FTC 1991 - Return of the Territories (McMahons's Medicine)

[BYU 14]

I rolled out of bed on a lazy Saturday morning, glanced at the calendar and realized December was once again upon me and I had done absolutely no shopping, great! Now I would be relegated to one of those mindless zombies wandering the mall in search of red tag specials and the last Furbie or whatever the hell the “gift of the season” was this year. 1990 was almost gone and I still hadn’t decided what I wanted to be when I grew up. It had pretty much been that way since I walked away from wrestling 7 years earlier. Back then I had visions of being the greatest booker in the world and as I had just landed my dream job, it seemed those visions would soon be a reality. The reality was shattered the first day I met one Allen Rogowski, AKA Ole Anderson. He had made my stay in Georgia Championship Wrestling miserable from day one and ultimately had gotten me fired a mere 3 months into my tenure. The boy genius he used to call me sarcastically. What a miserable Sonofabitch old Ole was. I laughed now at my naivety when I left GCW, with a tidy severance in my hand. Oh sure, fire me I had said. Well I was going to make Jim Barnett, Ole Anderson and everyone else sorry they had ever let me go. They would rue the day they turned the “Boy genius” loose on the Wrestling world to start his own promotion. And that is just what I had done, making my way home to the picturesque state of Utah, I had started Mountain States Championship Wrestling, the next big thing. It was everything I had ever wanted. I attracted some big names too, even some from Georgia, much to Ole’s chagrin. Guys who wanted to be part of my revolution because they knew I had the mind for the business and I did, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was……Money. The dreaded “M” word!! That seemingly bountiful severance dried up real quick trying to build up a territory and my eyes were bigger than my wallet. We had a loyal following in our core area, a TV show on some obscure local channel that ran late night against Suzanne Somers and thigh master infomercials and still couldn’t draw a rating point. Oh, and we had one more thing fairly soon. A large negative cash flow!! I cashed in my investments; sold my house and borrowed from everyone that wouldn’t slam the door in my face…..It didn’t matter. Less than 6 months in we were forced to close our doors. I bade goodbye to the workers, called Ole Anderson to tell him to go f**k himself before he could beat me to it…….Then I walked away from wrestling…..Less than a year into a legacy that never was. I laughed as I braced myself against the rush of winter air that was soon to greet me as I opened the door of my house to grab the paper…….I was already in a “great” mood from the brief “this is your life in wrestling” slide show that had just danced across the pages of my memory. What other news more entertaining than that could today’s Salt Lake Tribune possibly hold? [B]OOC[/B] This dynasty will be run with D16NJD16's excellent FTC 1991 real world Mod. In this alternate reality there may be a chance to save the world from global domination by the WWF Juggernaught.......if the fates are kind. :) Link to the Ole/MSCW years [COLOR="DarkRed"][URL="http://67.19.230.90/~arles/forum/showthread.php?t=8388&page=5"][B][COLOR="DarkRed"]The Beginning - GCW and MSCW[/COLOR][/B][/URL][/COLOR]

[D16NJD16]

I like the backstory alot, im curious to see where this is actually going from here, your dont seem like your going for WCW, and you definitely arent going as the WWF...

[BYU 14]

Retreating back to the warmth of my Kitchen after retrieving the paper I sat down at the Table with a cup of Coffee. Tearing the plastic wrap off of the Salt Lake Tribune, I prepared for the usual smorgasboard of agony and despair. "Tensions in the Middle East escalate" "Early Winter Storms cripple the Midwest" "Wages fail to keep up with the cost of living" blah, blah, blah. Nothing it seemed ever changed, which is why the sports page was all that really interested me. On this day however I actually flipped to page 2 of the main section, where I was greeted by the following headline. [B][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"]Trouble at Titan Towers: Wrestling Mogul set to lose his empire.[/SIZE][/FONT][/B] I laughed out loud, poor Vince McMahon. Though I had not really followed the story closely, McMahon had been on the news quite a bit the last year. It all started oddly enough with a bitter divorce between Vince and his wife Linda, that ended up playing out on a very public stage. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and here was the proof. Furious at her husbands alleged indiscretions, Linda McMahon had brought every Skeleton in the McMahon family closet out, as well as a couple from the attic and even the trunk of the Car. Some of this was damning enough in divorce court, but there were several items that piqued the interest of state and federal authorities and this moved the game to a whole new playground. It was a nasty deal to go through, but I had little sympathy for the man who in my mind was ruining wrestling. I knew deep down that my reckless spending, and lust for vengence against GCW, was ultimately what led to the downfall of my beloved Wrestling Company. I also knew however, that if I didn't run myself out of business, McMahon eventually would have and I felt compelled to partially blame him for the demise of MSCW because of it. Afterall, he did it to everyone else. GCW, AWA, WCCW, Mid-South and many others had all fallen pray to the Mac-Machine that operated out of Stamford, Connecticut and had virtually devoured most all competition in the wrestling world by this time. With ridiculous storylines and crazy gimmicks, McMahon had turned wrestling into one big cartoon. It was for this reason that I never really sought to re-enter the world I once loved so much. Sure, there were alternatives, such as Ted Turners wrestling "hobby" WCW, as well as some other small time promotions that still sought to survive as they had in the days of the territories. But Turner was no hero, as some of what had come to light in the last year in the McMahon saga proved. Smaller promotions were no picnic either and mostly got by show to show booking over the hill guys from the 70's and 80's. I just had no stomach to deal with either...Oh yeah, Ole Anderson was still employed by WCW and getting 7 root canals in one sitting was favorable to ever crossing paths with him again. All that aside, truth be known, I just missed the magic of the territories more than anything. There was just something about that era....A pureness if you will (At least on the outside) that no longer existed today. I folded the Newspaer in half, took a sip of coffee and eagerly delved into the story covering the downward spiral of the great scourge of old school wrestling. This was one story of agony and despair I was going to fully enjoy!!!!! [QUOTE=D16NJD16;448183]I like the backstory alot, im curious to see where this is actually going from here, your dont seem like your going for WCW, and you definitely arent going as the WWF...[/QUOTE] Glad to have you following and thanks for the awesome mod. I will say that you are definitely right on the WWF part :)

