The Sam Keith Years

[Mattlore Devious]

[I]April 6[/I] Met Sam Keith [Pro Wrestler] at a party. He seemed okay, got on with him pretty well. The admittedly few pro-wrestlers I've met before at these kind of places always seem out of place but he seemed to mix in fine, realized he wasn't the biggest star there. Told him I'd have him on my show anytime. [I]June 14[/I] Was rung by Sam Keith of all people today. He was trying to hurriedly organize some publicity to get through “his side of the story”. Wasn't even sure what had happened but he was so desperate I said I'd find a spot for him on Monday morning. [I]June 18[/I] Had SK on my show today. Had done some research and apparently he'd been fired by his company unfairly. Tried to steer the conversation away from him making libelous statements but he was pretty steamed up. Off-air he was nice enough, cooled down when we moved to talking about our families. Had a feeling the show was a bit of a PR disaster for SK. [I]August 17[/I] Was called by SK today, apparently he is promoting some show and was wondering if he could get some air time. I figured it couldn't hurt so said I'd schedule him for Monday. He was thrilled, very thankful – ended up meeting him for lunch and we got on like a house on fire. [I]August 20[/I] He turned up to the studio with a couple of other old timers, “Crippler” Ray Kingman and Preston Holt. Interesting banter on air, some rough promos. One of them referred to there show as the future of Californian wrestling. If this is the future, I'd hate to see the past. Was invited to the show but not sure I'll go. [I]August 25[/I] Went along to a party hosted by SK. The two I met on Monday were quite glum, don't think the show was a raging success. The place was like a wrestling re-union. Met some other “names” such as Luis Montero. All seemed okay, if a bit stuck in the past. [I]November 19[/I] Sam Keith rang me today – before I could tell him my show was full up for the week he told me he had a proposition to make. Apparently he was setting up a regular promotion and wanted me to be a part of it. Told me my media skills would be needed. I told him straight up I wasn't keen but he kept pressing. Agreed to have dinner with him on Thursday night. Told the wife, she thought I was mad – now convinced I've hit a mid life crisis. [I]November 22[/I] Took the family over to his place. My boys were suitably impressed with his memorabilia. Sam laid out his plans, he knew the August show wasn't a success but felt he could do better without the hangers on. Repeatedly made the case that he needed my media skills. Bit of an ego-boost but still less than keen. His sons seemed like pure athletes, didn't say much though, kept to themselves. [I]November 26[/I] Came home from work to yet another answer phone message from Sam. He was so certain this was going to be a successful venture and was equally sure he needed me on board. His optimism was infectious. [I]December 1[/I] Went out with the boys tonight. My mates said I was crazy to even consider it. I think right there I decided to tell Sam I'd help out. [I] December 3[/I] Rang Sam today, he was delighted – immediately spewed out about five ideas of how I could help out. [I]December 4[/I] Wife said she was okay with me working with Sam. I didn't tell her I'd already accepted. [I]December 13[/I] Met with Sam today and went into detail over some plans. Told me Crippler Ray Kingman was also going to be involved with the operation. He had a few singings in place but was still looking for more. The plans seemed fine, a little low key compared to what I was used to but definitely do-able. [I]December 20[/I] Another preparation meeting with Sam. Kingman joined us. Didn't exactly hit it off, probably because I insisted on calling him Ray. He's going to be running the backstage. Sam insisted I take charge of finalising contracts. Ray wasn't happy with that and I wasn't exactly thrilled either. The logic was Sam had his reputation to protect and Ray was one of the boys but I could play the corporate suit. [I]December 22[/I] SK rang with holiday wishes, I was looking forward to going away for a break. Not quite sure what I had got myself in for. [QUOTE]Reader participation/suggestions; [LIST][*]Obviously, in my alternate-verse, Sam Keith didn't appear as the mystery TCW syndicate worker. Who did? Someone from inside TCW or a new signing? How'd that story play out? [*]I don't want to just go out and hire all the "indy-darlings", so suggest a signing for my company. Its a Sam Keith/Traditional-eque/Californian/MAW-clone like promotion (if that helps any). [*]Feedback, of course, is welcome. [/LIST][/QUOTE]

[Midnightnick]

This seems interesting. I always had the idea of Sam Keith starting an American Lucha promotion after his days in MPWF in the 80's. So for my suggestion for a signing. Import either the Luna Twins, Surferador Californiano or El Luchador Vailente from Mexico.

[shamelessposer]

[quote] * Obviously, in my alternate-verse, Sam Keith didn't appear as the mystery TCW syndicate worker. Who did? Someone from inside TCW or a new signing? How'd that story play out?[/quote] The fifth member was Rick Law. He lost the gimmick, put on a nice suit, and started calling himself "The Law." Rather than Sam Keith's elder statesman role, he's a bodyguard. While the storyline has revitalized the career of a guy who hasn't been relevant since 2005, fans saw it as a letdown because all of the hype seemed to indicate that The Syndicate's fifth member was going to be a new signing. Some members of the IWC have speculated that Rick Law's turn was an attempt to salvage things when nothing came of the rumored talks between TCW and Jeremy Stone. [quote] * I don't want to just go out and hire all the "indy-darlings", so suggest a signing for my company. Its a Sam Keith/Traditional-eque/Californian/MAW-clone like promotion (if that helps any).[/quote] Obviously, Barry Kingman. His father would want him to be a part of the promotion but it's just as likely that Barry would refuse due to having to work in his father's shadow. I think my answer to any question like this is always Evil Spirit. He's very rough around the edges but he's also got a huge upside and there are tons of creative possibilities for his character. Might want to bring in Lee Wright for a few shows. It'd help play up the old school aspect of your promotion. California means a huge Hispanic audience. It's only natural to try and bring in a few luchadores to try and capitalize on that. Velocidad is a popular choice, but you might want to use Dragon Del Arco Iris Jr. instead.

[James Casey]

[QUOTE]Obviously, in my alternate-verse, Sam Keith didn't appear as the mystery TCW syndicate worker. Who did? Someone from inside TCW or a new signing? How'd that story play out?[/QUOTE] Edd Stone jumps out at me for this role - if there's one name the TCW fans would react to (apart from Eisen) then it's Stone. [QUOTE]I don't want to just go out and hire all the "indy-darlings", so suggest a signing for my company. Its a Sam Keith/Traditional-eque/Californian/MAW-clone like promotion (if that helps any).[/QUOTE] You could bring in the XDW five for a short stint to show what the company is [I]not[/I] about. Failing that, Brandon Smith (The Masked Patriot in MAW) seems like a perfect signing. I'd imagine that you're getting Sam's boys on board (and that's really enough to be going on with :p). Someone like Larry Wood as an older head, perhaps, and how about making a success of Burning EXILE - to my knowledge, he's not thrived in any diary so far because he's a pain to work with, so could well be good for backstage friction. [QUOTE]Feedback, of course, is welcome. [/QUOTE] It's an intriguing start - a little more info on your character would be welcome, though.

