Rapid Pro Wrestling 2.0: Nobody Does It Better

[1PWfan]

[I]Here we are again, new user character and hopefully some other new ideas- I'm actively trying not to repeat myself, but I can't promise that things won't crop up again[/I] [SIZE="6"][B][FONT="Times New Roman"][CENTER]Chris Irvine’s Straight Shootin’ with…‘The King of Cool’ Chris Helmsley[/CENTER][/FONT][/B][/SIZE] [CENTER][IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/RoderickRemus_alt.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“So, by the end of 1996 you’d really started to make a name for yourself in CZCW, making the King of the Indies finals twice and even enjoying a very brief run with the SoCal Championship. All good stuff, but it was still a shock when you departed the company at the start of 1997 to join Rapid Pro Wrestling on the East Coast, not just as a wrestler but also as head booker. What’s the story there?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Well, for a start I’d been planning on leaving the Coastal Zone for a while- at that point the company was based very firmly around work rate, and I wasn’t actually that good a worker.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“You’re quite possibly the very first wrestler I’ve ever heard admit that-what’s wrong with you?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="darkorange"]“Yeah, well, it’s true-I’d gotten over thanks to the fact that I was, without wishing to appear arrogant, a d@mn good talker and could call a decent match, so CZCW wasn’t really the best place for me. Plus, as you say, I’d had a great run there, and it was time to move on. RPW had a style I could relate to, and I knew Preston from CZCW, so it was the logical place to go”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“But what about the booking job? RPW was deep in the now legendary East Coast War by that point, and offering the book to an unproven rookie is an odd move, at the least”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Well, in fairness to Preston, I wasn’t entirely unproven. Sure, RPW was my first time in the big chair, but I’d had a lot of creative input at CZCW-I’d helped book the early stages of the King of the Indies tournament, and it was my idea to have Ota win, originally Josh was gonna go over. So, yeah, I had a little experience booking, if not much”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“There’s a theory that your appointment was designed as a publicity stunt-Preston Holt attempting to attract attention to RPW when it wasn’t doing well in the War”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“I guess it coulda been- after all, PPPW had just brought in Horatio Dangerous, who was a helluva guy, a real genius, and I can see Preston wanted to steal their thunder a bit. But I never heard anything like that in the locker room, and it would’ve probably gotten around-I love Preston, but he really never knew when to keep his mouth shut”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“Anyway, you arrived in RPW at the start of 1997: what were your immediate thoughts on the company?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Well, one thing that was clear was that we needed some more experience on the roster- a lot of the talent had a lot of potential, but outside of the main event there were only a couple of guys that really knew their way around the ring. And I felt like we had some padding on the roster we needed to get rid of- guys like Peregrino Soto and Pete the Hillbilly, who let’s face it were never gonna be big stars”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“Of course, Peregrino Soto was dismissed almost immediately, along with RPW announcer Rock Downpour…”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Just before we go any further, that wasn’t anything personal. I liked Rock, but RPW was kinda seen as the East Coast CZCW, and I wanted to keep comparisons to a minimum-talent sharing is one thing, but your announcer is very much a part of the company presentation, and I like to keep that as unique as possible. Besides, we had a couple of new guys coming in, and I wanted to make some space for them”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“You’re referring to Fumihiro Ota and ‘The Priest of Pain’ Pablo Rodriguez, both of whom arrived in RPW just prior to the January show, RPW Raised on Wrestling”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Yeah, Pablo in particular was someone who I thought had the potential to be a big star for RPW- Lucha Libre was still quite new to the US, and he was one of the best Luchadores out there”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“So, you had the roster, you had the first show coming up: what were your plans for RPW in 1997”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Simply put? Stay open. We had the money to outlast any of the competition in financial terms, and we had the talent to best their shows any day of the week. And eventually we were going to drive straight to number one in the war. RPW may not have been the edgiest company out there, but there wasn’t a fan who wouldn’t find something to enjoy there, whether they were a pure wrestling fan in their 20’s or a 6 year old kid who thought Sam Strong was the greatest wrestler in the world. If you thought 1996 had been intense, then 1997 was gonna be the wildest year on record, and in the words of the philosopher Bachman…. You ain’t seen nothing yet” [/COLOR]

[FINisher]

Nice to know that you are continuing this one! What went wrong with the first one? I have completely forgotten/missed the thing with it.. What happened? Cool that you are using my alt! ^^ Thanks 1PWfan. I'll be reading!

