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MAW: 10 Simple Rules...

James Casey

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Nightshadeex Collaborator

Nightshadeex

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Great show. I was here for the first half, but missed most of the second half. I'm just glad I made it for the end. Assuming you wrote everything in a word document, just how long is it? I bet some people would be happy to get that bad boy all in one place...
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James Casey

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Thank you everyone for the kind comments thus far. I wanted the show to seem epic, and that's where we ended up it seems. A few notes before we get onto the epilogue(s): The diary at present runs to c. 1630 pages. There'll be a bit more added as I finish off the last few bits, but that's about where it is. Once everything's complete, I'll pdf it and put it up for download. In the meantime, everything up to January 2014 (the end of the RCI, I believe) is available for download on the first page. * With regard to the diary, we're not quite done yet. As previously mentioned, I had a lot of ideas that I never got the chance to use, and a lot of workers I never had a chance to sign. Hopefully you'll indulge me a little fantasy booking as I explore a possible future. * I was disappointed to get a B- for the last show. I figured I had an outside shot at a B+, and at the very least it was a solid B. With the last four matches being B or B+, I can only assume that not starting on a higher note was the issue. * Aaron Andrews first left MAW in July 2013, returning on loan in September, effectively for a farewell tour. I planted some seeds for his return then, just in case – but at that point he was too big for us. He re-signed shortly after we rose to Cult and made his return under the Kid Arachnid mask in April. Andrews has been a near-constant presence in the company, joining in early 2010 at a time when we were only running a maximum of two shows a month, rather than the nine we run now. Capturing the MAW title from Jay Chord in October 2010, he enjoyed a two-year reign, highlighted by his turn on, and feud with, Kirk Jameson. Dropping the title to Jameson in 2012, he drifted a little for the next six months before moving on when his contract expired. MAW is, needless to say, a better place for his presence. The main event was the second-best match ever held in the company. The best, as some will remember, was a time limit draw between Andrews and Rich Money back in the day when Money being the face was just unthinkable. Shame he’s such an unmitigated pain backstage. If I was playing for longer, I’d worry about his grumpy face over disciplinary issues with less than four months on his contract. And that’s come in spite of main eventing the last two pay-per-views and being the new World champion. Regarding the other possibilities for Kid Arachnid, Jay obviously returned to the company - more on that coming up. Masked Patriot is available from SWF as he's on a PPA right now, but he never quite pulled the match ratings I'd hoped for. The Gauges are tied up in Japan (Greg with GCG, Matt with PGHW if I remember right). Greg I probably [I]could[/I] get if he was available, Matt I would have no chance. As for Darryl Devine, he's going strong in the uppercard for TCW now he's ditched his useless tag partner... Jay Chord. Next post will be the start of the epilogue. In the meantime let's keep this bumped and see if we can bring in anyone who missed the show (one page back) or, who knows, might have to start at the beginning and make their way through the 2,100+ posts to get to this point. Right now, I'm hoping to break 2,200... :D
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*wild sustained applause* I actually did notice the 'slip of the fingers' you alluded to a few pages back - so I was pretty sure who KA was - but I don't think I'm the one who told you about it. Speaking of Arachnid, until you posted the final clue I thought Jameson would have been more likely than anyone else it could have possibly been except maybe Jay. (If that made ANY sense.) So where is Kirk?
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James Casey

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[I]OOC: Kirk (and Hugh de Aske, Steve Flash, Chance Fortune and a host of other ex-MAW stars) remains in SWF under a written deal. I did consider monkeying with Kirk and Hugh's contracts in the editor to get them back, but as things stand I think Hugh's deal is up in a couple of months, while Kirk would be available in six months or so.[/I] * [CENTER][B]Epilogue: Chapter 1[/B][/CENTER] The pay-per-view was over. MAW had repelled the invaders, and I was looking forward to writing the next few months of shows, culminating in the Rip Chord Invitational. There were four days between now and the next episode of Nationwide, and I was set to spend most of that time reviewing the roster, working out who had the potential to step up and who would be dropping down. Joe Sexy and Phil Roberts were standing the company their final rounds before heading off – Phil to Japan, Joe back to New York. Eric was heading off in a few days – he had a couple more shows left on his contract but I’d agreed to an early release as he wanted some time with his family while he considered his future. I felt sure that New York would be the ultimate destination, but he’d confessed that he had agreed a deal with Alicia to make some appearances for USPW in the meantime. Apparently there was talk of them running a storyline based on their MAW experiences, which I was interested in following. But that was USPW, and my job was MAW. I’d been in my office, mapping out the Invitational for a while. My mind was fizzing with ideas. Could Lassana Makutsi go all the way? Was it finally time to give Brandon Smith the big win? Would Joss Thompson deliver strong matches all the way along? Could Amazing Fire Fly step out of his tag team partner’s shadow? Who could we turn? Should we turn them? Were their any tag teams that had outlived their usefulness? There was a big hole at the top of the card now that Elite had been vanquished. Jean would remain, as would Ernest and Alicia. Alicia had proven herself, and I knew that the potential for fully integrated divisions could mean a lot more people pushing for spots up top. Having Joanne and Alicia united for the first time was something special, and there was a lot of fun to be had with their pairing, not to mention interactions with Lauren Easter. The three had such a good dynamic, and it had been almost a year since any combination of the three had been in a real storyline with each other. I jotted down a few notes, yawned, and stretched. Katie and the twins would be waiting... ...but there was a light on in Rip’s office. Slightly surprised, I walked over to his door and knocked gently. [COLOR="purple"]“Come in, kid.”[/COLOR] Rip was sitting behind his desk, staring out of the picture window over the cityscape beyond. It was a clear autumn night, and the stars were twinkling slightly. [COLOR="purple"]“That was a pretty good show, kid,”[/COLOR] Rip said. He looked up at me and smiled. [COLOR="purple"]“One of our best ones.”