USPW: Where the '90s Go to Die

[Phantom Stranger]

Alicia Strong vs. Cherry Bomb © for the USPW Women’s Championship

The Hillbillys vs. Larry Wood and a mystery partner

Des Davids vs. Peter Valentine in a steel cage

Prime Patriots vs. the Towers of Power © for the USPW Tag Team Titles

Nicky Champion vs. Bruce the Giant

James Justice © vs. Champagne Lover for the USPW World Title

[James Casey]

So... Scapino and Patriot tag team? Has to be done, I think.

 

You have to love the world of wrestling, where Brandon Smith can get ahead.

 

Oh, and Bruce probably isn't laying Bruce out in the closing segment...

 

I'm looking forward to the main event, no question. Between Justice's popularity and Chapagne's talent, it seems that this should be a blinder - although it's clear that Bruce/Justice is the money match.

 

Alicia Strong vs. Cherry Bomb © - Not time for Powergrrrl to take the belt, I'd say

The Hillbillys vs. Larry Wood and a mystery partner - Steve Flash? But then, can Wood thrive in USPW? Could the Hillbillys actually be a better fit for the promotion?

Des Davids vs. Peter Valentine in a steel cage - Valentine needs the momentum, I think... How do those goals work, anyway?

Prime Patriots vs. the Towers of Power © - Can't see Roderick as champion of anything, so it may be time for Patriot to find a new partner. I can see the Captain being a bit... unsettled by his agression/ruthlessness in coming weeks

Nicky Champion vs. Bruce the Giant - Well, it's possible Bruce might get DQd for excess brutality, but I think he'll flatten Nicky

James Justice © vs. Champagne Lover - In a year, sure, Lover could be World champ, but I don't see it just yet. Besides, money match to come...

[Astil]

Oh, and Bruce probably isn't laying Bruce out in the closing segment...

 

 

He's so big he probably is.

 

Alicia Strong vs. Cherry Bomb ©

The Hillbillys vs. Larry Wood and a mystery partner

Des Davids vs. Peter Valentine in a steel cage

Prime Patriots vs. the Towers of Power ©

Nicky Champion vs. Bruce the Giant -

James Justice © vs. Champagne Lover

[Hyde Hill]

Alicia Strong vs. Cherry Bomb © for the USPW Women’s Championship- DQ tough

The Hillbillys vs. Larry Wood and a mystery partner- Madman Boone!

Des Davids vs. Peter Valentine in a steel cage - Peter sucks.

Prime Patriots vs. the Towers of Power © for the USPW Tag Team Titles- Scap Patriot has got to happen hehe

Nicky Champion vs. Bruce the Giant- semi squash

James Justice © vs. Champagne Lover for the USPW World Title - Lover needs more overness first.

[Scapino1974]

Oh, and Bruce probably isn't laying Bruce out in the closing segment...

 

So Bruce took James Justice out with a clothesline but the momentum took himself down as well. And the walk from the back to the ring wore him out and he wound up unable to get up again...

 

Okay, I got nothin'. Fixed now.

[Astil]

So Bruce took James Justice out with a clothesline but the momentum took himself down as well. And the walk from the back to the ring wore him out and he wound up unable to get up again...

 

Okay, I got nothin'. Fixed now.

 

I just imagined Bruce runnin down the ramp, tripping, falling and the show ending.

 

Best. Ending. Ever.

[Phantom Stranger]

I just imagined Bruce runnin down the ramp, tripping, falling and the show ending.

 

Best. Ending. Ever.

 

Ah, the old days back in Australia where he wrestled as the Shockmaster...

[Astil]

Ah, the old days back in Australia where he wrestled as the Shockmaster...

 

With Swoop playing Flair?

[Scapino1974]

I just imagined Bruce runnin down the ramp, tripping, falling and the show ending.

 

Best. Ending. Ever.

 

Then my work here is done...

[Hyde Hill]

Talking about your work is it me or are the grades improving? (eg using the tips?)

 

Next time on USPW Robocop and the Gobbledie Gooker vs the Red Rooster and Black Scorpion.

[Scapino1974]

The grades are improving some. I've switched to using a lot of menace-based angles for the big men (i.e. Bruce, T-Rex, and Anger) and that's upped those segments. Sam shines in just about any segment I put him in.

 

But the matches continue to stink up the joint and drag the whole mess down. I'm about a month ahead in-game than in diary and we're still slipping fast. I'm betting that when the two years come up, I'm going to be fired by Sam.

