NYCW 2010: Where the past meets the future (and kicks it's @ss)

1PWfan · May 28, 2009

Hugh Dansigny had been working at NYCW for 2 years, and in all that time the thing he was probably proudest of was his system for doing the paperwork. His first week, Stomper had dumped a load of paper on his desk, claiming that he was "A wrestler, kid, not an accountant- you handle this stuff". Originally Hugh had objected on the grounds that he was 32 and knew about as much about numbers as he did about sartorial elegance (orange beach shirts definitely did not go with grey tweed, apparently), but these days he simply bounced it back claiming that he ‘didn’t know the business part all that good- you handle it, boss, you’re the veteran round here’. Stomper would in turn bounce it back, usually asking what Hugh thought he, Stomper, had meant about being a wrestler, at which Hugh would return the paperwork with a snide joke about Stomper’s actually workrate, and so on until some secretary or other got fed up of their antics and did it for them.

Alright, so maybe indulging in a petty squabble over office admin wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, but Hugh was 35 year old man with three failed relationships and a far from glittering career behind him: sometimes the chance to indulge his inner adolescent was all he had to liven up his day.

“Hugh? Stomper says he wants a meeting, now”

Of course, there was also the fact that he was dating a 20 year old super-babe whose dad could probably crush him with his little finger. But Vicky had always said that Hugh was never happy unless he was doing something incredibly bad for him, and he hated to disappoint.

And besides, how dangerous could Runaway Train be?

“Tell him I’ll be there in 10”

"He did say the meeting was now"

Hugh sighed. Evidently the stereotype about supermodels was true.

“Lisa…you really don’t get how things work around here, do you?”

***

In the end Hugh made a point of waiting 20 minutes before heading down: some things were sacred, dammit, and if Stomper complained, well he knew what he was getting when he hired a notorious buck-passer.

As it was, Stomper merely settled for a glower and a quick grumble.

“Meeting started 20 minutes ago, Kid.”

“Firstly, I’m 35, Stomper. Really not a kid. And secondly, I know: Lisa didn’t really get the whole be-there-in-10 thing, so I thought I’d make it extra clear”

“When you two are quite finished like four-year-olds…”

Steve’s grin belied his harsh words: Hugh had known him for years, and knew for a fact that it took a lot to annoy Steve. Hell, working with him again had been the whole reason Hugh had signed on with NYCW in the first place.

“Right, Steve, sure. Anyhoo, boss-man, what’s the plan? Kinda figured I should, y’know, maybe get some work done for the next show”

“You? Work? That’d be a first”

“Well I’ve been here two years. Need to shake things up a bit, right?”

“I don’t know if you noticed, kid, but this is NYCW. Shaking things up is not what we do here”

“This is NYCW? Crap. Thought I’d been booking 4C for the last two years. Mind if I go make a phone call?”

“Guys…”

“Fine, fine. Spoil my fun, why don’t you. Boss?”

Stomper cleared his throat, and Hugh instantly started thinking of ways to make a quick getaway. Stomper showed all the signs of launching into some hugely long-winded state-of-the-nation speech.

“It’s been two years since you started here, kid. A lot’s changed since then: NYCW’s gone from being just another small fed out of New York to being the biggest independent wrestling company on the East Coast. We’ve picked up a lot of new fans, and a lot of new talent…”

Hugh wasn’t sure about the ‘largest independent on the east coast’ thing: USPW were still bigger than they were without breaking through to the national stage yet. But he didn’t argue: Stomper was still yakking on, and anyway Hugh was as vain about the company as his boss.

“…anything to say, kid?”

Crap, he’d finished.

“Honestly, boss? Not really. Hell, this is NYCW: we don’t do fancy words or gimmicks here, we wrestle. But I guess should say this: the next 10 years? They’re gonna make the 70’s look like the 50’s, man.”

“….You lifted that from that movie Flashback.”

“It’s a good movie, okay?”

***

Prediction Key for Rush Hour:

EMPIRE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Steven Parker © vs. Tim Westybrook

Clark Alexander vs. Fumihiro Ota

Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot*

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm © vs. Wiley Coyote

Marv Statler vs. Edward Cornell

Hugh de Aske vs. Sammy the Shark

Nate Johnson vs. Sayeed Ali

*Not Bulldozer Brandon Smith

FINisher · May 28, 2009

EMPIRE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Steven Parker © vs. Tim Westybrook

Clark Alexander vs. Fumihiro Ota

Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm © vs. Wiley Coyote

Marv Statler vs. Edward Cornell

Hugh de Aske vs. Sammy the Shark

Nate Johnson vs. Sayeed Ali

First! ^^ Looking forward to hear more details on the popularity of NYCW, whole roster, game world news..

Regis · May 29, 2009

EMPIRE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Steven Parker © vs. Tim Westybrook

Unlikely to see a title change on show one.