[/COLOR] I nodded. Rip was uncharacteristically sombre. [COLOR="purple"]“Kid, I’m sixty-five years old. Do you know what that feels like?”[/COLOR] I shook my head. I was only in my late forties. [COLOR="purple"]“After all the beatings, after all the blade jobs, and all the booze... It doesn’t feel as bad as I thought it would.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“Rip, are you okay?”[/COLOR] He nodded. [COLOR="purple"]“Yeah, kid, I am. I’ve just been thinking.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“What about?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="purple"]“Richard Eisen. Well, about Eric, really.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“Yes?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="purple"]“I talked to Eric eariler. I’d avoided him, actually. I remember him when he was a little kid, knee-high to...”[/COLOR] he pinched his nose. [COLOR="purple"]“Something small, anyway.”[/COLOR] I smiled. [COLOR="purple"]“The kid used to idolise us – all of us. Hell, way I heard it I was his favourite until I left and that damn Hype kid came along. “Anyway, I didn’t want to deal with any disappointment he might have felt. Pretty dumb, right? The kid’s shared a locker-room with Scott Sinclair for the last decade. He knows what the business is like, but I was the first one to lose it – the first of his heroes to fall. Drink. Lots of it. A few drugs, although never that much.”[/COLOR] I frowned. I’d heard the rumours, but Rip had always avoided drugs when he was around me – I’d had a zero tolerance policy even then after nearly losing a friend when I was young after a bad trip. [COLOR="purple"]“Well, we talked, and mainly we talked about Richard. He did well by me, kid. He put me through rehab, he supported me... I mean, I burned my bridges, and I guess that’s fine. Eric says he does that for a lot of us old farts that had trouble back in the day.”[/COLOR] Rip sighed. [COLOR="purple"]“I think I’ve lost it, James.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“Lost what?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="purple"]“My hatred. All these years, there’s been a part of me that hated Richard Eisen. He gave me a job and made me a star, and when I burned out he put me in rehab and paid for that for years until I was clean. And I hated him.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“I know.”[/COLOR] In truth, I’d been waiting for seven years for this conversation. Rip’s hatred of Richard had always puzzled me slightly, and at times I’d thought I’d understood it – but then something Rip would say would make it clear I didn’t know the whole story. I hadn’t pressed him on it. This was MAW – we were about the future, not the past. [COLOR="purple"]”Do you know why?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“No.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="purple"]“Because he never asked for anything in return. If he’d put me back in the ring, if he’d put me on commentary, hell, if he’d brought me back for one show... I would have felt like I’d paid him back. But he paid for all that, and he never asked for anything – never even spoke to me. It was like...”[/COLOR] He stopped, and for once I knew that Rip was searching for the right metaphor – one that could not be misunderstood. [COLOR="purple"]“...like he’d bought me out of the family. By paying for me to get clean, he washed his hands of me. He put me through rehab, and then said[/COLOR][COLOR="DarkOrange"]‘That’s it. I’m done with you now. Go away, and never come back.’[/COLOR][COLOR="purple"]”[/COLOR] He lapsed into silence. His impersonation of Richard was uncanny, I must say. [COLOR="green"]“That’s why?”[/COLOR] I asked. He nodded. [COLOR="purple"]“I did pay him back, eventually. That’s why I ended up in Hollywood – I had to do it to earn that last bit of cash. It was all handled by lawyers, though. I never spoke to Richard. Never received any acknowledgement... “Then Stallings put me in touch with some brokers, and all of a sudden I had more cash then I could spend. But it wasn’t enough. “There was always that gnawing sensation inside me. A part of me felt like I was owed more, somehow. Like I deserved more recognition – another run, or being sat behind the desk or just one more night in front of the fans. But hell, I p---ed it all away, so what the hell did I deserve? A lot less than I got, that’s for sure. “So that’s why I started MAW. I wanted to run a better company than him. I wanted the respect – I wanted his respect. And over time, I went crazy. You pulled me back from the edge, kid. And having Jay around again helps, because God knows he needs someone to keep him in check a lot of the time. Still, I always looked at MAW as maybe having enough to become big, even if I acted like being small was fine. I didn’t want people to know. I didn’t want them laughing at me if it failed. I couldn’t stand putting myself out there again, taking that fall again. I was going to beat Richard, and I was going to make it look like I’d almost done it by accident. Looking bad in front of Eisen again...”[/COLOR] For a second his voice seemed almost on fire, the desire burning clearly. Then he sat back in his chair, and the intensity vanished. [COLOR="purple"]“And then I spoke to Eric, and I found out what sort of father Richard was...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“Yes?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="purple"]“He cares about his family, really. But he was away so much, and he became so distant once they got involved... It’s like, once they were adults, once they were in the business... They just became talent, just more employees. It’s how Richard operates. Supreme is everything to him, his whole world – and when you’re a part of his world, you play by his rules at all times. Whatever else you are, you’re a Supreme employee. “So maybe Richard Eisen did as well by me as he could do. Maybe I should stop feeling sorry for myself. Because Richard Eisen was a good boss, all things considered. The money he paid me, the chances he gave me, the things I did and saw that wouldn’t have been possible without him... And he got me clean. He saved my life. “So... I think I need to make a call to New York. Do you think he’ll still be awake?”[/COLOR] I checked my watch. It was before midnight, so I nodded. [COLOR="green"]“Yeah, it’s Richard.”[/COLOR] He snorted. [COLOR="purple"]“Yeah. Eric said something similar. Kid, can you come in tomorrow? I need to talk to you about something.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="green"]“Sure,”[/COLOR] I said. [COLOR="Green"]“What time?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="purple"]“Ah, noon. We’ll have lunch. Bring Katie and the kids as well.”[/COLOR] I frowned slightly, and would have asked what Rip had on his mind, but he’d already picked up the phone and was punching in a number from memory. I wondered how many times he’d thought about making the call, how many times he’d rehearsed what he’d say. I closed the door behind me, leaving him to his privacy as he began a conversation twenty years in the waiting.