[Antithesis]

[QUOTE]I don't want to just go out and hire all the "indy-darlings", so suggest a signing for my company. Its a Sam Keith/Traditional-eque/Californian/MAW-clone like promotion (if that helps any). [/QUOTE] The Big Problem... only seen him mentioned in one diary. His biography calls him a flop, but he's a decent big heavyweight brawler who's still young enough he can learn more. Also, his stamina isn't so bad, you can get 10-15 minute long matches out of him.

[1PWfan]

[QUOTE]Obviously, in my alternate-verse, Sam Keith didn't appear as the mystery TCW syndicate worker. Who did? Someone from inside TCW or a new signing? How'd that story play out?[/QUOTE] The original fifth member of the Syndicate was Koshiro Ino, playing up the International Superstar angle. Although a popular and well-received arrival at the time, Ino's momentum has increasingly stalled as it became clear that he didn't fit in with the ethos of the group, and of late he's been playing the out-of-control rebel on the verge of getting kicked out. [QUOTE]I don't want to just go out and hire all the "indy-darlings", so suggest a signing for my company. Its a Sam Keith/Traditional-eque/Californian/MAW-clone like promotion (if that helps any).[/QUOTE] I suggest Marc Speed. He's solid, fits with the ethos and isn't a name people immediately think of. The Rock City Stars are also worth a look-they're an experienced tag team that people overlook, and decent enough, Also, sign Air Attack Weasel-he's got ludicrously good fundamentals

[Mattlore Devious]

[QUOTE=James Casey;482186]It's an intriguing start - a little more info on your character would be welcome, though.[/QUOTE] [I]Funny you should ask, Here's one I prepared earlier... [/I] [CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/matty.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] So, I guess I should say a few words about me. Born in New Zealand I now reside in L.A, working as a morning radio-host. Since I've moved to the States I haven't really seen much wrestling. A few SWF or TCW shows on TV, but its not like I attend the local indy shows. Which is a pity, I was a big fan as a kid. My earliest memory of wrestling was when I was 8 and me and my Dad attended a sold-out Auckland Town Hall to see Wild Man Sullivan. The last “big name” I saw was Rico Santana when he toured New Zealand in the late 80's. Since then New Zealand wrestling has been in a downturn, a few compete in Australia but thats not really saying much. Anyway, back to me... Rather average story really. Wife, two kids, steady job. Worked as a sports commentator, Rugby League mainly, before moving into radio hosting. Was successful enough in NZ but moved to the States in '98. Better pay, better lifestyle, bigger stars to interview. I've been quite happy in my role for the last ten years before Sam Keith walked into my life. Since then its been fair to say its been quite an experience. This is my life, these are my diaries. [I]Next time; I try and fit a busy month worth of diary entries into one post...[/I] [QUOTE]A bit about me; I'm a Post-grad Student, so if I take a unplanned hiatus it probably means I have a paper due. This is my first diary, I have tried to start one before but had problems writing up match reports that I was happy with. That's why I've gone with this stripped down diary style, don't expect to see overly long match reports I'm afraid. Thanks for the feedback so far - keep those suggestions coming. [LIST] [*]Lucha isn't going to be the main theme. I initially had only one Lucha signee in mind but now I'm going to bump it up to medium and add a few more, Want to try and stay away from too much "flippy" stuff to keep myself distinct from CZCW - so technically minded Luchas where possible I guess. [*]A whole bunch of the suggestions would fit really well, now I've just got to fit them into a limited roster... [*]Had initially planned to have the Gauge brothers debut in January with the promotion but now I think I'll leave them and take my chances with singing them later. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

[Mattlore Devious]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/CripplerRayKingman.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]January 2nd[/I] Arrived home to find several courier packages and about a dozen answer phone messages from people wanting work! I guess Ray had sent out the word via his Industry contacts or something. Its going to take me several days to sort through this lot and reply to everyone. [I]January 3rd[/I] Had a lunchtime strategy meeting with Ray and Sam today. Ray gave me a Christmas present, a VHS of SCCW Season One. Not sure if it was meant to be ironic or he was actually being nice. I hadn’t got him anything. Meeting went something like this; “How many workers will I need to hire” ‘not sure’, “Am I also in charge of staff hires?” ‘yes’, “How many people will we need on board” ‘not sure’. Sounds like its all up to me. [I]January 5th[/I] I have been slowly going through the CV’s that had been sent to me and, by and large, telling them they weren’t required. Most times I had to leave phone messages to get them to call me back, it was incredibly time consuming. Ian Boone called me back today. He seemed extremely glad to be talking to me until I told him he wasn’t in my plans. Apparently Ray had all but promised him work. [I]January 6th[/I] Rang RK today and had a go at him. Told him I had been put in charge of hires for a reason and I wasn’t going to accept people pre-empting me. Ray gave as good as he got, bloody old fool. He seems intent on hiring the oldest, crappiest workers he can find. [I]January 8th[/I] Barry Kingman rang me today. Immediately a massive sense of dread came over me. I didn’t want to be known as responsible for killing a legend of wrestling – no matter how old and grumpy he may be. Thankfully Barry was just calling to recommend some workers from up North. Said 4C had some real talents that were looking for work stateside, and he also recommended Dave Wallace who apparently lived round our way and was a former colleague of his. Apparently Barry had rung his dad to pass the info on but Ray had told him he better ring me directly because there was no way I was going to listen to Ray at the moment. He got that right. [I]January 10th[/I] Strategy meeting. Had a row over recognising the belt holders from last August. Ray was of course in favour. I felt we needed to start afresh – after all wasn’t that the point of this new operation? Eventually Sam was won over to Rays side. He didn’t want to fork out the money to have new designs made and so he felt it was best to recognise the August show results. Had the first of my targets approved by Sam, now its time to go shopping. [I]January 11th[/I] Met Sam’s lawyer today. Real high priced fellow, guess he has made some good money if he skimmed a percentage of Sam’s earnings. He looked over the company registeration paperwork and also arranged to sort out the legalities surrounding the venue. It actually felt like we were getting somewhere today. Invited the Gauge's over for dinner. The conversation centered around if the boys would be a part of our new venture. They were pretty keen but Sam was against it. He claimed they weren't ready, but to me they looked bigger and fitter than half the DVD's I'd had sent to me so far. [I]January 12th[/I] Two weeks in and I am already having trouble sleeping. Feeling pretty guilty about rejecting Ian Boone like that. Weighing on my mind far more than it should.

