1PWfan Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 So, onto the predictions contest: Hyde Hill: 6/7, with only Clark/Tim going against him Regis: 6/7, with the exact same results as Hyde Phantom Stranger: 5/7, having once again bet on Tim, and for some reason rooted for Honest Frank DeBones: 6/7, having once again failed to get Tim/Clark Foolinc: 4/7, with Tim/Clark being joined by Patriot/Cattley and The Tag Title match on his wrong list. Now, since there's three winners this time, the State of The Nation will be a fixed choice (three choices are potentially three different regions, and that would kill me). So, I'll be doing the US, with a separate update on NYCW, and on their way to you now are 'Aaron Andrews: Better than the Best' T-Shirt and baseball caps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 Okay, slight change of plan, folks. The USA State of the Nation was killing me with boredom, so I've broken it down some. The First half will be up next, with the second half following the next show. After that we'll put up the NYCW breakdown (hopefully I'll have stopped attempting to get new workers by that point). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Okay, slight change of plan, folks. The USA State of the Nation was killing me with boredom, so I've broken it down some. The First half will be up next, with the second half following the next show. After that we'll put up the NYCW breakdown (hopefully I'll have stopped attempting to get new workers by that point). Awesome. Looking forward to seeing what's what! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share Posted June 14, 2009 NYCW Presents: State of the Nation- USA (Part One) Overall: Probably the most significant area in the world, the US has the distinction of containing both the highest and lowest ranking promotions on TEW’s promotion wars rankings. It also has the distinction of having possibly the healthiest independent scene in the world- with 8 promotions of Regional size or smaller currently active. However, with business currently on something of a downturn (D Economy, C- Wrestling Industry, and both falling), it’s possible that this thriving scene may diminish soon, as companies struggle to keep on. AAA: As America’s only women’s wrestling federation, AAA have always had it easier than most. However, even with the ability to basically cherry-pick the best female workers in the US, AAA have remained surprisingly static. They’re still at regional, have broadly the same roster as they did in 2008, and the titles change hands minimal times. As has already been noted, the AAA roster is basically the same as it was in 2008: only three new workers have been brought in, and of those 2 are established names in Emma Bitch and Melody Cuthill. Their main event is also hardly changed, consisting as it does of Wanda Fish, Suzue Katayama, J-Ro and Raven Nightfall. Whilst these are all comparatively talented and popular, they’re also all 30 or older (not a good thing for a fed where it’s not uncommon for wrestlers to retire well before they reach 40). This static main event is emblematic of the rest of the roster: gaps only ever seem to open up when a worker retires (Cuthill and Bitch are effectively replacements for the retired Cat Quine and Miss Mexico). That said, in terms of talent AAA’s not exactly badly off. Its main event is one of the best in the country, and the undercard does boast workers like Katherine Goodlooks, Suzanne Brazzle and the aforementioned Canadians. Perhaps the most interesting talent in the midcard, though, is Lauren Easter: one of the few really good female workers to have not b*ggered off to Japan, Easter’s got the potential to be AAA’s next huge star. Having said that, there’s no guarantee that she’ll be around long enough to get there: AAA have a habit of letting talented but obscure workers go, a can be seen from the departure of Jaime Quine in early 2009. In terms of size, AAA are doing reasonably well. Still at regional, they’re at D- importance, D popularity in their home region of the North West, giving them sell-out crowds in very small arenas. What’s more, at E+ pop and importance in the Mid-West they’ve started selling out tiny arenas there, giving them a strong base from which to expand to Cult in the future. What’s more, with a product that allows for potentially huge sponsorship money, they’re one of the best positioned companies to survive the jump. Overall, then, AAA are looking reasonably comfortable. Their roster is comparatively talented, and they’ve got the popularity and product to ensure that they can pull in a decent profit for a while to come. They do have a potentially major problem, however, in the age of their main event, which needs to be dealt with in the couple of