MAW: 10 Simple Rules...

[James Casey]

The main event was a disappointment, of course. We decided to try something new with a view to making Westybrook/Sexy a major feud. Unfortunately, the way the ‘match’ played out prevented us gauging accurately whether the two can work together well enough to sustain such a feud. This rather affects our plans for the immediate future. The next couple of weeks will see Westybrook facing Shaffer and Roberts in non-title matches. Clearly those contests will have to see some sort of decisive finish – even DQs go down better than gimmicky draws like that one... * [QUOTE] [CENTER][B]MAW.com special report[/B] [U]Tag Team Turmoil – Introducing the Points System[/U][/CENTER] James Casey has made his presence felt since taking over MAW. Opening the doors of the company to international stars like Joe Sexy, Chris Caulfield, Liberty and Phil Roberts has brought the company attention on a scale not seen before. However, Casey has also been considering ways of bringing more attention to the company’s tag team division. [COLOR="Green"]“I always enjoyed tag wrestling when I was active – I mean, I even got to tag with Rip on a few occasions, which usually meant that I got to win as well. So since taking over the company, I’ve wanted to make the tag team division competitive.[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“One of the things I wanted to do was make sure that anyone who got a title shot earned it. A while back, we had Team Honor earn their shot by beating several other teams. That’s the way it should be. For that reason, we’re going to institute a scoring system. A team has to pick up three wins in a row out On Tour or on our other shows to earn the right to challenge the current champions, aptly named The Gatekeepers.[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Once a team has those three wins, they can cash them in on any episode of Nationwide, which for many teams will be the first chance they get to appear on national television.[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“That way, any team who gets the shot has earned it. Any team wrestling the Gatekeepers, or whoever, will have shown they deserve to hold the gold.”[/COLOR] Casey has issued a call to the teams in the company, and this has been answered both by established teams, as well as singles wrestlers who have decided to join forces for a chance to capture the gold. These are the teams who currently comprise the tag team division. The Gatekeepers: Eddie Powell and Fumihiro Ota – Reigning tag team champions and veteran stars of TCW and DaVE. Platinum 12”: Ashington C. Odam and Jefferson Stardust – Stardust and his new partner have formed a ‘supergroup’ in their quest for platinum albums and tag team gold Smith & Singh: Brandon Smith and Kashmir Singh – The former tag team champions have reunited in a bid to reclaim the titles they wore with honour from October 2011 to June 2012 Team Honor: Lassana Makutsi and Jared Johnson – Another pair who have previously held the MAW Tag Team titles, this duo have proven themselves to be a dangerous and talented duo on a number of occasions The Canadian Blondes: Flash Savage and Oscar Golden – The multi-time champions are always a threat to the current title holders The Party Animals: Justin Sensitive and Dazzling Dave Diamond – The recent newcomers have joined forces after proving themselves in singles competition The Second Sons: Antonio and Casey Valentine – The last tag champions will want to become the next champions as well The Sure Things: Felipe Caballero and Xavi Ferrara – These youngsters have allied with each other in a bid to make a mark on the company The West Texas Lawmakers: Sheriff Blaze and Marshall Dillon – One of MAW’s most experienced teams will want to finally secure the gold The Young Americans: Joseph Benning and Matthew Hocking – The one-time MAW stalwarts have returned to the company in pursuit of the gold that previously eluded them In addition, Raphael has let it be known that he is planning to enter a team into the group, although it is not clear whether that will be a team involving him – or one under the guidance of the former All Action champion. All teams begin on 0 points. All tag team matches (including six-man and eight-man matches, but not handicap matches) offer the opportunity to score points. In eight-man matches featuring more than one team on either side, both teams on the winning side will score points. A losing team will drop to 0 points, even in the event that they have reached 3 points but have not cashed in their title shot. The contest begins this Saturday night, On Tour. Be sure to catch the MAW action when it hits a town near you! [/QUOTE] [I]Next: The opening round...[/I]

[Hyde Hill]

Hope this will help the tag division and btw where are the Wilkes brothers? And maybe you can bring Black Eagle back for the Dark Raptors?

[Bigpapa42]

Love the idea of a tag league, and I love that you keep finding stuff to keep MAW fresh. Great work, JC.

[James Casey]

It's something I've been thinking of for a while, but now I've given up on doing anything other than tag matches with the bulk of the OT crew, so there it is. A few have survived the chop (Peverell, Delirium, Phil 'Austin Smooth' Jerome) but mainly because they didn't suggest themselves as partners for anyone. Looking through my finances, I think what I'll be doing is three On Tour shows a month, running on the Saturday nights I don't have a Big show. I can then stick to the core areas and let the TV show take care of the rest - in the meantime, bringing in more money (although to make the shows work in those areas, I'd need to put on a couple of strong matches). I also need to hit Ontario occasionally to keep up the popularity there, but that may be stretching too far. Anyway, I'm having fun thinking about how you guys are going to react to some of my new signings - including a very familiar face. Sort of... Edit: Just realised I hit 1,750 posts today. I'm a bit of a numbers geek, so that was a nice one for me - more so than 1,700 was or 1,800 would be... (Still aiming for 2k, of course). Edit 2: And I'm prevaricating over the Wilkes brothers. I don't like them much. I brought them in because they were cheap(ish) and I hoped their relationship would make for a good tag team, but it's not happened, and I have other uses for their manager. They may make the odd appearance to stare at the lights here and there, but unless they do something to jump out at me, they're gone. Same for Quentin Queen - he's a pain in the backside, and Josh Jones deserves a solo run.