Clark Alexander vs. Fumihiro Ota

Ota's got a lot more character than even the Proud Hawaiian.

Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot

Someone runs in and attacks Steve, giving the Patriot his big break!

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm © vs. Wiley Coyote

Because either of the Wiley Coyote guys might retire at any second.

Marv Statler vs. Edward Cornell

Unlikely to give a singles victory to a tag wrestler.

Hugh de Aske vs. Sammy the Shark

YAAAAAAAR!

Nate Johnson vs. Sayeed Ali

Nate fits NYC's style a lot better than Sayeed.

Phantom Stranger · May 29, 2009

Steven Parker © vs. Tim Westybrook

Clark Alexander vs. Fumihiro Ota

Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot*

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm © vs. Wiley Coyote

Marv Statler vs. Edward Cornell

Hugh de Aske vs. Sammy the Shark

Nate Johnson vs. Sayeed Ali

1PWfan · May 29, 2009

Show should be going up tonight, folks, so there's plenty of time to get your predictions in.

After the show, though, what do you want to see? More NYCW behind the scenes action? A world update (be warned, it won't be hugely thorough, I have neither the time nor the talent to match up to Tigerkinney's exhaustive world coverage)? I've never run a future diary like this before, so I'm anxious to hear what you're looking for

Phantom Stranger · May 29, 2009

Show should be going up tonight, folks, so there's plenty of time to get your predictions in.

After the show, though, what do you want to see? More NYCW behind the scenes action? A world update (be warned, it won't be hugely thorough, I have neither the time nor the talent to match up to Tigerkinney's exhaustive world coverage)? I've never run a future diary like this before, so I'm anxious to hear what you're looking for

Some indication of the feuds we've missed would be great.

Regis · May 29, 2009

Show should be going up tonight, folks, so there's plenty of time to get your predictions in.

After the show, though, what do you want to see? More NYCW behind the scenes action? A world update (be warned, it won't be hugely thorough, I have neither the time nor the talent to match up to Tigerkinney's exhaustive world coverage)? I've never run a future diary like this before, so I'm anxious to hear what you're looking for

A 'Story So Far' for NYCW would be good, indicating their ups, downs, major feuds, acquisitions and losses. A brief rundown of the major changes in the rest of the world would also be good. Also, a 'Where Are They Now?' feature on departed talent from NYC.

foolinc · May 29, 2009

EMPIRE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Steven Parker © vs. Tim Westybrook

Clark Alexander vs. Fumihiro Ota

Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot*

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm © vs. Wiley Coyote

Marv Statler vs. Edward Cornell

Hugh de Aske vs. Sammy the Shark

Nate Johnson vs. Sayeed Ali

A bit of guessing on these, but whatever. And I would also like to see a summary of what has happened so far and maybe an overview of the wrestling world as a whole.

1PWfan · May 29, 2009

Looking at feedback so far, it seems a lot of people (well, three, but that's par for the course with a new diary like this one) are hoping for a story so far. That'll probably be brief- the major feuds have run for a long time, and I can't remember every detail of the minor stuff. As for worker hirings + firings, I'll do my best but there's been a lot of workers through over the past couple of years, and a full-on 'story so far' would indicate just how bad I am at long-term booking (it's never been something I'm good at) so I'm hesitant to do too much of that.

As a bonus for the prediction contest, though, the winner will get to choose one region of the world for a 'state-of-the-nation' rundown, in which I discuss the current status of that region and any majorly major changes since 2008.

1PWfan · May 30, 2009

Here's the show, sorry it's a bit late

NYCW Rush Hour

Live to DVD from the Biker’s Paradise (New England)

Audience: 138

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

Nate Johnson vs. Sayeed Ali

Nate’s been with us for a while- originally he was brought in to work with Primus, but since that feud ended he’s been at kind of a loose end, and it’s been reflected in his momentum. This match was the start of turning that around- he’s one of the guys most likely to get hold of the Tri-State Regional Title once the whiny veterans have had their turns with it. It was a decent match, too- Sayeed’s basically a jobber for us, but he’s a decent worker all the same.

Winner: Nate Johnson Match Rating: D

The Show

“It’s Friday Night and we’re at the Biker’s Paradise for NYCW Rush Hour. I’m Rock Downpour, and joining me on commentary tonight as always we have Hugh ‘D-Man’ Dansigny…”

“Sucks to be me”

“and former NYCW Empire Champion Whistler”

“Sure is great to be here Rock! And boy have we got a great main event for you tonight folks! Steven Parker will be taking on ‘The Iron Man’ Tim Westybrook for the Empire Title and I for one cannot wait to see who wins!”

“Fans, I’d like to apologise for the sickening display of girliness by Steven Parker last month at Fairytale of New York. No matter what the provocation was, it was gross”

“Hang on, are you talking about Steven Parker choosing to shake hands with his opponent? Because last time I looked that’s generally considered good sportsmanship!”