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[B][CENTER]Epilogue: Chapter 2[/CENTER][/B] Lunch can mean a few things at the Biker Museum. Business talks with the owner, Gray Goldman, were usually conducted over the petrol tank of one of his classic bikes while we ate thick sandwiches, of which grease was the primary ingredient. Pay-per-views got thrashed out over light buffets, while television negotiations typically are a bit fancier. We’re happy to have the pay-per-view guys in, get them to sign, and get going. The networks we can linger a little longer with – there’s more to discuss, and we can crack out the wine in an attempt to soften them up. And then there’s this: A table groaning with food piled so high that you had to stretch to see who was sitting opposite you – in my case, Josh Jones. In fact, the whole roster and a fair few friends were gathered at the Biker Museum. The departed members of Elite were all there, as were Nemesis, Sam Strong and a few other old-timers who I recognised from occasional visits backstage at the shows to talk to Rip. The only person missing, in fact, was Rip himself. He appeared a few minutes after the hour, wearing a hideous Hawaiian shirt. [COLOR="purple"]“Let’s eat!”[/COLOR] he said, and dropped into a seat at the top of the table, Jay to one side of him, Sam at the other. Rip didn’t eat that much, in fact. He piled a plate high and was soon doing the rounds, chatting to different people about this and that. When he reached Katie and the twins, he just smiled – I don’t think any father or grandfather could have been prouder as little Patrick reached up to his godfather and was swept up into the air. As Rip passed me he crouched down for a moment. [COLOR="purple"]“Got that envelope?”[/COLOR] he asked, before quickly moving on to chat to Davis Wayne Newton and Ariel Breaks. I frowned. ‘That envelope’ had stayed within arm’s reach of me for the last seven years, near enough. Rip had given it to me to look after on my first day in the locker room. I knew what was in it. Rip had asked me to be the executor of his living will in the event that anything happened to him and he had to be taken into hospital. Rip’s superior physical condition and lucky genetics had meant that he’d not actually taken too much damage from all those years of drinking, but still, it was all relative. He didn’t need a transplant, but it was still likely that he’d have problems, hence his desire to have everything written down in case he wasn’t able to make his wishes known. I checked my pocket, but I knew it was there – I’d long since grown used to its weight. Thinking about it, it was heavier than I would have expected for just a few sheets of paper. Rip had asked to see it a few weeks ago and I’d noticed in passing that it was heavier when it came back. I’d thought at the time that Rip had just added to his wish list if ever he did end up in trouble. Rip was onto his third can of cream soda, having narrowly lost out to Sam in a chips and dips eating contest that saw both legends with their faces smeared in chilli dip. Cameras flashed as they bantered good-naturedly. Finally Rip stood at the top of the table. The Dirties were finishing off the last of the food and he waited good-humouredly for their squabble over the last chicken leg to come to a close with Thrash triumphant. [COLOR="purple"]“Thank you all for coming. I know it’s been short notice for a lot of you, and some of you have put off plans to be here today. I’m grateful – I feel like I imagine the little Dutch boy would if he was believed when there actually was a wolf at the dam.”[/COLOR] The silence as almost a hundred people strained to work out that metaphor was deafening. [COLOR="purple"]“Now, why are you here? Well, it’s simple enough – I’m officially announcing my retirement, effective the end of this month.”[/COLOR] Silence became an immediate hubbub as Rip grinned at the reaction he’d caused. [COLOR="Purple"]“No, come on, I’m sixty-five. It’s time. I’m going to spend a few weeks on a beach somewhere, getting a tan and drinking cream soda ****tails, and then I’m going to write my autobiography. And if you don’t want a certain story to make it, you can leave bribes here at the offices and I’ll come by and pick them up every now and then.”[/COLOR] There was some laughter, and Sam drew an exaggerated hand across his brow. [COLOR="Purple"]“Now, I don’t want to make too big a deal of this. I have some business to attend to over the next couple of months, and then I’m heading for someplace hot and sunny. I’ll still be around, but for now I’m handing over my stake in the company. I began MAW almost ten years ago, and I think it’s time that I passed it on. So good luck to my successors, who I trust to do a great job with the house that Rip built... with a lot of help. “Thank you all for coming.”[/COLOR] * [I]OOC: And for those wondering how I got Jay back, now you know...[/I]
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[B][CENTER]Epilogue: Chapter 3[/CENTER][/B] Despite Rip’s stated wishes, the party was a very big deal indeed. I escaped after a few hours to my office’s balcony and took out the envelope. Rip hadn’t said outright that I should open it, but it seemed as good a time as any. Ever since Rip had mentioned ‘successors’ the world had niggled at the back of my mind. A slip of the tongue, or...? I opened the envelope and drew out a couple of sheets of paper and some thick parchment. I recognised the latter as our local firm used the same stuff when drawing up our contracts. I looked at the papers first. It was a letter from Rip dated a couple of weeks ago. [I]James, I figure by now I don’t need a living will any more. You and Katie know me well enough that I can trust you to do what needs to be done, if it ever needs doing. Kid, I’m starting to think about hanging up my boots for good. It’s been a fun few years, but I want to see what life is like outside this business. I had a taste when I had that break after leaving New York, and I guess I liked it. I know you’ve had concerns about working for Jay when I retire, but he’s my son. What else can I do but pass on my legacy to him? But, at the same time, there’s someone else who needs recognising as well: You. Kid, I killed your career just when it was starting to go places. Maybe you would never have been World champion, but who knows? I look at you now and with a few years practise on the mic you’re as comfortable as anyone I’ve ever dealt with. Your wrestling skills weren’t exactly too bad, either. If you got the chance... you could’ve been big, kid. You could have been bigger than I was, maybe. Who can say? I’ve never forgiven myself