[Hyde Hill]

You don't really need that Ontario pop though, so although I love the country and playing NOTBW atm screw em. Plus you do realize that one of the most effective ways of cost cutting is reducing the number of people who make appearances to fill the time you have don't you? EG tag teams / Managers/ Third Announcer/ Road Agent only worker etc should be in the cooler atm till you break even again.

[James Casey]

I'm just loath to let that pop go :p As for my roster, well, if I can't get the tag division over this way (and teams in action on the main show may also be in two dark matches to try and bump up their experience to a respectable level) then there's a very real possibility that the tag division could get scrapped. I'd hate to do that, but there it is. One of my problems with the game is that even with the changes to the way teams got hired in '08, it's still rare to find a team with decent experience on the open market (interesting exception in my game: Flying Jimmy Fox and Fox Mask, but I can't get them to dump their third contracts despite being bigger than all their employees) because newly created teams rarely seem to work more than half a dozen matches together. I can build a team up to 50% experience in just a few months, with a concerted effort, but it's difficult to find teams that warrant that kind of push. As for the money, my OT team consists of me as RA/Announcer, Katyie ($100 ppa) on commentary and Reese Paige ($400 ppa) in the third chair. That's not too bad, will hopefully boost Reese's stats, and her and my user character benefit from decent chemistry, so it all adds to the matches. I need 90 minute shows to hold a medium show. The minimum number of matches I can book, realistically, is five, and I don't want to get into the habit of multi-booking workers on the shows - even if it'd save money. If I did that, I might as well turn the OT shows into off-camera shows - it'd save time, certainly, but I'd feel like I was cheating (and I've used the editor a few times, so it's not like I'm adverse to doing so) without a really, really good reason. So... yeah. In terms of costs, moving to the eight shows/three regions cycle should mean the shows themsleves are profitable. It's then down to the Misc. costs... And that's where the Nemesis/Rip/Jay/me/Deus ex machinae come in handy :p

[Timber]

I hope you keep updating this. I've read all of it and it's an amazing read. Lots of twists and turns not to mention the rest of the posters that add to it. I was wondering though if you could give abit more of the nuts and bolts of what you are doing with your game. You say you've used the editor a bit. I was wonder how you put your shows on and how you set the Road Agent set up for matches and such. I noticed you started using the pre show to build up guys and work on mic/entertainment skills. (i'm doing that too.. battle royals and trying to build up my Tag Teams. I guess i'd like abit more technical stuff. I'd assume in an OOC way of course. Great Dynasty. Great read and it's really pushed me into wanting to make my games better.

[James Casey]

Okay, this is certainly not the only way to do things (I'd say not [I]at all[/I], but...), but this is what I do: I use my user character to road agent [I]almost[/I] every match on screen. I've used Rip on occasions (I usually make a note of this) while Reese and Jefferson Stardust have done some dark matches, where I remember to try them out. Mainly that's because Stardust is a minor project of mine and I want to see if being the RA for a match will boot his psychology. Off the top of my head, Rip has an A for Psychology, while I have an A*. That was my one 'God stat' when I started, but six+ years of commentating etc. have left me with A/A* entertainment as well. I started out in the Mid Atlantic, holding one show a month, going out to two when it was viable. As soon as I got spillover into the Great Lakes and South East, I started making the odd visit there. I shouldn't have - by staying focused on the MA, I would have earned a [I]lot[/I] more money and been set for the rise to Cult. Be warned! In terms of setting up a show, Nationwide (1hr) uses four matches. 1, 3 and 4 will almost always be All Out matches. 2 will be a Work the Crowd match (usually the women's match, sometimes a six-man or similar). Nationwide exists to sell my main event storylines, although sometimes the midcard will make an appearance as well. On Tour is 90 minutes, so I have 5 or 6 matches taking place on-screen (and also there's the dark matches - 1 or 2, usually). The first match, and last two, will be all out again. The second will work the crowd, and usually features the lowest graded advance booked matches. The rest of the matches will not have notes unless I have a particular concern about them. A particularly strong match may go all out, a particualrly weak one may work the crowd. For the big shows, these are usually 2 hours and feature seven matches (some only feature 6). It's the same pattern, although there's a greater tendency to use AO/WTC notes where I have a particularly strong crowd. The recent RCI show, for example, used crowd notes in pretty much all the matches and went about as well as I expected. As for using the editor, I've done that to make certain workers available in the US (Swoop, most noticeably, although one other future debutant as well) and also to get Davis Wayne Newton back when I'd advance booked his appearance on a show, announced him in the diary and only then realised there was no way I could get him to make that appearance because of his NOTBPW priorities. I'm not proud of that, by any means, but I'm playing the game for the diary rather than anything else. That's also how I justify the Nemesis/Rip/Jay/me/whoever investments. For example, Rip Chord would hardly let his company go under when he would have been earning a ton of cash during his lengthy peak years - plus all that HGC money... Glad to have another reader on board, and I'm pleased you enjoyed the story thus far. If you have any other questions, please go ahead and ask.

[Timber]

Nice. Thats really what i wanted to know. The back end kind of stuff, gives me ideas and options on how to make my games more fun for myself. I wouldn't worry about the editor stuff, it fits with the diary and you're having fun so thats all that matters. I haven't really dug deep into the editor, well to give MAW abit more cash at the start of my game but i'm gonna really look it over. There are some great guys out there that should be able to wrestle in the US but aren't set up for it. I'll have to edit a few. My big thing was bringing in a few non US guys and not checking to see if they spoke english...that was tough. It's been a great read and i hope you keep it up. It inspires me to go back and play more. No more free time.. thanks JAmes!