“Yeah, well, wrestling’s not about good sportsmanship, it’s about getting to the top of the mountain and staying there, by any means necessary. You know what I would’ve done if I was in Steven’s place?”

“Get your pasty white ass kicked like a little girl?”

“Oh har har. You know what you can do?”

“When you two are quite finished, we do have a show to get on with”

*

Natural Storm vs. Wiley Coyote

It says quite a lot about our tag division that Coyote Dynamite’s been kept on despite his total lack of actual talent. It really showed here: normally we put our tag match in the middle of the show to provide a lift, but throwing it out first like this drew attention to the fact that Steinway’s getting old and Dynamite’s not really that good. Fortunately Eddie sharpened up his fundamentals before the Storm put Coyote down with their Big Boot STO combo, A Storm is Coming.

Winners: Natural Storm Match Rating: E+

*

We go backstage, to where recently appointed NYCW Commissioner Lisa Bowen is walking, when she comes upon Clark Alexander and his manager, ‘Playboy’ Jake Sawyer

“Oh great. I’ve been here one month and already you people are pestering me. Well, what do you want?”

“Ota’s not in a match. I want to wrestle him, tonight.”

“You know what? Fine. You want Ota, you got him. Just don’t com crying to me when he kicks your @ss”

This was surprisingly successful, given that neither Lisa nor Clark are great talkers and Sawyer didn’t say anything much. Still, Clark’s popular, and his new Ice Man persona fits pretty well, so maybe that’s what made it work so well.

Rating: C

*

Marv Statler vs. Edward Cornell

Cornell’s been doing the job since he arrived in 2008, but despite the lack of popularity on display this was definitely a solid bout. Our recent upgrade of the modern elements of our product may have helped (it’s gone from being barely acknowledged to a moderate part of what we do), but this was definitely a surprise. Marv Statler got the win: him and Waldorf are playing Lisa’s enforcers, so he needs the momentum more. And besides, jobbers don’t win. It’s how the world works.

Winner: Marv Statler Match Rating: D

*

Elgar’s ‘Enigma Variation 9: Nimrod’ plays as a new worker appears on the ramp. A short man sporting a monocle and a bowler hat, he sneers openly at the crowd before raising a mic to address them.

“My name is Mr. Ernest Forthdyke-Hume, Esquire. I see that name doesn’t mean anything to you plebeians, but the Forthdyke-Humes have a long and noble history of executive consultancy to the professional wrestling industry and its contracted workers. I am merely the latest in a long line of managers- a line who have always sought to achieve the very best for the men they represented!

“Now, since I arrived in this appalling country, I have been disappointed to find that there are very few men who are worthy of my considerable abilities. However, when I saw your last show, Fairytale of New York, I found myself faced with a talent of considerable interest. A man who had, until recently, been labouring under the assumption that what you people think actually matters, but who finally cast off such ridiculous notions in the interests of advancing his own career. It is now my pleasure to present you with the latest man to come under my employ, Mr. Steven Flash!”

Flash enters, looking considerably different than he has done in the past. Clad in the black leather jacket and facepaint he last sported over 10 years ago in PPPW, he scowls at the audience, who are vociferously booing their former hero.

“From now on, you will see a new side to Mr. Flash. He is a Man on a Mission, and that mission? To show you plebeians exactly how inferior your absurd United States really are. Your heroes are weaklings, your legends ignoramuses and your government a misguided collective of nincompoops, fantasists and deluded simpletons. And what’s more…”

Suddenly ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ rings out, heralding the arrival of a masked wrestler Whistler is quick to identify as the newest incarnation of The Masked Patriot, come to defend his country’s honour.

*

Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot

Okay, so he’s more than a little past his best, but there’s no denying that Steve Flash is still one of the best wrestlers out there, and just about the best possible starting feud to launch The Masked Patriot in NYCW. Sure enough, he tutored the Patriot in just about everything except aerial work, leading him through a great undercard match that played up Flash’s newly villainous nature and Patriot’s never say die attitude. Patriot got the win in the end, after Flash grabbed his baseball bat and blasted him full in the face right in front on Michael Bull, who lived up to his ‘No B.S.’ rep by calling a DQ straight off.

Winner: Masked Patriot Match Rating: C-

*

Backstage, Hugh de Aske is on hype duty for his match.

“Ahoy there, shipmates! Now tonight, ol’ Captain De Aske has himself a match against a shark named Sammy- a shark, if old sea-dogs’ tale are to be believed, that has been known to dance the hornpipe on many an occasion. And let me tell you, that is a mighty talented shark, arrrrrrrr.

“Now, many of you daft land-lubbers will no doubt be thinking to yeselves ‘arrrrrr, but old Hugh must be worried- how many sharks is he in the habit o’wrestling of an evening?’ Now, I’ll admit not many, but that doesn’t take into account the afternoons- and I wrestle me plenty o’sharks when the sun’s in the sky. So, Master Samuel T. Shark, I feel it’s only fair to warn ye that I intend to thrash ye worse than a cat o’ nine tails and let ye dance a gallows jig, ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!”