[Greg McNeish]

Alicia Strong vs. Cherry Bomb ©

Alicia plays the chasing face pretty well, so I think you'll keep her there. That said, she'll pick up a CO or DQ victory, to keep her hot.

 

The Hillbillys vs. Larry Wood and a mystery partner

The Hillbillys need to go... so badly.... All they do is stink up the joint, literally and figuratively.

 

Des Davids vs. Peter Valentine in a steel cage

As has been said, Valentine's momentum wins out.

 

Prime Patriots vs. the Towers of Power ©

Remus is a chump, and always will be. Even more so than the Towers of Power.

 

Nicky Champion vs. Bruce the Giant

Poor Nicky. Kid can't catch a break, and Sam ain't doing him any favours here.

 

James Justice © vs. Champagne Lover

This is a good rub for Champagne Lover, who'll look good in this match, and add some prestige to the Television title. I wouldn't be surprised to see a DQ finish, either.

 

You're doing a fantastic job of building up Justice vs. Bruce. When it finally goes down, it's going to be HUGE.

[Scapino1974]

USPW presents...

“Liberty and Justice!”

Friday of Week 4, March 2008

Held at the Louisiana Auditorium in the South East Territory

8,845 in attendance; buy-rate of 0.29

 

Danny Jillefski and Shane Sneer welcome the audience to the show.

 

1) Cherry Bomb came out to the ring and started ripping on Alicia. “She’s just a prima dona and we all know it. So she can come out and try to take this title from me. She’ll find she’s got a hard fight on her hands.”

 

RATING: D

 

2) ALICIA STRONG vs. CHERRY BOMB © for the USPW Women’s Title

 

Thankfully Alicia didn’t seem too nervous for the match. She and Cherry put on a great show for the fans, really getting them stirred up by the action, especially when Cherry tried to go for a few short cuts in the match. But ultimately, they did her no good, as Alicia finally put Cherry down with an Angel Driver.

 

WINNER: Alicia Strong in 12:55

RATING: C-

 

3) Sam Strong was watching the match backstage on a monitor. He whooped as Alicia went from post to post, celebrating with her belt.

 

“That’s my girl!” He turned to Nicky Champion, who stood nearby. “You see that? That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Score one for a Strong! And you’ll do fine as well. I know that Bruce kind of ... well, snapped a few days ago, but I’m sure his head’s on straight now. Trust me. You’ll do fine.”

 

RATING: C

 

4) Des came out to the ring and looked above him where there was .... nothing. He looked up at the crowd and shrugged.

 

“Yeah, I know. There was supposed to be a cage up there. But you know what happened? Peter Valentine chickened out. He didn’t want to get hurt. So there you go. But it doesn’t matter. Cage or no cage, he’s not winning tonight. No way.”

 

RATING: D+

 

5) Ernest Forthdyke-Hume led Larry Wood out to the ring. Larry got on the mic. “Now see here, folks, what we gots here is a failure to communicate. At least, that’s what my fancy mouth-piece here says. Al and Pete, I know they loves fightin’. We all do, our whole clan. But sometimes, there’s more important things to do. That’s why I’m here, to knock some sense into ‘em. It’s like what my grandpappy Goose Duke Wood used to say. ‘If’n you gotta knock some sense into someone, make sure you use a big enough stick.’ I couldn’t convince ‘em last month, so this time ‘round, I made sure I had a big enough stick in my corner. That’s why I called on one of our shirttail cousins, a guy we normally don’t like to associate with...”

 

Strident music hit and out came a familiar face:

 

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/scapino1974/TEW2005/EddiePeak.jpg

 

RATING: C

 

6) THE HILLBILLYS vs. LARRY WOOD & EDDIE PEAK

 

I wish we could get Eddie full time. He looked phenomenal in the ring, especially as Pete practically collapsed from exhaustion. Al and Pete put up a good fight, but they simply couldn’t overcome Eddie’s sheer power (or his creative control). Eddie finally pinsned Pete after hitting a Peak of Perfection.

 

WINNER: Larry Wood & Eddie Peak in 8:01

RATING: D+

 

7) Larry came into the ring and smirked at the fallen Hillbillys. He patted Eddie on the shoulder, which turned out to be a mistake. Eddie roared and then wound up taking Larry out with a huge clothesline as well. Ernest almost got into the ring but thought better of it and stayed outside as Eddie stalked the perimeter of the ring and then rolled out and headed to the back.

 

RATING: C-

 

8) Peter Valentine appeared on the screen.

