NOTBPW '97: Let the Wrestling Do The Talking

Phantom Stranger · January 20, 2009

FOR THE CANADIAN TITLE:

Dan Stone Jr vs. Craig Prince

Duane Stone vs. Dark Angel

TO CROWN THE FIRST WOMEN'S CHAMPION:

Victoria Stone vs. Wanda Fish vs. Kit Hatoyama

NOTBPW TAG TITLE MATCH

The High Flyers vs. The Wood Brothers

RK Hayes vs. Dog Fyte

NOTBPW'S INAUGRAL YOUNG LION CHAMPION IS DECIDED

Thomas Morgan vs. Brent Hill vs. Richard Coleman vs. Canadian Dragon

Jeremy Stone vs. JD Morgan

With Bonus Live Match:

Phillip Roberts vs. Joey Poison

Regis · January 20, 2009

Prediction Key for NOTBPW Big City Brawl:

FOR THE CANADIAN TITLE:

Dan Stone Jr vs. Craig Prince

Dan Jr.'s the boss' son, and one of the best dudes out there. Not time to take it away yet.

Duane Stone vs. Dark Angel

Another victory for the Flying Stone.

TO CROWN THE FIRST WOMEN'S CHAMPION:

Victoria Stone vs. Wanda Fish vs. Kit Hatoyama

Come on, she's just... really, really good!

NOTBPW TAG TITLE MATCH

The High Flyers vs. The Wood Brothers

Gilmore? Flash? Titles? Yes please!

RK Hayes vs. Dog Fyte

He's still a Main Event guy, while Dog Fyte needs jobbing out to get rid of his attitude.

NOTBPW'S INAUGRAL YOUNG LION CHAMPION IS DECIDED

Thomas Morgan vs. Brent Hill vs. Richard Coleman vs. Canadian Dragon

Brent is the better man, but he's 26, and not a Young Lion. Coleman's your next best bet.

Jeremy Stone vs. JD Morgan

JEZZER!

With Bonus Live Match:

Phillip Roberts vs. Joey Poison

We love you, Joey!

foolinc · January 20, 2009

FOR THE CANADIAN TITLE:

Dan Stone Jr vs. Craig Prince

Duane Stone vs. Dark Angel

TO CROWN THE FIRST WOMEN'S CHAMPION:

Victoria Stone vs. Wanda Fish vs. Kit Hatoyama

NOTBPW TAG TITLE MATCH

The High Flyers vs. The Wood Brothers

RK Hayes vs. Dog Fyte

NOTBPW'S INAUGRAL YOUNG LION CHAMPION IS DECIDED

Thomas Morgan vs. Brent Hill vs. Richard Coleman vs. Canadian Dragon

Jeremy Stone vs. JD Morgan

With Bonus Live Match:

Phillip Roberts vs. Joey Poison

Tigerkinney · January 20, 2009

FOR THE CANADIAN TITLE:

Dan Stone Jr vs. Craig Prince

Not time yet for Dan to lose the belt

Duane Stone vs. Dark Angel

Could go either way but I'm tipping Angel to edge this one

TO CROWN THE FIRST WOMEN'S CHAMPION:

Victoria Stone vs. Wanda Fish vs. Kit Hatoyama

Possible shouts of nepotism, but she is actually good enough to be the first champion

NOTBPW TAG TITLE MATCH

The High Flyers vs. The Wood Brothers

High Flyers by DQ, as this could have legs as a feud.

RK Hayes vs. Dog Fyte

Dog Fytes probably got better long term potential but Hayes has the experience edge. I'd expect this to be a tough hard nosed brawl.

NOTBPW'S INAUGRAL YOUNG LION CHAMPION IS DECIDED

Thomas Morgan vs. Brent Hill vs. Richard Coleman vs. Canadian Dragon

Really it's a toss up between Hill and Coleman, Morgan and Dragon are just there to make up the numbers/take the fall. I'd give the edge to Coleman.

Jeremy Stone vs. JD Morgan

JD's good but Jezza Stone is in league above.

With Bonus Live Match:

Phillip Roberts vs. Joey Poison

Roberts may be leaving, but I don't see him doing the job to at this stage a young Joey Poison.

Regis · January 21, 2009

Oh, and by the way, where's my merch?