[1PWfan]

[CENTER][B][SIZE="6"]Coming Soon[/SIZE][/B] [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/RPW.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="6"]RPW RAISED ON WRESTLING[/SIZE] SHOWCASE MATCHES INCLUDE: [B]STEVE FLASH vs. BRENT HILL: The War for the RPW World Title Continues[/B] [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG]vs.[IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/BrentHill.jpg[/IMG] [B]PABLO RODRIGUEZ vs. SILVER SHARK RPW's Inaugral East Coast Champion is Crowned[/B] [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/PabloRodriguez.jpg[/IMG]vs[IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/SilverShark.jpg[/IMG] [B]FUMIHIRO OTA vs. BLUE SKY The Super Ninja has arrived[/B] [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG]vs[IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/UltimatePhoenix.jpg[/IMG] [/CENTER] Prediction Key: Steve Flash vs. Brent Hill Pablo Rodriguez vs. Silver Shark Alex Braun vs. Dylan Sidle Fumihiro Ota vs. Blue Sky Cousin Ezra vs. Jungle Jack Lance Henderson vs. Chris Helmsley

[FINisher]

[B]RPW RAISED ON WRESTLING[/B] [B]Steve Flash[/B] vs. Brent Hill [B]Pablo Rodriguez[/B] vs. Silver Shark [B]Alex Braun[/B] vs. Dylan Sidle Fumihiro Ota vs. [B]Blue Sky[/B] Cousin Ezra vs. [B]Jungle Jack[/B] Lance Henderson vs. [B]Chris Helmsley[/B]

[foolinc]

[B]Steve Flash [/B]vs. Brent Hill [B]Pablo Rodriguez[/B] vs. Silver Shark [B]Alex Braun[/B] vs. Dylan Sidle [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Blue Sky Cousin Ezra vs. [B]Jungle Jack[/B] Lance Henderson vs. [B]Chris Helmsley[/B]

[Tigerkinney]

[B]Steve Flash[/B] vs. Brent Hill [B]Pablo Rodriguez[/B] vs. Silver Shark Alex Braun vs. Dyl[B]an Sidle[/B] [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Blue Sky Cousin Ezra vs. [B]Jungle Jack[/B] Lance Henderson vs. [B]Chris Helmsley[/B]

[Regis]

Prediction Key: [B]Steve Flash[/B] vs. Brent Hill [I]This is Steve's peak, and a change on show one isn't going to happen.[/I] [B]Pablo Rodriguez[/B] vs. Silver Shark [I]The Priest Of Pain is a great talent; solid in the fundamentals, with the flash and flair to carry this belt far.[/I] [B]Alex Braun[/B] vs. Dylan Sidle [I]The 90's are the age of the Ice Man. Watch out, Sidle![/I] [B]Fumihiro Ota[/B] vs. Blue Sky [I]GO NINJA GO NINJA GO! GO NINJA GO NINJA GO![/I] [B]Cousin Ezra[/B] vs. Jungle Jack [I]Don't just job out a Main Eventer to a raw rookie, even if the Main Eventer is no good.[/I] [B]Lance Henderson[/B] vs. Chris Helmsley [I]Chris already admitted it - he's not that good.[/I] Welcome back!

[Phantom Stranger]

Woo, namecheck! [B] Steve Flash[/B] vs. Brent Hill [B]Pablo Rodriguez[/B] vs. Silver Shark [B]Alex Braun[/B] vs. Dylan Sidle Fumihiro Ota vs. [B]Blue Sky[/B] Cousin Ezra vs. [B]Jungle Jack[/B] [B]Lance Henderson[/B] vs. Chris Helmsley

[jesseewiak]

[b]Steve Flash[/b] vs. Brent Hill No title switch on day one. [b]Pablo Rodriguez[/b] vs. Silver Shark Pablo's cool, Silver's a geek. [b]Alex Braun[/b] vs. Dylan Sidle Braun's still near his peak and needs to look strong to possibly challenge Flash. [b]Fumihiro Ota[/b] vs. Blue Sky He's a ninja. [b]Cousin Ezra[/b] vs. Jungle Jack Jungle's a rookie, Ezra's a main eventer. [b]Lance Henderson[/b] vs. Chris Helmsley Selfless booker time!