[BYU 14]

[SIZE="3"][QUOTE][FONT="Georgia"][B]AP – Hartford Connecticut.[/B] A ruling today in Federal court has put WWF owner and President Vincent K McMahon in a chokehold he may never escape from. The near eight month court saga has at last came to an apparent end, after a Federal judge froze all assets of the company, valued at 250 million dollars. In addition, McMahon was forced to relinquish power of the company as he awaits possible sentencing on Federal tax evasion and perjury charges. The charges stem from information made public during divorce proceedings between McMahon and his estranged wife Linda, which surfaced in late 1989. In addition to these charges McMahon is still under investigation for illegal steroid distribution, as well as an inquiry by the federal trade commission investigating charges of collusion between McMahon and business Mogul Ted Turner, owner of McMahon’s main rival World Championship Wrestling (WCW)…………….[/FONT][/QUOTE][/SIZE] The story went on to delve into all the gory details about the steroid scandals (This really shocked me - tic) including guys shooting up in Titan Towers and even the locker room at WWF events. There were also allegations of Doctor’s on the WWF payroll over prescribing pain killers and muscle relaxers to workers. It also covered the fact that McMahon owed an estimated 19 Million in back taxes and penalties, as well as the some of the shady practices used to allegedly “hide” revenue. In an effort to save the WWF brand his Grandfather, Jess McMahon had helped found, Vince had relinquished voting rights to his son Shane during proceedings, an interesting move, since it appeared from other news I had read that Shane had sided with his Mother and even retained her as an executive, while Dad now appeared to be out in the cold. The downside of course is that with the companies assets seized, Shane and Linda would now be forced to operate the company with their money, which was rumored to be between 2-3 million dollars. The one part of the scandal that was not covered in this story was the details of the alleged collusion between McMahon and Turner, and this is what drew me in like a mark. What could these two have possibly been up to? I needed to dig and decided to turn to a fairly new forum to do so, the internet. I had recently opened an account with Prodigy and in my searching of this vast new database of fun facts had stumbled on a couple of online wrestling forums. These places were full of shills, who claimed to have “inside” knowledge of the business, or at least an opinion they were all to willing to shove down your throat. Surely, if anyone knew more of this “collusion” they would. As I finished the story and sipped my Coffee I realized I was now more interested in wrestling than I had been in years…..Many late nights on Prodigy lay ahead, but for now BYU had a shot to produce their first Heisman Trophy winner ever in QB Ty Detmer today and my immediate interest lay there……Now where the hell did the sports section go?

[ColtCabana]

Great start so far, I'll be reading.

[BYU 14]

Breakfast finished, I scanned the TV schedule and selected the College games I would watch on this cold blustery day. With some time to kill before the first kickoff, I headed to my computer and logged on to Prodigy. After about 25 minutes of searching I discovered a forum discussing the recent happenings in the world of wrestling. Amidst the many rants and pessimistic predictions of the end of pro wrestling I discovered an interesting essay addressing the alleged collusion between McMahon and Turner. The gist of the write-up was that at the time of McMahon’s indictment, he and Turner were in the process of merging the two companies, the intent being to monopolize both talent and the market. The agreement had the companies combining under a separate corporation that basically had McMahon owning 51% of the new corporation and WCW. Turner would handle the investment and marketing portions of the new conglomerate, while McMahon would be in control of the product. The eventual plan was to create an NFL type structure that saw both WWF and WCW operate as separate “leagues,” in which there would be individual Champions for both companies, as well as a unified Champion. There would be cross promotional events and PPV’s as well as an annual event that would feature a team competition between the two companies. In addition, they would form a "minor" league promotion and use it to develop all young talent they could syphon from the few remaining promotions that were having any degree of success, in effect completely destroying any remaining competition, no matter how small from the industry.....Definitely a worthy effort at collusion if true.... The author went on to speculate that McMahon’s current problems would not only severely impact, if not ruin WWF, but could also strike a severe blow to WCW as money had supposedly changed hands and contracts had been signed. It was an interesting theory, and Turner had indeed remained very low key during this whole debacle from what I had seen, but still, if even portions of this story from the self proclaimed “insider” the future of wrestling was foggy at best. I logged off of my computer and stood for what must have been 45 minutes in my shower, letting the steaming water cascade around me as I tried to wrap my head, not only around the troubles going on the in the wrestling world…..But, also why it mattered so much to me. After all these years it was apparent that I still cared about wrestling more than I thought, or was even willing to admit……… [QUOTE=ColtCabana;448424]Great start so far, I'll be reading.[/QUOTE] Thanks Colt, welcome aboard.

[rjhabeeb]

should be interesting you have a reader here

[angeldelayette]

Interesting storyline. I just read it all and I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle things, whether you're actually going to work for the Linda/Shane WWF or maybe making your own company.