Hugh’s a damn good talker, but neither he nor Sammy are all that over, so this wasn’t hugely successful.

Rating: D-

*

Hugh de Aske vs. Sammy the Shark

Another decent match, albeit one that suffered a little from the relative lack of name value on display here. Hugh’s one of our next big things, and whilst he’s unlikely to move too far up the card just yet that’s more due to his lack of popularity across the rest of the US. Still, he’s likely to be around for quite a while yet as he doesn’t work Japan, so hopefully that’ll change. As for Sammy, he remains a decently talented worker without the cachet or the character to merit a push to greater things. He lost here, of course- much as I’m sure he’ll always have a job here, Sammy’s our resident face jobber.

Winner: Hugh De Aske Match Rating: D+

*

Once again we’re headed backstage, this time to hear from ‘The Iron Man’ Tim Westybrook.

“Me. Steven Parker. One ring. Title on the line. Parker…you’re going down, buddy.

“So you’ve got yourself a shiny new attitude. Doesn’t make a difference. I’m bigger than you, better than you, and when tonight’s over, I’ll have the title as well.

“And you? If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to walk away”

There’s something about being 6’ 6” and 300 pounds that makes you a very menacing guy.

Rating: C

*

Clark Alexander vs. Fumihiro Ota

Ota’s just started to show signs of decline, but even so this was kind of a disaster. I don’t know why: Ota’s still a good worker, and Clark’s a very solid technician with great fundamentals. Both guys are reasonably over, as well, so it’s not like that interfered either. Best guess I can come up with is that Clark’s better against guys that are bigger than them, and since Ota’s a tiny wee man that might have been an issue. He got the win, though, as he needs a momentum boost and Alexander’s is high enough to take a bit of a hit.

Winner: Fumihiro Ota Match Rating: D+

*

Steven Parker vs. Tim Westybrook

I knew there was a reason why I brought Westybrook in. This was a great match, one of our best main events ever and certainly the best without a stipulation. Parker’s probably our franchise player, and Westybrook’s main-event bound if TCW will only stop jobbing him out and actually push him. Parker took the win here, though: at 13 months he’s our joint-longest reigning champion (with his predecessor Steve, oddly enough), and he deserves the longest reigning accolade.

Winner: Steven Parker Match Rating: C+

Overall Rating: D+, at the low end of our typical shows.

1PWfan · May 30, 2009

Results of first round of predictions:

FINisher: 5/7, losing out on Patriot's victory and Clark losing to Ota

Phantom_Stranger: 5/7, with the under-main and dark match being his downfall

Regis: 6/7, losing out only on Marv's win

Foolinc: 4/7, with Flash/Patriot, Marv/Eddie and Nate/Sayeed doing for him.

So, Regis wins, and gets to choose the inaugral world update (NB: they'll all get done eventually anyway, and Europe and Australia will be done together to the complete lack of Doosweet B.A that's happened there).

Regis · May 31, 2009

Well, I for one would like to see the way things are panning out in the PDRSC.

What? It's called the People's Democratic Republic of Soviet Canuckistan.

Okay, okay. It's called Canadia.

1PWfan · June 2, 2009

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Regis" data-cite="Regis" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="23013" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Well, I for one would like to see the way things are panning out in the PDRSC. What? It's called the People's Democratic Republic of Soviet Canuckistan. Okay, okay. It's called Canadia.</div></blockquote> Canada it is. Update should come at the end of the week (last Uni assignment to work on, so other things are kinda taking a backseat).

Rathen4 · June 2, 2009

Please also be to informing about Australia signor

1PWfan · June 4, 2009

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rathen4" data-cite="Rathen4" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="23013" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Please also be to informing about Australia signor</div></blockquote> No problem man, so little's happened there that I can slot it on the end of Canada and shift Europe to link up with the UK. Back from Uni so expect 'NYCW State of the Nation' sometime either tonight or tomorrow morning.

1PWfan · June 6, 2009

Okay, so it's a little later than I thought- hadn't factored in sharing the computer. APW will follow imminently, with the next show sometime later- let's call it a 'J Silver Tuesday', kay?

NYCW Presents: State of the Nation- Canada

Overall:

In many ways the situation in Canada as of 2010 is the same as it was in 2008. NOTBPW and CGC dominate the landscape, with 4C carving out a comfortable niche some ways behind the both of them. However, this apparently static set-up has been shaken in recent times by the expansion of other promotions, and the arrival of the CWWF in February 2009 has added a fourth company to the country. All in all, whilst the Canadian scene appears static a lot’s happened in 2 years.