[Mattlore Devious]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/JackGriffith.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]January 14th[/I] Had the logo designs come in today. I had called a favour on a friend who was involved in product design, so they looked reasonably professional. It means now we can start producing things like flyers and promotional material, which will really help. Left a message on Boones answerphone, asking if he'd like to work a “limited” number of dates. Spoke to some local boys today and both Jackpot Jordan and Marc Speed confirmed there interest in working the show. Also confirmed Emilio Fuentes and Remmington Remus over the phone. [I]January 15th[/I] Sam rang me early today, which was never a good start to the day. He was worried that me and Ray weren’t going to be able to work together and asked me to sort it. Don’t see why its my responsibility but whatever. Watched some of the SCCW tapes tonight. This Jack Griffith seems like he can really go. Maybe it won’t be as big a disaster as I thought. [I]January 16th[/I] Got a phone call from SK today. He said he was ringing to give me a “heads up” that he had signed a Japanese worker for the show. I wasn't sure if I should be angry with him for going behind my back or happy for making my job easier. In the end I decided it would be prudent to appear happy. [I]January 17th[/I] Strategy meeting. Sam announced he had purchased some office space for us and we were moving in tomorrow. Its times like this that I don’t really feel in control of the whole operation. Otherwise the meeting went smoothly. Just finalising moves I had already made. Rays face lit up when I said Boone was one of my signees. Also spoke to Jessie Green today. He's a marketing student who works part time for my station – seems keen to work a few hours promoting the shows each month. [I]January 18th[/I] Went over to have a look at the “HQ”. Third floor of some run down office building. Pretty basic, got myself a desk to work at. Enough room for maybe four of us to be there working on computers/phones so it will more than cover our needs. Met Suzy whose is our secretary/admin – another hire that I didn’t make. Ran into big trouble negotiating the Big Problem's contract. His agent decided he was worth $1,500 – a price I just wasn't willing to pay. [I]January 21st[/I] At least I made one persons day today. Visited my local travel agent and she nearly had a heart attack when I asked for one return ticket from Tokyo, two from Mexico City and another three from Calgary. Will have to get around to working out some kind of discount. [I]January 23rd[/I] Was in the office today when Vin Tanner rang up looking for work. I told him, in the quietest voice possible because Sam was at his desk, that we didn’t hire workers on the wrong side of 40. [I]January 24th[/I] Final strategy meeting before the show. Went over the finalised roster and the matches we were promoting. Card doesn't suck. Also met our title holder Jack Griffith today. Managed to put my foot in it big time. Asked Jack if he wanted to go get a drink later which resulted in him going very quite until Ray changed the subject. Later Sam told me that he was a recovered alcoholic, thats the last thing I need – a pissed off main eventer. [I]January 25th[/I] Had Sam and Jack Griffith on my show today to promote the big day. Went a lot better than last time I had Sam on, afterwards I got them to stay behind and record promos for the other DJ’s to use over the day. Hopefully they’ll be played and result in some good PR. Suzy was in charge of picking up the talent from the airport. Rang me several times to check flight details, sounded so nervious the poor girl. Here's the card as promoted almost entirely on my radio station; [QUOTE] [CENTER][SIZE="4"]Sam Keith presents...Wrestling[/SIZE] [B][U]CMW Californian Title[/U][/B] Jack Griffith v Ian “The Madman” Boone [B]International Challenge[/B] Sam Keith v Burning EXILE from Japan [B]Number One Contender Match[/B] The Southern Assasians v Thunder & Lightning [B]North v South[/B] Chris “Canada” Flynn v Luis Montero Jr [B]Luchador Rules[/B] Lobo Blanco v Surfeador Californiano [B]Opening Bout[/B] Air Attack Weasel v Marc Speed[/QUOTE][/CENTER]

[Midnightnick]

Here's my predictions. CMW Californian Title [B]Jack Griffith[/B] v Ian “The Madman” Boone [I]Jack may have fallen from grace in 07, but he's still talent.[/I] International Challenge [B]Sam Keith[/B] v Burning EXILE from Japan [I]SK won't drop for anyone.[/I] Number One Contender Match [B]The Southern Assasians[/B] v Thunder & Lightning [I]T&L are too green to be #1 Contenders.[/I] North v South Chris “Canada” Flynn v [B]Luis Montero Jr[/B] [I]Favoritism.[/I] Luchador Rules Lobo Blanco v[B] Surfeador Californiano[/B] [I]One of my favorite luchadors.[/I] Opening Bout Air Attack Weasel v [B]Marc Speed[/B] [I]Snap goes the Weasel.[/I]

[Phantom Stranger]

CMW Californian Title [B]Jack Griffith[/B] v Ian “The Madman” Boone International Challenge [B]Sam Keith[/B] v Burning EXILE from Japan Number One Contender Match [B]The Southern Assasians[/B] v Thunder & Lightning North v South Chris “Canada” Flynn v [B]Luis Montero Jr[/B] Luchador Rules Lobo Blanco v [B]Surfeador Californiano[/B] Opening Bout Air Attack Weasel v [B]Marc Speed[/B] I have a massive soft spot for Speedball. As far as technically minded luchadors go, I recommend El Critico. He's got a few years left in him and he can handle a lot.

[James Casey]

CMW Californian Title [B]Jack Griffith[/B] v Ian “The Madman” Boone International Challenge [B]Sam Keith[/B] v Burning EXILE from Japan Number One Contender Match [B]The Southern Assasians[/B] v Thunder & Lightning North v South Chris “Canada” Flynn v [B]Luis Montero Jr[/B] Luchador Rules Lobo Blanco v [B]Surfeador Californiano[/B] Opening Bout Air Attack Weasel v [B]Marc Speed[/B] A start-up with Sam Keith should be strong enough to get some good ratings - but I'll be shocked if you don't run into tsome issues with him. As for letting the Gauges go their own way... Risky. They're hot prospects within months of their debut, and one or both are likely to be snapped up by the Japanese feds. Still, Marc Speed is a great signing, and Weasel is a useful guy to have around.

[Mattlore Devious]

[I]January 26th[/I] The Big Day. Woke up nervous, which is never a good sign for me. Checked into the office about 12 but only Suzy was there. Went and had a long lunch before going down to the arena. Spent a lot of the time introducing myself to everyone and networking. Remmington seemed far more calm that I was, which was good because he was going to have to do most of the talking. Before the show started Ray and Sam got the lockerroom together and revved the boys up. Ray was in his element, backstage among his peers who all respected him. Me and Rems headed down to the table set up by the ring and it was showtime; [CENTER][SIZE="5"]Sam Keith presents...Wrestling[/SIZE] [IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/SamKeith_alt1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B]Sam Keith hype[/B] - 4 mins (E) [I]Sam Keith opened the show by welcoming everyone and running down the card. Then he left the hype to me and Rems.[/I] [B]Marc Speed defeated Air Attack Weasel[/B] in 14:53 by submission with a Cross Armbreaker. (D-) [I]Speed and Weasel had an awkward match, although Speed managed to display some good skills in the air and on the mat.[/I] [B]Surfeador Californiano defeated Lobo Blanco[/B] in 14:51 by two straight falls, with the final fall happening by pinfall. (E) [I]Solid match, but it didn't exactly lift the crowd. However if I thought this was the low point I'd soon have to think again.[/I] [B]Luis Montero Jr defeated Chris “Canada” Flynn[/B] in 17:01 by pinfall. (F+) [I]Sam had spent the better part of the afternoon booking this match himself with Luis Jr and Chris. However all the effort seemed wasted as the match was a stinker with it noticeably lacking flow during the middle. [/I] [B]The Southern Assassins defeated Thunder & Lightning (w/Storm)[/B] in 17:33 when Assassin #1 defeated Jason Thunder by pinfall with a Spinebuster following botched interference by Storm. (E-) [I]The Assassins didn't exactly live upto expectations, I could imagine Ray fuming backstage. Storm, the new manager I had hired, while looking good didn't seem to click with Lightning. I may have to rethink the pairing.[/I] [B]Jack Griffith (w/Eliza Buckley) defeated Ian “Madman” Boone[/B] in 22:53 by pinfall with a Jack in The Box after Eliza Buckley interfered. Jack Griffith makes defence number 1 of his CMW Californian Champion title. (C-) [I]These two showed the lower card how it should be done, it was a pretty good match to call too[/I]. [B]Sam Keith defeated Burning EXILE[/B] in 15:05 by submission with a Proton Lock. (C-) [I]Sam had saved his match for last, which was the right decision as he was who the fans had come to see. While the match was not much more than a glorified showcase for Sam, at the end of the day no one cared.[/I] [B]Overall: D+[/B] I felt kind of flat after the show. Jessie reported that he'd sold 60 tickets, which was about bang on target. Rems was buzzing about the chemistry we had out there and all the boys were in high spirits. But as they all slowly left the building I felt down. This was what I'd spent the last month running around like a headless chicken for? Two hours of barely decent action? I'm sure looking forward to a good long sleep tonight. [QUOTE]Obviously my booking is far too predictable. Something of a set-up show I guess. Midnightnick must get some sort of prize for not only getting them all right, but posting them what felt like two seconds after I was done with my post. [LIST] [*]I've never been able to really get behind El Critico in games, I think its his mask.. and also hes OLLIE. but I'll keep him in mind. [*]I felt the roster was going to be big enough to start with, so I'll worry about the boys in August. Even if I get them for just one or two shows it'll be an achievement. [*]Feedback on presentation/style/booking/anything else is welcome - Should have a Feb entry up sometime later today. [/LIST][/QUOTE]