[BYU 14]

“You’re listening to KBER, Utah’s real rock radio and that was Firehouse with ‘Love of a Lifetime.’ Ten past five on a two for Tuesday, its December 4th and just 20 shopping days before Christmas people” Thank you Mr. DJ, I’ll be lucky if I have my list together anytime soon and you have to remind 3 times an hour that I have 20 days left. I shut off my car and stare at the darkening sky for a moment. Less than 20 steps from the carport to the front door of my house, still I had to talk myself into opening the door of my warm and toasty Car and venturing into the bitter cold that stood between me and my sanctuary. I eventually forced myself into the cold, nearly falling twice on the icy sidewalk on my journey. Once inside I flipped on the TV and began the quest for Dinner. As I scoured the cupboards for morsels, the voice of Ted Koppel filled my living room. “Tonight on nightline we discuss the scandals rocking the world of professional wrestling as I will be joined by special guest Gordon Solie, known as the dean of wrestling announcers. We also discuss the current crisis facing the…..” Koppel’s voice trailed off as I really didn’t care what else he had to say. Gordon Solie was all I needed to hear to know I would be catching the show tonight. Solie was always good to me and was as honorable a person as you will find in the business. He had called me to wish me luck with MSCW after GCW let me go, but I hadn’t talked to him years. I regretted that as I thought about it….Guys like Solie are rare in the business and I wish I had let him know how highly I thought of him. What was I thinking; it wasn’t like he was dead. I made myself a promise to track him down and tell him so……And maybe see if I could gather some good inside dirt if his appearance on nightline left any questions unanswered. I settled down with a can of ravioli, a salad and a beer, passing the evening watching ESPN, while I waited for 11:00 PM……. “Good evening and welcome to nightline, I’m Ted Koppel. Tonight we will examine the fall of a modern day Caesar…..The arena is a square piece of canvas, surrounded by ropes. The gladiators, massive, menacing men, with names like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and The Ultimate Warrior. It is a raucous scene played out against a backdrop of screaming, maniacal fans that live and die with the fortunes of their heroes. Mythical battles of good vs. evil, the baby face vs. the dastardly heel are played out night after night across the land. Well tonight, the man who once held sway over this spectacle as owner of the most powerful wrestling organization in the world is the center of a swirling controversy. One that casts a stark light on what goes on after the cheers have faded, the arenas have emptied and savage circus that is professional wrestling has moved on to the next town.” Koppel ran down the rest of the show before breaking for a commercial as I watched two scantily clad girls frolic on the beaches of Hawaii pimping the travel industry while I froze my ass off in Utah, I could only think of one thing. I was witnessing what may become the greatest storyline in the history of wrestling unfold…….and I was marking out for it. [B]OOC[/B] I am almost done with the back story, so the wrestling world will start to unfold soon.......One thing I will give away now is that all the Von Erichs will be alive at the start of this dynasty. They hold no bearing on where the story will take me, I just wanted them around. :) Thanks for the kind comments all, I can't wait to get the wrestling started and hopefully the world I am about to create will keep you entertained.

[BYU 14]

After returning from the commercial break, Koppel spent about 10 minutes summarizing the Steroid scandal, McMahon's tax problems and the shady business practices. He then dropped the bombshell I was waiting to hear. "At approximately 4:45 PM today, the Federal Trade Commision, in conjunction with agents from the IRS announced that they had submitted an injunction to have the assets of Vince McMahon's main rival, World Championship Wrestling, included in the order of seizure issued previously against the WWF. The amendment stated that evidence was uncovered that McMahon was actually a majority share holder in WCW based on the terms of an undisclosed agreement between him and Ted Turner, though Ted Turner remained publicly listed as the owner of WCW. Representives of Mr. Turner have issued a statement indicating they will comment officially on the situation tomorrow at a press conference to be held in Atlanta, Georgia." I sat there dumbfounded....The unknown newsgroup typist on prodigy, wrestlings deep throat if you will, was correct. Koppel then talked about the roster cuts that had already begun for both companies, as they scrambled to increase cost efficiency, and in essence to simply survive. I missed half of what Koppel had to say after that. Wrestling is a hard enough living, but when you are unemployed and and have few prospects...well it was brutal and I didn't want to hear it. I finally managed to regain my focus as the Solie interview began. [B]Koppel:[/B] "Thank you for joining us Mr. Solie. [B]Solie:[/B] "You are certainly welcome sir, and please, call me Gordon. [B]Koppel:[/B] "Very well, what exactly do you make, not only of this case as a whole, but in particular the breaking news we got today that effects WCW, a company that actually still employs you at this time." [B]Solie:[/B] "I think I am in shock, as is everyone currently, but I must tell you Mr. Koppel, that rumors have been circulating for some time regarding the information made public today. I think as a group, at least among those I have talked to, we feared this, yet still did not want to believe it could actually come to fruition." [B]Koppel:[/B] "Is it true that this could, in effect, spell the end of professional wrestling?" [B]Solie:[/B] "Well, as these rumors have circulated, this has obviously been a topic of discussion and the consensus is, it may actually help wrestling." [B]Koppel:[/B] "How so sir?" [B]Solie:[/B] "Wrestling has changed greatly over the last 6-7 years Mr. Koppel. It used to be a collection of families if you will. Territories that were run by a different promoter who all had a general voice in the goings on of the sport. They did not always agree, but for the most part things managed to be fairly harmonious and there was usually enough money and prestige to go around for one and all." [B]Koppel:[/B] "Interesting, please continue." [B]Solie:[/B] "Well, it is no secret the Vince McMahon forever altered that structure and in doing so drove many longtime promoters and their companies out of business. He did great things for the sport, but at the same time a vital part of professional wrestling was lost along the way....In the business we call it 'the magic' Ted." [B]Koppel:[/B] "Gordon, can you explain for our viewers then, how anything positive can come of this?" [B]Solie:[/B] "Well Ted, most wrestling fans are just your average American. Middle class, hard working and many of them feel longing for a simpler time, both in life and in the things in life that bring them pleasure. This gives Wrestling a chance to start over....to go back to those simpler times." [B]Koppel:[/B] "How do you think this can be accomplished, given the bad publicity this scandal with the WWF and now WCW has generated?" [B]Solie:[/B] "Because we still have people in the business that the fans trust. Veteran promoters wrestlers, that have given blood, sweat and an honest effort for their sport. These are the ones that can bring the magic back." [B]Koppel:[/B] "It actually sounds like quite the undertaking." [B]Solie:[/B] "Indeed, and it will take some effort. But I have already heard from a few people in the business that are determined to make it happen. Just yesterday Fritz Von Erich and his sons David, Kevin, Kerry and Mike announced that they would be reforming their promotion WCCW in Dallas/Fort Worth, with the backing of some outside investors. I have also been in touch with my old friend, renowned wrestler Ted Dibiase, who has announced similar intentions to start a promotion in the Houston area. The passion is still there for so many of us Ted and I think we can resurrect the sport we so dearly love." I was mesmerized watching the rest of the interview....Could it actually be true, that from the ashes of this disaster a wrestling Phoenix could rise? One that harkened back the "good 'ol days" of the 70's and 80's before McMahon and later Turner got their hooks into jugular vein of the sport......I was suddenly snapped back to reality. OK great, so the Von Erichs and Dibiase might get a couple of small things going in Texas. Could that actually be considered a "resurrection" of the territories, and more importantly the sport? And if it was, what did I care? I was a long way removed form those days and had not even maintained what minimal connections I had managed to build during my brief time in the business. In fact, the only wrestler I talked to on an even semi-regular basis was Johnny Walker AKA Mr. Wrestling II. A man who was as loyal as they came and had taken the time to help me learn the ropes. He was long since retired and living in Hawaii, but we talked once or twice a year and exchanged Christmas cards.........As I sat there thinking of my old friend, I wondered what he would make of this. He too despised McMahon for what he had done to the sport and didn't even watch wrestling anymore....Perhaps after the Holidays I would give him a call and we could laugh about all this.........