1PWfan · January 21, 2009

Unfortunately we left Dog Fyte and Edd in charge of the mail order- by the time we got back the whole place had been destroyed. And Dog Fyte had been arrested, again.

Show should be up later tonight, folks

1PWfan · January 21, 2009

<div style="text-align:center;">NOTBPW Big City Brawl

Live from the Quebec Stade Uniprix (Quebec)

Audience: 10,000 (sold out!)</div>

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

Joey Poison vs. Phillip Roberts

As a means of warming this crowd up, this worked pretty well. Poison and Roberts don’t have much chemistry, but it honestly didn’t matter: Roberts was on fire out there, pulling out all the stops and casually tutoring Joey on his fundamentals along the way before slapping on the R.C.T and choking him out for the win. All in all, a good start to what should be a great evening

Winner: Phillip Roberts Match Rating: C-

The Show

The show opens in a storm of red and white pyro, as Rush’s legendary anthem ‘The Spirit of Radio’ echoes around the packed-out arena.

“It’s Saturday Night…It’s Still Number One…Fans, from the Quebec Stade Uniprix, I’m Tommy London and THIS is North of the Border Pro Wrestling Big City Brawl LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW!”

“Tonight, fans, you are witness to the greatest wrestling event of our times. Forget The Supreme Challenge, Forget The Night Of The Burning Hammer, tonight there’s a new gang in town, and it’s name is North of the Border Pro Wrestling!”

“We’ve got a bonanza for you tonight! In our main event Dan Stone Jr defends his Canadian Title against ‘The Shooter’ Craig Prince! The Psychotic Wood Brothers, Billy and Larry, take on The High Flyers Steve Flash and Tom Gilmore for the Tag Team Titles! And we’ll have not one, but TWO new champions by the end of the evening as the inaugural NOTBPW Young Lion and Women’s Champions are crowned!”

“But first we’ve got a hell of an opening match for you, as The Submission Master Jeremy Stone takes on The C0ckney Rebel JD Morgan!”

*

Jeremy Stone vs. JD Morgan

This was a really solid opening match, and I can’t think of a better way to kick things off. A lot of news reports have identified JD Morgan as one of our future stars, and on the basis of tonight’s performance he’s certainly that, as he took Jeremy to the limits, beating the tar out of him and pushing him as far as he could go. In the end Jeremy got the win with the Stone Hold, but this wasn’t just about who won or lost: it was about two guys delivering a damn fine technical match, and they certainly did that

Winner: Jeremy Stone Match Rating: B-

*

After the match, Jeremy goes over to shake JD’s hand. JD hesitates, then accepts the handshake. This was largely done to put across our emphasis on sporting competition as opposed to cartoony stunts, so it didn’t matter that it didn’t go across that well.

Rating: D

*

Thomas Morgan vs. Brent Hill vs. Richard Coleman vs. Canadian Dragon

Unfortunately, Brent came down with nerves when faced with his first ever Pay-Per-View match, throwing off his game and hampering the quality of this match. Still, it was a solid piece of work, as me and Tommy piled on the banter and hyped up the title. This also served to introduce a lot of the different styles we have on display here: Coleman’s fluid mat work, Morgan’s slow-and-steady submission wrestling, CanDrag’s high flying and Brent’s all-round excellence. Morgan went first to Brent’s King of the Hill, rapidly followed by CanDrag as he was rolled up by Coleman. This left the two big names, and it was here that Hill’s nerves really started to show: he mistimed a couple of roll-ups and spent a little too long on the top rope prior to going for The King of The Hill. Coleman finally got the win, dodging the King of the Hill and hitting The Glittering Magician for the win, and the Young Lion title.

Winner: Richard Coleman Match Rating: D+

*

We then went into a training video, showing Craig Prince getting ready for the main event. Like the last angle, this emphasised NOTBPW’s status as a serious wrestling company, allowing us to show off our roster’s dedication to being the best

Rating: B

*

R.K Hayes vs. Dog Fyte

This was a let-down. It wasn’t that R.K or Dog Fyte didn’t do their best, but unfortunately the chemistry was about as bad as it could be, dragging this way down. There some good moments: R.K improved his technical skills a little, and the final moments made for a good clip as R.K basically gave up on wrestling and just beat Dog Fyte into unconsciousness; but this wasn’t the match I’d been hoping for.