 

“So Des says that it’s my fault we couldn’t have a cage match? Well, sure, it’s true. I did nix it. But not because I’m a coward. No way. I did it because I didn’t want to give him an excuse for when I beat him tonight. If I beat him in the cage, he could have said, ‘Oh, it wasn’t my fault, it was because I was in the cage.’ Now he’ll have no one else to blame but himself.”

 

RATING: C

 

9) Captain USA was backstage with the Prime Patriots, who were getting ready for their match.

 

“Okay boys, huddle up! Now I know, you two haven’t been training together that long, but I don’t think that matters. Because in your hearts beats the pride and strength of America herself. So I want you two to go out there and show the world what true patriots are capable of. Bring back the gold!”

 

RATING: E

 

10) Now it was Bruce the Giant’s turn. He glared into the camera for a few moments and finally said, “Nicky’s gonna wish he stayed home tonight.”

 

RATING: C+

 

11) DES DAVIDS vs. PETER VALENTINE

 

Unfortunately, Peter was off his game and it was fairly obvious. Des did his best to cover for him, but there were a few times when the crowd laughed at a few missed spots. Peter finally managed to rally and put Des down with the Heart Breaker.

 

WINNER: Peter Valentine in 9:30

RATING: D+

 

12) Nicky left his locker room but then tried to turn back. He caught himself and, with a sour face, started for the ring.

 

RATING: E

 

13) NICKY CHAMPION vs. BRUCE THE GIANT

 

An okay match. Nicky did his best, trying to go after Bruce as best he could, but it was no use. Bruce finally wound up toying with him before dropping him with a Giant Choke Slam.

 

WINNER: Bruce the Giant in 9:52

RATING: D+

 

14) But Bruce wasn’t done. He picked Nicky up and started tossing him around the ring. Then he threw him out of the ring and cleared off the announce table, raising Nicky up to drive him through the table itself.

 

That’s when James Justice raced out to ringside. He threw himself at Bruce and the two of them started trading blows. It was enough of a distraction for Sam to come out and get Nicky and pull him backstage. James finally disengaged Bruce and retreated as well as the bigger man screamed in fury in the ring.

 

RATING: C

 

15) PRIME PATRIOTS vs. THE TOWERS OF POWER © for the USPW Tag Team Titles

 

The crowd was buzzing a bit still from the chaos before this match and I think it translated into their excitement. The champs did really well, but with Captain USA shouting encouragement from their corner, the Prime Patriots held their own. More than that. Even though Roderick took most of the beating, he was able to rally and slap Mick Muscles in the Remus Clutch. Mick struggled to get out but clearly couldn’t. And when Danny Rushmore tried to save him, the Masked Patriot was right there to stop him. Mick finally had no choice but to tap out.

 

WINNERS: Prime Patriots in 10:40

RATING: D

 

16) Cap led Roderick and the Masked Patriot backstage, where they whooped and cheered for their success. But the celebration died when they realized that Jim Force was waiting for them.

 

Jim approached Cap and stared him in the eye for a moment or two. Then he clapped both hands to Cap’s shoulder.

 

“Cap, there comes a time when a little boy has to spread his wings and leave the burrow. And that time for me has come. We had a good run together, but bygones are bygones and I’m out.”

 

With that, he turned and left.

 

RATING: D

 

17) A video played, hyping up the main event between James Justice and Champagne Lover.

 

RATING: C

 

18) JAMES JUSTICE © vs. CHAMPAGNE LOVER for the USPW World Title

 

It was pretty clear that these two didn’t click in the ring, which is a shame. If they had, this might have really been something. Champagne Lover did his best to keep James at arm’s length, slowing down the match when he could by taking strategic time outs. When he did get in the ring, he managed to keep James under control and shut down.

 

But then James broke loose, especially as the kids in the audience started cheering for him. He finally managed a real rally, blocking an attempted Lover Stunner and turning it into a Liberation Slam.

 

WINNER: James Justice in 15:59

RATING: B-

 

19) James celebrated but he was clearly keeping one eye on the ring entrance. Good thing, too, since Bruce charged in. James dropped into a ready stance and encouraged Bruce to fight him.

 

And they collided, much to the delight of the crowd, throwing punches left and right. The locker room emptied as workers poured into the ring to pull the two of them apart. They didn’t go easily, screaming abuse at each other the whole time.

 

RATING: B

 

20) Sam appeared on screen, looking a little shaken. He watched the on-going fight on the monitor and then glanced at the camera. “Uncle Sam has only one thing to say to you, kiddies. Strap in. I think this is going to be a wild ride.”

