before they reached the top my music played, and I stepped out onto the stage, leaning on my cane, a microphone in my other hand. [COLOR="Green"]“Congratulations,”[/COLOR] I said, nodding to Joanne and Sara. [COLOR="Green"]“Let’s make it official: At Wrestling Classic the Women’s title will be contested in a match between the new champion Alicia Strong, and the new #1 contender Joanne Rodriguez. “Of course, Lauren Easter as the former champion has the right to claim a rematch at any time, so it’s up to her when that happens.”[/COLOR] I left that hanging, enjoying the reaction from the crowd at the possibility of more matches involving some combination of the three women. [COLOR="Green"]“Now, to make this official, as new owner of MAW I’ve taken certain steps to make things simple. “Number one: The Cult Of Chord is officially dissolved, and Rip Chord’s managerial license is hereby revoked. “Number two: I’ve bought every share in MAW, and taken us off the public listings. Mid Atlantic Wrestling is now solely in my ownership, and therefore there’s no need for a Board of Directors. I never liked the idea of having people who could overrule the owner of the company, and now they don’t exist. “Number three... I’d like to invite Rip Chord to join me now.”[/COLOR] Rip emerged from backstage, looking cautious. [COLOR="Green"]“Relax, Rip. I’m not a vengeful man – not really. We fought, but it’s over. I’m back where I wanted to be all along, and I want you back where you should be: Calling our matches. Rip, if you’re willing, I’d like you to take your place at the announcers’ table once more.”[/COLOR] Rip looked at me for several long moments, before turning without comment and making his way down to the announcers’ table. [COLOR="Green"]“I’d like to believe that I’m a fair and impartial person. I reward hard work and talent – and where both exist, such as when someone like Sean Deeley or El Heroe Mexicano wrestles, then the rewards can be great. Rip Chord and I have had our problems, but there’s no-one better for this company to provide colour commentary. “I’m not going to stand here and declare that everyone in this company has a clean slate. Rip went after my family – but I’ve taken his company from him, and myself and Katie consider that justice. As for the former members of Rip’s Cult... Keep your noses clean, gentlemen, and I’ll treat you as well you treat this company. And as an example of that, Ernest Youngman impressed the hell out of me at the Invitational – even if he had some help. So I’ve chosen him as Tim Westybrook’s first challenger tonight. I know neither man is at 100% after Monday night, but equally I know that won’t stop them giving 100% – and that’s a good way of getting in my good books.”[/COLOR] * A short hype video played highlighting Tim Westybrook’s incredible strength and conditioning, culminating in the title-winning conclusion to his Invitational match with Ruin as Westybrook spun the 300lb monster around in the air with a TNT Whirlwind. * [B]Tim Westybrook (c) vs. Ernest Youngman[/B] for the [COLOR="Purple"]MAW World title[/COLOR] Youngman and Westybrook have fought before, and always done well against each other. Their mix of technical skills and brute power mesh well, although each has more of one than the other. Westybrook was able to throw Youngman around the ring with comparative ease, while Youngman was able to come back with vicious submission moves that contorted Westybrook in unnatural ways, and really torqued on his limbs and joints. He seemed to be targeting Westybrook’s arms, and Rock theorised that he was capitalising on the damage Westybrook had taken during his match with Ruin – but as Reese noted, Youngman had wrestled three matches at the Invitational, and had taken his own damage along the way. Westybrook was able to capitalise on this, almost yanking Youngman’s arm out of its socket as he blocked an Irish whip and, as Youngman recoiled in pain, snatching him up for the TNT Whirlwind to win the match and make his first successful defence of the gold. Winner: Tim Westybrook (B-) [B]Overall: C+[/B] [I]Next: Gossip...[/I]