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: You're welcome! Although I disavow all responsibility for time lost on TEW. That's all Adam's fault.[/I] * [QUOTE] [I][CENTER]MAW.com Show Report – On Tour in South East Saturday 6th March 2014[/CENTER] Fans, this is Reese Paige welcoming you to a new era of tag team wrestling in MAW. Tonight’s show featured three tag contests, opening with Team Honor taking on the newly-formed Sure Things. Caballero and Ferrara had impressed in their previous match as a team, and showed some ability here, but they fell to the former champions who were operating in a different league to the youngsters. Next, it was a battle of two teams who can seem to have more on their minds than wrestling – The Party Animals and Platinum 12”. The four men were quite serious once the match began, though – even if Odam did seem to be quite taken with Sensitive’s simian companion, to which Sensitive seemed quite indifferent. Once Odam got his mind on the match, though, the 12”ers took control, and Stardust was able to pick up the win over Sensitive with an Idolizer. Next up, The West Texas Lawmakers (with Haley Buck, who’s been quiet lately so who’s probably up to something) took on the recently returned Young Americans. Matthew Hocking seemed a little hesitant, and I understand it’s been a little while since he’s been in the ring. The Lawmakers were quick to single Hocking out, with Buck directing their every move, and while Joe Benning was able to make some headway, when Hocking returned to the ring he fell quick victim to a Volcanic Repeater. In the night’s main event, Phoenix took on Raphael in the first match featuring the former All Action champion for some time. He was accompanied by a woman who appeared to be Anne Lee Kubrick, but who was now dressed in matte black clothing, with her hair jet black as well. ‘Kubrick’s’ presence seemed to help Raphael, who held his own against the masked star for some time, before falling to a Firebird Splash. However, after the bell, Phoenix was attacked by a trio of men in hooded robes who left Phoenix down on the mat. ‘Kubrick’ joined the men in the ring as they helped Raphael to his feet, before each dropping to one knee before him as he raised his hands to the sky, the implication's obvious: Raphael has his followers. Fans, a lot happened tonight at the Sweat Box. What will happen next week as we head for the Tri State area? Either join us live, or make sure to catch us here on MAW.com to find out! Team Honor (1pt) def. The Sure Things – E Platinum 12” (1pt) def. The Party Animals – E The West Texas Lawmakers (1pt) def. The Young Americans – E Phoenix def. Raphael – D Overall: D-[/I] [/QUOTE] * After the show, David Taylor was caught spreading rumours about Lassana Makutsi. That’s four times in just six weeks that Taylor has caused trouble backstage. Many more, and we’re going to have to see about finding a replacement – he’s nowhere near worth all this trouble. * Casey Valentine could be stepping it up a notch soon, as it looks like he’ll be signing on with NYCW in the near future. Meanwhile, Jean Cattley has been approached by CZCW. * We could hardly keep them from signing other deals, of course, but seeing Enforcer Roberts signing on with GCG is a bit worrying. By my calculations, we have until month’s end before we have to book around them – but I may be wrong about that. * [CENTER][B]MAW Nationwide[/B] Sam Cannon vs. Davis Wayne Newton El Heroe Mexicano vs. Sean Deeley “Machine” Jean Cattley and The Gatekeepers vs. Joe Sexy, “Enforcer” Phil Roberts and Ernest Youngman Tim Westybrook vs. Trent Shaffer – non-title[/CENTER]

[Tigerkinney]

Sam Cannon vs. [B]Davis Wayne Newton[/B] [I]The former Calamari Kid would be more useful if his overness from his time in the SWF didn't completely dissipate when he removed the mask, without the mask he's just an average at best cruiser. Not sure how long Newton's planning to stick around but I think he should win here.[/I] [B]El Heroe Mexicano[/B] vs. Sean Deeley [I]This honestly could go either way but I'll stump for the masked man[/I] “Machine” Jean Cattley and The Gatekeepers vs. [B]Joe Sexy, “Enforcer” Phil Roberts and Ernest Youngman[/B] [I]I think in a gang situation, Elite will pick up the win[/I] [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. Trent Shaffer – non-title [I]Non Title it may be but I don't see Big Timmy losing one on one until one of the big shows and the belt is on the line.[/I]

[Hyde Hill]

Seconded PS did some math and profit wise it would actually best to keep doing on tour and actually hold it 4 times a month in your 2 highest pop regions as events garner more money then tv shows and hold the tv show in your number 3 region. This would mean you would need to amp up the quality of on tour but given the immense roster you have it is possible. Otherwise stick with tv in the Mid Atlantic and on tour the other 2 regions. I love this diary and I want you to survive cult but you can't keep pumping in money and keep it "realistic" at some point you need to make some hard choices. Once you are making money again you can bring a lot of guys back anyways. I would actually like it storyline wise at you would need to do some difficult things and go through a valley of uncertainty etc before rising again because once you are profitable at cult the money will keep rolling in.