NOTBPW:

By rights, NOTBPW should be in a nose-dive towards regional: since 2008 they’ve lost Dan Stone Jr. to Japan and Owen Love, Sean McFly and Jeremy Stone to TCW. Plus their undercard is amongst the most pathetic in the world, featuring as it does the likes of Mighty Cavanagh, Canadian ‘Murderous Mikey’ Executioner, Biff the Bruiser and the deeply useless Gargantuan.

However the company is in many ways as strong as it’s ever been. Whilst the Canadian title is currently in the hands of the less than spectacular Dean McWade the company does still feature Dark Angel, Johnny Bloodstone and John Maverick in the main event, and whilst the departure of Owen Love has hamstrung the tag division workers like Joey Poison, Harrison Hash, Tim Westybrook and Raphael are doing their best to carry the collection of useless and half-baked workers that NOTBPW continues to employ. The Women’s Division is also reasonably healthy: it only features four workers (Cherry Bomb, Emma Bitch, Grace Harper and Stephanie Hazel) but at least they’re all pretty good, and hopefully NOTBPW management will have the sense to grab some of CWWF’s workers.

Popularity-wise the company’s also looking pretty strong: they’re at B- across Canada, making them the most popular promotion based in Canada. Plus, with C+ importance in Quebec and Ontario and C importance in British Columbia they’re on the verge of national, which will hopefully give them the cachet to bring back some of their big names, or at least a few of the better workers from elsewhere.

In general, therefore, NOTBPW are probably in a strong position at the moment: they’ve suffered heavy losses and their roster isn’t as deep as it could be, but there’s a lot of talent in there and they’re on the verge of making it to the top table.

CGC:

They’re still the number two company in Canada, but unlike the Stones CGC has managed to avoid any major talent losses. Ricky DeColt and Eddie Chandler both went to TCW in mid-2009, and Shooter Sean Deeley went to GCG full-time not long after, but other than that they’ve been surprisingly loss-free. Jack, Alex and Steve DeColt are all still at CGC, as are Dan DaLay, The Specialists, Ryan Powell and Trent Shaffer.

In terms of new talent, CGC have also showed up NOTBPW in that regard: unlike the Stones, CGC have succeeded in adding some genuinely talented workers to their roster. Davis Wayne Newton is probably the most notable arrival, but Mario Heroic and Jason ‘Too Hot’ Evans both do the company no harm. That said, they do also have The Amazing Winkie (aka Roger Dodger), Jerry Martin and Stan Manna, so maybe it isn’t quite as rosy as it looked.

In terms of popularity they’re right on NOTBPW’s tail at C+ across the county. Importance-wise they’re lagging though: C’s in Quebec and Ontario and C-‘s elsewhere mean they’re not likely to make National any time soon. However the company can take some comfort from the fact that prestige-wise they’re level with their rivals at B- apiece.

All in all, then, CGC are much more static than NOTBPW, with a way to go before reaching National but little chance of dropping to Regional. However for my money they’re probably slightly better off, as they’re cult status stops them from trying to compete with the powerful TCW or SWF across the border, a war that NOTBPW will be getting into soon.

4C:

As ever with 4C, they’re caught somewhere between CGC and North of the Border. They’ve lost Joey Poison, Jacob Jett and Darryl Devine, but the addition of Trent Shaffer and Ryan Powell has given them a much stronger main event. Plus, with no national promotions to steal talent away they’ve been able to make use of Frankie Dee’s contract with NOTBPW and Davis Wayne Newton’s with CGC to push both workers, giving them one of the more consistent rosters currently out there.

In terms of the title scenes, 4C’s consistency generally holds sway: the 4C Championship’s currently in the hands of Trent Shaffer, who’s held it since Jett left in late 2008. The Tag division’s similarly well off: DWN and Brent Fraser hold the title as NEO, whilst Thug Life, Too Hot and Thunder & Lightning contribute to a surprisingly strong tag division for a small fed. However, the Hardcore Title’s not in such a good way: the return of Nomad, Ali’s move out of the main event and the arrival of Zeus Maxmillion have given the company a strong if shallow hardcore scene, but the title’s currently held by Frankie Dee, who’s most definitely not a hardcore worker in any way.

Size wise, 4C are the only company in Canada to have made any positive movement: they’re risen from Small to Regional since the start of 2008, and are currently at D popularity, D- importance in Ontario. Even more importantly, they’re also at D- pop, E+ importance in Quebec, putting them within striking distance of Cult. To Sum up, therefore, 4C are going places, and with their current roster might actually survive when they get there.

CWWF:

Currently one of the smallest promotions in the world, CWWF have struggled to build momentum since they opened in February 2009. Owned by Tamara McFly and booked by Cueball Lynch, the company’s current prestige of E+ doesn’t really reflect their size, which is no higher than F+ and lingers around the F/F+ borderline across Canada.