[alanreao]

YAY! A new BYU dynasty!

[BYU 14]

I cracked a Heineken and slumped into my favorite chair…It was Friday and I was looking forward to a weekend of skiing and Football…..with a date no less, could life get any better? The Turner press conference Wednesday was a carefully worded fluff piece that painted McMahon as a devious trickster that had duped Turner, putting Ted’s wrestling empire at risk, while knowing he was under investigation. I bought none of it. Ted Turner duped?…please, he was one of the most ruthless moguls around and very seldom did anyone get anything past him. After a spin filled briefing from his legal team, indicating that they had reached an agreement with authorities to avoid prosecution, in return for Turners cooperation in helping to put the final pieces of this convoluted puzzle in place. It wasn’t all roses for tricky Ted though. Part of the agreement was that he had been forced to relinquish control of WCW, and was allowed retain no financial stake at all in the company. In addition he was to forfeit any monies received from McMahon to date that related to the covert transfer of power from Turner to McMahon to authorities. It was not a pretty deal financially, but one that allowed Turner to save some amount of face and avoid future penalties and possible prison time. The future of WCW was turned over to the remaining board members, whose 2.5% stake in the company (worth approximately 2.5 million dollars) would be released as operating capital. In an impromptu meeting the board had selected Eric Bischoff, a newcomer to the Turner regime and already a major behind the scenes player, to serve in the role of president. I knew little of Bischoff beyond his days as an announcer on the AWA so I had no opinion on the decision. The future of both companies was tenuous at best, but at least there appeared to some future at this point, as both WWF and WCW unveiled plans to resume operations in January of 1991. As I nursed my brew, I began to daydream about what could have been…..I now actually missed wresting and wished misery on McMahon for putting it into my forethoughts again!!! *[B]Ring*……*Ring*…..[/B] The sound of the phone made me jump and I cursed out loud as I spilled some of my precious Heineken in my lap…..I answered the phone with a somewhat irritated tone, annoyed that my reminiscing had been disturbed. “Hey Kid, how have you been?” The voice was familiar and it brought a smile to my face. [B]Me:[/B] “Johnny” [B]Johnny:[/B] “The one and only, did I interrupt anything?” [B]Me:[/B] “Not at all, though you do owe me a Heineken Mr. Walker.” [B]Johnny:[/B] (Laughing) “I won’t ask…..Hey listen Kid, have you been following the goings on with McMahon and Turner?” [B]Me:[/B] “Unfortunately, what a debacle eh?” [B]Johnny:[/B] “You got that right, but listen, I’ve been following it too and it got me to thinking a while back…..What would you say, if I told you I was donning the mask again?” [B]Me:[/B] (Now I laughed) “I would ask what made you think the wrestling public wanted to see a 55 year old Mr. Wrestling II limp around the ring again?” [B]Johnny:[/B] “Let me tell you something, I can still…” [B]Me:[/B] “Johnny, Johnny….I was just joking, you know I would never doubt you…plus you could still put my butt in the seat to see you wrestle anytime, anyplace.” [B]Johnny:[/B] “Well I appreciate that, but I won’t actually be wrestling.” Now I was confused, Halloween had passed, was he going to get into managing? [B]Johnny:[/B] “Let me explain….With everything that has been going on there has been a lot of talk about opportunities within the business again….more than you could imagine. Well, you know how I loved the business the way it was back in the day and I have decided to come out of retirement…..As an owner.” [B]Me:[/B] “Wow, that’s great Johnny, but don’t the Maivia’s have a lock on the Islands?” [B]Johnny:[/B] “Yeah, which is why I am heading to Georgia…..” [B]Me:[/B] "Georgia, oh my god Johnny…” [B]Johnny:[/B] “I have some investors lined up, I have all my savings invested….and GCW is going to ride again.” [B]Me:[/B] “Congratulations, wow, I am so happy for you….” [B]Johnny:[/B] “Well, not so fast…..I still have some concerns…….and some needs.” [B]Me:[/B] “Well is there anything I can do to help you friend?” [B]Johnny:[/B] “Not really, unless of course you are ready to be my Booker….”