Winner: R.K Hayes Match Rating: D

*

We repeated the training video format from earlier, this time with Dan Stone Jr. I’d have probably been better off putting this a bit later on in the show, but it did a good job of getting the fan perked up a bit after the last match

Rating: B+

*

The Wood Brothers vs. The High Flyers

This was a damn good match. Okay, in purely qualitative terms it was no better than any other tag match we’ve had, but…well, let’s just go over to the commentary for the finale, shall we?:

“He’s been knocked clean off his feet! Flash is down, and Billy Wood’s looking as strong as ever!”

“Larry’s down, Tom’s down, Flash damn near got his head taken off! Fans, Billy Wood is the last man standing, and now he’s…I don’t believe what I’m seeing…”

“He’s climbing the turnbuckle! First rope, second rope...”

“OH MY GOD!”

“TOP ROPE SPLASH! TOP ROPE SPLASH! Billy Wood just came off that top rope right down on top of Steve Flash!”

“That’s nearly 300 pounds of muscle just landed on him! Steve Flash is out of it, he has to be!”

“One…two…HE KICKS OUT! FLASH KICKS OUT JUST IN TIME!”

“I may not always like this guy, but you gotta admire his fighting spirit! He’s half unconscious and covered in his own blood, but Steve Flash just will not give up!”

“Flash is fighting back with everything he’s got! He hits Billy with one clothesline! He hits him with another! Billy’s starting to look dazed, but he makes one last charge for Steve…FLASH BANG!”

“First he kicks out of a Top Rope Splash, now he picks Billy Wood and drops him across that top rope like he’s light as a feather! Is there anything Steve Flash cannot do?”

“One…two…HE’S DONE IT! STEVE FLASH HAS WON THE MATCH, THE HIGH FLYERS RETAIN THE TAG TEAM TITLES!”

And that is why this match ruled.

Winners: The High Flyers Match Rating: D+

*

Kit Hatoyama vs. Victoria Stone vs. Wanda Fish

Another disappointing match- things have steadily gone downhill from the opener, although this might have just down to the triple threat format, it’s not an easy number to work with. Wanda took the win here, which was probably a mistake- Victoria’s more popular and has more momentum. That said, Wanda did polish her fundamentals a bit, so it’s not all bad

Winner: Wanda Fish Match Rating: D-

*

Duane Stone vs. Dark Angel

Once again, these guys deliver the match of the night, even with orders to hold back so as not to overshadow the main event. Of course, with their chemistry that was hardly surprising, but all the same, it was good to see. Dark Angel got the win here: unlike Duane, I can use him as a protracted foe for Dan Jr, and with the Cup only a couple of months away I’ve got to start thinking about that as soon as I can.

Winner: Dark Angel Match Rating: B+

*

Dan Stone Jr vs. Craig Prince

To round off the evening, we get another main event that’s overshadowed by Duane and Angel. I’m getting frustrated by Dan: he’s extremely consistent, but he’s lift himself to deliver a really great performance, which we all know he’s more than capable of. Still, in fairness it might not be his fault- he’s yet to get an opponent that matches his talent, for the very simple reason that there are very few out there. Craig, for all he’s a great technical worker, is definitely not on Dan’s level, and whilst they did a good job here I can’t help but feel disappointed that it wasn’t better.

Winner: Dan Stone Jr Match Rating: B

Overall Rating: B, a solid performance but not on the level I’d been hoping for. Still, it was good, so why complain?

1PWfan · January 23, 2009

“Hugh? Mind if I come in?”

The slightly abject figure sat behind Hugh’s desk made Jeremy feel slightly uncomfortable. This wasn’t the Hugh he was used to, the Hugh who never turned up on time to meetings but always had an impressive idea or two to pull out of his hat; the man who appear to live solely on coffee and doughnuts and would occasionally forget to eat even that if he had something exciting going on. This Hugh, with the energy apparently sapped out of him and huge shadows under his eyes, was somehow intimidating.

Which was, on reflection, probably why Victoria had made her excuses and disappeared off somewhere. Well, it was either that, or she was sneaking off to call Sean like she was a sixteen-year old.

“Sure, Jeremy. Why not? Hell, you could use the time to gloat or something”

“Now come on, Hugh. I know we don’t always get along, but I don’t hate your or anything.”