[Mattlore Devious]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/SamKeith_alt2.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]January 28th[/I] At work this morning one of the techs, Pete Small, said he had heard about the show and asked if we needed someone to produce DVD's and the like. He was dead keen and I couldn't turn down the offer of help. Apparently he has a bit of a studio at his place. [I]January 29th[/I] Was woken up this morning by a phone call from an angry Mexican. Not the best start to the day. Apparently Sam had reached some kind of understanding with MPWF and yet here I was featuring Luchadors that wrestled for OLLIE and SOTBPW. Didn't know quite what to tell him but promised I'd have a MPWF star or two on the card sometime in the future. [I]January 31st[/I] Strategy meeting. Ray and Sam argued over bringing in MPWF talent. Ray said that CZCW (seems we have local competition) worked with Mexico Pro and so we should deal with someone else. Sam, however, had history with the company and wanted to stick with them. I pretty much kept out of it. [I]February 2nd[/I] SK rang me and asked if I had seen the internet buzz around Rip Chords MAW show in the weekend. I told him I hadn't even heard of MAW but the name Chord sounded familiar. He explained the tournament and suggested we run a similar show. I told him it was something we could work towards. When Sam has an idea he often wants to run with it straight away, I'm taking it on myself to be the breaks of the operation. Then we can implement good ideas when we are fully prepared. [I]February 7th[/I] Strategy Meeting. The financial for last month were good, made about two grand overall. I have got to hand it to Sam, he had promised me he would sort out the sponsors and he did. Milked his name value for all it was worth in securing them too. The conversation turned to the future and immediately it was clear that Sam expected this to be a big financial success. I'm not quite so sure – but I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it. [I]February 9th[/I] Sam dropped in today and dropped a bit of a bombshell. He has agreed to a farewell tour of Japan with BHOTWG. He claims its his chance for a big goodbye to all his fans but the glint in his eye tells me otherwise. Going to be a challenge to run things without being to call him whenever I want. [I]February 14th[/I] Strategy meeting. We start making plans for managing Sam's tour. Do we do without him for three months or press BHOTWG to pay for monthly flights? I'm not sure we can do without him, both in terms of star power and in keeping the backstage together. On the other hand, flying back to the States each month just for one weekend sure does seem like a pain in the neck. [I]February 15th[/I] While I was leaving the office today I nearly bowled over Preston Holt of all people. He told me he had a meeting with SK and then quickly excused himself. Will have to ask Sam next week what that was all about. [I]February 18th[/I] Had a phone conference today to finalise the card for the weekend so we could arrange travel. Still uncertain what we are going to do when Sam tours next month, which makes long term planning rather impossible. Still the card looks okay for what it is. [I]February 19th[/I] Had a phone call from a rather sheepish Luis Jr, he wanted to know if we could find a place for his girlfriend on the payroll. Apparently she works for MPWF so they never have got to work a show before and he figured California could be the place it finally happens for them. I told him that he had a showcase match this month and if it was good I'd look at finding room for Chica. What I didn't tell him was, another stinker like last month and he'd be the one making room for others. [I]February 21st[/I] Strategy meeting. Final preparations for Saturday. Finally remembered to ask Sam about Prestons appearance last week, he was shifty on it but said he was looking to buy the old California Pro Wrestling brandname. Doesn't quite strike me as a good idea if we want to break from the past but whatever, I'm just the guy running the place. [QUOTE][CENTER][SIZE="4"]Sam Keith presents...February Fightnight[/SIZE] February 23rd [B]With Sam Keith in Action:[/B] Sam Keith v Ian “Madman” Boone [B][U]CMW Tag Team Titles[/U][/B] The Maryland Alliance v The Southern Assassins [B]Non-Title Match[/B] Jack Griffith v Luis Montero Jr [B]Battle of the Pacific[/B] Marc Speed (USA) v Burning EXILE (Japan) [B]Opening Bout[/B] Jackpot Jordan v Air Attack Weasel[/CENTER][/QUOTE]

[Midnightnick]

M.D, when I'm on the ball with predictions, and behind a diary. It's hard for me to be tricked. (Look at Nevvy's MOSC, or dww's HGC). With Sam Keith in Action: [B]Sam Keith[/B] v Ian “Madman” Boone [I]It's Keith.[/I] CMW Tag Team Titles [B]The Maryland Alliance[/B] v The Southern Assassins [I]They won the #1 Contendership, but not the titles.[/I] Non-Title Match [B]Jack Griffith[/B] v Luis Montero Jr [I]I've got a soft spot for Jack.[/I] Battle of the Pacific [B]Marc Speed (USA)[/B] v Burning EXILE (Japan) [I]EXILE will snap.[/I] Opening Bout Jackpot Jordan v [B]Air Attack Weasel[/B] [I]Weasel weasels one out.[/I]

[Mattlore Devious]