That said, the roster is solid, if a little predictable. The company shares two workers with NOTBPW, two with 5SSW and six with AAA, and that’s not even taking into account backstage personnel, all of whom also work elsewhere. However, amongst those shared workers are stars like J-Ro, Wanda Fish, Lauren Easter and Suzanne Brazzle, and given the lack of women wrestlers out there this kind of talent sharing is probably to be expected. It should also be pointed out that the CWWF has made the effort to sign up most of the major women’s workers that had previously been unemployed, such as Agent 69, Roz Larren and Eve Grunge.

Title wise, the CWWF is fairly ordinary. Tamara McFly currently holds the top title, whilst J-Ro hold the top contender title and the tag titles are held by Brazzle and Zoe ‘Agent 69’ Ammis as Wild & Wicked, the company’s only tag team. This is probably the company’s biggest problem: if they’re going to bother with a tag title they should really look at establishing some more tag teams, or bringing in established teams from other promotions to give the division some depth.

To sum up, therefore, CWWF is definitely at the bottom of the pile both in Canada and as a woman’s fed, but it’s got a talented roster and the potential’s there for it to go the distance.

1PWfan · June 6, 2009

NYCW Presents: State of the Nation- Australia

APW:

With no competition to deal with, APW has been left to its own devices, and has therefore done pretty well for itself. Since 2008 it’s risen to regional, and has enjoyed considerable growth in popularity and prestige. That said, its roster has experienced probably the least change in the world over the last two years, and given that it wasn’t exactly the most youthful in 2008 that might be a problem for them quite soon.

Currently APW’s main event consists of Harry Simonson, Nathan McKenzie, Big Daddy Horne and Swoop McCarthy. Some of these make more sense than others: Swoop is a bona fide star, and whilst Harry’s getting old and Nathan is hardly extraordinary they do have the advantage of skill and youth respectively. Big Daddy, on the other hand, is a different story: two years down the line he still sucks, and it’s ridiculous than he’s in the main event when talented guys like Lanny Williams or DDP are hanging around the higher reaches of the midcard. Still, with Swoop McCarthy currently holding the top title as a face, the thinking may be to give him a monster heel to face, although Nate would be a better option with a turn.

Similarly, the tag division’s in a strange position. The title are currently held by DDP and Williams as Crazy Chaos, but whilst both men are undeniably talented workers it’s odd that the titles haven’t gone to the likes of The Melbourne Blondes or the Rising Sons, who have a great deal more experience on their side. Indeed, this focus on older wrestlers seems to be one of APW’s defining features: Trehawke Phillips is high on the card, whilst the Australian Title is currently in the hands of the extremely aged New Zealand Pit Bull (let’s put it this way: he’s so old he would fit right into USPW). There’s certainly an argument here, as the older talent is generally more over and is pretty talented, but it does raise questions over APW’s long term viability.

Ultimately, though, I can’t see APW closing down any time soon. With TV coverage, reasonably popularity and a talented roster they’ve got a good foundation for future success. Plus, as the only game in town they’ve got unlimited access to the best talent in Australia.

1PWfan · June 10, 2009

Next show is nearly done, so here's the predictions- winner gets the same state of the nation set-up, dated as of March 2010

COMING SOON- NYCW BIG APPLE BREAKDOWN

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP
Aaron Andrews vs. Fumihiro Ota

Clark Alexander vs. Tim Westybrook

Martin Gumble vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE NATURAL STORM
The Balcony Express (Statler & Waldorf) vs. Wiley Coyote

Masked Patriot vs. Mean Jean Cattley

Hugh de Aske vs. Nate Johnson

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH
Kirk Jameson vs. Edward Cornell

foolinc · June 10, 2009

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Aaron Andrews vs. Fumihiro Ota

Clark Alexander vs. Tim Westybrook

Martin Gumble vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE NATURAL STORM

The Balcony Express (Statler & Waldorf) vs. Wiley Coyote

Masked Patriot vs. Mean Jean Cattley

Hugh de Aske vs. Nate Johnson

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Kirk Jameson vs. Edward Cornell

DeBones · June 10, 2009

OR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Aaron Andrews vs. Fumihiro Ota

Clark Alexander vs. Tim Westybrook

Martin Gumble vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE NATURAL STORM

The Balcony Express (Statler & Waldorf) vs. Wiley Coyote

Masked Patriot vs. Mean Jean Cattley

Hugh de Aske vs. Nate Johnson

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Kirk Jameson vs. Edward Cornell

Phantom Stranger · June 10, 2009

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Aaron Andrews vs. Fumihiro Ota

Clark Alexander vs. Tim Westybrook

Martin Gumble vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE NATURAL STORM

The Balcony Express (Statler & Waldorf) vs. Wiley Coyote

Masked Patriot vs. Mean Jean Cattley

Hugh de Aske vs. Nate Johnson

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Kirk Jameson vs. Edward Cornell

Regis · June 10, 2009

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Aaron Andrews vs. Fumihiro Ota