[Bigpapa42]

Sam Cannon vs. [B]Davis Wayne Newton[/B] El Heroe Mexicano vs. [B]Sean Deeley[/B] “Machine” Jean Cattley and The Gatekeepers vs. [B]Joe Sexy, “Enforcer” Phil Roberts and Ernest Youngman[/B] [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. Trent Shaffer – non-title

[James Casey]

[I]OOC: Simply put, it's not a matter of cutting costs - not as I understand it. Even running sell-out shows with my cheapest workers wouldn't offset the losses I'm making at the moment. Better, I'd say, to enjoy the ride. I'm keeping track of my 'income' for resetting as and when those profits come in - but if this diary is to continue, I have to simulate outside investment. If someone had said to me at the start of 2012 that I had to save all my money because Cult will cost you you an extra $150k a month (ish) then I might have had time to save up the cash, trim the fat and so on. Trying that now... I can't see a way it'd work, and I've been trying to find one for a while.[/I] [B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Nationwide Friday, 12th March 2014[/CENTER][/B] [B]El Heroe Mexicano vs. Sean Deeley[/B] This was a typically brilliant match between these two. They stretched one another in the quest for a Traditional title match at Super Showdown, bouncing back and forth across the ring in a sterling display of technical and aerial wizardry. It was an even contest, with Deeley’s technical wizardry matched against Heroe’s all-round excellence. In the end, Haley Buck proved the difference as she tripped Heroe as he came off the ropes, providing the split-second distraction that allowed Deeley to wrap the masked man up in a Seated Stretch Armbar in the centre of the ring – and leaving Heroe no choice but to tap out. Winner: Sean Deeley (B-) * Before Heroe had a chance to celebrate his victory, Ruin appeared as though from nowhere and bowled over him with a mighty lariat that turned the masked man inside out. Heroe hit the mat hard, and would likely have stayed down – but Ruin hauled him upright and nailed with a Descent Into Hell to add an exclamation point to the attack. * [B]Sam Cannon vs. Davis Wayne Newton[/B] It’s a long time since Sam Cannon wrestled on national TV, and the kid has been through so many name changes since then that it’s a wonder anyone recognises him – but they still do, attesting to his cult popularity, and the undying devotion certain wrestlers can attract if they’re a clear talent saddled with a woeful gimmick. Anyway, he pushed Newton hard, but Newton was a cut above the former Calamari Kid and was able to put him away with relative ease with – of course – a Fisherman’s Suplex. Winner: Davis Wayne Newton (C) * Cannon rolled out of the ring, ruing his loss as Newton celebrated. He headed up the ramp, turning to look back at the ring with a thoughtful expression on his face. But in doing so, he left himself open to an ambush as Ruin once more appeared in the blink of an eye, grabbing Cannon around the waist and launching him up and over in an almighty back suplex that splattered the former Cannonball Kid over the steel entrance ramp. For good measure, Ruin crushed Cannon’s unmoving body with a 300lb legdrop across the back of his head, before walking away as though nothing had happened. * Jean Cattley and The Gatekeepers were in The Firm’s locker room. Ota was meditating in the background, Powell was sitting on a couch, the vacant expression he typically wears when not wrestling present on his face. Cattley stood front and centre, his own expression contemplative. [COLOR="Navy"]“You know, I’ve seen a lot of things in this business. Invasions, assaults, ambushes – even acts that outside of this sport would be considered attempted murder.[/COLOR] [COLOR="Navy"]“The idea that Joe Sexy and his Elite group might shut down this company... well, it doesn’t sound so bad in comparison to that. I’m sure there’s plenty of people who’d like to see another wrestling company go out of business.[/COLOR] [COLOR="Navy"]“But here’s the thing. This isn’t just The Firm against Elite. This is Mid Atlantic Wrestling. There are dozens of workers who rely on this company surviving. Wrestlers, road crew, announcers, backroom staff... If this company closes, all those people lose their jobs. That’s what The Firm stands for. You can come in here and threaten us, but you’re threatening an entire company. The five of you are a strong and formidable force, but you can’t take on this whole company and win. You don’t know this company. You’ll be fought every step of the way. You’re outsiders. You don’t understand how this place works.[/COLOR] [COLOR="Navy"]“And that’s why you can’t win.”[/COLOR] * [B]“Machine” Jean Cattley and The Gatekeepers vs. Joe Sexy, “Enforcer” Phil Roberts and Ernest Youngman[/B] Holy cow. I was worrying about this one dragging the match down, being a six-man match – and those never grade well. Well, here’s the exception. Everything worked perfectly, the tale of the plucky, scrappy Firm members against the arrogant Elite getting the fans into the match, and the six men switching back and forth with an ease that belied their avoidance of a Cattley/Roberts pairing. Cattley was the standout for the Firm, although Powell showed impressive brawling skills when pitted against Sexy. Ota and Powell, despite their big league histories, found themselves outfought by their opponents individually, although when they were able to work as a team, they were the match of their opponents. In the end, however, Elite were able to isolate Powell, leading to The Hit, and a victory for Youngman and his allies. Winners: Elite (B-) * After the match, Sexy and Youngman took up mics, while Roberts watched on in silence. They promised to rid the business of [COLOR="Blue"]“the stench of overambitious mooks who’ve grown too big for their size four Hush Puppies,”[/COLOR] as Sexy put it. Youngman added: [COLOR="Blue"]“I got my start in MAW. I’m not saying that it doesn’t have its place – but the natural order of things has the big boys at the top, and the little guys at the bottom. That’s the way it is. I left here when I outgrew MAW. I came back as the advance scout for my employers in New York. It’s time that this company realised how things are – and we’re the people to make that happen.”[/COLOR] * [B]Tim Westybrook vs. Trent Shaffer[/B] Bearing in mind last week’s cluster, we kept this one a little more simple. Shaffer’s pace was pitted against Westybrook’s strength (as has been noted time and again, this always works), and even if the dynamic was a little screwy with the heel being the little guy, it was still a good enough contest to hold the fans’ attention and keep them interested after the strong opening to the show. As Shaffer used hit and fade tactics, continually bailing from the ring whenever he was in danger of losing the advantage, to Westybrook’s evident frustration. The referee prevented Westybrook from pursuing him, and Westybrook grew angrier and angrier, giving Shaffer the chance to land still more powerful strikes. However, the Elite man was not able to score a decisive blow to keep Westybrook down, and with time the World champion made his way back into the match, blasting his opponent with a series of high-impact power moves that left Shaffer reeling and seemingly on the verge of defeat – a result that was averted somewhat by the intervention of the Sexy, Youngman and Roberts who sprinted down the ring and slid into the ring, taking Westybrook down and saving their partner, but drawing the DQ in the process. As the show went off the air, The Firm were charging the ring in an effort to save Westybrook, and the ring and surrounding area were in chaos as the two teams tore into one another. Winner: Tim Westybrook (B-) [B]Overall: C+[/B] [I]Next: Who're the new Ed Henson champions? And other, slightly more surprising, events...[/I]