for that night. I crossed the line, and you paid the price. What you said to me in the hospital stuck with me, and when rehab got tough I remembered what you said. It wasn’t easy, but it was my own damn fault I was there, and I’m grateful to you. That’s why I wanted to make sure you were recognised as well. You’ve done stuff with this company I never dreamed of, and if we didn’t always agree, well... It’s not my problem anymore. It’s Jay’s – and yours. I’ve drawn up the contract so the company will be owned 50:50 by Jay and you. It just needs the two of you to sign it. By the time you’ve read this, I’ll have told Jay all about it. I think it’ll suit him, actually. He’s happier being out west, and this way he can be the big guy when he comes back. You handle the day-to-day stuff, and keep the company running. Between you, you’ll push the company on upwards, I know it. And I’ll be at home, with a soda, and enjoying watching it if I can ever get my damn computer logged on without you or Reese to show me how each day. Good luck, kid. You’ve earned it – and sorry about your knee. -Rip[/I]
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[B][CENTER]Epilogue: Chapter 4[/CENTER][/B] The ghost of Rip Chord loomed large in the tri-cornered office area. Jenna, his secretary, looked a little lost. She’d been with MAW since day one, near enough – longer now than anyone else. At one point I suspected that she and Rip had been seeing one another, but apparently it had never been serious. [COLOR="Red"]“So, what do we do with Dad’s office?”[/COLOR] Jay asked. [COLOR="Green"]“Games room?”[/COLOR] Jay snorted. [COLOR="Red"]“I was thinking of making it into a small museum. Dad’s got all those trophies in his basement. Wrestler of the Year statues, fan awards, Most Hated, Most Popular...”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“That’s not a bad idea. We could have contract negotiations in there, that sort of thing. Make it a challenge: This is what you have to live up to.”[/COLOR] I caught Jay nodding out of the corner of my eye. [COLOR="Green"]“Where’s he got to on the world tour?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“He spent Christmas in Canada with Bruce. I think yesterday he went to Florida to meet up with Sam, and then in a couple of days he’s headed for Australia. He said it’s the one place he never wrestled, and it’s summer there now, so he’s going to take a couple of weeks there. He said he’ll pop back for the Invitational,”[/COLOR] Jay said, with a one shouldered shrug. [COLOR="Green"]“Coming from Australia to the Centrepiece Bridge just to hand over a trophy,”[/COLOR] I repeated, with a shake of my head. [COLOR="Green"]“But I guess it’s his show.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“It’s the business. Now, it’s New Years’ Eve, James. How’s our company?”[/COLOR] I looked around. The Biker Museum was still MAW’s home. We’d put too much money into it to move anywhere else. Behind us, the end of year party was buzzing. Almost three-quarters of the roster had made their way to the Museum – almost everyone who didn’t have a show elsewhere. In front of us was Rip’s office. I looked at it, and for a moment I could see it filled with Rip’s trophies. He’d already mounted a number of plaques on one wall commemorating the presence of MAW workers in the PWH magazine Top 100. This year there would be more – Aaron, Jean, Eric and Gino all seemed likely to feature. Joanne and Alicia were contenders as well. In one hand I held another plaque that had arrived by courier a few moments before. I held it up to show Jay. [COLOR="Red"]“’Most Improved Promotion of the Year’,”[/COLOR] he read. [COLOR="Red"]“Very nice. That will look good next to the others. How’s the money situation?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“We made a profit this month,”[/COLOR] I said. Jay grinned in disbelief. [COLOR="Red"]“Really?”[/COLOR] I nodded. [COLOR="Green"]“Not much, but I’ve already sent a chunk of it over to Nemesis.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Do you think he’ll accept it?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“I hope not. I have plans for that money.”[/COLOR] Jay shook his head. [COLOR="Red"]“You always have plans.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“So I keep hearing.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“So, who’s going to win the Invitational?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“Well, I think you can make the final again, but I don’t think you’ll be winning...”[/COLOR] I outlined the scheme, and Jay nodded along. [COLOR="Red"]“Yeah, I can get behind that. He’s popular enough, and what you’re suggesting should be good. Dad would say it’s about time.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Green"]“He’s a slow burner, but going to Japan over the summer made the difference.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]“Okay, we’ll go with that.”[/COLOR] Jay walked over to his father’s office and set the PWH award down in the centre of the desk. He took a step back, looked at it, and nodded. He turned around, and just for a second... [COLOR="Red"]“James?”[/COLOR] I smiled. Twenty-odd years ago Rip and I had found our groove immediately when we faced each other that first time. Jay and I, meanwhile, had worked together on and off for over six years, and never found our groove. But then, we’d never worked together without Rip around. Jay might be better to work with if he wasn’t constantly competing for the attention of a father who’d been absent too long. As for me... Well, I had plenty of experience at working with a young troublemaker named Chord. And I had returned to the business with the specific intent of teaching Jay as he rose up in the world. That was how Rip had sold me on the idea – being in charge of the next generation of stars, with Jay at its forefront. Jay hadn’t been at the forefront, as it turned out, but he was still young enough to make that next step up, with the right person guiding him... [COLOR="Green"]“Kid, this could be the beginning of a beautiful partnership...”[/COLOR] [B][CENTER](Almost) The End[/CENTER][/B]