“Really? ‘Cos I keep getting this snarky vibe off you. Kinda gives a guy the impression he ain’t exactly popular.”

“Well then you’re an idiot. I’ll admit, when Dad signed you I wasn’t keen. Heck, you were Vicky’s skinny little friend who’s only experience was with some deathmatch company in New York that I’d barely even heard of. But hey, you came in, you had some good ideas.”

“Yeah. And Big City Brawl bombed, Jeremy.”

“Bombed? Really? ‘Cos all I’ve heard is how much people liked it. General thinking is that it was pretty damn good”

“Pfft. We could’ve just put it out on TV and nobody would notice the difference.”

“Ah. You got good, you wanted great. You really are an idiot.”

“Okay, huh?”

“Hugh, you’ve been working here two weeks. Nobody but you expects you to be great yet. You’ve really got three really good shows out, and that’s enough. Things’ll get better, they always do”

“Yeah, right. Jeremy, the cup’s in two months. And I have nothing planned for it. At all. It’s one of our big events and I have no plans for it whatsoever!”

“So? We haven’t run our first post-PPV TV show yet. Now pull yourself together and get on with your job. You’re good, you’ve got time to get it together, now stop being such a whiner”

Later, Jeremy would insist that he’d said this as an attempt to buck Hugh up and get him out of his peculiar mood, and not in any way to abuse him.

Nobody believed him.

“Okay, Jeremy. Hell, it was pretty good wasn’t it? And Steve’s just cracked the main event, gives us more options for the Cup. All I need to do now is sort out the midcard titles and get our undercard matches together. Yeah, I think I’ve got an idea.”

“Anything you want me to do?”

“Nah, I’m good. Get Reese to bring some coffee up, would ya? I’ve got a show to put together…”

NoNeck · January 23, 2009

This is good stuff, 1PWfan.

I'm in. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

And the Dog Fyte/Edd Stone mail order excuse was outstanding. Regis will understand your situation, I'm sure. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Regis · January 23, 2009

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="NoNeck" data-cite="NoNeck" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="21038" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>This is good stuff, 1PWfan. I'm in. <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> And the Dog Fyte/Edd Stone mail order excuse was outstanding. Regis will understand your situation, I'm sure. <img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote> How can I complain to the booker? It was those guys' fault, after all.

1PWfan · January 23, 2009

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Regis" data-cite="Regis" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="21038" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>How can I complain to the booker? It was those guys' fault, after all.</div></blockquote> True, but I am going to completely ignore any wrongdoing on their parts and give Edd as many title runs as I can fit in. Here's the Prediction key for the next edition of Championship Wrestling, coming to you from the twisted depths of Hugh's raging Coffee addiction: NOTBPW CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING: Jeremy Stone vs. Craig Prince Steve Flash vs. RK Hayes JD Morgan vs. Joel Kovach FOR THE YOUNG LION CHAMPIONSHIP Richard Coleman vs. Tom Gilmore NOTBPW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH Wanda Fish vs. April Appleseed Canada's Finest (Thomas Morgan & Joey Poison) vs. The McWades Duane Stone vs. The Great Hisato Special Live Bonus Match: Larry Wood vs. Derek Frost

foolinc · January 23, 2009

Jeremy Stone vs. Craig Prince

Steve Flash vs. RK Hayes

JD Morgan vs. Joel Kovach

FOR THE YOUNG LION CHAMPIONSHIP

Richard Coleman vs. Tom Gilmore

NOTBPW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Wanda Fish vs. April Appleseed

Canada's Finest (Thomas Morgan & Joey Poison) vs. The McWades

Duane Stone vs. The Great Hisato

Special Live Bonus Match:

Larry Wood vs. Derek Frost

Phantom Stranger · January 23, 2009

NOTBPW CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING:

Jeremy Stone vs. Craig Prince

Steve Flash vs. RK Hayes

JD Morgan vs. Joel Kovach

FOR THE YOUNG LION CHAMPIONSHIP

Richard Coleman vs. Tom Gilmore

NOTBPW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Wanda Fish vs. April Appleseed

Canada's Finest (Thomas Morgan & Joey Poison) vs. The McWades

Duane Stone vs. The Great Hisato

Special Live Bonus Match:

Larry Wood vs. Derek Frost

Greg McNeish · January 23, 2009

Jeremy Stone vs. Craig Prince

I'm calling a time-limit draw. Prince just came off the main event loss, and so needs some momentum, but Jeremy Stone is... well, Jeremy Stone. This match is too good to give away on free TV, without leading somewhere.