[Hyde Hill]

Man why was that not a B- show! Some of the angles must have "tanked". And yeah you will prolly be operating at a huge loss anyways and if you remember the info and implement it later its np.

[James Casey]

I call bull on that show rating. Someone at tew.com clearly doesn’t like us... * [QUOTE] [I][CENTER]MAW.com Show Report – On Tour in Tri-State Saturday 13th March 2014[/CENTER] Hello everyone, this is Reese Paige bringing you the latest MAW action from The Ministry – fitting, in some ways, considering what happened at tonight’s show. But before we get to that, we started tonight’s action with the perennial rivalry between The Canadian Blondes and The Second Sons, both competing for the first time under the new rules of the tag division implemented by James Casey. The two experienced teams put on a solid opener, culminating in Flash Savage applying a Canadian Crab on Antonio for the submission win and their first point. Next to the ring were the group we saw last week – Raphael, accompanied by Marc Speed, Josh Jones, GB Wood and Ann Lee Kubrick. Or, as Raphael called them, Wraith, Null, Pyre and Anne Sidious. It seems that the charismatic Raphael has learned from Phoenix/Firebird and Rip Chord/The Mentor when it comes to naming his charges. He proclaimed that this night saw a new order – The Rule Of One. The coming weeks and months would see the One exert their power over MAW. The One was the true source of power, and the upstart Firm and Elite groups would soon realise that their petty squabbles were as nothing when set against the will of the One. Okay... We followed that segment with six-man action as Kristabel Plum and The Party Animals vied to gain a point for TPA against Brooke Tyler and The Sure Things. This was an enjoyable mixed contest, with Tyler and Plum both seemingly keen to aid their allies or, at least, to beat each other. In the end, Plum nailed Tyler with a Plum Tucker to pick up the win for her team. Null/Jones seemed to have the ideal chance to start the One off well as he took on KC Glenn in Glenn’s return from injury. However, Glenn was fired up for the match and was able to get a win in his comeback match with a Tune Up The Sunshine Band. Next, Smith & Singh expressed wariness about taking on Wraith and Pyre (The Adepts) until they ‘remembered’ that they were an experienced team – and, indeed, former champions. They entered the match in ebullient spirits, clearly pleased to be teaming together once more. However, it seems they may have picked up some ring-rust during their separation as a spirited contest ended with their defeat after some spookily good teamwork on the part of Raphael’s followers ended with Pyre/Wood trapping Smith and forcing him to submit. Finally, Raphael clashed with Bradford Peverell, the self-proclaimed protector of MAW clearly unimpressed with the One and their claims. The two battled back and forth for almost fifteen minutes, and with Peverell’s fists blazing it seemed that he might be able to put the One 1-2 down on the night, but Raphael always has a formidable card up his sleeve in the form of the Turnbuckle Exploder, and on this night he was able to unleash the fury to score the win. Fans, The Rule Of One made an impression on the Ministry crowd tonight. Watch out when MAW hits near you, just in case you end up becoming One as well... The Canadian Blondes (1pt.) def. The Second Sons – E+ The Party Animals (1pt) and Plum def. Tyler and The Sure Things – D- KC Glenn def. Null – D The Adepts (1pt) def. Smith & Singh – D+ Raphael def. Bradford Peverell – D- Overall: D-[/I] [/QUOTE] * It was time for the annual NOTBPW Ed Henson Cup this week and, as they have done for the last nine years, the winners were Jeremy and Dan Stone Jr. NOTBPW currently have six active teams, two of which involve Dan DaLay, two of which involve Maverick... And yes, one of the teams is DaLay and Maverick ...but instead of giving the win to a team like Steve and Alex DeColt (how big would the CGC duo winning the tourney be?), it was same old, same old. The fans didn’t even seem to go for it, as the by NOTBPW standards, the show did poorly, only scoring a B. * Xavi Ferrara picked up an injury during his match – Extreme Bed Head. He’s not expected to miss any match time, but his chances of pulling next time he goes clubbing have taken a downturn. * Someone out there really likes Stevie Grayson. He’s the reigning NYCW Tag Team champion with American Machine, and has been for twelve months. In addition to that, though, in the last week he’s captured the vacant NYCW Empire and FCW People’s title as well, after Sean Deeley and Rudy Velasquez respectively left those companies. Grayson was also MAW Tag Team champion with Trent Shaffer, of course, as a replacement when Frankie Perez moved to NOTBPW. Grayson’s held more gold than Shaffer since the duo split – but Shaffer’s not done badly, with reigns in CGC and SWF being rather more prestigious, with all due respect, than FCW in particular. Weird, though – I heard that Grayson [URL="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?p=526488"]didn’t perform well in Puerto Rico...[/URL] * [CENTER][B]MAW Nationwide[/B] El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley vs. Trent Shaffer and Ernest Youngman Joanne Rodriguez, Lauren Easter and Kristabel Plum vs. Brooke Tyler, Nadia Snow and Alicia Strong Chris Caulfield vs. Swoop McCarthy – non-title Tim Westybrook vs. “Enforcer” Phil Roberts – non-title[/CENTER]