[I]February 23rd[/I] Showday. Bit more relaxed about it this month. Spent the morning at home with the kids and then went into the arena about four. Everyone was racing around but I kept out of it as much as I could. Remz was calm yet enthusiastic as we made our way down to the desk for the show. [CENTER][SIZE="5"]Sam Keith presents...February Fightnight[/SIZE] [IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/SamKeith_alt1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B]Sam Keith hype[/B] - 4 mins [C] We start the show once again with Sam coming out, thanking everyone for coming and hoping they have a good time. [B]Air Attack Weasel defeated Jackpot Jordan[/B] in 13:11 by pinfall with an Air Attack Ace. [E] It makes it easier to call a match when you don't know the end result. This match was inconsequential to our greater plans and so Ray had been put in charge of the finish rather than it being a committee decision. These two worked well together, but the crowd didn't seem to notice. [B]Burning EXILE defeated Marc Speed[/B] in 17:45 by pinfall with an Exile Driver. [D] These two were given plenty of time to shine and I guess the result is what you would call “satisfactory” at best. EXILE was given the win, in what was one of our more dodgy booking decisions to date. [B]Jack Griffith (w/Eliza Buckley) defeated Luis Montero Jr[/B] in 16:31 by pinfall with a Jack in The Box. [D] Luis Jr isn't quite ready to go for this length of time. Jack did his best and pulled out an acceptable match. [B]The Maryland Alliance defeated The Southern Assassins[/B] in 13:39 when Brady Prince defeated Assassin #2 by submission with a Maryland Crossface. The Maryland Alliance make defence number 1 of their CMW Tag Team Champions titles. [E+] The two old SCCW teams finally did battle. None of the veterans really took the opportunity to shine however and the tag division may suffer as a result. [B]Sam Keith defeated Ian "Madman" Boone[/B] in 12:44 by submission with a Proton Lock. [D+] Sam and Ian put on the best match of the show. The result was never really in doubt but Madman put in a proper effort and the crowd went home happy. [B]Overall: D[/B] Crowd: 60 Not a great show, but probably fair for a show without a lot of hype behind it. [I]Next month; we try to cope with Sam in Japan.[/I]

[Mattlore Devious]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/LuisMontero.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]February 28th[/I] Strategy Meeting. Two solid shows are in the books. So far so good. Sam is still keen for us to be a roaring financial success. Still haven't told him how pessimistic I am about it. I never really addressed my difficulties with Ray either, but it is getting better. He's doing his job and I'm doing mine. Sam has finalised his travel plans for next month. If we move the show to Friday and have his match opening the show he will be able to make it to Japan in time for a Saturday night [US time, I guess] match. I think hes crazy personally. The old mans body won't hold up for long if he keeps this kind of schedule. [I]March 5th[/I] SK rang me to wish me good luck while he's away. Told him not to worry. He said he won't, because he knows I'll be doing enough for both of us. Too right. [I]March 6th[/I] Rang Ray and we decided with just two of us it wasn't worth having a meeting this week. Saved me a hefty lunch bill, as Sam usually covered it. [I]March 7th[/I] Visited the office today. Finances are in and we made a nice $4k profit. Still way off Sam's goals but hopefully it's enough to keep him happy for the moment. [I]March 11th[/I] Ray rang me today. Ever since the negotiations with The Big Problem had fallen over he had been searching for someone to play the power role and he felt he had finally found someone. Amazingly it was someone I had previously heard of, which is a rarity. With Sam out of the country Rays position had been strengthened, so I couldn't really turn him down. I promised I'd at least give him a ring and see if he was available. [I]March 13th[/I] Had Amy Roberts on my show as a guest today. She was promoting her debut single but I was interested to find out that she had a past in pro-wrestling. Probably mentioned it too much on air and bored my listeners but oh well. She didn't say no when I asked her if she'd be interested appearing alongside Sam Keith. [I]March 17th[/I] Made good my promise to Luis Jr and rang up Chica today. Only sticking point was she wanted flights, but we can deal with that. Received a call from Luis Snr later in the day, he was thankful for all we had done for his son. Apparently Gino was going off the rails a bit and he was glad Junior was being taken care of. Like all old men he rambles a bit. [I]March 20th[/I] Strategy meeting with just Ray today. Began mapping out the card for next week. Told Ray about my phonecall with Luis and he chuckled, “poor Luis, Gino has just gone and opened a hardcore promotion. A hardcore promotion, in Mexico? I nodded, knowingly. Also we rang Jesse Christian together and finalised his deal. Ray was pleased with himself. He might not be so happy once he sees my booking plans. I was becoming a little worried that soon we would be seen as SCCW II. I mean, it must have failed for a reason, right? [I]March 25th[/I] Had to go in to the travel agents and arrange flights today. Everything's a bit chaotic after the Easter weekend. [I]March 27th[/I] Sam flew in today, courtesy of BHOTWG. Good to see him, he looked a little wary but said he was fine. Had a quick strategy meeting, mainly me and Ray showing Sam the card we had put together. He didn't hate it, which was a good sign. [QUOTE][CENTER][SIZE="4"]Sam Keith presents...March Madness[/SIZE] Friday March 28th [B]featuring Sam Keith in action;[/B] Sam Keith v Brady Prince [B][U]CMW Heavyweight Title[/U][/B] Ernie Turner v Jack Griffith © [B]Battle of the Defeated[/B] Luis Montero Jr v Ian “Madman” Boone [B]Submission Bout[/B] Marc Speed v Chris “Canada” Flynn [B]The Monster Debuts[/B] Jesse Christian v Air Attack Weasel [B]Opening Bout[/B] Jason Thunder v Buck Graham[/CENTER][/QUOTE]

[Mattlore Devious]

[I]March 28th [/I] Got to the arena early but the place was half deserted. Remz was there early of course, looking over the card and chatting to whoever would listen. Sam came in late and looked a little down, he wasn't his usual self around the boys. I guess all this touring is starting to get to him. [CENTER][SIZE="5"]Sam Keith presents...March Madness[/SIZE] [IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/SamKeith.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [B]Sam Keith introduction[/B] – 4 mins [C] [I]Sams out to open the show. He runs down the card, thanks everyone for coming and then hypes up his match against Brady Prince. Pretty standard welcome.[/I] [B]Jason Thunder (w/Storm) defeated Buck Graham (w/ Crippler Kingman)[/B] in 11:47 by pinfall with a roll up. [F] [I]The Maryland Alliance play grizzled veterans, so I thought sending Ray out with them would be perfect. Unfortunately they are both wrestling singles this month so he has to do twice the work, but oh well. Both Storm and Crippler were good foils at ringside but inside the ring there was little chemistry and little flow.[/I] [B]Jesse Christian defeated Air Attack Weasel[/B] in 7:33 by submission with a Human Torture Rack. [E] [I]Jesse makes his debut by flinging Weasel around a little. The two didn't gel but the point of the match was for Jesse to make a statement.[/I] [B]Marc Speed defeated Chris "Canada" Flynn[/B] in 12:39 by submission with a Cross Armbreaker. [D-] [I]Nice little match with Marc Speed helping Chris along to his first decent performance.[/I] [B]Ian "Madman" Boone defeated Luis Montero Jr[/B] in 13:48 by pinfall with a Boone And Bust. [E] [I]Bit of a bust. Boone was tiring after ten minutes which is never a good sign.[/I] [B]Jack Griffith (w/Eliza Buckley) defeated Ernie Turner[/B] in 14:01 by pinfall after using a foreign object. Jack Griffith makes defence number 2 of his CMW Californian Champion title. [D-] [I]Quite a good result for a thrown-together semi-main event. Jack sure has some talent and is probably too good for our game.[/I] [B]Sam Keith defeated Brady Prince (w/ Crippler Kingman) [/B]in 12:38 by submission with a Proton Lock. [D+] [I]Brady wasn't quite in his best form but the two did manage to put together what was sadly the best match of the card. Sam sent the fans home happy with the big win. [/I] [B]Overall: D[/B] Crowd: 57 The show was decent. We haven't really hit our straps yet though. I would say everythings on a very very slow upswing. I thanked Ian for his work with us over the last three months, I had decided that we wouldn't need him after this show and he took it as well as could be expected. Ray was still doing a stella job looking after the backstage area, even with his newly added performance role.

