Tom Patrick's Adventures in Wrestling - The New York Era

[mad5226]

Gotta love a good old fashioned cat fight. And it would appear someone is already being played.

[djthefunkchris]

LOL, at painting your character so gullable. I like everything but the pretence that you know nothing (in more ways then one). Outside of that, very fun read!

[TCP1]

Busiest. Day. Ever!

 

I began the next day with the same feeling I'd had for the last two; something was wrong. I didn't know what it was, but I did know that I didn't have time to worry about it. Today was the day I met the rest of the locker room and I had meetings with some of the new workers that Joey had suggested for me to look at.

 

I rolled over and looked for my mobile, but it wasn't on the bedside cabinet. That was strange, I always keep it there in case anything urgent happens whilst I'm sleeping. Not that I'd done that much sleeping of course. I reached down into the pockets of my trousers on the floor and found the phone. I flicked it open and saw a missed call and a message.

 

I listened to the message as Fern restlessly turned over in the bed and put the pillow over her head. It was a familiar voice, Whistler.

 

"Hey boy, if you want me to take you through some of the ins and outs of this buiness we call wrasslin then I'm free tomorrow night." He finished the message by giving me his address and telling me to bring some PowerJuice because it'll likely be a late one.

 

Well my day was now fully booked. I slipped out of bed, got dressed and made my way to the Weston Gym. I thought of waking Fern, but after yesterday, I thought it best to keep her out of harms way. There could well be people upset about my decision to fire Nicki, nevermind Fern leaving her battered on the sidewalk.

 

The cab pulled up outside the gym and the whole roster were standing there in the rain. All eyes turned to me as I got out and I immediately could tell who was upset with me. Nevertheless I walked straight up to them and Whistler informed me that Stomper had not shown up to let them in. I explained that I didn't have a key cut yet. There were rumblings of discontentment followed by an almighty crash. Everyone turned to find the door open and the padlock in pieces on the ground. Land Mass stood by the carnage "Doors open boss" and grinned like a lunatic.

 

Once inside Land Mass, Whistler and Flash setup the ring like before with three chairs, two facing a single one. I told Whistler that Fern wouldn't be here today "Probably a good thing" came his response. I sat on the lone chair and invited three smartly dressed men into th ring.

 

Interview with the Announce Team

 

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"Nice to meet you. You guys must be the voice of NYCW?"

"Yes sir, I'm Rock, Rock Downpour and these are my broadcast colleagues Marv Earnest and Herb Stately."

"Pleasure."

"Hi there!"

"So tell me about yourselves."

"Yes sir, you see we were talking and we knew that this meeting was going to happen. Although we were a little put out that we weren't some of the first to be spoken to. That being said, we'd like to take this opportunity to let you know that we are fully committed to NYCW and you won't find anyone better for the money we're paid."

"I see and who much are you paid?"

"Well I'm sure as the owner you'll realise that our pay is in line with the other workers in the company."

"What workers?"

"..."

""Which workers? The Main Eventers?"

"No, no, no! Not them, we'd never expect to put on that level."

"Nah, we're more midcard-level."

"Shhh."

"What, we are!"

"Shut up!"

"I see, so you're effectively the same value as three midcard talents?"

"Yup."

"I wouldn't put it like that."

"Listen Sir, all you need to know is that announcing is the most important job in wrestling. Without a good team, the company could lose business."

"OK. Do we really need three of you, surely just one of you and a wretler could do the same job. Just like in SWF."

"Well, I think the difference is that we compliment each other so well that if one of us were missing, then you might as well get rid of all of us."

"..."

"What I mean to say is we work much better as a threesome."

"..."

"No, no, I mean I think if you ask any of the guys, they'll agree that we are more than worth our salaries."

"I wouldn't say that!"

"Ha ha ha ha, that Grandmaster Phunk. What a joker he is."

"I ain't joking! You guys suck!"

"ha ha ha ha, there he goes again. VERY FUNNY PHUNK. Heh heh."

"I think I have all I need. Thanks for coming."

 

Interview with Black Hat Bailey, Spike and Dazzling Dave

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v301/TCPinho/TEW/BlackHatBailey.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v301/TCPinho/TEW/Spike.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v301/TCPinho/TEW/DazzlingDaveDiamond.jpg

 

"Hi guys. Tell me about yourselves."

"Well boss, I'm Black Hat Bailey. I'm a former top-level star in the big leagues, who is now trying to pass on some of my knowledge to these up-and-comers. This is Dazzling Dave and this is Spike."

"Hello."

"Alright bossman!"

"Quite, well good to meet you. Tell me, where do you see yourselves fitting in here in NYCW."

"Well boss, I am one of your top stars, but the old knees ain't as good as they used to be. So your best bet is to put me in a tag team with someone and let me have a go at the tag titles. Between you and me, our current champs are a bit of a joke."

"I know what you mean."

"Well exactly, anyone can see they're thrown together with nothing better to do. All they do is put themselves over to keep their 'spot.' Whereas I'm a firm believer in the old guard teaching the new guard and I love teams mad up of mentor and pupil."

"Interesting idea, I quite like that."

"Good, good, that's not to say there isn't room for all veteran or all youngster teams, but I think the blend is good and highlights that maybe we're not just about the oldies. We're not USPW."

"What's USPW?"

"That's what a lot of fans say. Heh, only joknig, it's a company that focuses mainly on stars of yesteryear, but they struggle to produce top-quality young talent. we don't want to be thought of as a poor mans USPW."

"Quite right, we need our own identity. Thank you Mr... hat. Is there anything you two would like to add? No? Ok then. Thanks again."