[1PWfan]

[CENTER][B][SIZE=6]RPW Raised on Wrestling[/SIZE][/B] [B][SIZE=5]Live to DVD from the Delaware Auditorium[/SIZE][/B] [B][SIZE=5]Audience: 967[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER] [B][U]Pre-Show/DVD Extras[/U][/B] [B]Whippy the Clown vs. Pete the Hillbilly[/B] This match sucked, but it was pretty much what I expected. Pete basically has a job because he’s friends with Ezra and I don’t want to annoy him yet, but he’s got little to no talent and Whippy isn’t able to carry him yet. That said, Whippy did pick up a couple of decent brawling tricks, and Marv and the Warrior were just about able to cover for the worst of this. Whippy got the win: he needs to build up momentum, and Pete doen’t need any. [B]Winner:[/B] Whippy the Clown [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]E[/I] [B][U]The Show[/U][/B] [COLOR=blue]“Hello wrestling fans, and welcome to RPW Raised On Wrestling! I’m Marv Ernest and joining me tonight is The Samoan Warrior”[/COLOR] [COLOR=purple]“Fans, we’ve got one hell of a card lined up for you tonight. Not only will Steve Flash and Brent Hill be facing off once again for the RPW World Title, but we’ll be crowning RPW’s inaugural East Coast Champion when Silver Shark faces off against the debuting ‘Priest of Pain’ Pablo Rodriguez. Plus Fumihiro Ota will be debuting against Blue Sky in a match that promises to be one heck of a deal”[/COLOR] [COLOR=blue]“I don’t know about you, Warrior, but I can’t wait to see the new guys in action. Ota’s been turning heads for quite a while over in CZCW on the West Coast, whilst Pablo is definitely one of the best young luchadores to come out of Mexico. First though, we’ve got a great opening match, as ‘Iceman’ Alex Braun faces off against ‘Deadly’ Dylan Sidle”[/COLOR] [COLOR=purple]“This should be good-both of these guys have a lot of talent, and they’re neither of them rookies either…”[/COLOR] [B]Alex Braun vs. Dylan Sidle[/B] Sure, I’d hoped for better, but this wasn’t a bad match by any means. Alex and Dylan produced a really solid effort that got the crowd moving again after the dark match, and Alex capped off a good start to the night by improving his technical work, which is always handy- he’s one of our most over main eventers, but his skills don’t match up to any of the others. He got the win here with the Braun Damage: as cruel as it may sound, I really don’t want Dylan in the main event. [B]Winner:[/B] Alex Braun [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]D+[/I] We then go backstage, to where Brains McGee is cutting a promo on behalf of Cousin Ezra, hyping his match with Jungle Jack. This was…decent enough, given that Jack has virtually no name value and Brains was almost certainly collaborating closely with Mr. Jack Daniels in the making of this promo. Plus, it was short enough to not linger [B]Rating:[/B] [I]E-[/I] [B]Jungle Jack vs. Cousin Ezra[/B] This was exactly as bad as I expected it to be: Ezra is popular, but not much else, and really benefits from being in a tag team where he can hide his weaknesses. That said, he did teach JJ some new performance tricks, and Brains did some good stuff at ringside-there something about an angry drunken midget that is inherently entertaining. JJ got the win here with the sole pop of the match, lifting Ezra up for the Jungle Jack-Jammer. [B]Winner:[/B] Jungle Jack [B]Rating:[/B] [I]E+[/I] [B]Lance Henderson vs. Chris Helmsley[/B] This match was much better than the last, largely thanks to Lance-his chain wrestling is the bad side of average, but he’s a damn fine mat wrestler, and really stands out in the high-flying environs of RPW. This was a two-way street, though-he taught me some of his technical work, and in return learned how to rough-house a bit better. Plus, Brains was once again doing his thing at ringside, so the crowd got more Angry Drunken Midget fun alongside some pretty competent wrestling, culminating with Brains distracting the ref whilst Lance rolled me up with his trademark Small Package finisher for the win. [B]Winner:[/B] Lance Henderson [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]D[/I] We go backstage, to where Pablo Rodriguez has a mic, ready to hype up his match with Silver Shark [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Tonight, I face off against Silver Shark for the RPW East Coast title. Hombre, you are one amante estúpido del tiburón if you think you are a match for me. I am the greatest young wrestler in the world, and I will not be stand by some pequeña hombre-mujer débil who hangs out with a squid. Tonight, Shark, you are just step one on my road to greatness.[/COLOR] This was alright: Pablo has charisma, but isn’t that sharp on the mic yet, and needs to get more of an idea of his character here before he can really get good. Still, he has a nice delivery, and the Spanish was a nice touch. [B]Rating:[/B] [I]D-[/I] [B]Pablo Rodriguez vs. Silver Shark[/B] Another very capable match here, with nothing really to report. Pablo delivered as I hoped he would, although Shark is one of our stronger workers, so we’ll give it a little more time before pronouncing him the second coming of El Patron or Magnum Johnson. He got the win here, putting Sharky away with a Diving Rana he calls the Sinners’ Salvation [B]Winner:[/B] Pablo Rodriguez [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]D[/I] We then show a video of Brent training for the main event, playing up his heelishness by showing him beating on rookies in a really swanky-type gym (we made use of our working relationships and brought in Chris Perkins from CZCW and Tom Gilmore from NOTBPW to play the rookies). As with everything involving Brent, this went over pretty well. [B]Rating:[/B] [I]D[/I] [B]Fumihiro Ota vs. Blue Sky[/B] Well, Ota was really good. Unfortunately Blue Sky was off his game tonight, apparently feeling the effects of having to kick off the New Year in the semi-main event facing a guy he’d never worked with. This led to a rather weak match, not on the level of Ezra-Jack for sheer awfulness but still pretty lame. Fortunately Ota was the one going over, o he was able to step up his game to at least carry Blue Sky enough of the way to make this passable, before putting him down with the Ninja Strike for the win. [B]Winner:[/B] Fumihiro Ota [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]D-[/I] [B]Steve Flash vs. Brent Hill[/B] See, this is why Steve and Brent rule. This was a great match, with both guys really firing on all cylinders for the full twenty minutes and delivering the best match of the East Coast Wars this month (Vengeance and Wolverine matched the overall reaction, but that was a hardcore match and they suck anyway). Everything worked here, and let’s face it, as finale’s go this was up there with the end of Star Wars IV in terms of greatness. Plus, it went right to the wire, with neither guy able to get a pin before the time limit expired, leaving it on a draw [B]Winner:[/B] None [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]C[/I] [B]Overall Rating:[/B] [I]D+[/I], on a level with all the competition except the XFW, who only managed a [I]D[/I].