 

RATING: A

 

 

THE AFTERMATH

 

The audience didn’t like seeing Sam so much. Not that it matters. I think this is probably the best show we put on and should have really helped us out in the long run.

 

FINAL RATING: C+

[markish]

Ah, Eddie Peak... He makes everything that little bit more awesome.

 

 

I like that even though Justice and Lover didn't click,they still slept-walked through a B- rated match. And man, Broce/Justice is going to be off the charts.

[Scapino1974]

Month’s End:

 

Sam rapped his fist against the table top. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, waiting for the rest of the workers to settle down.

 

For some odd reason, Sam decided that rather than meet with me in private, he wanted to have monthly “staff meetings” where people could air out their grievances or bounce around ideas. It sounded good on paper, but in reality, it wasn’t such a great idea. The roster was unfocused with people discussing their own ideas loudly and ignoring what others had to say. I almost wished we could go back to Sam chewing me out in private.

 

“All right, settle down! First things first. You may notice that Larry Wood isn’t with us anymore. That’s because Jeremy Stone hired him as head booker for North of the Border. And Scap, after talking it over with me, decided to let him go. After all, NOTBPW has a TV show same night as us and Larry made it clear he’d give them priority.”

 

I nodded, clenching my jaw. It sucked, but there was nothing else I could do. Even more reason for me to dislike Dan Stone Senior. It was almost as if he timed his retirement to screw me over as much as possible.

 

“Second piece of business is TCW. I understand that they just hit International. That shouldn’t be a problem, though, since we’ve got a working agreement with them. If any of you get offers, feel free to take them. We’ll work things out.

 

“But we are losing one person to them for sure: Danny Jillefski. He’s signed a contract with them and he’s leaving USPW in a week.”

 

I winced at the news. It was true. Danny was gone. He had refused to re-sign with USPW, probably still mad over the whole Giant Redwood incident. Sam wasn’t happy with me, so I knew I had to deliver a good replacement.

 

Thankfully, Sam moved on quickly and didn’t dwell. “Now, on to finance. I know you all have heard that we’ve been losing money and it’s true. This month too. We’ve gone down another $60,263.” Sam held up a hand, cutting off the angry outburst. “Before you blame Scap, I had the bean counters go over it with a fine-toothed comb. They say this is the way things are gonna be for a while, so we just need to hang in there and hope that things turn around soon.

 

“Now, as to why I wanted all of you here today, we’re getting ready for ‘Independence Slam!’ a little early this year. Scap’s decided he wants to build up to some big matches and take a long look at things. So I wanted to know if anyone has any ideas they want to share.”

 

A few of them did and I dutifully jotted them down. Then Brandon raised his hand. My grip on the pencil tightened to the point where I worried I’d snap it in half.

 

“Yeah, I thought it might be kind of fun to do some sort of big war angle,” he said. “You know, get two teams, faces against heels. If it’s done right, it could last us a few months.”

 

A few people nodded their heads and, as much as I hated to admit it, Brandon was on to something. The war angle was an old industry standard and, in USPW, that made it workable. I knew PPPW had done the whole “English Invasion” thing back during the East Coast War, centering around Tommy Cornell, Wanda Fish, and some other British guy. I’d need to check my DVDs at home. And TCW was still running the Syndicate angle.

 

“Sounds okay to me, but we’d need some people to take the lead on each side,” Sam said.

 

“Well, Doom could front for the heels,” Brandon said. “And naturally, we’d want you to take charge for the faces. You two could even meet in the ring maybe–”

 

Sam shook his head emphatically. “No way. Those days are behind me.”

 

Brandon smiled, the faintest predatory gleam in his eyes. I tensed in my chair. He was up to something.

 

“Fair enough,” Brandon allowed. “Then both men would pick representatives to face off in the ring. Maybe T-Rex for the heels. Or even Bruce, if he doesn’t mind waiting for his title shot a while longer.”

 

“Oh, I don’t know about that, mate,” Bruce rumbled from his end of the table. “You know what happens when I have to wait for the gold. But I’d be interested.”

 

Everyone laughed. Except for me. The gleam in Brandon’s eyes was brightening with each passing second.

 

“As for the face side, we’d want to build on all this hype that the USPW is going in a new direction. Someone young and fresh, but someone who can go toe-to-toe with Bruce in the power department. Someone like me. Maybe. Doesn’t have to be.”

 

I winced. I should have seen this coming. Brandon had played things perfectly. Alicia had probably told him about her dad’s decision not to wrestle anymore. And that was all the leverage he needed. Classic Brandon.

 

Sam nodded thoughtfully. “I like it. Sounds good. Scap, what do you think?”