years before it really starts causing them problems. BSC: Whilst they only just qualify as a wrestling company, BSC are nevertheless a reasonably successful one. Despite having possibly the least talented roster in wrestling, somehow the company keeps on going, presumably down to the rather sad fact that some guys will always pay money for scantily clad women rolling around on the floor. Main-event wise, the company features a couple of standard BSC workers in Dharma Gregg and Sister Beth Mercy, who must be recognised as the only person to hold a promotion’s top title whilst being it’s worst worker. However, main eventing alongside those two is the surprise presence of Miss Sara, better known as AAA up-and-comer Sara Marie York. Whilst her naughty schoolgirl character fits right in with BSC’s usual circus, she breaks the mould in being actually able to wrestle. This, along with Roxy Kitten’s emergence as a surprisingly decent high flier and the steady development of the likes of Jen Neptune and Coco de La Soleil, has left BSC with a core of workers who at least look like they know what they’re doing. The tag division is also surprisingly healthy for a small fed, with four reasonably experienced teams holding the division together. Of course the wrestlers themselves still suck, but compared to the likes of CZCW or FCW the division is pretty healthy. All in all, BSC are in a comfortable spot. Their shows are utterly appalling, but at E- pop and importance in the South West they’re not being called upon to put out great shows, and whilst growth is unlikely they’re also unlikely to crash any time soon. CZCW: Still one of the largest independent feds in the world, CZCW haven’t grown a great deal since 2008 in terms of size. However there can be little doubt that it’s definitely not the same fed it was two years ago, with substantial roster changes having led to a very different looking company. Main event wise, the company retains Donnie J and Ultimate Phoenix as the only two main eventers to have survived the growth of the SWF and TCW in early 2008. Alongside them, however, they also boast new signing Zimmy Bumfhole and current Coastal Zone Champion Art Reed. Reed in particular is a huge deal for the fed, with an average match rating of B- and the kind of all-round talent most companies would love to have. Indeed, the overall quality of the singles roster is extremely strong: they’ve lost Black Eagle (to TCW in 2008 and more recently to Japan), but the likes of American Elemental, Mario Heroic and perennial CZCW legend Fox Mask provide them with a core of talented workers that even extends to the lower reaches of the company, thanks to the signing of Davis Wayne Newton and Delicious Danny (aka Trent Shaffer). However, the tag division is in a substantially worse state. Consisting of two teams, only one of which is actually experienced (and features the comparatively weak Jake Idol and Jackpot Jordan anyway), it’s rather telling that the Tag Title is currently held by two singles workers in Mario Heroic and Flying Jimmy Foxx. Whilst CZCW could probably do to look at this problem, it’s probably not all that urgent, given the talent the company has available. Size-wise, CZCW have remained surprisingly small: they’re at D+ pop, D importance in the South West, but aside from a fistful of F+’s in nearby regions they’ve not made much headway outside their home region. In this respect they’re mirroring their fellow East Coast promotions: none of the promotions on this side of the country have grown much over the last two years. To sum up, then, CZCW are probably one of the stronger small feds in the world right now. They’ve got a talented roster, and despite some problems in the tag division they’re title scenes in general are pretty strong. FCW: If you thought the East Coast scene was sedentary, then FCW go way beyond that. In two years they’ve experienced exactly three changes to the roster, and changed their title holders less than half a dozen times combined. However, unlike their East Coast counterparts they are at least showing some signs of growth, having started to run sell-out shows outside of their native Puerto Rico. In terms of their main event, it’s pretty much the same story as in 2008; Puerto Rican Power still dominates the scene, with Handsome Stranger, Shawn Gonzales and Rudy Velasquez completing the scene. The only major change here is the departure of Hell’s Bouncer, although given that even after two years he’s still not that great it’s probably not a big loss. Rudy’s currently the Puerto Rican Champion, having won it at the start of 2010. Midcard-wise, FCW’s only major change has been a slight move away from the lucha libre elements that coloured it at the start of 2008. Tigre Salvaje Jr. and Hijo del