[Candyman]

[B]MAW Nationwide[/B] [B]El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley[/B] vs. Trent Shaffer and Ernest Youngman Joanne Rodriguez, Lauren Easter and Kristabel Plum vs. [B]Brooke Tyler, Nadia Snow and Alicia Strong[/B] [B]Chris Caulfield[/B] vs. Swoop McCarthy – non-title [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. “Enforcer” Phil Roberts – non-title

[Bigpapa42]

[B]MAW Nationwide[/B] [B]El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley[/B] vs. Trent Shaffer and Ernest Youngman [B]Joanne Rodriguez, Lauren Easter and Kristabel Plum[/B] vs. Brooke Tyler, Nadia Snow and Alicia Strong [B]Chris Caulfield[/B] vs. Swoop McCarthy – non-title [B]Tim Westybrook [/B]vs. “Enforcer” Phil Roberts – non-title

[Hyde Hill]

El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley vs. [B]Trent Shaffer and Ernest Youngman[/B] [B]Joanne Rodriguez, Lauren Easter and Kristabel Plum[/B] vs. Brooke Tyler, Nadia Snow and Alicia Strong [B]Chris Caulfield[/B] vs. Swoop McCarthy – non-title [B]Tim Westybrook[/B] vs. “Enforcer” Phil Roberts – non-title

[Tigerkinney]

El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley vs. [B]Trent Shaffer and Ernest Youngman[/B] [I]I feel this feud will see the top heels on top during the early going, so i'm going for another Elite win here.[/I] [B]Joanne Rodriguez, Lauren Easter and Kristabel Plum[/B] vs. Brooke Tyler, Nadia Snow and Alicia Strong [I]Seems strange seeing J-Ro and Easter in the 'face' role, overall I feel their team is a little stronger, so my pick is with them. [/I] [B]Chris Caulfield[/B] vs. Swoop McCarthy – non-title [I]It's non title, so Swoop can definitely take the loss here.[/I] Tim Westybrook vs. “Enforcer” Phil Roberts – non-title [I]Schmozz draw Big Timmy stays unbeaten, and Phil Roberts continues to look a threat.[/I]

[James Casey]