 

I froze, looking down the table. A few people looked at me expectantly. Everyone but Alicia. She wouldn’t meet my gaze. My cheeks burned.

 

“As good as that sounds, I think I may have a better idea. But I’d rather not talk about it in public. Leaks and all that.”

 

Sam studied me through narrow eyes for a moment and then ordered everyone out of the room. They left, grumbling. Brandon skewered me with an angry gaze, one I did my best to ignore. Once the room was empty, Sam looked down the table at me.

 

“Spill it.”

 

I did. When I was done, his eyes got wide and he started laughing.

 

“You’re lucky, Scap. But it sounds good to me.” Then he called out. “Okay, guys, come on back in.”

 

They did so. Sam waited for them to settle in again before speaking.

 

“It’s a great idea, Brandon. Thanks. But we’re going to let Scapino handle the details. You just worry about defending your title.”

 

Brandon smiled amiably, but not before throwing an angry look down the table in my direction. I smiled sweetly back. It felt good to remind Brandon of who was in charge here.

 

It did, at least, until Brandon reached out and put his hand over Alicia’s. She didn’t say anything, only blushed, but she didn’t pull her hand away.

[Shmoe]

Do a Joey Styles/JBL situation where you put him down with a single punch. Your writing is so effective I don't know if I ever want to push him in-game again

 

KUTGW

[Hyde Hill]

Hmm seems dozer just but him some extra time in my dev teritory.

[Stennick]

So after reading your last show I have a few questions about your series. I myself have been running a USPW game, I'm in October, my first show out was a B- and I pull B to B+ on nearly every show at this point.

 

I noticed you opened the show with Cherry Bomb promo. I've always adopted that for better or worse with this game you want a great angle to start the show, then a hot match, possibly your third best match of the night to open up the show match wise. Then throw in your less than stellar matches. Finish up with Your second best match, a hot angle, your final match and a really hot angle. You seem to have done the last part of this rather well.

 

I was just shocked you opening the show with Cherry Bomb when you got Sam Strong, James Justice, etc. on the show. I usually make USPW's women's division into my equal to the WCW cruiserweight division. Meaning their great to open up the show with and get the crowd going pretty hot. You can nearly always get a C rating out of them which is better than half the crap you can get out of men not named James Justice when you first start.

 

Story wise I think your doing great though no problems there. Again just some friendly thoughts play how you want and write how you want. Just thought I'd pop in with some comments inbetween shows for ya.

[LFC_chris]

Must say I'm surprised to see you losing money with USPW, whenever I play as them I always find myself making money. Not sure what the difference would be?

[Scapino1974]

Some of it, I think, is the fact that I keep doing talent trades with TCW. You had Edd Stone's appearances, then Eddie Peak's.

 

I may have to putz with the ticket prices a bit, see if I can eke out a few more dollars that way.

 

As for how I'm structuring the shows, I appreciate the comments and suggestions.

[pepper2008]

Good work... It seems Powergrrrl has found herself a new playmate scap:D. To bad your just the friend material. So is the economy and wrestling industry going to the crapper?

[Scapino1974]

You know, I hate to admit this, but I never thought to look there. According to what I just saw, the economy is at E+ and rising. The industry is at D+ and falling.

 

So tough times ahead, I suppose.

[Phantom Stranger]

You know, I hate to admit this, but I never thought to look there. According to what I just saw, the economy is at E+ and rising. The industry is at D+ and falling.

 

So tough times ahead, I suppose.

 

If you haven't fiddled tickets, put them all up four bucks. It makes a difference.

[Scapino1974]

USPW American Wrestling

Live on Sports America

Wednesday of Week 1, April 2008

Held at Pennsylvania Park in the Tri State Territory

2,000 in attendance - SOLD OUT!

 

Danny Jillefski and Shane Sneer welcomed the audience to the show.

 

1) Bruce the Giant strode out to the ring, strutting really. He sneered at the crowd, who booed and hissed his every step. He then stepped over the top rope and motioned for a microphone. The crowd continued to boo for a moment or two as he looked over the arena.

 

“Shut it!”

 

That didn’t work so well. Bruce rode out the noise for a moment or two more before trying again.

 

“Oh, I know. I’m so mean. I attacked your precious champion, James Justice, without any sort of provocation. Well, think again! He’s been ducking me for weeks now, and you all know it. He fakes a family emergency. He brings in T-Rex to block me from the title. No more! James, you only got a taste of what’s coming to you–”

 

Then James Justice’s music hit and the champ came out. He had his title belt with him, but he seemed to be missing his normally calm demeanor. He ripped off his sunglasses and glared at the ring. Danny commented, “I wouldn’t want to be in there right now!”