Clark Alexander vs. Tim Westybrook

Martin Gumble vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE NATURAL STORM

The Balcony Express (Statler & Waldorf) vs. Wiley Coyote

Masked Patriot vs. Mean Jean Cattley

Hugh de Aske vs. Nate Johnson

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Kirk Jameson vs. Edward Cornell

Hyde Hill · June 10, 2009

Aaron Andrews vs. Fumihiro Ota

Clark Alexander vs. Tim Westybrook

Martin Gumble vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE RIGHT TO CHALLENGE NATURAL STORM

The Balcony Express (Statler & Waldorf) vs. Wiley Coyote

Masked Patriot vs. Mean Jean Cattley

Hugh de Aske vs. Nate Johnson

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Kirk Jameson vs. Edward Cornell

BTW we could use a roster including autopush and Tri State area overness.

1PWfan · June 11, 2009

BTW we could use a roster including autopush and Tri State area overness.

The plan is to include an NYCW in detail breakdown with the US State of the Nation. If that doesn't appear in the next couple of shows I'll put it up with one of the other ones.

1PWfan · June 12, 2009

NYCW Big Apple Breakdown

Live to DVD from Pennsylvania Park (Tri-State)

Audience: 1,713

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

Kirk Jameson vs. Edward Cornell

Two of NYCW’s unappreciated workers opened things up here in grand style. Kirk was one of my first signings when I arrived, but despite being widely recognised as a potentially huge star for us his development plateau’d very quickly. As it stands now, therefore, he’s on the cusp of developing into a really good wrestler but isn’t quite there yet. Still, against the right opponent he can produce a good match, and Edward was definitely the right opponent, largely thanks to the pair’s surprisingly good chemistry. As for Edward, I’m uncertain how long he’ll stay around- I just re-signed him for more than I would have liked to for a jobber, and as he’s just signed on with 21CW in the UK I won’t feel guilty about canning him. However he is still a d*mn good worker, so he’ll probably be around for a while yet.

Winner: Kirk Jameson Match Rating: D+

The Show

“It’s a cold day in New York, wrestling fans, but right here in Pennsylvania Park it’s hotter than hell as we kick off NYCW Big Apple Breakdown”

“You’re damn right there Rock! Fans we’ve got a hell of a show for you tonight, with Aaron Andrews taking on Fumihiro Ota, Clark Alexander facing off against The Iron Man Tim Westybrook and a number one contender’s match for the Tag Team Titles between Wiley Coyote and The Balcony Express!”

“Unfortunately, fans, I regret to tell you that we still haven’t found Whistler’s brain. Bear with us and I’m sure we’ll have found it by the end of the evening”

“I may not be any kind of a genius, Hugh, but I think finding me a brain has to take a backseat to finding you some muscles”

“I hate to interrupt you two, but we do have a show to kick off.”

*

Martin Gumble vs. Honest Frank

This was a disappointing match- whilst Frank isn’t a good wrestler he’s reasonably over, and Gumble’s a solid all-rounder and can normally carry guys to a decent match. Tonight, though, he was up against an opponent he just couldn’t click with- the chemistry was off- leaving us with a scrappy opening match. What's more, this isn't the first time Gumble's had chemistry problems- he's also come down with bad chemistry against Parker and Steinway (though that's not such a big deal in the case of Steinway). With the departure of guys like Grandmaster Phunk and Jay Chord, who were both key workers Gumble could work with, I'm starting to consider whether Gumble should be resigned or whether I'd be better off looking for a new worker with similar levels of overness (not that it would be easy to find one, mind you). As for Frank, I'm basically waiting for him to retire so I can use him as a manager, as he's 3 of 4 past a peak that wasn't that great to begin with. Gumble got the win here, as for all his chemistry problems he's by far the stronger worker.

Winner: Martin Gumble Match Rating: D-

*

After the match Gumble barely has time to catch his breath before Primus Allen hits the ring and destroys him in true monsteriffic style. The reaction was muted but generally positive, given that this was basically a way of filling a couple of minutes.

Rating: D-

*

Hugh de Aske vs. Nate Johnson

This was definitely a surprise. Sure, Hugh and Nate are both very talented workers, but neither really has much momentum going for them at the moment, and they’re definitely not big stars here. But somehow this added up to one of the best undercard matches we’ve ever had, with Hugh even managing to develop his flying skills a little in between his usual flagrant yet comedically loveable cheating. He’s definitely a future main event player for us- he’s ridiculously talented and whilst he’s a great heel the fans somehow seem to really love his rascally cheater persona. He took the win here with a classic demonstration of that, distracting Bull with a fake attempt to bring in a steel chair before nailing Johnson with a low blow for the pin.

Winner: Hugh de Aske Match Rating: C

*

After the match Nate attempts to explain what happened to the ref, but Hugh distracts him with a cunning chair shot to the head. Fortunately for Nate, before Hugh can really stick the boot in Kirk Jameson hits the ring to make the save. This didn’t receive the same reaction as the match, unfortunately, but with Kirk turned face hopefully this’ll help him get going again.