 

Interview with Lee Wright

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v301/TCPinho/TEW/LeeWright.jpg

 

"Judging by that belt you have over your shoulder, I'd say you're Lee Wright? My Tri-State Champion?"

"Smart cookie ain't ya?"

"Right, so Mr. Wright, tell me your thoughts about the company."

"It's got a damn site worse since you been in charge, I know that for a fact. I also know only a fool would release Nicki and keep that skank Fern on the payroll. She must have you jumping through hoops for her. Aye... Sparky?"

"I'm not here to discuss Fern or Nicki.""Well maybe you should discuss it with someone. you see once you start going down a path like that, there ain't no turning back."

"I get the feeling you don't like me very much."

"Bingo, got it right again Sparky. Who's a good boy then?"

"Please try to act with some professionalism."

"Hypocracy lives! You wanna treat boy? Who's a good boy? Are you a good boy?"

"Please leave my ring."

"This ain't your ring Sparky, this is our ring and you're an intruder, and don't you forget it."

 

Financal Paranoia

 

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Lee Wright left the ring at nothing more than a saunter. Clearly pleased with what he no doubt considered a victory over the new push-over boss. On his way out of the building he accidently bumped into Whistelr who whispered in his ear. Wright stood silent for a few seconds before turning away from Whistler and leaving the gym. He must have no respect for anyone.

 

Whistler head to the ring and asked if I was ready to head off and start the tutorial he'd promised. I explained that I had some more meetings away from the gym first, but would meet him at his house. Then, Stomper made his presence known, he had a worried look on his face, but that was manifesting as anger to all those around him. he stormed past me and Whistler and yelled "Get in my office suit!" that was my cue then.

 

After entering Stomper's office, he slammed the door behind me and began ranting like a mad man about the state of NYCW finances, and if I was going to bring in new talent, they could well cripple us. Used to this behaviour now, I fought my corner, explaining that the company was in trouble because there were no new stars.

 

We went back-and-forth for quite a long time, until eventually I managed to reason, that if I could 'trim some fat' I could then afford to get the new talent I was after, with no 'handcuffs.' If nothing else we seemed impressed by my new sense of passion, and he finally agreed, but only under the proviso that if the company went below $120,000, me and 'my boys' would be the first to go.

 

It wasn't ideal, but it left me freedom to bring in 'my boys' (I liked that) and get away with the Nicki situation without too much heat on me. I could also use it as an opportunity to get rid of some trouble-makers,... if the situation arised where I'd need to anyway.

 

I left Stomper's office with a new sense of purpose and headed straight for Moosehead McGraw's Chilli Steakhouse for my first meeting with one of 'my boys.'

[TCP1]

Experience

 

The meetings with 'my boys' went well and I'd convinced them to join the NYCW Revolution. Well, I say revolution; it's more of a slight shake-up than anything else. Needless to say they were in and I'd invited them to the Weston Gym to meet their new locker room friends. Again, friend is a strong word, but they were certainly all going to be locker room something’s and I'm a positive guy, so friends it is.

 

Most were met with positive headshakes and approval although Stomper flipped his lid when he saw that one of them was a 'Flippidy-flopping fool' as he so eloquently put it. I calmed him down and explained that there was a difference between 'flippidy flopping' and Japanese Strong Style. He didn't buy it and I was in the dog house. But I had more important things to worry about. Our first show!

 

I met with Whistler at his home in Albany. It was a slightly run-down apartment in a bad neighbourhood. His living room was covered in empty bottles of pills and half eaten pizza. I cleared some debris off the couch and sat down. Whistler disappeared into the bedroom and came back out with a huge box full of video tapes, wrestling magazines and autobiographies.

 

He explained that if I was to appreciate what it was to be a wrestler booker, you also had to be a wrestling fan, and these would help. He grabbed a tape out of the box and put it on. It was the first ever NYCW show from the 1980s. I sat back and he explained in intricate detail everything that was going on and why. Slowly, ever so slowly I began to take it in...

 

 

Adrenaline

 

It had been six days. Six days of going to Whistlers and watching hours upon hours of wrestling. It had become quite the event and others from the roster joined until it became unfeasible to hold it Whistlers apartment anymore. So I moved it to the gym. We sat together talking through the matches. What worked? Why it worked and so on. It was a really good bonding experience and at last I really felt that we'd grown together. I may not have been Mr. Popular, but I wasn't an outsider anymore.

 

In only twenty-four hours time we would be holding our first show, and I had some big plans for most of the talent available, including some new gimmicks and characters. As Whistler had sagely told me, at this level it's a case of trying on new gimmicks until something works and you get 'over.' So it would be new gimmicks ahoy as of the newly named NYCW New Years Bash. I'd decided after my training with Whistler that SWF and TCW were the companies to aspire too and the best way would be to take some of their ideas and naming/branding styles without overtly stealing. I agreed in principle, but we didn't want to draw too many comparisons otherwise we'd just be seen as a cheap 'knock-off.'

 

I gathered the workers together and spoke to them as a group for the first time and explained what I had planned for the show and what everybody’s characters were meant to be feeling. I got some initial complaints, but on the whole they took my ideas in and then went about figuring out how they would pull it off.

 

I went home that evening and didn't sleep a wink thinking about the show. I'd never felt anything like this. Then, my mobile went off. It was a text message from Joey Minnesota:

 

Hey, I know your not sleeping at the moment. Here's my advice, learn to love who you're feeling, because it never stops. Good luck, I'll be watching."

 

After reading I smiled and then went back to staring blankly at the ceiling...