Steve Flash vs. RK Hayes

I'm a convert to the Church of Flash. Oh, and Hayes is garbage.

JD Morgan vs. Joel Kovach

Morgan could be a big player.

FOR THE YOUNG LION CHAMPIONSHIP

Richard Coleman vs. Tom Gilmore

Good first defense for the new champ.

NOTBPW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Wanda Fish vs. April Appleseed

Ditto.

Canada's Finest (Thomas Morgan & Joey Poison) vs. The McWades

Honestly, I could care less about both teams.

Duane Stone vs. The Great Hisato

This should be one hell of a match. On the other side of the Pacific, this result would switch.

Special Live Bonus Match:

Larry Wood vs. Derek Frost

Good training match for Frost. Wood will show him how the brawl.

Tigerkinney · January 24, 2009

Jeremy Stone vs. Craig Prince
I'm calling a time-limit draw. Prince just came off the main event loss, and so needs some momentum, but Jeremy Stone is... well, Jeremy Stone. This match is too good to give away on free TV, without leading somewhere.

Steve Flash vs. RK Hayes
I'm a convert to the Church of Flash. Oh, and Hayes is garbage.

JD Morgan vs. Joel Kovach
Morgan could be a big player.

FOR THE YOUNG LION CHAMPIONSHIP
Richard Coleman vs. Tom Gilmore
Good first defense for the new champ.

NOTBPW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Wanda Fish vs. April Appleseed
Ditto.

Canada's Finest (Thomas Morgan & Joey Poison) vs. The McWades
Honestly, I could care less about both teams.

Duane Stone vs. The Great Hisato
This should be one hell of a match. On the other side of the Pacific, this result would switch.

Special Live Bonus Match:
Larry Wood vs. Derek Frost
Good training match for Frost. Wood will show him how the brawl.

Hard to disagree with the predictions made by Greg McNeish, so I've decided to go the lazy route this time

Regis · January 24, 2009

Hard to disagree with the predictions made by Greg McNeish, so I've decided to go the lazy route this time

And to be honest, the same here.

Greg McNeish · January 24, 2009

Hard to disagree with the predictions made by Greg McNeish, so I've decided to go the lazy route this time

I feel so popular....

1PWfan · January 24, 2009

Show will be up either later today or tomorrow, folks: I'm currently only a couple of weeks ahead in the write-ups, and I want to get a little more material in the bank. So there's still time for predictions to come in.

In the mean-time, hop on over to the nominations thread and make sure you're favourite dynasties are being represented. There's a lot of great stuff out there right now, and I'm sure we can all agree that it'd be a shame if good work was to go unrecognised.

1PWfan · January 28, 2009

Okay, so this is later than planned, but I've hit a major writer's block, so the writing has slowed to a crawl. Still, with this diary up for the Rookie DOTM, I thought I should probably post another show as a thankyou, and encourage all my readers to vote when the polls go up.

NOTBPW Championship Wrestling

Live from the Waterloo University Arena (Ontario)

Audience: 4,383

Pre-Show

Larry Wood vs. Derek Frost

This match was largely here to get Larry’s momentum back on track after his loss at Big City Brawl. That it was a decent match as well is largely down to Larry; freed of the burden of carrying his partner he was able to really cut loose and pound on Frost, who probably isn’t going to be around too much longer. It’s not that I dislike him particularly, you understand, but he lacks the athleticism Dan’s looking to emphasise at the moment, and unlike Dog Fyte or CanDrag he isn’t good enough to be worth getting into an argument over.

Winner: Larry Wood Match Rating: D

The Show

“It is Wednesday Evening, we’re live from the Waterloo University Arena, and it’s time for NOTBPW Championship Wrestling!”

“Fans, on Saturday NOTBPW held it’s first ever Pay-Per-View, Big City Brawl, which is still available on replay from the great people of Canada 1-Choice, and what an evening it was! Champions were crowned, legends were made…hell, if you missed it then you’re either dumber than I thought or French!”

“That’s an interesting statement, Mr. Dansigny”

“Hey, have you seen my mother? Dad had to be an idiot to breed with that.”