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[I]OOC: Does this work okay? Does it need breaking up a bit more?[/I] [B][CENTER]Epilogue 2: 2015[/CENTER][/B] After the departure of Elite, it took a while for the ramifications to play out. Jack Giedroyc and Ernest Youngman continued to wage war. Jean Cattley was an outcast who no-one wanted to be seen with. Trapped in the company he’d betrayed, he was buffeted from pillar to post over the next several months before vanishing from the company in the late Spring. Aaron Andrews, meanwhile, held off the challenges of Cameron Vessey, Sean Deeley and Davis Wayne Newton in his first months as champion, only for a surprise challenger to emerge as the clock ticked over to 2015: El Heroe Mexicano. Heroe pointed out that his guaranteed shot from winning the 2014 RCI was still valid, and in the spirit of friendship and respect, he was cashing in at the new year’s event. The RCI was a barnstorming event, with Andrews edging out his challenger by the narrowest of margins in a best-of-three falls match. The two men shook hands after the bell as Andrews promised his friend a rematch whenever he wanted it. However, Heroe would have to get in line behind his successor as champion: Brandon Smith. The normally genial Bulldozer had been on a streak in recent weeks, putting down his former tag partner Kashmir Singh in brutal fashion when Singh expressed concern about Smith’s actions. Jay Reso made Smith his pick for the RCI once more, and finally the choice paid off with the former NFL star tearing through Joss Thompson, T-Bone Bright and Jay Chord to claim the title. In his victory speech, Smith stated that he was through being mild-mannered – unleashing his natural aggression and strength had won him the Invitational, and it would see him take the World title soon. In the tag division, the Invitational also marked the final dissolution of Alicia Strong and Joanne Rodriguez as tag team champions. The two had worked well together in their early matches, but their natural enmity had slowly asserted itself, and in the end a non-title loss to Platinum 12” saw them at each other’s throats. They decided to settle things at the Invitational – each woman would pick a partner and the winning team would take the belts. However, the agreement was interrupted by Lauren Easter, who had felt slighted that Rodriguez hadn’t picked her as her partner, choosing Phoenix instead. Easter wanted into the match, and had allied herself with the debuting Ricky DeColt. The new pairing toppled Strong and Rodriguez in a non-title match on Nationwide to get into the match – not that it was too difficult, as Strong and Rodriguez were more at war with one another than their opponents. At the Invitational, Strong was the one with a new partner: None other than 5SSW’s reigning World champion Fuyuko Higa. Higa dazzled in the match, ultimately taking the win for her team when she pinned J-Ro to claim the titles for the pairing dubbed Team GLORY. January was not a happy month for Rodriguez, as the last Nationwide of the month saw her face Higa for the Women’s title – and lose. Higa outclassed the veteran champion from the bell, and claimed a shockingly quick pin to become a double champion in just twelve days – having beaten Rodriguez for both. 2015 would prove to be a difficult year for J-Ro, as she struggled with her anger and despair – although with Phoenix on her side, she had a staunch ally who knew full well the paths she was walking, and who did everything to bring her back. With the shattering of the gender divide – in the tag division at least – it seemed that everyone wanted to try and get a shot at the tag gold, and with Higa and Strong dominant, there were no shortage of strong matches in the year as the tag division blossomed. A prolonged pursuit on the part of Sean Deeley and Joss Thompson, who had dubbed themselves Greatness, Co. lasted for several months. Neither International seemed to take exception to women holding the belts, instead praising the pedigree of the champions even as they set out to destroy them in tag and individual matches. However, the International duo had their own problems as their superior attitude to the rest of the tag division – they proclaimed themselves the ‘uncrowned champions’ on several occasions – caused friction backstage. The Me In Team, The West Texas Lawmakers and Divine Intervention all targeted the top contenders, resulting in strong matches. When Greatness, Co did eventually get their title match, they had overcome several other teams in the weeks preceding. That success led to arrogance on their part and they took their opponents too lightly, resulting in defeat as Higa took down Thompson for the pin. The war between Giedroyc and Youngman came to a head at February’s Wrestling Classic, with the Wrath of God taking the decisive win after the duo had beaten each other senseless over the course of the last six months. Bereft at the loss of the Traditional title, Youngman would disappear from the company for some time as Giedroyc pursued others who had sinned in his eyes. Elsewhere, Lassana Makutsi made the shock decision to join with the Internationals early in the year to add to the group’s experience and diversity. The foursome controlled the midcard, but with something of a twist: Makutsi did everything he could to make sure that they won their matches cleanly. There was an interesting dynamic, with Newton, Deeley and Thompson attempting to corrupt Makutsi, while he attempted to make them clean up their act. Meanwhile, Jared Johnson tried to get his former partner out of the group, and took a lot of beatings on the way. The clash between Brandon Smith and Aaron Andrews finally happened in mid-summer. Smith had been mentoring the tag team of T-Bone Bright and Julius Moor, both young, former football stars that Smith was determined would have the hot start he didn’t have in the business. Smith had been stymied by Swoop McCarthy in his efforts, as the Australian seemed to block the youngsters every which way he could – although never seemed to be doing so deliberately. Smith and McCarthy finally settled their differences in a bloody cage match at July’s Summer Heatwave, with McCarthy getting beaten into insensibility by the raging Bulldozer before being flattened by a thunderous Backdrop Driver. The following month saw Smith taking on Andrews for the World title, but before that Higa and Strong had a nasty surprise. The Tag Team champions were celebrating their victory over Luchas De Mascaras when they were interrupted by Cattley and Youngman, who laid down a challenge to the champions in their first appearance in months. Dubbing themselves the Excommunicated, Cattley and Youngman went on a tear in the tag division, leading to a year-end clash with Strong and Higa where the two teams faced off in a ladder match for the belts that was won when Strong blasted Cattley from the top of the ladder with a Strong Arm Tactic. Back in August, however, the night was capped off with a thrilling clash between Smith and Andrews for the World title. With both men having shown their incredible stamina and endurance over the preceding months, only a sixty-minute