[BYU 14]

I was shocked….Mr. Wrestling II was going to reopen GCW and wanted to hand me the book, even after all this time out of the business….. Me: “Damn….I, gee….Are you sure?” Johnny: “First call I made kid.” Me: “OK…Well can I think about it?” Johnny: Take whatever time you need….this weekend. I want to get up an running by February 1st and we need to get rolling.” Me: “OK, I’ll give it some thought and get back to you.” I hung up the phone, closed my eyes and counted to 10….Picked up the phone and dialed……”Johnny, I’m in. Let’s do this!!” Unbelievable! Over 7 years away from the business, with nary a thought of it. Now, within a week I was back in with both feet…..Once again, Georgia was on my mind. It was going to be a lot different than the first time though. For one, our entire roster consisted of me and Wrestling II, and neither of us was going to carry a 30 minute main event, today, tomorrow or ever. We discussed some of the recent releases by the WWF and WCW and speculated on some that still might be coming. Walker indicated he had some definite goals in mind, that we could discuss when I got to Georgia. He was currently down there looking for offices and sending out some initial feelers for people that might want to join the new GCW. I hung up, left a message on my bosses’ voice mail that I had an emergency and was leaving town, then booked a flight for Atlanta leaving Monday morning. It cost me a pretty penny, but as I wouldn’t really have time to do any Christmas shopping now, I had to spend the money I had set aside for the holiday on something :)

[BYU 14]

The Landscape unfolds When Gordon Solie mentioned that there were a number of former promoters/wrestlers looking to start promotions in the wake of the WWF/WCW fiasco, I dont imagine that he, or anyone else for that matter could have predicted just how many people would truly emerge to fill the anticipated void. As the 1991 dawned, there were 20 promotions of substantial size prepared to begin business within the first 3 months of the year. I prepared a quick chart, ranked by size and popularity as Wrestling II, Michael Hayes (The other principal investor) and I planned our strategy for the coming year. While it was good to see so many "resurrected" territories from the "old" days, It was also cast a foreboding shadow on the the path of success, as the competition would be brutal. In an effort to better utilize all of our individual strengths, it was decided the Hayes would assume the Title of president and Wrestling II would work as the chief road agent and assist me with booking as needed. Our coporate structure in place, we sat down to analyze the competition. [B]Current Promotions[/B] [COLOR="Blue"]Active promotions in 1990[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]New/Reborn promotions[/COLOR] 1 - [COLOR="Blue"][B]WWF[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Shane McMahon - Head Booker: Pat Patterson 2 - [COLOR="blue"][B]WCW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Eric Bishoff - Head Booker: James J Dillon 3 - [COLOR="blue"][B]AWA[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Verne Gagne - Head Booker: Greg Gagne 4 - [COLOR="Red"][B]MACW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Terry Taylor - Head Booker: Terry Taylor 5 - [COLOR="red"][B]WCCW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Fritz Von Erich - Head Booker: David McLane 6 - [COLOR="red"][B]GCW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Michael Hayes - Head Booker: Me 7 - [COLOR="blue"][B]WWC[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Carlos Colon - Head Booker: Bill Watts 8 - [COLOR="red"][B]CWF[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Les Thatcher - Head Booker: Les Thatcher 9 - [COLOR="red"][B]CSTATE[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Tully Blanchard - Head Booker: Tully Blanchard 10 - [COLOR="blue"][B]ECWA[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Jim Kettner - Head Booker: Billy K 11 - [COLOR="blue"][B]PNW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Don Owen - Head Booker: Len Denton 12 - [COLOR="red"][B]CWA[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Roland Alexander - Head Booker: Roland Alexander 13 - [COLOR="blue"][B]USPW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Jerry Jarrett - Head Booker: Jerry Lawler 14 - [COLOR="red"][B]SMW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Jim Cornette - Head Booker: Vacant (Les Thatcher left to buy CWF) 15 - [COLOR="red"][B]SECW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Dusty Rhodes - Head Booker: Dusty Rhodes 16 - [COLOR="red"][B]HCW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Ted DeBiase - Head Booker: Ted DeBiase 17 - [COLOR="blue"][B]UWF[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Herb Abrams - Head Booker: Herb Abrams 18 - [COLOR="blue"][B]GWF[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Joe Pedicino - Head Booker: Craig Johnson 19 - [COLOR="red"][B]DCW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Dutch Mantell - Head Booker: Dutch Mantell 20 - [COLOR="blue"][B]PPW[/B][/COLOR] - Owner: Lia Maivia - Head Booker: Eddie Gilbert Looking at the chart, was like looking at a who's who of the territory days. I mentioned that we could have on hell of a battle royal with just the Owners and Bookers.....Minus me a a couple of Joe Pedicino types of course. Though greatly weakened, the big two still had a sizeable advantage over the rest of the pack and I worried that the "pack" may just devour itself and leave those two standing again. After lengthy discussion on the product type it was decided we would mix some of the old and the new together and the resulting product is below. [CENTER][B]GCW[/B] [B]Key Feature:[/B] Traditional [B]Heavy Feature:[/B] Mainstream [B][B]Medium Features:[/B] Cult, Realism, Daredevil Match Intensity:[/B] 40% [B]Match Danger:[/B] 55% [B]Womens Wrestling:[/B] None [B]T&A:[/B] None [B]Face/Heel Divide:[/B] Strong [/CENTER] With our foundation on place, it was now time to start shopping for talent. Now this was the kind of Christmas shopping I could get into.... As I am leaving the meeting, Hayes pulls me back in. "Hey listen, I have some things I need you to keep in mind here. Wrestling II and I have some fairly lofty goals and I want you to be aware of them, because, well you job depends on it."..(I was not used to seeing Hayes be so stiff, so I thought I had better listen. [B]Hayes:[/B] "I have taken the time to write them down for you, so look them over tonight and let me know if you have any questions." As Hayes left, I unfolded the piece of paper to see just what was expected of me. [B]Goal #1[/B] - GCW must be at least as popular in America as it was when the goal was set. This is a critical goal and the timeline is 24 Months. [B]Goal #2[/B] - We can not fall into debt at ANY time. This is also critical!!! Timeline 24 months. [B]Goals #3 and #4[/B] - You can not hire any wrestler who as less than a C- rating in either toughness or resillency. This is not a critical goal, but it is still expected that you adhere to it. [B]Goal #5 [/B]- No Luchadores.....god I hate them. Signed P.S