“Will you be serious? Fans, we’ve got a bang-up show for you tonight. Let’s kick things off with some high flying action, as Duane Stone takes on The Great Hisato”

*

Duane Stone vs. The Great Hisato

This was a good solid match to kick things off. Hisato was specifically brought in to work with Duane, and on the evidence of tonight that was definitely a good idea, as the only downside of the match was Hisato’s lack of name value in Canada-if this had been held in Japan then it would have been a great match rather than just a good one. Hisato has a reputation as a difficult guy to work with, but he seemed fine here, working hard to improve his flying skills and fundamentals. Duane, meanwhile, was clearly in his element and looked really good out there. In the end, Duane got the win: Hisato’s a very good high flyer, but I’ve already noted how much of a name he isn’t, and having him beat one of our big stars would have been ludicrous.

Winner: Duane Stone Match Rating: C

*

We then go backstage, to where Canada’s Finest (Thomas Morgan vs. Joey Poison) cut a promo hyping up their match against the McWades. It didn’t go as well as I’d hoped: Morgan’s pretty good on the mic, but Joey needs work, and NOTBPW isn’t the place to polish that up.

Rating: E

*

Canada’s Finest vs. The McWades

The good news is that whilst they aren’t gonna be talking a whole lot from now on, The Finest can definitely bring it in the ring. This was as good as The High Flyers got out of the McWades, and despite their grumbling Dean and Dallas did a good job of putting Joey and Thomas over, helping Joey improve his brawling skills before Dean got rolled up by Joey’s Antidote Web cradle to give Canada’s Finest the win.

Winners: Canada’s Finest Match Rating: D+

*

April Appleseed vs. Wanda Fish

Wanda’s first title defence was a fairly unexceptional match, but an improvement on the title match at Big City Brawl. It’s clear that the three-way format of that match was a mistake; I’d got so used to it at XFW that I’d forgotten that it’s still a new format that not everybody knows. Here, in a straightforward one-on-one match, Wanda was able to give a solid if unspectacular performance, enlivened by mine and Tommy’s usual good work.

Winner: Wanda Fish Match Rating: D

*

“Y’know fans, if you missed Big City Brawl, and thanks to Canada 1-Choice that’s still available on replay, then we’ve got great new for you. Next month it’s time for the Clash Classic and boy have we got a bang-up main event for you!”

“That’s right Tommy. At Big City Brawl, Dark Angel defeated Duane Stone, giving him the right to challenge for Dan Stone Jr’s Canadian Championship Title. Angel’s let it be known that he’s taking that shot at Clash Classic, which means by this time next month we’ll hopefully have a new champion!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Hugh-love him or hate him, Dan’s one of the best in the world, and I for one won’t be counting him out any time soon”

“Oh come on, Tommy! How many times do I have to say this- Dan Stone Jr is a wussy little daddy’s boy that couldn’t win a fight with a Quebecois two-year-old! Only reason he managed to beat Craig Prince is he got lucky.”

“I’d have to disagree with you on that one, Hugh. Either way, it looks like Clash Classic’s Main Event is gonna be a match well worth seeing!”

I landed on this match largely out of the fact that Angel’s the best guy Dan hasn’t worked with yet. And on the basis of tonight’s reaction, it wasn’t a bad idea.

Rating: B+

*

Richard Coleman vs. Tom Gilmore

I’m not entirely sure what went wrong here: both of these guys are good, solid wrestlers with name value, but this match was a bit of a dud, even with Coleman putting in a noticeably good performance. It may simply be a question of momentum or clashing styles- Coleman didn’t get the boost from the title win I’d been hoping for, and he and Gilmore are coming from different places in the ring. Either way, I was somewhat disappointed by this one.

Winner: Richard Coleman Match Rating: D

*

JD Morgan vs. Joel Kovach

See, this was what I was hoping for from Coleman and Gilmore. I’ve said several times that Morgan’s main event bound, and whilst I don’t have any specific plans for Kovach he’s a very solid wrestler that fits in well with our old-school ethos, so he’ll be seeing a lot of use from now on. It’s also worth pointing out that in theory both of these guys are below Gilmore and Morgan on the card, and yet they’re both capable of delivering much better performances. Morgan got the win with the Cross-Atlantic Stretch

Winner: JD Morgan Match Rating: C-

*

“Another dominant performance from Morgan there-he’s not the nicest man in the world, but you can’t deny his talent”

“Of course you can’t deny it, he’s awesome- and when he takes on Richard Coleman at Clash Classic we’ll have a new Young Lion Champion, you can count on it”

“It’ll certainly be an interesting match- Morgan’s famed for his ground-and-pound submission approach, whilst Coleman’s a much more fluid mat worker.”