[Mattlore Devious]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/RobertOxford.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]April 2nd[/I] Found some of Sam's tours on youtube. A pretty good six man match he was involved in and some clips of him taking on Kinnojo Horri for the World Championship. He can still go when he wants to. [I]April 3rd [/I] Strategy meeting. Sam was planning to return for the show this month so that meant another Friday show. Finances still looked good and our support was relatively steady. Talked to Burning EXILE today and dispite me not using him on the last show he was keen enough to come back again. He also said we didn't have to pay his fares anymore as long as I introduced him to our travel agent. Done and done. [I]April 8th[/I] Visited the office today and Suzy told me Robert Oxford had visited looking for Sam. He had left his number and a message for someone to call him. I pondered calling him back but decided it could wait and Sam could do it himself. [I]April 10th[/I] Told Ray about Oxfords visit. He was immediately suspicious and told me we should be prepared to lose someone. Apparently Oxford is a road agent for TCW. [I]April 11th[/I] Brady Prince rang today. Told me that the deal he had been working on since last August was in need of renewal. I checked the paperwork and sure enough, a renegotiation in April was on the cards. Cost me an extra $200 a show to keep him but I didn't have much of a choice. [I]April 16th[/I] A Black Day. Jack Griffith called me and told me TCW had offered him a deal. He felt kind of guilty about it but I could see why he had to take it. It started in seven days which left us without a champion at our next scheduled show. Called Ray and we had an emergency strategy meeting. We had two options, one: run a show this weekend without advertising and without Sam just so Jack could drop the belt. Or two: vacate the belt and rebuild at the next show. We went with option two. Couldn't reach Sam but left him a message to tell him the glum news. [I]April 17h[/I] Strategy Meeting. We decided a 4-man tournament for the belt at the next show was the obvious way to go. I also felt that we needed to bring in another “name”, considered bringing Ian [Boone] back in but Ray was only too happy to suggest a few other names. Will give them a call and see how pricey they are. [I]April 18th[/I] Sam finally rang me back to see how we were coping with the Griffith fallout. He happily suggested some “gems” he had discovered over in Japan, but of course all of them are on the same tour Sam is and so won't be avalible for another few months. Useless. [I]April 21st[/I] Travis Century, who had just got back stateside after a tour of Japan, was one of Rays suggestions. I'd left several messages on his phone over the weekend, but no such luck. Finally this morning, while I was hosting my show, he called; “Sorry, not interested”. I crossed his name off the list Ray had drawn up for me and looked rather sadly at the mass of red pen. The two names left were Vin Tanner and Jim Force. I wasn't quite that desperate yet. [I]April 22nd[/I] Was buzzing for most of the afternoon. I got my man. Well, my 5th or 6th choice maybe, but I got him. Fumihiro Ota signed on after listening to my ten minute spiel about how Fujiyama the Samurai was a big star in Californian Pro Wrestling in the 70's and how he could fill that role for our company. I'd like to think that swayed him, but really I think he just needed work. [I]April 24th[/I] On my way to the airport to pick up Sam as I write this. Suzy is driving and Ray is asleep in the backseat. Been an okay day – finalised the card alongside Ray, of course Sam may change it later. All the workers arrangements are sorted for tomorrow. A four-man tournament will headline the card, plus a six-man tag that involves Keith. Decent card considering the hectic month we've had. [QUOTE]Well it looks like I've scared off my last tipster but here's the card anyway; [CENTER][SIZE="4"]Sam Keith presents...Spring Showdown[/SIZE] Friday April 25th [B]Four Man Tournament to crown a NEW Californian Champion[/B] [B]Semifinals[/B] Marc Speed v Fumihiro the Ninja Jesse Christian v Burning EXILE (from Japan!) [B]A Six-man match[/B] Sam Keith, Thunder & Lightning v The Maryland Alliance and a [I]Special guest from New York![/I] [B]Special Bonus Match[/B] Jackpot Jordan v Chris Flynn [B]Opening Bout[/B] Surfeador Californiano v Air Attack Weasel[/CENTER][/QUOTE]

[Mattlore Devious]

[I]April 25th[/I] Its days like this that make me wish I was back home. It seems weird not spending ANZAC day morning at a dawn service or the afternoon at the RSA pub. Still, that’s life. The locker room is getting into a routine now, with a few of us arriving early and most of the workers drifting in just before reporting time. Ray gave the pre-show address to the boys and, as always, was inspiring. [CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]Sam Keith presents...Spring Showdown[/SIZE][/CENTER] [B]Introduction – 4 mins [C][/B] Yet again we begin with Sam Keith coming down to the ring with a microphone. “Ladies and Gentlemen unfortunately Jack Griffith cannot make the show tonight. I am afraid that leaves me no choice but to strip him of the title and declare the belt vacant. However, as we all know, every cloud has a silver lining and therefore, tonight, there will be a four man tournament for the Championship.” [B]Air Attack Weasel defeated Surfeador Californiano in 12:46 by pinfall with an Air Attack Ace. [E-][/B] The two didn’t click as well as I hoped and put together a lacklustre performance. [B]Fumihiro the Ninja defeated Marc Speed in 13:50 by pinfall with a handful of tights. [D+][/B] Fumihiro debuted with a win. The two combined well with Marc Speed putting on a good losing effort. [B]Jesse Christian defeated Burning EXILE in 11:55 by submission with a Human Torture Rack. [D][/B] Despite the win Jesse didn’t look like he really wanted to be there. I guess 60 fans wildly cheering his name doesn’t really do it for him. [B]Jackpot Jordan defeated Chris "Canada" Flynn in 8:12 by pinfall with a Cash In. [F+][/B] These two crashed and burned in the ring. Chris in particular was not up to his, admittedly low, standards. [B]Sam Keith and Thunder & Lightning (w/ Storm) defeated Brady Prince, Buck Graham and Coyote Dynamite (w/ Cripper Kingman)[/B] in 10:43 when Jason Thunder defeated Brady Prince by pinfall with a quick cradle. [D-] These six put together an acceptable performance, although it didn’t blow the crowd away. Storm and Lightning still haven’t gelled but she is working well with Jason. Jason picked up the flash pinfall. Suddenly [B]Ernie Turner[/B] runs into the ring and attacks Sam. The heels have a five on three advantage and Sam ends up a beaten down mess in the middle of the ring. Ernie showboats to the crowd as Remz screams about the dastardly act. 3 minutes. [E] [B]Fumihiro the Ninja defeated Jesse Christian[/B] in 12:18 by pinfall with a Ninja Strike. Fumihiro the Ninja wins the CMW Californian Champion title. [C-] Fumihiro wins the title on his debut show after a see-sawing battle that saw Fumihiro relying on his speed and Jesse resorting to power moves. The opposite of a typical face-heel match. The crowd head home after seeing the heels come out on top in the main two matches. [B]Overall: D+[/B] Fans: 58 [I]Next month: Coping without Sam.[/I]