[D16NJD16]

This is wild, I had a feeling someone was going to do an idea like this

[Guest cmdrsam]

BYU you have a very good back story going on. Good luck with this man. There are so many good back stories going on right now, makes me jealous. ;) Anyways I'll be reading this one bud.

[BYU 14]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x32/Kidbrit/GCWHeader.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] [COLOR="Blue"][B]Georgia Championship Wrestling[/B][/COLOR] President Michael "PS" Hayes has announced that [B]Bret Hart[/B] and [B]Rob Szatkowski[/B] are the first signings of the newly reborn GCW. The signing of Hart, who was not retained by the WWF due to financial constraints, is considered a major coup. The superstar is rumored to have signed an 18 month PPA contract worth an estimated $3000.00 per appearance. Szatkowski is a very athletic, but very raw youngster. In addition GCW has added two Managers to the fold in [B]Precious Paul Ellering[/B] and [B]Joel Gertner.[/B] Ellering is a veteran of the business and as dastardly as he is entertaining. Gertner is a relatice unknown, but is said to possess a caustic wit and an unmistakeable presence, all rolled up in a cherubic package. "These are the first of many signings expected over the few weeks daddy, and you can bet that GCW will soon cast a light bright enough for even yours truly" crowed Hayes. In addition GCW was said to have been rejected by Referee Bill Alphonso and broke off negotiations with Mike Rotundo over financial differences. [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]The Rest of the World[/B][/COLOR] [B]The following promotions have named new Head Bookers.[/B] [B]WCW [/B]- James J Dillon [B]WWC[/B] - Bill Watts [B]PPW[/B] - Eddie Gilbert [B]WCCW[/B] - David McLane (What the hell is Fritz thinking?) [B]Recent signings[/B] [B]MACW[/B] (Mid-Atlantic) Bill Alfonso Brian Hildebrand Dory Funk Jr Randy Savage Arn Anderson Curt Hennig Rick Rude [B]AWA[/B] (American Wrestling Association) Steve Austin David Manning [B]WWF[/B] (World Wrestling Federation) Scott Hall [B]WCCW[/B] (World Class Championship Wrestling) Chris Benoit Eddy Guerrero [B]CSTATE[/B] (Central States Wrestling) Tom Zenk [B]CWF[/B] (Championship Wrestling from Florida) Mike Rotundo Jim Ross Sir Oliver Humperdink Paul Heyman Brad Armstrong Steven Regal Ricky Morton Shane Douglas Kevin Nash Owen Hart [B]Media Deals[/B] MACW has signed a Pay-per view deal with Public Access PPV USA [B]Head Start[/B] Just over a week into January and the following promotions have already run shows. WWF (TV show) WCW (2 TV shows) WWC (Regular) SMW (1 Regular, 1 TV show) USPW (2 Regular) GWF (3 Regular) UWF (Regular) [QUOTE=cmdrsam;449847]BYU you have a very good back story going on. Good luck with this man. There are so many good back stories going on right now, makes me jealous. ;) Anyways I'll be reading this one bud.[/QUOTE] Thanks, glad to have you along

[BYU 14]

Ready to Rumble [CENTER][IMG]http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x32/Kidbrit/GCWRoster-1.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] It takes nearly two weeks into the new year, but our roster is finally ready. We are all quite happy as we have a god mix of prime-time players, grizzled vets and fresh faced youngsters, that bring a lot of different styles and skill sets to the promotion. There will be just enough of the old to keep the old school fans happy, with hopefully enough of the new mixed in to draw some younger fans. Michael Hayes has decided to wrestle for the time being, so Wrestling II and I will assume some of his back office duties. I am all for this as Hayes has a history in Georgia and is still one of the best on the stick in the business. I schedule our first event [B]GCW - Ressurection[/B] for the last Sunday of the month and book [B]Arn Anderson vs Bret Hart[/B] in the main event for the National Heavyweight Title. Other matchups announced in advance include Ricky Steamboat vs Playboy Buddy Rose and Davey Boy Smith vs Marty Janetty. TV negotiations start in February and this will be a crucial cycle for GCW. In the meantime I also request negotiations with three of the US PPV carriers. We have a big payroll and I want to get some cashflow going ASAP. To begin with we will be running 1 medium or big show a month and eventually a weekly TV show if we things go well. If you do not get a TV deal this month, I will add a second small monthly show to keep your name out there, which is all we can afford right now. With just over a week to go before our debut show there is a lot to do.....but the excitement of being back in the business well overshadows any stress brought on by uncertainty that lies ahead.