Iron Man match would do as the feud topper. The war waged for a full hour as the Invitational and World champions gave everything they could in an attempt to defeat each other. With two falls apiece, the match entered the final minutes with both men seemingly out cold after a clash of heads. The seconds ticked by as both men struggled to their feet, and it was Smith who struck first, setting Andrews up for the Backdrop Driver, only for Andrews to somehow twist free and reverse the hold – not just being the first person to escape the deadly finisher, but also lifting the much larger Smith up and planting him with it as well to score the pin. Andrews’ celebration was almost anti-climatic as he crumpled to the mat, unable to stand from exhaustion. However, he was able to see the arrival of the man destined to be his next challenger: Alex DeColt making his return to MAW without a word, his mere presence speaking volumes. Traditional champion Jack Giedroyc seemed to be on a role with Youngman out of the way. He vanquished every foe in his path, and even struck up a loose friendship with KC Glenn – a man he considered to be without sin. However, he struck an unlikely roadbump as he was dethroned by Raphael. Giedroyc couldn’t seem to find a way to unsettle the ultra-narcissistic youngster, who he considered beyond saving. Ironically, it was Glenn who finally toppled Raphael for the title – sowing the seeds of conflict between the friends as Giedroyc questioned Glenn’s presumptiveness. The alliance would gradually splinter until a mid-August argument turned into a brawl, which turned bloody – leading to an ‘I Quit’-style match at The Clash when the two stubborn fighters tore the house down in an attempt to make each other confess to being wrong in the way they’d treated one another. In the end, Giedroyc came out on top when a three straight Crashing Ons left Glenn unable to defend himself, and he had no choice but to admit defeat. In spite of the win and the regained title, however, Giedroyc was visibly less than pleased with the way the situation had turned out. MAW’s MVP, however, was Gino Montero. He took on all comers as All Action champion and, although he lost occasionally, he would inevitably regain the title as well. Montero put forth superb performances in every match he wrestled, ending the year a seven-time champion, as well as picking up the King of the Indies title at Where It All Begins Again. On the same show, the tentative rivalry between Alex DeColt and Aaron Andrews flared into life as the two met in their first ever singles match. Andrews retained in another storming match, but as with Heroe he promised his rival a rematch at any time. However, that promise was interrupted once more as yet another new arrival to MAW made their debut: The ‘24 Hour Party Animal’, Edd Stone. The erratic Stone didn’t seem to know that he was in MAW for some weeks, continually referring to NOTBPW and TCW – but when he finally got in the ring to wrestle, against Alex DeColt at November’s Proving Ground, he revealed the whole thing to be part of ‘Edd Fu’, and the youngest Stone proved himself to be an expert at mind games, edging out DeColt in a dream match. As the year came to an end, the sad announcement was made that the match-ending bump in the Tag Team title match had been too much for Jean Cattley as the four-time MAW champion entered retirement from in-ring competition. Cattley had fought hard since losing to Aaron Andrews the year before, and if never loved like he had been, he was respected by the MAW fans in a way few others could hope to match. In his honour, he was named the MAW Commissioner, giving him control over match-making and the locker room. His first act was to order a match for the World title between Edd Stone and Aaron Andrews at the Invitational. His second was to book Team GLORY against the DeColt Brothers for the Tag Team titles on the same show. [I]Next: 2016...[/I]
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James Casey Newbie

James Casey

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[I]OOC: Mainstream was increased to Medium to allow for DQs, count-outs etc. Otherwise the product remained default MAW[/I] [B][CENTER]Epilogue 2: 2016[/CENTER][/B] 2016 dawned with the traditional New Year show as Rip Chord returned from his global trip for one night only to host the Rip Chord Invitational. The tournament held centre stage for much of the show as Gino Montero and Scythe took their respective paths to the final. Montero had the added wrinkle of defending his All Action title in every match, as Cattley showed that he hadn’t quite forgotten all his old rivalries. Scythe, meanwhile, had erupted into the uppercard late in 2015 after decimating everyone in his path, never having been pinned or made to submit. Elsewhere on the card, Team GLORY’s epic twelve-month Tag Team title reign came to an end when Alex and Ricky DeColt united to take the belts in one of the best tag matches seen in America for years. Meanwhile, Edd Fu propelled Stone to the brink of World title glory – only for Andrews to rally at the death to retain in a thriller. However, he was forced to break out the Standing Hotshot for the win – a move he had only resorted to as a very last resort, given its storied history in the famed Jameson/Andrews rivalry. In the final, Montero seemed to be the walking dead as Scythe splattered him with slams and suplexes in the early going. However, the All Action champion is nothing if not resourceful, and bit by bit he chipped away at his monstrous opponent, eventually luring him outside the ring where he was able to exploit his opponent’s lack of speed and send Scythe careening time and again into the crowd barriers, ringposts and steel stairs. Eventually Montero was able to land the Montero Press for the win, but as with Andrews before him the win had exhausted the new champion, and Scythe showed himself to be a poor loser by nearly putting Montero through the ring with a thunderous Underworld Spike. Montero’s woes continued over the following month. In spite of his RCI victory, and his control of the All Action title over the last two years, he seemed a little lost in the shuffle as KC Glenn made his much-heralded return to MAW after five months in Japan with BHOTWG. The former Kid Arachnid walked out to the ring on Nationwide sporting the Burning World title, only to be effectively upstaged a few moments later as Jay Chord made his entrance – sporting the USPW World title, which he’d won the previous night from Super Lucha Scott. The Arachnid triumvirate was completed moments later when Aaron Andrews came down to the ring with the MAW World title. The