 

“Listen here, Bruce. You think I’ve been ducking you? No way, man. No way. I was willing to give you your shot. Any time. It wasn’t my fault that my mom took sick. It’s not my fault that T-Rex lied to you and you believed him. And it’s not my fault you took the coward’s way out instead of talking it out with me, like a real man would. But we’re all past that now, aren’t we? So if it’s a fight you want...”

 

He threw down the mic and started for the ring. Bruce dropped into a ready stance and beckoned him on. But before they could even get in the ring together, officials swarmed out of the back and separated them. The crowd roared their disapproval and both men tried to get at each other. Notably, it was Bruce who backed down first, finally stepping out of the ring and sidling past James.

 

RATING: B-

 

2) VELOCIDAD vs. CHAMPAGNE LOVER © for the USPW Television Title

 

And any heat we generated in the opening disappeared. We left Velocidad out there too long for the crowd. But Champagne Lover looked great, posing and flirting with the crowd before finally putting Velocidad down with a Champagne Sunrise.

 

WINNER: Champagne Lover in 8:42

RATING: D-

 

3) Velocidad stumbled into the back, obviously still feeling the after effects of the Sunrise. Then a massive hand enclosed around his neck. He tried to claw it away and Bruce leaned in close. “G’day, mate.”

 

Velocidad kicked out, trying to free himself. He only succeeded in knocking the camera over. We didn’t see what happened, but there was a lot of crashing and shouting.

 

RATING: B

 

4) Suzanne Brazzle headed out to the ring. She smiled and waved to the crowd, winking at some of the boys and blowing kisses.

 

“I just wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate our new women’s champion, Alicia Strong!” The crowd popped a little. “I hate to say it, she isn’t here tonight. Bu that’s okay, because she deserves some time off to celebrate and really enjoy herself.”

 

Her speech was cut off by Stephanie Wade’s entrance music. She came out to the ring entrance and glared at the ring.

 

“Who appointed you the sunshine committee?” Stephanie asked. “And who asked you to come here in the first place? I don’t know if you noticed, but our lockerroom’s getting too crowded with wannabes right now, you chief of all. So why don’t you pack up your pom poms and get out of here?”

 

Suzanne continued to smile, but now there was an edge in her eyes, a slight gleam. “Because I’m not here to be anyone’s cheering section, missy. I was just trying to be polite. But if you’re not interested in polite, why don’t you come on down here to see if I am a wannabe?”

 

RATING: D

 

5) SUZANNE BRAZZLE vs. STEPHANIE WADE

 

Unfortunately, it was pretty clear that Suzanne and Stephanie were not communicating all that well in the ring. There were a few missed spots that were pretty obvious to everyone. After a few near falls from Stephanie, Suzanne managed to rally and hit the Miracle Connection.

 

WINNER: Suzanne Brazzle in 7:40

RATING: E

 

6) Remmington Remus glanced in a nearby mirror, straightening his hair for a moment or two before noticing that he’s actually on the air. He smiled sheepishly at the camera.

 

“Sorry about that. Remmington Remus here, waiting backstage for Suzanne Brazzle. I thought–”

 

That was as far as he got. A massive hand covered the mic and pulled it away. The camera panned up Bruce’s body and he smirked.

 

“‘Scuse me, we seem to be having technical difficulties.”

 

And once again, the camera got knocked down in the ensuing melee, only this time, the sounds of the fight were punctuated by Suzanne’s frantic cries for help.

 

RATING: B

 

7) Captain USA led the Prime Patriots out to the ring. Roderick, apparently unaware of what happened to his brother, and the Masked Patriot climbed the turnbuckles to show their newly won belts to the crowd. Cap led the crowd in a chant of “U.S.A.!” Shane Sneer dismissed it as ridiculous.

 

Once the crowd calmed a little (it didn’t take much really), Cap got on the stick and started talking up his boys. “You see what I mean? These two have shown what happens when you put good old fashioned American pride on the line. They came through with shining colors, as true Americans will always do. I give you your new champs, the Prime Patriots!”

 

Before the show could start up again, Seduction led the Towers of Power out to ringside. Seduction had a mic of her own.

 

“Let’s not celebrate too much there. Your boys may have had a lucky night, but that’s all it was. There’s still the matter of the rematch. And Danny and Mick are impatient to get their belts back. So how’s about you guys step up and give it to them?”