[BYU 14]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x32/Kidbrit/GCWHeader.gif[/IMG][/CENTER] [COLOR="Navy"][B]GCW News[/B][/COLOR] The following events have been announced for 1991, with several more pending. January - Resurrection - Sunday Week 4 February - St Valentins Shootout - Sunday Week 2 March - Ides of March - Sunday Week 3 April - Brawl at the Beach - Sunday Week 3 July - Summerfest - Sunday Week 2 September - Battle of Atlanta - Sunday Week 2 [B]Ricky Steamboat[/B] has announced he is taking an extended vacation, putting his match at GCW - Resurrection against Buddy Rose in jeopardy. [B]GCW Who's who[/B] [B]Franchise Players:[/B] 1-Bret Hart, 2-Arn Anderson, 3-Michael Hayes [B]Hot Prospects:[/B] 1-Rob Szatkowski, 2-Yuji Nagata, 3-Jerry Lynn [B]Masters of the Mic:[/B] 1-Arn Anderson, 2-Michael Hayes, 3-Buddy Rose [B]Showstoppers:[/B] 1-Bret Hart, 2-Ricky Steamboat, 3-Owen Hart [B]Ring Generals:[/B] 1-Bret Hart, 2-Ricky Steamboat, 3-Owen Hart [B]On the decline:[/B] 1-Bob Roop [B]Hidden Gems:[/B](Wrestlers we should look to sign) 1-Scott Hall, 2-Steve Austin, 3-Chris Jericho [COLOR="DarkRed"][B]The rest of the World[/B][/COLOR] [B]Recent Signings[/B] [B]AWA[/B] Vader Lanny Poffo Scott Hudson Hugo Savinovich [B]CSTATE[/B] Buzz Sawyer Gordon Solie Sandy Barr [B]CWA[/B] Taz [B]CWF[/B] Bryan Clarke Carl Ouelette Sean Morley Dan Spivey Brian Adams Lou Albano Tony Halme Barry Darsow Rocco Rock The Sandman Maxx Payne Tim White Nikita Koloff Jim Neidhart [B]ECWA[/B] 2 Cold Scorpio Gene Kelly Marc Mero Jushin Thunder Liger Missy Hyatt [B]MACW[/B] Jacques Rougeau Tito Santana Ron Simmons Honky Tonk Man Jake Roberts Road Warrior Hawk Jimmy Hart Brian Hildebrand Harley Race Ultimate Warrior Mick Foley [B]PPW[/B] Matt Borne [B]SMW[/B] Tom Brandi Brian Knobbs Jerry Saggs [B]WCCW[/B] Booker T Rodney Anoa'i Baron Von Raschke Kenta Kobashi Steve Williams [B]WCW[/B] Jack Lanza [B]WWF[/B] Jim Duggan [B]The Book[/B] Dory Funk was hired as Head Booker of SMW Jody Hamilton was hired as Head Booker of HCW [B]Media[/B] The AWA has signed a PPV deal with Public Access PPV ESPN has dropped GWF from their programming GWF rises to regional size [B]The Blotter[/B] Savio Vega was hospitalized after collapsing from a suspected overdose Super Calo was arrested following a a scuffle with police. [B]OOC[/B] Greg Gagne and Jake Milliman won the AWA tag titles - how much trouble are they in? :)

[DarrenDouglas]

Really digging this so far. You've got a reader in me.

[BYU 14]

A new era begins [CENTER][B]In celebration of the rebirth of Georgia Championship Wrestling, we proudly present this commemorative poster of the event.[/B] [IMG]http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x32/Kidbrit/GCWcollector.gif[/IMG][/CENTER]

[D16NJD16]

Sabu with a valet??

[BYU 14]

[QUOTE=D16NJD16;451943]Sabu with a valet??[/QUOTE] LOL, there was no Valet more extreme in 1991 than Dark Journey with all the things she went through with Dick Slater. ;)

[Guest cmdrsam]

How did you do the poster?

[BYU 14]

Breaking the Ice [CENTER][IMG]http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x32/Kidbrit/GCWShowheader.gif[/IMG]

[CENTER][SIZE=5][B][FONT=Georgia]Georgia Championship Wrestling [/FONT][/B][/SIZE][/CENTER]

[CENTER][B][FONT=Georgia]GCW Resurrection - Sunday January 27th, 1991 - Atlanta, GA[/FONT][/B][/CENTER]