trio exchanged barbed pleasantries for a few moments before Glenn cut to the chase: Three World titles, one match – and only one man could be crowned the best. Andrews and Chord agreed, and the match was set for Super Showdown two months later. In the meantime, Andrews had to contend with Ricky DeColt, who convinced Commissioner Cattley to book him in a shot against Andrews the following month. Andrews survived that with a relatively comfortable win, but after the match was attacked by Chord, who was run off by Glenn, who dropped Andrews with a Tune Up The Sunshine Band that he would later claim to have been a marker – nothing personal. Andrews took it personally, nonetheless. For Montero, the goal seemed to simply be one of survival. Each of the Internationals took a run at him in the opening months of the year, and each had their own idea of an appropriate stipulation. Sean Deeley wanted submission matches. Davis Wayne Newton brought about the debut of overhead wires in MAW. Joss Thompson wanted street fights. Lassana Makutsi took the fight inside a steel cage. For Montero it was wearying, and he spent prolonged spells without the title, recapturing it from one International only to lose it days or weeks later to the next. Jared Johnson eventually sided with the beleaguered Montero as Makutsi grew visibly frustrated with his inability to change his teammates ways. Makutsi snapped when Thompson interfered in a title defence against Montero, and realigned himself with Johnson against the Internationals, leading to a six-man overhead wires match at September’s Clash event where Johnson shocked everyone by grabbing the title, just reward for his persistence in going after the Internationals in the name of upholding honour. The DeColt Brothers had their hands full in the tag ranks as well. Although Stone and Higa had moved back into the Women’s title hunt, the DeColts found themselves in the targets of the West Lexas Lawmakers. After several years as also-rans, Sherriff Blaze and Marshall Dillon had found form under new manager Wanda Fish, who had returned to MAW as the self-proclaimed ‘championship consultant’. She had locked horns with Jack Giedroyc immediately on arrival, guiding her first client Delirium in a series of unsuccessful shots at the Traditional champion, but from nowhere Lenny Brown had returned to the company and unseated the Wrath of God, putting Delirium through a table for good measure as Fish gloated about her cunning plan to distract Giedroyc with the masked man. In the tag ranks, Fish and the Lawmakers were far from alone. Although they were the front-runners in the title chase, they were hotly pursued by the resurgent Canadian Blondes and the Divine Intervention pairing of Quentin Queen and Phil Jerome. The three teams had been engaged in a bitter war for several weeks, with all three gaining and losing the advantage on a number of occasions. Eventually, a triple threat match was arranged between the three teams, and the Lawmakers came out on top thanks to their size and strength advantage – and the sheer guile and cunning of Fish at ringside. In the title match, however, they didn’t have quite enough about them, and although the contest was a thrilling one, and closer than many had predicted, the DeColts edged it largely as a result of their greater experience. New Women’s champion Ashley Grover had an awful lot on her plate as well. Having toppled Fuyuko Higa in a massive upset during a supposedly routine title defence on Nationwide, she found herself besieged on all sides as enemies and allies alike sought to earn title shots. Top of the heap after an exhausting three months spent under constant pursuit, Grover could be forgiven for swearing when her new challenger stepped forward: Joanne Rodriguez. The former champion showed Grover a great deal of respect as she requested a title match, agreeing to set the date at Grover’s choosing. The eventual showdown between the spunky Grover and the hugely-experienced Rodriguez seemed to be running to form as J-Ro largely had control of the match, but from nowhere Grover was able to nail a Chicago Hope for another big upset – or not, viewing the long list of challengers Grover had succeeded against since winning the title. After the match Rodriguez again showed respect for her opponent before announcing her retirement from the ring, and her intention to join the commentary team. Although the next six months would see Rodriguez be challenged by almost every woman in the company to come out of retirement, she would only take part in one more match: At Where It All Begins Again against Alicia Strong. The two long-time rivals would battle to a fine thirty-minute draw before J-Ro took her final bow before the massed crowd. Earlier in the year, attention had fallen on the Traditional title division. Feeling somewhat sidelined, Lenny Brown had taken to issuing challenges to anyone and everyone – however unlikely. Calling out Jim Force was all well and good – the Forceful one had a fun brawl with Brown at Old School Rules. Robbie Retro was the next challenger, and while he tested Brown the athletic champion was able to overcome him with a little help from Fish. Calling out El Heroe Mexicano? Not so clever. Heroe had an answer for everything that Brown tried, and while Brown is an exceptional athlete, Heroe proved himself his superior in every respect, eventually trapping him with the Mexican Mutilation for the win and the title. Heroe proved himself a more than worthy champion. He accepted any challenge from those who had shown themselves worthy. More than that, however, he helped anyone else to improve themselves to the point where they had shown sufficient worth. T-Bone Bright, KC Glenn, Ariel Breaks, Heroe’s friend Amazing Fire Fly, Ernest Youngman, Ashington C. Odam, Jefferson Stardust and Jay Chord all took shots at the masked champion, but no-one could unseat him. Then Heroe called out Edd Stone, claiming that Edd Fu was something he’d always wanted to match himself against, and the resultant ladder match ended in a no contest when both men fell almost twenty feet from the centre of the ring through the announcers’ table when the ladder they were fighting at the top of fell over. Heroe, though, was unbowed. On the next episode of Nationwide he called out Edd’s big brother, Duane. Or Jeremy. Or Dan Jr. Anyone, really. The call was answered by Jeremy Stone as for the first time a truly globally-recognised star made their debut in MAW. The war at June’s Fan Festival was just that – forty-five minutes of two of the greatest fighters on the planet absolutely tearing into one another. Heroe seemed half-dead on more than one