Rating: E-

*

The Balcony Express vs. Wiley Coyote

I wasn’t expecting anything great from this one, and sure enough it proved to be a disappointing match-up. Wiley Coyote’s age and talent levels will always be a hindrance, and whilst the Express are a talented team they’re not great individual wrestlers and don’t really have the talent to carry people. That said, Waldorf at least managed to polish up his fundamentals a bit whilst trying to make Coyote look even half-way competent before he tagged in Statler for the big finish, their double superplex finisher entitled ‘From the Balcony’

Winners: The Balcony Express Match Rating: D-

*

We go backstage, to where Masked Patriot is ready for aqn interview. With him is the distinctive stars-and-bars sporting Captain USA.

“Well it sure is good to be here in PENNSYLVANIA PARK!”

Say what you like about his workrate, but the man’s a king of the cheap pop.

“You know, it’s no secret that I love this country. So when I heard that there was an all-new Masked Patriot, sticking up for Old Glory and fighting for everything that’s good about our nation, I just had to come on down here and lend him a hand. Y’see, there’s a lot of bad guys out there, guys like Mean Jean Cattley. Now, Cattley’s a great wrestler, no two ways about it. But there’s more to being a star than just how good you are in the squared circle. There’s things like fair play, sportsmanship, and respect for the fans. And Jeano ain’t got none of that

“So, Jeano, you better play nice out there. ‘Cos my boy the Patriot’s all fired up and fighting fit. USA! USA! USA!”

This went over alright- for some reason Patriot’s not got a great deal of momentum despite his win, and Jeano’s not particularly popular, so it was somewhat hampered by all that. Still, it would’ve been nice to get a better reaction.

Rating: D-

*

Masked Patriot vs. Mean Jean Cattley

This wasn’t as great a match as Patriot's debut, but it was a solid part of his continuing push to the main event. Jeano’s a comparatively recent signing, having arrived in the latter half of 2009, but he’s always value for money, and whilst I was hoping that he’d teach Patriot a few more technical tricks I’m not hugely disappointed that he didn’t. Patriot managed to take the win here, after Flash hit the ring in order to gain revenge for his defeat last month, only to accidentally hit Cattley with a wild swing from his baseball bat. A brace of Patriot Slams (Gorilla Press into a Samoan Drop) later, and Patriot got the 1-2-3 and the victory.

Winner: Masked Patriot Match Rating: D+

*

Aaron Andrews is backstage with a microphone

“Tonight I’m up against Fumihiro Ota. Now, ordinarily I’d make a comment about how much I respect Ota as a wrestler, but you know what? Somehow that kinda rings hollow tonight.

“Now, a guy like Stephen Parker, who’s a hell of a wrestler, or Tim Westybrook, who’s not the nicest guy but is one of the finest athletes in the business…those guys I can respect. After all, they’re nearly on the same level as me, and that’s a rare thing in this business. But Ota? All you got is a ninja mask and some fancy tricks. And that’s nowhere near enough to beat me with. So I hope you brought some shades, boy- ‘cos you’re gonna be looking at the lights by the end of tonight”

Andrews is currently a face but I’m lining him up for a heel turn to kick some life into his feud with Parker, which has been lying dormant since Parker’s turn at Fairytale of New York in December. Tonight was the first step on the path, and whilst I’m not sure the audience could keep up the response was warm enough to make this worthwhile.

Rating: D+

*

Clark Alexander vs. Tim Westybrook

Remember when I said that Clark might be better off working against bigger guys last month? Well, I was right. Very, very right as it turns out, as this was one of our best ever matches. Our audience might have expanded beyond the rabid 70’s marks of 2007 but everybody loves a good David vs. Goliath story, and these guys could have invented that story. Not only that, but with Jake Sawyer at ringside selling the action in the ring like it was the final third of Die Hard 2 (I think Whistler might even have busted out a ‘Yippee-kay-yay’ at the finish) we had drama to spare. Alexander got the win in the end- Westybrook could have taken it, but this kind of story only has one ending, and it’s a happy one.

Winner: Clark Alexander Match Rating: B-

*

Aaron Andrews vs. Fumihiro Ota

On any other night, this would have been a good way to close the show. After Clark and Tim’s barnstormer, however, this felt like a comedown. Andrews did a good job, teasing heelishness without even ever actually coming out and pulling the turn, whilst Ota covered for his age as best he could, but this was still merely good rather than great. Andrews got the win tonight: the guy’s ridiculously talented for someone who hasn’t even seen 25 from a distance, extremely over and likely to go blubbing to Tommy Cornell if we job him out too much.

Winner: Aaron Andrews Match Rating: C

Overall Rating: C-, a fairly average show rating for us.

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