[1PWfan]

[COLOR="SeaGreen"] “So, you’d kicked 1997 off with a pretty good show that, more importantly, measured up extremely well in the regional battles- only NYCW came ahead of you. How did that feel?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Pretty damn good, although I was aware of the fact that we couldn’t run that exact card over and over again-sure, with Fumi, Brent and Steve on hand we could deliver in the main event, but the undercard was always an issue. That said, with the morale boost of the battle results, and a lot of extra money in the bank, I could go to work on signing some extra talent”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“Of course it was around this time that you made your first raids on the competition, picking up Emma Chase from DaVE and Bryan Holmes from PPPW. Whilst I doubt anybody would object to signing either of these names in general, it does seem a little odd considering that Bryan in particular didn’t fit with the high-flying style of RPW”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“There is that, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t fly, it just wasn’t really his style. Plus, I was looking at partnering him with Lance as a replacement for Ezra-I never had a problem with Ezra personally, but he was turning into deadweight-and Bryan was perfect for that. Plus, let’s not overlook the fact that he was a great wrestler, that always helps”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“It sure does. So, moving on, let’s talk about the run-up to the next show, RPW You Better You Bet. Things were looking pretty good going into that show, right?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“Oh yeah. PPPW and the XFW had both handed in D rated shows, which I knew we could beat, and DaVE had lost Vengeance and Eric Tyler to the SWF. We were safe from that-I’d signed off on a non-aggression pact before Raised on Wrestling- and I’d struck up a few working agreements so we could bring in some big foreign names for the show”[/COLOR] [COLOR="SeaGreen"]“I think it’s fair to say that You Better You Bet was in many ways a more important event that Raised on Wrestling. After all, this event would whether you could keep up your excellent start, or whether it was all just a flash in the pan…” [/COLOR]