occasion, but somehow kept fighting. Stone at times seemed to have underestimated his opponent, but not for nothing is he called one of the greatest of all time, as he always found a counter or a way out. To the surprise of almost everyone in the arena, Heroe found a way to land the Flying Headbutt to score the win, and the post-show offer of a handshake from Jeremy became an embrace as the veteran showed respect for his conqueror. But before this there was the battle of the former Arachnids, with Andrews, Chord and Glenn all fighting over the MAW World title. It was quite a long match, paced slowly in the early going before exploding into a flurry of near falls around the twenty minute mark that set the tempo for the rest of the fight. It was rare for the three men not to be involved in the battle, with very little rest for anyone. Allegiances shifted back and forth, but it was clear that Chord and Andrews had too much history to make for happy bedfellows, while Chord and Glenn seemed to just click, making things difficult for the World champion. The three champions fought unrelentingly, trying their best to beat each other senseless – and managing it when Glenn was eliminated from the match in a rare moment of Chord/Andrews unity as the youngest of the trio was catapulted into the ring post and knocked out, leaving the match down to two. Back in the ring, one of the all-time great MAW rivalries was resumed as Andrews and Chord resumed a fight after over five years separation. In a sense, you could think they’d never been separated, such was the intensity of their strikes and the fury they put into their attacks. On the other hand, five years had taught both men a lot, and it was clear that the match being fought now was several steps ahead of the ones they’d had back in the early days of MAW’s expansion. In and out of the ring, using every resource at their disposal, the two fought for a further twenty minutes, near falls stacking on top of one another, but neither man quite able to gain the advantage – until a Standing Hotshot from Andrews was just enough to put Chord down for the three. Utterly exhausted, Andrews lay on the mat, so spent as to be unable to move as Chord rolled out of the ring, furious, and grabbed a chair. He dragged himself back into the ring and stood on shaking legs over the helpless Andrews, who was able only to weakly cover his head as Chord teed up a swing- -only for the chair to be grabbed from him. Andrews’ rescuer was a man wearing a hooded sweater that masked his face from view, but as Chord turned too slowly the newcomer dropped him with a move recognisable to long-term fans as the Bullseye. The newcomer held out a hand to Andrews to pull him upright then pulled back his hood to reveal none other than Kirk Jameson. Andrews stared at him in disbelief, seeing his old friend and rival in an MAW ring once more. Jameson took a mic and announced that he was back in MAW full-time, that he’d signed an exclusive written deal with the company... and that he wanted to help out his old friend. He was willing to forgive and forget his wars with Andrews in order to help him fight his battles and defend the World title – so long as somewhere down the line he got a shot as well, same as Heroe or Alex DeColt... The crowd held their breath as the two men looked at one another, Andrews almost out on his feet, Jameson doing his best to look as though Andrews’ reply didn’t matter – but clearly willing the champion to agree. Finally Andrews held out a hand, and Jameson shook it, and then the two men embraced in a back-slapping hug, celebrating the resurrection of a friendship and partnership that had once dominated the company. With Jameson and Andrews reunited, the top half of MAW felt much more balanced as the best friends had each other’s backs. Further down the ranks, however, one team was continuing to dominate the tag team titles, with the DeColt Brothers seeing off all challengers – that is, until Fox Force Five debuted. The pairing of Flying Jimmy Foxx and Fox Mask had a strong following on the west coast, but weren’t fancied in their debut. Despite that, they upset Alex and Ricky in a non-title match, and the pay-per-view rematch at Old School Rules saw them snatch the titles. The win was the beginning of a period of instability for the titles, as FFF would hold the belts for just six weeks before dropping them to Brooke Tyler and Delirium in an even bigger upset. However, Tyler and Delirium crashed in only their third defence as The Me In Team claimed the gold – but just two weeks later they ran into the pairing of Kate Lilly and Debbie Rose. The seemingly delicate duo proved remarkably resilient as champions, holding on to the belts despite facing off against the Lawmakers and Cobra and Scythe, but a match against Sean Deeley and new International Jacob Jett brought the swift changes to an end – for a time. The Internationals and Fox Force Five engaged in a prolonged battle over the belts, but the end of the year saw the Canadian Blondes climbing the summit once more as Oscar Golden and Flash Savage earned their seventh reign in what was supposed to be another routine defence for the Internationals. [I]Next: 2017...[/I]
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Rayelek Newbie

Rayelek

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I can't help but crack up at the team of "Fox Force Five." Great Pulp Fiction reference, and I'm enjoying these write-ups of how MAW continues. There really aren't any huge villains in these years, from what I can tell, so they probably wouldn't have translated as well into the diary as well as things did with heels like Elite. The Internationals staying together for so long is impressive though, I can't keep most of my groups together for that long.
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James Casey Newbie

James Casey

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[CENTER][IMG]http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q81/jamescasey_photos/Ripretires.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Meant to post this earlier: Just over two weeks before WiABA, meaning that Jay was available from the Saturday before the show. Oddly, he left TCW to come back to MAW, presumably because he was on a written deal with them. * Fox Force Five was inevitable. They're the only team at A* I've come across in the game that were built from nothing by the AI (although they go under a different name outside MAW). As for Lily and Rose, they're a decent pairing and it'd just be fun to have them come in and be a babyface underdog pairing.
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