[Mattlore Devious]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/CripplerRayKingman.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]May 8th[/I] Strategy Meeting. With Sam not returning from Japan this month, me and Ray decided to just run a super-small hour long show. It'll hopefully be cheap to run and bring us in a small profit to show Sam when he returns. Last month we made a $6k profit, for some reason Ninja masks sold like hotcakes. [I]May 12th-16th[/I] Its been quite a week. The pain started when Oniji Taka****a told me that he was going to tour with INSPIRE next month. He had been one of Sam's “essential hires” and, because he wouldn't sign anything longer than three months, it might just be easier to let him go at the end of his latest agreement. Then Ernie Turner agreed to work part time for RIPW, which overall isn't really a negative. I also heard on the grapevine that Jesse Christian was going to be at CZCW's next show, which is a little more annoying. I guess it was a good thing we hadn't put the belt on him, seeing as he is now working for the local opposition as well. Finally, the real bombshell came on Thursday. I knew something was up when Crippler came to see me at work rather than waiting for me at the lunchbar. “Matthew” he said “my contracts up at the end of the month and I want out.” I couldn't believe it. “I'm an old man, and this is too stressful on me” yeah, and now you're just going to walk away and leave all the work on me. He was nice enough about it, but was adamant that this months show is going to be his last. I felt like ringing Sam for help, but decided not to. I can handle this on my own. [I]May 21st[/I] Planning for the show is done, doesn't look to shabby considering I've restricted myself to just using the cheap workers. Have made a few calls about hiring a new road agent but no leads yet. Sam will want to have a big say in the hire anyway. [QUOTE][CENTER][SIZE="5"]CMW Hour of Power[/SIZE] May 24th [B]Title Shot on the Line[/B] Jason Thunder v Brady Prince [B]Surf v Street[/B] Surfeador Californiano v Ernie Turner [B]North v South[/B] Lobo Blanco v Chris “Canada” Flynn [B]Opening Bout[/B] Air Attack Weasel v Luis Montero Jr[/CENTER][/QUOTE]

[Mattlore Devious]

[I]May 24th[/I] [CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/cmw.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="5"]CMW's Hour of Power[/SIZE][/CENTER] The show starts with [B]Ernie Turner[/B] waltzing down to the ring. [COLOR="Blue"]"Last month you watched me destroy Sam Keith. In fact I bet him down so bad he isn't even here tonight. Therefore I am running this show and I am calling the shots."[/COLOR] Content with saying his piece he drops the mic and walks off. 5 mins [E-] [B]Luis Montero Jr (w/Chica De Partido) defeated Air Attack Weasel[/B] in 11:38 by pinfall. [E] [I]Chica was looking as lovely as ever at ringside. Half decent match, compared to what was to follow.[/I] [B]Chris "Canada" Flynn defeated Lobo Blanco[/B] in 9:34 by submission. During the match we also had Ernie Turner run in and attack Lobo Blanco. [E-] [I]Lobo looked like he didn't want to be there and to make matters worse the two styles clashed horribly. Ernie ran in during the match, yelling to the crowd that he was calling the shots.[/I] [B]Jason Thunder (w/Storm) defeated Brady Prince[/B] in 11:49 by pinfall with a surprise cradle. During the match we also had Ernie Turner run in and attack Brady Prince. [E] [I]The match lacked a little flow but it picked up near the end. Ernie again interfered, to remind the fans that he was indeed in running the show. Jason scored the upset win to earn his team a shot at the Tag titles.[/I] [B]Ernie Turner defeated Surfeador Californiano[/B] in 13:10 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. [E-] [I]By the time Ernies match rolled around he had been out in front of the crowd three times already. This probably explains why he was a little off in his match. The match, quite frankly, sucked and it shouldn't have gone on last. I learnt that Ernie has no carrying power whatsoever and so far Surfeador has been a big pile of turd[/I] [B]Overall: E-[/B] Fans: 60 The show ended up a stinker but it was done on the cheap and the real result comes in the form of next months financial statement.

[Mattlore Devious]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/LuisMontero.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [I]June 2nd[/I] Rang Luis to see if he wanted to join his son up here once a month. He said he would but it would cost me two grand per trip. Quickly told him we couldn't afford him, but to give me a ring if he ever spotted some great young talent. [I]June 3rd[/I] Sam rings in a fluster. Apparently Ray had been talking to some internet websites saying he'd “never work for CMW again” and the like. Whoops, maybe I should have told Sam about it first. He blames me for him leaving, the fact that we never really got on. I asked who he thought we should hire. His first suggestion is Luis until I tell him how much he wants. I ask about Preston but he's not so sure he wants him involved in the operation. Then he mentions a name that makes me freeze. Rico Santana. One of my child hood heros. I tell Sam I'm not too sure I want to call him, but he says he can't do it from Japan so it's upto me. This will be interesting. [I]June 5th[/I] Strategy Meeting. With myself. Once I got around to calling Rico it didn't seem so scary. He's working out in Puerto Rico at the moment, just once a month, and seemed to be interested in picking up an extra date. The real clincher is when I ask what it'd cost me, $900 he says, much less than Luis wanted and less than we were giving Ray. Guess I'll be meeting one of my heros at the end of the month. [I]June 12th[/I] Success! The financial reports come in and we made a very nice thirteen grand last month. Now, if I ran a show that bad everyweek Sam's financial goals would be met in no time. [I]June 19th[/I] Under Sams orders I begin to put out feelers for the Sam Keith Open. He wants to have the best independent workers and says we are to spare no expense. I'm not so sure about the second part, especially given Sams lofty goals, but we will see. Almost immediately I get my first rejection, Art Reeds [travel] agent tells me he has just signed to tour with PGHW and so won't be stateside in August. Also with Rays departure I've taken it upon myself to look at getting in a few cruiserweights on a trial basis. Not too many because we don't want to compete with CZCW, but just enough to test the waters. [I]June 21st[/I] Per my Cruiserweight trial I've hired Roderick Remus – all those hints Rems kept dropping finally paid off – and a teen whose gimmick is the “Californian Love Machine”. Lets see how those two do alongside Surfeador Californiano. [I]June 22nd[/I] Everytime I come home it seems that my answerphone has another rejection on it, Steve Flash is too big for us, James Hernandez is too busy, etc etc. At least I have two months to put together this card. [I]June 23rd[/I] Finally get someone to return my calls. Erik Strong, MAW champion and Invitational winner, is interested to work a few dates for us, as is Ultimate Pheonix who works for our competition and our buddies MPWF. Not sure how everyone is going to fit into the tournament yet, but at least someone has shown some interest. [I]June 24th[/I] The low point of the month. Whippy the Clown turns us down. [I]June 26th[/I] I sure will be glad to see Sam tomorrow, lets see what we have advertised as being on the card... [QUOTE][CENTER][SIZE="4"]Sam Keith presents...Beach Party[/SIZE] [I]June 27th[/I] [B]Keith restores order in a STRAP MATCH[/B] Sam Keith v Ernie Turner [B]CMW Championship final rematch[/B] Fumihiro the Ninja v Jesse Christian [B]CMW Tag Team Championship match[/B] The Maryland Alliance v Thunder & Lightning [B]Second Generation Debut! - SKO Qualifying Match[/B] Jay Chord v Bart Biggz [B]Cruiserweight Try-Series[/B] Surfeador Californiano v Roderick Remus [B]Sam Keith Open Qualifying Match[/B] Luis Montero Jr v Chris “Canada” Flynn[/CENTER][/QUOTE]