 

Cap conferred with Roderick and the Masked Patriot for a moment. They nodded and started to warm up. That prompted Danny and Mick to panic a bit and whisper frantically to Seduction, who added, “Next week.” The crowd booed. She ignored them. “Enjoy your reign, boys, because it will be mercifully short.”

 

RATING: D+

 

8) SCAPINO vs. JUMBO JACKSON

 

The crowd once again crapped all over Scapino’s match, and they weren’t the only ones. Shane Sneer really let loose on behalf of his client, saying that Scapino was just some dumb kid who got lucky by being in the right place at the right time. “And the only reason why he’s even in this match is because he’s annoying. Jumbo’s doing us all a favor by squashing him now.”

 

Only Scapino proved to be more difficult to squash than Shane anticipated. Jumbo did his best but in the end, Scapino took him down and pinned him.

 

WINNER: Scapino in 8:59

RATING: E+

 

9) Backstage, organ music swelled as Doom seemed to glide through the backstage area, almost as if he hovered somehow. But the music ended suddenly when he came face to face with Sam Strong.

 

“What’s going on, Doom?” Sam demanded. Before the commissioner could answer, Sam kept going. “When I brought you in here to be the commissioner, you promised me you’d keep things under control. Only I haven’t seen any control lately. You got Bruce rampaging through the backstage area, lawyers bringing in psychos to beat people up. It ain’t a healthy way to run a business.”

 

“I would say we should let the fans decide that, don’t you, Mr. Strong?”

 

Sam laughed. “Don’t try to hide behind the fans here, Doom. I ain’t buying it. You need an attitude adjustment.” He started to take off his coat and roll up his sleeves. “Thankfully, I got some time tonight. What say you and I head out there and settle this?”

 

Doom threw up his hands. “While I might have relished the chance to face you just a few years ago, I’m afraid I’m in no condition to fight you now. And besides, you too have retired from the ring, have you not?” Doom smiled craftily. “But if violence is your wish, why don’t we agree on a three man tag match at ‘Freedom Fight?’ You pick three, I choose three. And we’ll see who the better man is by proxy.”

 

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Draw up the papers. Just don’t come crying to me when my boys drop yours.”

 

RATING: B-

 

10) Peter Valentine came out to the ring and jeered at the crowd. “Des Davids called me a lot of things because of that whole cage match debacle, but hey, what matters in the end is that I beat him and gave him a serious broken heart. And I’m feeling generous tonight. So whoever wants to face me, come on out.”

 

Much to the announcers’ surprise, Al the Hillbilly came out and waved to the crowd. “Isn’t he supposed to be gone?” Danny asked.

 

Al quickly explained. “Turns out that ol’ cousin Larry bit off more’n he could chew by bringing in Cousin Peak. He done got himself so hurt, he went home. So me an’ Pete figger, so long as he ain’t here, we can keep doin’ what we love. That’s why I’m-a gonna take you down a few notches there, Peter.”

 

RATING: C for the open challenge; D for the response

 

11) AL THE HILLBILLY vs. PETER VALENTINE

 

It was an okay match. Al got in a few good licks and played to the crowd, trying to really draw them in. But it didn’t help when it mattered most. Peter powered past Al’s defense and dropped him with a Heart Breaker.

 

WINNER: Peter Valentine in 8:45

RATING: D

 

12) Al stumbled into the backstage and shook his head sadly. Then he looked up and realized that Ernest Forthdyke-Hume was standing in front of him. Al jumped back and threw up his fists, then laughed. “Sorry. I thought you’s someone else.”

 

“Quite,” Ernest said, a strained smile on his lips. “While my client is now indisposed, he still has business with you and your erstwhile brother, business he wishes for me to conclude with you. I was hoping that you and I could talk.”

 

Al mopped some sweat from his brow for a moment before chuckling. “Boy, it sounds like you done swallowed a dictionary there. I don’t care what kinda business you ‘n Larry had, I just ain’t interested. Now if’n you’ll excuse me, me an’ Pete have business of our own to attend to.”

 

He then draped the sweaty towel over Ernest’s extended arm. Ernest looked about ready to puke.

 

RATING: E+

 

13) Doom paced his office when the door opened. Anger and T-Rex entered. “You wanted to see us, boss?”

 

“Indeed I did, Mr. Anger. Mr. T-Rex. I have a proposition for you. Mr. Strong has challenged me to assemble a team and I wish for you both to be on it.”

 

Anger and T-Rex exchanged glances with each other, then shrugged. “Sure thing, boss. Anything for you.”