Zonk are the only two still around, and neither are particularly high on the card. Instead the roster is dominated by traditional American-style heavyweights like the 937lb Express and Jesus Chavez, current holder of the People’s Championship. In all honesty he’s probably one of the weak links in a midcard that also contains Bradford Peverell, Kirk Jameson and The Sensational Singh, but given that FCW is based primarily around overness he’s not a bad choice. The Tag division is also one of FCW’s strengths. They’ve got six teams active, of which four have experience. Particular stars of the division are current champs The Latino Kings and Natural Storm, who they share with NYCW and currently boast B- experience, making them the joint most experienced tag team on the independent scene. Indeed, FCW could arguably boast of having one of the strongest tag divisions in the country. If there is a problem it’s that very few of the teams could really be said to be legitimate title contenders, although all that’s needed to solve that is good booking. Size-wise, FCW is in an odd spot. They’re at F+ pop, F importance in their native Puerto Rico, but also have F+ pop and importance in the South East. Given that this makes them a small fed it puts them in a slightly odd position: most small feds tend to focus on their home region in order to make regional, but FCW seem to have avoided that in favour of spreading their popularity. It hasn’t really worked, needless to say: currently they’re 33rd in the promotion rankings, making them the second lowest ranked company in the world. However, it’s important not to get downhearted about FCW’s chances of survival. They’ve got a solid roster, good title scenes and a strong financial base, making their chances of survival pretty good. Plus, if they keep up their steady build of popularity they should crack regional before the year is out, and their already spread popularity puts them in a good place for making cult. MAW: The House That Rip built currently lies at 30th in the promotion rankings, but don’t let that fool you: the company’s as strong as it’s ever been, if not stronger, and in a lot of ways mirrors it’s northern counterpart NYCW. Like NYCW the company jumped to regional in mid-2008, and has overhauled the roster to increase their star power. Unlike NYCW, however, they haven’t done this at the expense of their original roster, and 90% of the guys who started 2008 with them are still here today. Main-event wise, MAW have undergone some fairly profound changes. Both Erik Storm and Mean Jean Cattley have been displaced by bigger names like veteran Canuck RK Hayes and Puerto Rican MMA Crossover Billy Russell. The return of Des Davids has given the company a younger face in the main event scene, though, and the presence of fourth man Paul Steadyfast ensures a good balance between overness and talent at the top of the card. Hayes currently holds the top title, and whilst he may not be the greatest wrestler in the world he’s done a competent job since winning it at the end of 2009, with an average match rating of C-. Tag-wise, things are a lot weaker. C-V-2 and The Canadian Blondes are the only two teams in the division, and whilst neither are bad the lack of depth is rather worrying. Still, given that MAW has produced Natural Storm in the past it’s surely only a matter of time until a new big team is found, and the company’s focus on long title reigns should give any new teams a chance to find their feet before they’re thrust into the limelight. In terms of their roster, MAW’s focus on youth is clear to see. Only five of their wrestlers are over the age of 28, and young up-and-comers like Hugh de Aske, Cameron Vessey and The Masked Patriot emphasise the company’s depth of talent. Vessey and Patriot in particular have enjoyed great success: Cameron is a key name for Pro Wrestling SAISHO in Japan, whilst The Patriot enjoys national fame there as Bulldozer Brandon Smith. MAW’s size is perhaps its only sticking point: at D- pop, E+ importance in the Mid-Atlantic they’re not particularly big, and that may start causing problems for them if other companies continue to outgrow them. MAW’s roster is after all a very talented one, and they’ve got enough popular workers that anybody looking for a raid would be well-placed to pillage the company. On the other hand, there aren’t many companies in a position to actually steal MAW’s talent, so they’re probably safe for now. Overall, therefore, MAW is in a somewhat odd position. In terms of talent they’re one of the strongest companies in the US, but that isn’t reflected in their size. However they do benefit from the gradual downturn in business in the US, which should prevent bigger companies taking advantage of their small size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 Next show preview, with lots of new names to introduce. More on them, and the departures whose shoes they're filling, when we get to the roster breakdown COMING SOON- NYCW RUMBLE IN THE BRONX Steven Parker & Masked Patriot vs. Fumihiro Ota and Steve Flash Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH The Ace Express (Johnny Martin & Rick Sanders) vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Steven Parker & Masked Patriot vs. Fumihiro Ota and Steve Flash Veterans! Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH The Ace Express (Johnny Martin & Rick Sanders) vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Veterans again, possibly for one last run... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyde Hill Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Steven Parker & Masked Patriot vs. Fumihiro Ota and Steve Flash Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH The Ace Express (Johnny Martin & Rick Sanders) vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeBones Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Steven Parker & Masked Patriot vs. Fumihiro Ota and Steve Flash Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH The Ace Express (Johnny Martin & Rick Sanders) vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolinc Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Steven Parker & Masked Patriot vs. Fumihiro Ota and Steve Flash Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH The Ace Express (Johnny Martin & Rick Sanders) vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Steven Parker & Masked Patriot vs. Fumihiro Ota and Steve Flash NYCW have big plans for the Patriot, I can tell. Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander Aaron, I think, has the better upside of the two. FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express Champs maintain over their heelish rivals. Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Because he's Art Reed, and Sammy's a jobber. Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Nicky might have potential, but Tim is the here and now. Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson Double J is paying his dues. SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH The Ace Express (Johnny Martin & Rick Sanders) vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Johnny's a high-ranking guy on the East Coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FINisher Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> Steven Parker & Masked Patriot vs. Fumihiro Ota and Steve Flash Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson The Ace Express (Johnny Martin & Rick Sanders) vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 21, 2009 Author Share Posted June 21, 2009 Show should be up tomorrow guys- I've been bogged down with my roster recap so work's slowed down a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 NYCW Rumble in the Bronx Live to DVD from the Biker’s Paradise Audience: 217 Pre-Show/DVD Extras The Ace Express vs. Hugh de Aske and Honest Frank Tonight’s show introduces a whole raft of new names- I’ve been on a bit of a signing binge- and the dark match introduced one of our newest signings in the form of ‘The Icon of Hardcore’ Johnny Martin, reforming The Ace Express with Rick Sanders after well over 10 years apart. Surprisingly enough they settled straight down to business like they’d never been apart, and their opponents matched them step for step. Hugh in particular looked great, his brawling skill really meshing with Johnny, and even Frank showed some improvement, kind of a miracle given the fact that he’s past his prime by three or four years. The Express took the win- they’re a regular team, and in line for the titles thanks to Johnny’s contract demands. Winners: The Ace Express Match Rating: D The Show “We’re back in The Biker’s Paradise for NYCW Rumble in the Bronx, and the crowd is ready for action. I’m Rock Downpour, and joining me as always are Hugh ‘D-Man’ Dansigny and The All-American Everyman Whistler” “I cannot tell you how excited I am ‘bout tonight’s show Rock! Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander! Art Reed’s Debut! Parker and the Patriot vs. Ota and Flash! And right now, Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook!” “For once, I agree with Whistler- what could be better than watching two of the best athletes in the world smacking the cr@p out of each other? Only in NYCW, folks!” * Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Champion’s been one of my targets from day one, so once USPW let him go I swooped on him. Sure enough, he didn’t disappoint, opening up the show with a terrific brawl against Westybrook. What’s more, Champion and Tim have pretty good chemistry, definitely good news after having to put up with Gumble’s repeated bad chemistry notes (part of the reason he’s gone, as well as to make room for Nicky). This was exactly the kind of physical brawl I was hoping for, capped off by Tim dropping Nicky with a TNT Whirlwind, not exactly an easy move to hit on someone Nicky’s size. Winner: Tim WestybrookMatch Rating: C * After the match, Champion gets a mic “TIM! You might have won tonight, pard, but I’m throwing it down right now! Next Month, at Manhattan Mêlée, you and me again! You got me mad, Tim, and now I’m looking for a rematch. And next time, you ain’t gonna be so lucky, cos WHAT’S MY NAME…?!” Nicky’s not the greatest talker, but enough of the fans were sucked in by his fiery promo to cheerfully yell back ‘CHAMPION!’, in accordance with one of his few really exemplary gimmicks. Rating: D * Kirk Jameson vs. Jared Johnson Johnson, a younger guy who was apparently trained by Johnny Bloodstone, is another one of our new signings, and made a promising debut against Jameson. The match wasn’t actually particularly good- the chemistry was off, and neither guy’s got the experience to work round that- but Jameson showed signs of improvement that we haven’t seen from him in a long time. For the rest of it, the announce team did it’s bit to keep things going- Rock’s a master of calling the slower technical matches, and me and Whistler did our usual combo of banter and factual information, particularly on Johnson’s background. He still took the loss, though- he’s only just debuted, and needs to put in his time before getting a major push. Winner: Kirk Jameson Match Rating: D * We go backstage, to where Captain USA is hyping up the main event “Tonight, my boy Patriot and Steven Parker are taking on two of NYCW’s nastiest bad guy, Steve Flash and Fumihiro Ota. Now, I ain’t gonna deny that these two guys are among the best in the world- when they’re not cheating. But cheat they do, and that…hell, that’s just ain’t the American Way. “These two guys, though- Patriot eats, sleeps and breathes American, and whilst Parker’s 100 per cent Canuck he fights like a true American- honestly, and to the best of his ability. And against two cheatin’ weasels like Flash and Ota they can’t do nothing but win. You know why? ‘Cos when it comes down to it, Right will Prevail. That’s how God does it, that’s how Washington did it, and that’s how America does it. USA! USA!” This wasn’t badly received- Patriot’s popularity isn’t up to the level of Parker, and for some reason his isn’t great in New England anyway. Rating: D * Suddenly we cut to the ring, where Eddie Howard is squaring off with Waldorf, ready for a fight. Suddenly he’s jumped by Statler, and before the crowd can react D.C’s hit the ring, turning it into a four-way-brawl. Eventually Michael Bull hits the ring, separating the four guys out for a tag match. The reaction wasn’t great here- Eddie’s Bad Ass character is getting stale, and whilst the fans like to see these boys wrestling an angle like this isn’t something that interests them. Rating: E * Natural Storm vs. The Balcony Express These guys may not be among our biggest names, but they’re two of the best tag teams on the independent scene and it showed in tonight’s match. After a run of mediocre angles and matches this kicked things back up a notch, with all four guys really laying into each other. Eddie once again struggled to get the crowd behind him thanks to his stale character, but did at least polish up his brawling skills a little as the match spiralled out of control. In the end all four men once again wound up in the ring beating on each other, leading to Bull throwing the match out on a Double DQ Winners: None Match Rating: D+ * Westybrook is backstage, when a preppy young employee (actually Stomper’s son-in-law Brad Majors, the most nebbish guy you’ll ever meet) thrusts a mic at him and asks him about Champion’s challenge earlier in the show. “Y’know what? You got it, ‘champ’. Next month, at Manhattan Mêlée, you and me? Let’s do it again. ‘Cos I’m still gonna kick your ass.” This got a slightly better reaction than Nicky’s challenge- Tim’s not quite as good a talker as Nicky, but does have more name value in New England . Rating: D+ * Art Reed vs. Sammy the Shark Okay, this was kinda unexpected. I mean, Art’s a huge signing for us- he’s our biggest name and a damn talented worker to boot- but Sammy’s a moderately talented brawler with a little potential. The match, on the other hand, was only a step down from Nicky and Tim earlier, and a great way to step it up going into the main events. The main reason was Art himself- the match was all about him, and as such he really laid it all out there, really looking good in the process. He beat Sammy from