[1PWfan]

[CENTER][SIZE="6"][B]COMING SOON[/B][/SIZE] [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/RPW.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE="6"]RPW YOU BETTER YOU BET[/SIZE] SHOWCASE MATCHES INCLUDE: [B]STEVE FLASH vs. FUMIHIRO OTA A Match for the RPW World Title[/B] [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG] [B]BRENT HILL vs. EL BANDITO International Showcase Match[/B] [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/BrentHill.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/ElBandito.jpg[/IMG] [B]HOLMES & HENDERSON vs RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE Brains McGee's Double Act Champions face their nemeses for the titles [/B][IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/BryanHolmes_alt1.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/JoshJones_alt.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/RoderickRemus_alt.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/JungleJack.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Prediction Key: Steve Flash vs. Fumihiro Ota Brent Hill vs. El Bandito Alex Braun vs. Canadian Dragon Holmes & Henderson vs. Rumble in the Jungle Pablo Rodriguez vs. Donnie J

[foolinc]

Prediction Key: [b]Steve Flash[/b] vs. Fumihiro Ota [b]Brent Hill[/b] vs. El Bandito [b]Alex Braun[/b] vs. Canadian Dragon [b]Holmes & Henderson[/b] vs. Rumble in the Jungle [b]Pablo Rodriguez[/b] vs. Donnie J Well that was easy. ;)

[Phantom Stranger]

[B]Steve Flash[/B] vs. Fumihiro Ota [B]Brent Hill[/B] vs. El Bandito [B]Alex Braun[/B] vs. Canadian Dragon [B]Holmes & Henderson[/B] vs. Rumble in the Jungle [B]Pablo Rodriguez[/B] vs. Donnie J Straight down the side, which is a bit suspicious to me, but it'll do.

[1PWfan]