[Thriller]

I'm enjoying this diary. I like that your character isn't everyone's friend, he isn't a saviour or anything like that, he's just a guy doing his job. :) [B]Sam Keith[/B] v Ernie Turner [B]Fumihiro the Ninja[/B] v Jesse Christian The Maryland Alliance v [B]Thunder & Lightning[/B] [b]Jay Chord[/b] v Bart Biggz [B]Surfeador Californiano[/B] v Roderick Remus [B]Luis Montero Jr[/B] v Chris “Canada” Flynn

[Mattlore Devious]

[I]June 27th[/I] Woke up bright and early this morning. Was restless all day. I think the only show I had been more nervous about was my first, way back in January. Driving to the arena around five I was literally shaking in anticipation. The first person I met there, as always, was Remz who was enthusiastic as always. This time though he had someone with him, his brother Roderick. He wasn’t all that much to look at but he seemed like a nice kid and he had heart, or at least I hoped – prayed – he did. Rico was in the locker room when I got there, he was smaller than I had imagined and older too. He briefly acknowledged me and then moved on. I tried to get over the jitters and went to find Sam. Without Crips there Sam gave the pre-show speech. The boys seemed glad to have him back, with him and Rico there it seemed like there was suddenly a lot more experience and respect around, not that the boys hadn’t respected Ray of course. Suddenly it was showtime. [CENTER][SIZE="5"]Sam Keith Presents…Beach Party[/SIZE] [IMG]http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo286/MattloreDee/SamKeith_alt1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Sam Keith is out to a nice ovation. [COLOR="Blue"]“Thank you, thank you, you are all too kind. Now I’ve got a few reasons to be out here right now. Before I get to the serious stuff I’d briefly like to mention a lighter note. Tonight Jay Chord debuts here on the West Coast. Many of you will have heard of his father Rip, hell me and him tore the house down a few times. So anyway, I want to take this chance to wish the kid all the best and ask you give him a warm welcome when he gets down here.” [/COLOR]He pauses, and his demeanour suddenly sours, [COLOR="Blue"]“Ernie – two months ago you cowardly attacked me. Since then I’ve been busy taking care of business in Japan but I hear you’ve been running your mouth telling anyone who would listen that you’re running the show. Well you’re not. So tonight I’m going to be teaching you a lesson, in a strap match” [/COLOR][C-] [B]Sam Keith Open Qualifying Match: Luis Montero Jr (w/ Chica De Partido) v Chris "Canada" Flynn[/B] [I]Pretty Basic match. These two I both originally had high hopes for but now it seems they are only good for sub-standard openers.[/I] Luis Montero Jr defeated Chris "Canada" Flynn in 8:06 by pinfall. [E-] [B]Surfeador Californiano v Roderick Remus[/B] [I]I’d told Surfeador that this was his chance to shine but for some reason he didn’t seem too keen tonight. I guess that he sees Roderick as a threat or something. Remmington was super chuffed to see his brother perform and his OTT antics were extra-OTT. I basically ended up giving up and saying nothing for the second half of the match.[/I] Roderick Remus defeated Surfeador Californiano in 12:43 by submission with a Remus Clutch. [E] [B]CMW Tag Team Championship match: The Maryland Alliance v Thunder & Lightning (w/Storm)[/B] [I]The match was below what I had hoped the Maryland Alliance was capable. However the middle lacked flow and then by the end Buck and Brady were blown out. Still, work with what you’ve got I guess.[/I] The Maryland Alliance defeated Thunder & Lightning in 12:24 when Brady Prince defeated Jason Thunder by submission with a Maryland Crossface. The Maryland Alliance make defence number 2 of their CMW Tag Team Champions titles. [E-] [B]SKO Qualifying Match: Jay Chord v Bart Biggz[/B] [I]Jay had an impressive debut. However everytime he seemed to be getting control the match would turn against him. Bart is not much more than you’re average cruiserweight but he knows how to work a crowd and has mastered the thumb to the eye. Eventually Jay looked like he had got the upper hand but the Maryland Alliance came down and ended up bout.[/I] Bart Biggz defeated Jay Chord in 10:54 by pinfall with a Biggz Up following interference from Brady Prince. [C-] Bart Biggz joins the Maryland Alliance in beating down Jay. Finally Sams music plays and he runs down to the ring accompanied by Luis Montero Jr. Brady and Buck quickly leave and after a brief skirmish Bret also high-tails it to leave the three faces in the ring. [F+] [B]CMW Championship: Fumihiro the Ninja v Jesse Christian[/B] [I]A rematch from the last show, but the fans were still keen. Fumihiro again danced around the ring while Jesse tried to pin him down. Only once did Jesse manage to pick up Fumihiro but Fumi used his ninja skills to quickly riggle free. Fumihiro used a leg sweep to knock the big giant down and quick as a flash it was all over.[/I] Fumihiro the Ninja defeated Jesse Christian in 13:36 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Fumihiro the Ninja makes defence number 1 of his CMW Californian Champion title. [C-] [B]STRAP MATCH: Sam Keith v Ernie Turner[/B] [I]Note to self: It won’t do Sams ego any harm if he isn’t always on last. It was the first gimmick match of any kind in California Mega Wrestling and Sam had decided to go old school with a Strap match. It’s the perfect type of match for a promoter really, brutal enough but damn simple to organise. At the end of the day the success is up to the boys. Ernie started the match by stalling. Eventually though Sam just used the strap to reel him in and the brutality really began. Keith dominated for large parts, the only time he looked largely in danger was when Ernie got on his back and began choking him. Disappointingly after about ten minutes Ernie looked tired and Sam ended it by touching all the corners. As always, Sam looked like a million bucks at the end of the night and the fans went home happy. [/I] Sam Keith defeated Ernie Turner in 10:37 when Sam Keith was the first to touch all the corners. [D] Overall: D Crowd: 56 It had been quite a night. I had met a childhood hero, a second generation superstar had debuted, and CMW had had our first gimmick match. Sure the attendance wasn’t increasing and we were capable of more but I didn’t care right now. The only thing that could have made me happier was if Wild Man Sullivan walked into my office and begged me to book him. That would have made it quite a day. [QUOTE]Thanks Thriller for the kind words - I just fear its more "mundane/boring" at the moment rather than hitting quite the right notes. Still hopefully it'll get a little bit better. As you can see my show-day posts are evolving towards something more like the ordinary dynasty format, hopefully this will be an improvement. After the Sam Keith Open there is going to be a roster overview and feedback will be greatly encouraged as there are many ways the story can go from there. [/QUOTE]