 

Doom smiled. “Good. Then I want the two of you to send a message to Mr. Strong, one that he won’t soon forget.”

 

RATING: B-

 

14) JAMES JUSTICE © vs. SAVAGE TIGER for the USPW World Title

 

I could scarcely believe it. These two looked wonderful in the ring together, gelling almost perfectly. Tiger really sold for James and made him look like a million bucks. Tiger tried to rally, often resorting to some dazzling moves to take James completely out of the match. But in the end, he got nailed with a Liberation Slam.

 

WINNER: James Justice in 12:26

RATING: C+

 

15) Before James could celebrate too much, though, Anger and T-Rex came out to ringside. The stalked around the ring, laughing and taunting the champ, who whirled and did his best to face them both.

 

“How is Justice going to handle this dire of a threat?” Jillefski wondered out loud.

 

Turns out, he didn’t have to. Because as soon as Anger and T-Rex made their way around the ring, they suddenly turned and focused on Jillefski. Jillefski froze at the announce table, then tried to flee. But Anger caught him and slammed him to the floor. The two men took turns pounding on him before T-Rex hoisted him up and then slammed him through the announce table.

 

RATING: C+

 

16) Sam appeared on camera, looking a bit upset over what we just saw.

 

“See, kiddies, that’s why Uncle Sam stood up to Commissioner Doom tonight. He’s not doing his job right and someone had to do something about it. There are gonna be times in your life when you’re going to have to take a stand as well for what’s right. I hope that when that time comes, you stay strong and do the right thing.”

 

RATING: B

 

 

THE AFTERMATH

 

I tried to say good-bye to Danny Jillefski before he left the arena, but he avoided me. I guess in the end, that’s for the best. I only hoped that once he got started at TCW, he wouldn’t poison them against me too badly.

 

FINAL RATING: C

[Scapino1974]

Date Night

 

Alicia knocked gently on my office door and stuck her head into the office. “You wanted to see me?”

 

I looked up from my paperwork and my mouth went dry. She was stunning, no two ways about it, her gold hair cascading around her face. A tight dress hugged every curve and I found myself at a sudden loss of words. My gaze drifted down her shapely legs, then ricocheted up to her face. She looked away, her cheeks reddening. I cleared my throat and looked down at the papers on my desk again.

 

“I did. I noticed your contract is coming due in a few weeks and I was hoping we could talk about you re-signing with us.”

 

I found the paperwork and held it out for her. She sat stiffly in the chair across from me and looked it all over. My gaze dove back to the desk. Of course she’d be uncomfortable with me, especially after the way I just gaped at her. It was a miracle she hadn’t reported me to her dad for sexual harassment.

 

She finally set the contract on the desk again. “I think I need a few changes.”

 

My head snapped up. “Oh? Like what?”

 

“I don’t want a written contract again. That was good when I first came on here, but I really would rather have a pay-per-appearance deal like just about everyone else. Something like $1800 a month with a downside of a thousand?”

 

I hadn’t planned on negotiating, but I leaned back in my chair. “That’s a bit high. No offense. Maybe $1250 with a downside of five hundred?”

 

She smirked at me. “Oh, come on. I know we’re losing money, but we’re not in the red yet. $1650 with a downside of $800.”

 

I thought it over for a moment. “Okay, how about this? $1500 a month with a downside of $700 ... and you give up your creative control clause.”

 

She leaned back in her chair, her relief noticeable. “Done.”

 

I started jotting down notes to send down to the legal department. “So why the change?”

 

She fidgeted for a moment. “I just ... well, I wanted to make myself a little more available. A written contract is fine, but maybe I’ll go get some more experience with Anne Stardust or 5SSW.”

 

I froze, my pen hovering over the paper. Just the other day, I had heard Brandon extolling the virtues of working for multiple promotions to Nicky Champion. Apparently he must have said similar things to Alicia at some point.

 

“I see.” I set down the pen and screwed on what I hoped was a genuine-looking smile. “So big plans for tonight? Going out with anyone I know?”

 

She flinched. I immediately regretted it. Some venom must have bled through. She quickly excused herself and practically fled from my office. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, covering my eyes with my hands, trying to will away the headache that throbbed within. It didn’t help.

 

So I kicked my chair around to my laptop and called up the ProWrestlingHits website. Maybe I could find some news to cheer me up.

 

And there it was. Sean McFly had signed a deal with TCW and would soon be appearing as ...

 

“Officer McFly?” I asked, hardly believing it. Apparently Joel Bryant decided Sean would do best in some sort of police gimmick. I shook my head. “Who’s writing that crap?"