[CENTER][B][SIZE="6"]RPW You Better You Bet[/SIZE] [SIZE="5"]Live to DVD from the Delaware Auditorium Audience: 851[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER] [B][U]The Show[/U][/B] [COLOR="Blue"]“It’s February, It’s The Delaware Auditorium...Fans, THIS is RPW You Better You Bet! I’m Marv Earnest, and tonight promises to be a real humdinger of an event!”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“Ain’t you forgetting someone, [I]Marvin[/I]?”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“Of course, sorry. Fans, tonight I’m joined by my new broadcast partner, Emma Holt.”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“’Bout time. Y’know, Marv, you might want to be more careful about who you forget. Do you know who my daddy is? Preston Holt, your boss, that’s who. So you better be nice, or you won’t have a job anymore”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]“I said sorry, didn’t I? Anyway, let’s get things kicked off, as Alex Braun faces off against Canadian Dragon in tonight’s opening bout”[/COLOR] [COLOR="Magenta"]“Braun? More like Braun-damaged. CanDrag’s gonna have an easy night of it”[/COLOR] * [B]Alex Braun vs. Canadian Dragon[/B] This was pretty average, but I’ll take it. CanDrag’s an okay worker, but he isn’t really anything special, and Braun’s skills don’t really match up to his overness. That’s not to say they’re either of them bad, mind you, and they delivered a decent opening bout. Alex will probably see this slot a lot- apparently he enjoys working the opening match slot, and who am I to refuse him pleasure? Besides, I like having a solid opener. Alex took the win here, putting the Dragon down with a Braun Damage. [B]Winner:[/B] Alex Braun [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]D[/I] * The ever-familiar tones of ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ brings out Rumble in the Jungle for a promo ahead of their match. Yours truly takes the mic, whilst JJ does his menacing Tarzan poses [COLOR="DarkOrange"]“HELLO, DELAWARE! ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!”[/COLOR] The crowd bellows in the affirmative. [COLOR="darkorange"]“Alright! Now, tonight, that little midget square Brains McGee has managed to get Cousin Ezra replaced by Bryan Holmes. Holmesy, I got a lot of respect for ya, as a worker. But dude, [I]Brains[/I]? The guy’s worse than Colonel Parker! You really want to be hanging out with a crook like that, or that unmentionably wussy little cheat Lance Henderson? I hate to break it to you, but you run with that outfit, all you’re gonna get is a bad case of an ass-whuppin! "Tonight, you’re debut is gonna blow worse than a Nirvana Gig. Tonight, me and Jungle Jack Flash here are gonna stand in this ring, beat you like a red-headed stepchild, and take those shiny shiny Double Act title belts off you. That’s right boy! We’re gonna throw you down, watch you drown then we’re gonna ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE AND PARTY EVERY DAY!”[/COLOR] I’ll admit I’m not the world’s best wrestler, but I am one hell of a talker. [B]Rating:[/B] [I]C-[/I] [B]Bryan Holmes and Lance Henderson vs. Rumble in the Jungle[/B] See, this is why Holmes is just so great. This was a really good tag match, largely thanks to Holmes’ talent and my unusually good night: I’m not a great wrestler but I can do a great face in peril, and against those two it was easy as walking. Plus, I managed to pick up a little extra rough-housing whilst Bryan’s fundamentals sharpened up (like they needed to). In the end Brains once again ensured the win for his team, distracting the ref whilst Bryan low-blowed JJ before rolling him up for a pin. [B]Winners:[/B] Holmes and Henderson [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]D[/I] * Backstage, Pablo is once again on hype duty for his title match [COLOR="Indigo"]"Tonight, I face Donnie J, el retraso californiano. Donnie, you are no match for my skill. The Priest of Pain is the future of professional wrestling, and I will not let some albóndiga ilegítima with no last name stop me. You think you can win? Then you have surprised me, then you are dumber than even I thought."[/COLOR] This was an improvement on his last promo-Pablo’s really getting the hang of this. Plus, Donnie’s easier to mock than Silver Shark (after all, he does only have an initial for a surname). [B]Rating:[/B] [I]D[/I] [B]Pablo Rodriguez vs. Donnie J[/B] This show is setting a new record for consistency-I’ve yet to break beyond a D grade for a protracted segment, but I’m not dipping into low quality waters. This was a really solid match-Donnie’s got some seasoning to do, but he’s got an all-round game that’s pretty impressive, and against someone as good as Pablo that helped. Plus, Pablo improved his technical work, which is always a good thing: he’s a great high-flyer, but if he can add some mat work he’ll soon be getting a main event push. He won the match here, putting Donnie down with a roll-up whilst Donnie’s foot was caught in the ropes, making it impossible for him to kick out. [B]Winner:[/B] Pablo Rodriguez [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]D[/I] * We go backstage to a scene of chaos- Steve Flash is looking bloodied and battered, clearly having been attacked. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know who did it, but when The Samoan Warrior (making an appearance as a backstage trainer) suggest he pulls out of the main event, Steve makes it clear that that isn’t happening. [B]Rating:[/B] [I]D+[/I] * [B]Brent Hill vs. El Bandito[/B] Apparently, these two didn’t click. Presumably if they had the world would have imploded from sheer awesomeness. This was one hell of a match, almost the equal of Brent and Steve’s barnstormer last month, and Brent sweetened the deal by sharpening up his performance skills (I can only presume that they are now labelled ‘handle with care’: any sharper and they’d cut reality itself). Brent got the win: Bandito’s one hell of an all-rounder, but unlike Brent he doesn’t actually work here. [B]Winner:[/B] Brent Hill [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]C[/I] * [B]Steve Flash vs. Fumihiro Ota[/B] Unfortunately, Fumi was off his game tonight, so this was a step down from the previous match. It was still good, mind you, just not as good as it would’ve been if Fumi had been firing on all cylinders. On the other hand, if he can put out matches like this whilst off-form, once he can bring his A-game I can only imagine how good they’ll be, especially against Steve or Brent. Steve took the win here: after all, he’s in a major feud with Brent, and needs to keep the momentum up. [B]Winner:[/B] Steve Flash [B]Match Rating:[/B] [I]C-[/I] [B][U]Match Rating:[/U][/B] [B][SIZE="5"][COLOR="DarkGreen"]C-[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B], once again beating out PPPW and the XFW, but only matching DaVE and NYCW’s shows.

[FINisher]

Those match grades are a blessing at the start, but holy bad luck in those two last matches! That Hill vs. Bandito should have been a C+ or even a B-, Flash vs. Ota a solid C or even C+. Nice nonetheless! :)