[/CENTER] [B]Bob Caudle and Joel Gertner[/B] are standing in the center of the ring as the house lights go down. [B]Caudle:[/B] "Good evening Atlanta!!! And welcome to Georgia Championship Wrestlings Ressurection!!! I would like to introduce the young man to my right, who will be assisting with interviews tonight, please give a warm southern welcome to Mr. Joel Gertner. [B]Gertner:[/B] "Well, well, well......Atlanta, Georgia. It is I, the one of whom the ladies dream and last night I made your girlfriend scream....." [B]Caudle:[/B] (Obviously flustered, pulls the Mic from Gertner's hand) "OK, thank you Joel. Tonight, right here......for the first time in nearly seven years, you will see a National Heavyweight Champion crowned as Bret Hart takes on Arn Anderson in our main event, plus an action packed card featuring six other matches.....Now let's get right to it Ladies and gentlemen." [B]Rating: E+[/B] [B]Yuji Nagata vs Tommy Dreamer[/B] Nagata and Dreamer start us off with a good old fashioned brawl, that see Dreamer take incredible punishment, finally falling in 6:05 after Nagata hits an Exploder. [B]Rating: D+[/B] A video tape is shown of the mysterious [B]Sabu[/B] generally scowling and lurking about in shadows. [B]Rating: D+[/B] [B]Dark Journey[/B] and [B]Sabu[/B] come out to the ring. Dark Journey: "I just want to get two things straight right away....first, Sabu is the most dangerous wrestler in the sport today....Don't worry about where he comes from, how he got here or what will happen next.....Just pray it doesn't happen to you. The second thing is.....I don't want to hear any of you hillbillies asking for my number, begging me to meet you for dinner or sending me flowers.....Because this (DJ runs her hand seductively up her thigh) is one journey none of you will ever get to take" [B]Rating: E-[/B] [B]Rob Szatkowski vs Lord Humongous[/B] The big man starts out throwing Szatkowski around the ring, but Rob's athleticism soon takes over as he thrills the crowd with a unique array of ariel moves, pinning Humongous in 7:57 with a Five Star Frog Splash. [B]Rating: D[/B] [B]Bob Caudle[/B] enters the ring after Szatkowski's win: "You know Rob, I have to say you are as dynamic as any wrestler I have seen in some time, how do you fly like that?" [B]Szatkowski:[/B] "Dude, I just have what it takes to get high....but enough of that. That chick that was just out here with the pharoah or whatever.." [B]Caudle:[/B] "You mean Sabu and Dark Journey?" [B]Szatkowski:[/B] "Yeah...she's hot" [B]Caudle:[/B] "Is that it?" [B]Szatkowski:[/B] "Oh yeah, Sabu, you think you're dangerous? Dude, whatever? Here's a secret Bob, I have a contract to wrestle him and I am going to totally whip his ass." [B]Caudle:[/B] "Well, I guess it's not a secret anymore is it?" [B]Szatkowski:[/B] "Dude, who did you tell?" [B]Rating: D-[/B] [B]Chris Chavis vs Dean Malenko[/B] The War Eagle and the Iceman go hold for hold, until Malenko socres a near fall that the referee says Chavis just kicked out of. While Malenko argues, Chavis hits the Indian Death drop and gets the pin in 8:49. [B]Rating: D[/B] [B]Caudle[/B] is back in the ring with some bad news. "Folks, I am afraid that we will not be seeing Ricky Steamboat tonight due to an injury sustained in training. But, the match will not be lost as Dustin Rhodes has agreed to step in and take on Buddy Rose in Steamboats place." [B]Rating: D-[/B] (Not quite what the fans wanted obviously) [B]Steve Keirn vs Owen Hart[/B] Dynamic youngster against old school brawler. Keirn has plenty of tricks in his repretoire and keeps Hart at a disadvantage most of the match. Keirn, loses his cool however and clocks Hart with the timekeepers Bell after Hart starts to rally. Jim Mitchell is all over it though and disqualifiess Keirn in 9:56. [B]Rating: C-[/B] (Pretty solid match between these two) [B]Paul Ellering, Arn Anderson, Bob Roop, and Mike Awesome[/B] come out to the announcer's podium. Paul Ellering: "How often does one go panning for gold, only to find Diamonds? Well that is what I have right here beside me. And just like that precious stone only a selct handful get to walk with the Precious one. That is why I take great pleasure in introducing you the 'Precious few' the next big thing in GCW." [B]Gertner:[/B] (Dancing like a silly schoolboy) "Oh goody, goody, goody goody" [B]Caudle:[/B] "For gods sake Joel, act like you still on the clock, oh wait you are." [B]Rating: C-[/B] [B]Buddy Rose vs Dustin Rhodes[/B] This turns into a wild pier sixer after Rose slaps Rhodes drawing his ire. The two brawl into the crowd and are both counted out at the 10:50 mark, a draw. [B]Rating: D[/B] [B]Marty Jannetty[/B] makes his way to the ring and stops to give a bandana to a young female fan at ringside, who nearly faints. [B]Rating: D-[/B] [B]Davey Boy Smith vs Marty Jannetty [/B] The two shake hands and are giving a clinic on wrestling early. The Bulldog uses his power to gain an advantage, but Marty rallies back. Smith then starts to resort to cheap shots and hits a power slam using the ropes for leverage to insure the pin in 11:49. This does not sit well with the fans. [B]Rating: D[/B] A Video plays hyping the upcoming title fight [B](Hart vs Anderson)[/B] as the wrestlers make their way to the ring. [B]Rating: C+[/B] [B]Bret Hart vs Arn Anderson - GCW National Heavyweight Title[/B] A give and take affair, that see's both men look to work on the others legs. Hart finally traps Anderson in the sharp shooter, but Ellering climbs onto the apron and clocks him with his cane as the Ref checks with Arn for a possible submission. Anderson rolls over the prone Hart and covers him for the win in 13:31. Arn Anderson wins the [B]National Heavyweight title[/B]. [B]Rating: C[/B] While Bret Hart recovers in the ring the entire Precious few stable climbs into the ring and proceed to beat Hart into a bleeding mass of battered flesh as the show ends. [B]Rating: C-[/B] [B]Overall Rating: D+[/B] [B]Attendance: 4,689[/B] Thought we might sneak up and pull a C-, but not bad for our first show. No injuries, no issues and the nerves are gone. I am feeling happy about things speaking with Hayes and Wrestling II when Bob Caudle approaches us. [B]Me:[/B] "Hi Bob, good job tonight." [B]Caudle:[/B] "At what being Abbott to Gertner's Costello?" [B]Me:[/B] "Huh?" [B]Caudle:[/B] "What the hell is he doing out there, opening the show with some filthy nursery rhyme? Somebody better let him know his role." [B]Me:[/B] "Well, actually, I gave him a little creative license with his promos." [B]Caudle:[/B] "Creative License? So what are we running here....Come see a wrestling match and teach your Kids some digusting limericks to give the teacher tomorrow....Hey Johnny, repeat that at Sunday dinner for Grandma..." (Caudle storms off muttering about how "professionals" should not be subjected to that) [B]Wrestling II:[/B] (laughing) "Is it possible for you to book in Georgia without pissing somebody off every time you get hired here?" [B]Me:[/B] "Aren't you at the age where you should be forgetting a lot of things that happened on the 80's?" Unbelieveable, Ole is gone, but now I have "bright and shiny" Bob....The only good news is, I am pretty confident I can kick Caudle's ass if the need arises...... [quote=cmdrsam;451956]How did you do the poster?[/quote] I used Powerpoint, then saved it as a GIF file.