[B][CENTER]Mid Atlantic Wrestling presents: Nationwide Friday, 19th March 2014[/CENTER] El Heroe Mexicano and “Machine” Jean Cattley vs. Trent Shaffer and Ernest Youngman[/B] The Firm/Elite feud continued with this match, with the two sides showing off their considerable skills as singles workers – although Shaffer and Youngman seemed to have the edge as a duo, with their teamwork noticeably more fluid than that of Heroe and Cattley. In the end, that was the separator between the two teams, as Cattley was taken over the top rope by a double clothesline before Shaffer nailed a Heart Burn on Heroe for the win. Winners: Shaffer and Youngman (C+) * As Shaffer and Youngman made their way up the ramp, Jean Cattley picked up a mic. [COLOR="Navy"]“The challenge your leader made is accepted,”[/COLOR] he said. [COLOR="Navy"]“It will be three on three at Super Showdown – and I will make sure to cleanse this company of the stench of everything that is wrong. Your very presence in this company is the sign of a poison, and the man standing before you now is the cure!”[/COLOR] He spiked the microphone into the mat and stalked off, leaving Heroe in the ring, as Rip noted that he’d never seen Cattley look so intense. * [B]Joanne Rodriguez, Lauren Easter and Kristabel Plum vs. Brooke Tyler, Nadia Snow and Alicia Strong[/B] Compare and contrast to last week’s six-man. Six men, or six women? Well, the fans have spoken. Anyway, the match involved the Women’s champion avoiding her opponents for tomorrow night, which meant that Easter and Rodriguez were tying up with Snow and Tyler, leaving Plum to deal with Strong. The fans were irritated by Strong’s antics, and let the turncoat know their displeasure. The result was almost secondary to the ongoing war, as Rodriguez caught Tyler with a J-Rocker for the win as Strong watched on from ringside, having hopped off the apron immediately beforehand to avoid J-Ro’s ire. Winners: Rodriguez, Easter and Plum (D) * After the bell, J-Ro stood on the second rope, staring intently at Strong as the Women’s champion backed up the aisle, trash-talking her challenger as she held the title belt over her head. * Chris Caulfield was backstage when he was approached by Dawn. [COLOR="Magenta"]“Chris, do you have any comments on the six-man match at Super Showdown?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“Yeah, I do. I used to think actions spoke louder than words, but Joe Sexy seems to think that words mean more than anything. Has anyone seen him defend the All Action title? No. He took that title from me fairly enough, within the rules of the match, but sooner or later that belt is going on the line, and I intend to be there when it does.[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“As for this Saturday... I’m not a man who plays well with others, it’s true. I never have been. I don’t mean that in a bad way – it’s just always been me, and me alone. But if I have to rely on others to have my back, then I figure Westybrook and Cattley are about as good as they come. The champ has his beef with Elite coming into this company and claiming he’s not worth that belt. Cattley objects to the company he damn near built being run down as not worthy of standing alongside the big boys. Me...”[/COLOR] He grinned, revealing the cracked teeth he suffered in a memorable brawl with Nemesis that saw him take an iron skillet flush in the mouth. [COLOR="Blue"]“I just like beating the ---- out of Joe Sexy. Elite think they can talk down to the rest of us. Well, I’ve been talked down to all my life, and I keep fighting. I kept being told that my way wasn’t the right way, that I’d never make it – that hardcore would never make it. Well, who’s hardcore?”[/COLOR] [B][COLOR="Blue"]“Caulfield’s hardcore!”[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR="Blue"]“Damn right. I made it. MAW’s made it. And Elite? We’re gonna show them how.”[/COLOR] * Ahead of his match with non-title match with Caulfield, Swoop McCarthy entered the ring. [COLOR="Teal"]“You see before you the one and only Traditional champion. Well on his way already to becoming the most dominant champion in the history of this company, with sixteen defences of the Traditional title, Swoop McCarthy!”[/COLOR] Swoop basked in the fans’ response, which was definitely heated. [COLOR="Green"]“Yes, congratulations Mr. McCarthy, your recent approach has seen you be a credit to that title,”[/COLOR] I said, standing and catching Swoop’s attention. [COLOR="Green"]“Deliberate disqualifications and count-outs, finagling non-title matches against established competitors such as Chris Caulfield-”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Teal"]“Swoop is a pragmatist,”[/COLOR] Swoop cut in. [COLOR="Teal"]“And he respects his opponents. By accepting a defeat that retains the title, Swoop is saying that on that night there was no way of attaining victory. This title is important – moreso to Swoop than anyone else.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Please do not interrupt me, Mr. McCarthy. It is impolite at best, and utterly rude at worst. I understand that as an Australian you have a certain impulsiveness about you, and I do my best to give the competitors in my company a significant amount of leeway. Nonetheless, interrupt me again and I assure you that you will regret doing so.”[/COLOR] I paused. [COLOR="Green"]“Now, you say that you respect your opponents, and that is good. Your match at Super Showdown will see you receive a wonderful opportunity to show off that respect. You see, recently there have been a number of competitors vying for a shot at your Traditional title: El Heroe Mexicano, Davis Wayne Newton and Sean Deeley to name the three most obvious. Now, Sean can’t be here on Saturday due to a prior commitment, but under me MAW is running as what I hope will come to be recognised as a meritocracy. You have to earn your shots, and you can do that with wins – but a weak victory isn’t worth much. A strong performance in defeat is much more impressive. And that’s why at Super Showdown, Mr. McCarthy, you will be taking on Davis Wayne Newton... El Heroe Mexicano... and Phoenix!”[/COLOR] * [B]Chris Caulfield vs. Swoop McCarthy[/B] With no title on the line, Swoop should have been more open to going after Caulfield than he might otherwise have been. However, the announcement of his upcoming match was clearly weighing heavily on his mind, and time and again he found himself falling prey to the veteran guile of Caulfield, who was able to boot him around with an ease almost bordering on insult. Too late, Swoop seemed to realise that he was in a real fight and rallied, but it wasn’t anywhere close to being enough, and he soon after fell victim to a Danger Drop as Caulfield took a big boost in momentum ahead of the six-man match at Super Showdown. Winner: Chris Caulfield (C+) * After the win, Caulfield played to the crowd in celebration. As he crossed the ring to climb a turnbuckle, however, he was ambushed from behind by Ruin, who pitched him into the ropes and smashed him into the mat with a spinebuster. Before he could go any further, however, the big screen lit up with a familiar face: That of Liberty. [COLOR="Blue"]“Ruin, that’s enough!”[/COLOR] he yelled. [COLOR="Blue"]“Chris Caulfield is just out there, doing his thing, man. The same way that Heroe and Sam Cannon were last week. That’s not cool! A man has a constitutional right to go about his business without needing to worry about being attacked. Now I know your lost your title, and I sympathise. It always sucks, man. But this Saturday I think you and I need to meet up in the ring and I can teach you the proper way of channelling your frustrations. I ain’t talking about yoga or karmic spiritualism, Ruin. I’m talking about fighting. You’re good at it, I’m good at it, and on Saturday I’m going to teach you to stick to it when you’re in a bad mood.”[/COLOR] As always with Liberty, the promo was a little whacked out – but the fans still ate it up as another match was made for Super Showdown. * [B]Tim Westybrook vs. “Enforcer” Phil Roberts[/B] Almost inevitably, the pairing with good chemistry is the pairing unlikely to appear that much because of Roberts being on tour with GCG over the coming months. Still, enjoy this while it lasts – MAW’s best match in months, if not years. Roberts is an exemplar technical wrestler, and if his motivations are, on occasion, not what the man in the crowd might like, that doesn’t make him any the less effective. Of Westybrook’s opponents in the last weeks, it was Roberts who was best able to nullify the big man’s strengths as he deflected the clubbing blows and blocked and countered his way out of holds that in Westybrook’s powerful hands had the potential to be devastating. However, for all Roberts’ talents, he is some ten years older than Westybrook, and despite being in great shape for a man his age, Westybrook is a physical freak, capable of outlasting almost anyone at any time. Westybrook kept plugging away, slowly chipping away at Roberts’ defences. It seemed to be only a matter of time before Westybrook picked up the win, but seemingly from nowhere Roberts clamped on the RCT, trapping Westybrook in the centre of the ring. Westybrook struggled, fighting desperately but fading visibly. The referee checked his arm once... twice... thr- No! Westybrook powered up, lifting Roberts into the air and trying to grab him for a TNT Whirlwind as he had a few weeks ago, but Roberts had learned that painful lesson, and avoided Westybrook’s grip. Finally, his strength fading again, Westybrook dropped into the ropes, and the referee started the five count. Roberts held on tight, seemingly eking out every last second – and beyond, as the referee counted five with no sign of a break, meaning that Roberts was disqualified even as he cinched in the RCT still tighter. Westybrook’s face was now an alarming shade of purple as Roberts refused to break the hold, shrugging off the referee as Shaffer and Youngman charged the ring. Roberts finally released the hold, but only when Shaffer and Youngman were close enough to grab the champion and lift his unresisting form up into a ring-shaking spike piledriver. The Elite trio stood over Westybrook’s unmoving body even as Caulfield, Cattley and Heroe charged down to the ring, but their assault was met by the ready defence of Shaffer, Roberts and Youngman and as the show came to an end, The Firm were stymied by their opponents, with the World champion lying unconscious at the invaders’ feet. Winner: Tim Westybrook (B) [B]Overall: C+[/B] [I]Next: Super Showdown preview...[/I]