“Coleman’s entire offence is based around setting up for the Glittering Magician-if Morgan can counter that then Coleman’s got no hope”

“But you can’t deny that The Cross-Atlantic stretch is a big part of Morgan’s offence-if that doesn’t come off for him then he’ll be in a very difficult position”

“If it doesn’t come off? Don’t be ridiculous, Tommy. Once the stretch is locked in, the match is over. Just look at what happened to Kovach”

Even after dropping our match ratio down a bit, we still get these negative reactions to lower-card angles. Still, it got word out for Clash Classic, which is something

Rating: E

*

Steve Flash vs. R.K. Hayes

After Big City Brawl Steve somehow broke into the main event: this match was to make sure he was worthy of it. Unsurprisingly he did a good job, carrying Hayes to a decent match here that played up Flash’s fighting spirit and Hayes’ brutal wrestling style. Flash got the win here, for one very simple reason: he’s got a long-term future at the top, Hayes hasn’t.

Winner: Steve Flash Match Rating: C+

*

Jeremy Stone vs. Craig Prince

Y’know, whilst Dan may be a bit frustrating in his total uniformity of match quality, you really notice when he’s gone. Jeremy and Craig did a decent job here, but as with most of the rest of the show it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped it would be. I’m not quite sure why this wasn’t as good: Jeremy and Craig are both big names with plenty of talent, and whilst Jeremy’s still floundering a bit momentum-wise he’s doing better than most of the roster. Still, whilst this didn’t go as well as I’d hoped it was a good match.

Winner: Jeremy Stone Match Rating: B-

Overall Rating: B-, a solid though not great rating for a show that didn’t really achieve much of anything.

1PWfan · January 28, 2009

So, with another TV show out of the way, let's look at the how the predictions went:

Foolinc: 6/8, with the Main Event and Young Lion matches having thwarted him

Phantom_Stranger: 6/8, due to him going for the McWades and missing the live bonus match.

Greg, Regis & TK: 6/8, having once again not betted on Canada's Finest and a decisive finish to the main event.

So, with a 5-way tie between our die-hard regulars, you all win Special Edition NOTBPW Big City Brawl 1997 DVD's.

Greg McNeish · January 28, 2009

So, with a 5-way tie between our die-hard regulars, you all win Special Edition NOTBPW Big City Brawl 1997 DVD's.

It's 1997. All I've got is VHS.

FINisher · January 28, 2009

I can't wait for some young person here going "What's a VHS?"

1PWfan · January 28, 2009

You'd think I'd have learnt not to leave Edd in charge of merchandise, wouldn't I?

VHS it is then.

FINisher · January 28, 2009

You'd think I'd have learnt not to leave Edd in charge of merchandise, wouldn't I?

VHS it is then.

Come to think of it.. I think I have mentioned a DVD once in my BBW diary And when you think about it.. It's not that long ago when all we had was VHS for recording tv-programs and such.. And renting movies, etc.. Remember all the forwarding, rewinding.. It took ages. But in the end.. It didn't matter. There was no hurry in that. Nowadays people can get very nervous if something is late or something takes a long time..

.. And that brings in mind Commodore 64 and it's casette player.. I think I played with lego's while I waited for a game to load..

foolinc · January 28, 2009

Come to think of it.. I think I have mentioned a DVD once in my BBW diary And when you think about it.. It's not that long ago when all we had was VHS for recording tv-programs and such.. And renting movies, etc.. Remember all the forwarding, rewinding.. It took ages. But in the end.. It didn't matter. There was no hurry in that. Nowadays people can get very nervous if something is late or something takes a long time..

.. And that brings in mind Commodore 64 and it's casette player.. I think I played with lego's while I waited for a game to load..

I'm pretty sure a couple of your wrestlers' themes are "from the future" as well.

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NOTBPW '97: Let the Wrestling Do The Talking

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