[Jericho Rules]

Every time I read about Ruin coming down to the ring and destroying someone, I can't help put picture what Kane and The Undertaker did during some WWF Raw's circa 1998. Man, those were some good times!:D EDIT: On a completely unrelated note, I find it amusing that I'm still a New Member despite being here since 2005.

[James Casey]

After the show, Enforcer Roberts was caught spreading rumours about Trent Shaffer. Evidently being team-mates in Elite isn’t enough to spare Shaffer the embarrassment of apparently having one of his more guarded secrets thrown open for public consumption. I tried to take a mature approach with Roberts, figuring that speaking to him in the same that I would with some of our teenage roster members might help him realise how immature he’d been. Of course, Roberts is older than me, so I’m not sure how well it went. I guess I’ll have to take him at his word when he says that it won’t happen again. * [QUOTE] [CENTER][B]MAW.com preview: Super Showdown[/B][/CENTER] Traditional title match: Phoenix vs. El Heroe Mexicano vs. Davis Wayne Newton vs. Swoop McCarthy (c) Swoop’s three challengers have all impressed in recent weeks, with big victories over one another and others as well. That was enough for MAW owner James Casey to throw the field open for Swoop’s match at the show, as three of MAW’s finest performers all vie for a chance to capture singles gold for the first time. Liberty vs. Ruin Ruin has been attacking people right, left and centre in the last few weeks, and Liberty has grown tired of it. The upholder of the constitution has set himself against MAW’s resident loose cannon in what should be a suitably titanic clash of these two stars. Cattley, Caulfield and Westybrook vs. Elite The leader of The Firm, the Everyday Warrior and the World champion make for a thoroughly impressive team – but is it possible that the Elite trio are more impressive yet? Sexy, Shaffer and Roberts want to make a statement in this elimination match, and by taking out three of MAW’s biggest stars, they would do just that. But Cattley and his team-mates have a lot of goodwill behind them as they take on the invaders from New York as they defend MAW against the Elite attempt to destroy it from within. Women’s title match: Lauren Easter vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. Alicia Strong (c) The last time this match took place, Strong walked out of the match the newly-crowned champion. This time, Strong is several months into a reign and has looked dominant as champion. However, the enmity between these three women has not yet abated, and we’re sure of another classic match in this main event match-up. All this, plus more, at Centrepiece Bridge, this Saturday, bell time 8pm! [/QUOTE] * [CENTER][B]MAW Super Showdown[/B] El Heroe Mexicano vs. Phoenix vs. Davis Wayne Newton vs. Swoop McCarthy (c) – MAW Traditional title Liberty vs. Ruin Tim Westybrook, “Machine” Jean Cattley and Chris Caulfield vs. Joe Sexy, Trent Shaffer and “Enforcer” Phil Roberts Lauren Easter vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. Alicia Strong (c) – MAW Women’s title Plus: Eddie Powell and Sam Cannon will both be in action![/CENTER]

[Tigerkinney]

MAW Super Showdown El Heroe Mexicano vs. Phoenix vs. Davis Wayne Newton vs. [B]Swoop McCarthy [/B](c) – MAW Traditional title [I]As much as I think Swoop's probably has his time with this belt, I don't see him losing it in a 4-way. [/I] [B]Liberty[/B] vs. Ruin [I]Ruin's lost some of his 'unbeatable' aura and I think the good guys need to win at least one match.[/I] Tim Westybrook, “Machine” Jean Cattley and Chris Caulfield vs. [B]Joe Sexy, Trent Shaffer and “Enforcer” Phil Roberts[/B] [I]I feel we're still at the stage where the latest super-heel faction should look like a major threat.[/I] Lauren Easter vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. [B]Alicia Strong (c)[/B] – MAW Women’s title [I]With her new bad-girl attitude I see Strong holding onto the belt for a little while longer[/I]

[Hyde Hill]

[B]El Heroe Mexicano[/B] vs. Phoenix vs. Davis Wayne Newton vs. Swoop McCarthy (c) – MAW Traditional title [B]Liberty[/B] vs. Ruin Tim Westybrook, “Machine” Jean Cattley and Chris Caulfield vs. [B]Joe Sexy, Trent Shaffer and “Enforcer” Phil Roberts[/B] Lauren Easter vs. Joanne Rodriguez vs. [B]Alicia Strong (c)[/B] – MAW Women’s title