pillar to post before going up top for the Hangtime Moonsault, one of the best looking finishers in the business. Winner: Art Reed Match Rating: C- * We go backstage, to where Ernest Forthdyke-Hume is hyping up the main event “Tonight, these two men- Mr. Steve Flash and Mr. Fumihiro Ota- will be ‘taking on’ Steven Parker and that snotty little upstart The Masked Patriot. Now, Captain USA alleges that my men engage in tactics that are ‘Un-American’. Now, even leaving aside the fact that these men are in fact Canadian and Japanese respectively, your allegations are completely irrelevant. This business measures it’s stars on their success, not their attitude. And my men are the best in the world at winning” This didn’t get as good a reaction as USA’s promo- Hume’s not quite as good a talker, and Flash and Ota aren’t our biggest stars. Rating: D- * Aaron Andrews vs. Clark Alexander I’d expected this match to be nothing special, so it was a nice surprise when it turned out pretty good. To be fair both of these guys are good workers, and their TCW work gives them more visibility than we can manage. Andrews played down the heelishness this month- with Reed coming in I’m shifting towards a different set-up that requires Andrew to be a face- and we wrote it off as a personal problem between Andrews and Ota last month. Aaron got the win, as I’m positioning him to take on the role of lead babyface. Winner: Aaron Andrews Match Rating: C+ * Steven Parker and Masked Patriot vs. Steve Flash and Fumihiro Ota In retrospect, I should’ve switched this with Andrews/Alexander-it was a good match, but not a great one. I don’t think it helped that both Flash and Ota are showing their age a bit, and whilst Parker and Patriot did their bit to get things going it wasn’t quite enough to lift this beyond being a good tag match. Parker got the win here, putting Ota down with the Future Shock whilst Patriot kept Flash occupied. Winners: Steven Parker and Masked Patriot Match Rating: C- Overall Rating: D+, a touch harsh after some of the matches we put on tonight. The positioning of the top matches and the weaker undercard probably dragged us down a bit, though the rating’s still high enough to get us a substantial popularity boost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 You mis-labelled the winner of the Tim/Nicky match. Also... Brad Majors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 You mis-labelled the winner of the Tim/Nicky match. Also... Brad Majors? Mistake is now corrected. And Brad Majors is a name from a film...I'l let you guess which one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Mistake is now corrected. And Brad Majors is a name from a film...I'l let you guess which one. Damn it, Janet, I know damn well which film it's from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Damn it, Janet, I know damn well which film it's from! Exactly. I just thought it was funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Exactly. I just thought it was funny. Excellent. Now cough up my rewards or I'll have you shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 Moving right along to the next half othe state of the nation- I realised I hadn't updated in a while NYCW Presents: State of the Nation- USA (Part Two) PSW: Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling have not had a good two years. They started 2008 as the largest independent promotion on the East Coast, but a spectacularly misjudged attempt to break into the Canadian market and a run of bad form in mid 2009 saw them crash down to local size. They’ve recently battled their way back up to small, but there’s no denying that the company’s been hit hard. Main-event wise, the company’s showing its losses rather. Johnny Martin and Alex Braun are both still active, and even retain most of their skill, but the third man in the PSW main event is Tank Bradley, who…well, he’s not exactly top-flight star, but he’s somehow turned into a competent hardcore worker. That said, he’s not really main-event calibre, and his stamina is still as appalling as ever, so it’s probably not to PSW’s credit that he’s one of their key stars. Rather bizarrely the PSW title is in the hand of Frankie ‘Honest Frank’ Future, one of their upper midcarders. He’s not exactly a bad choice for a company PSW’s size- he’s a competent worker, and reasonably over- but given that he’s 40 years old and more than a little past his prime he’s an odd candidate. Moving down the card, however, there is some hope for PSW’s future. Whilst PSW have lost talent like The Ring Generals and Steven Parker, recent signings such as Nevada Nuclear, Remmy Skye and Citizen X have added depth to the roster, and Teddy Powell (one of the few PSW originals with any real talent) is still around. Unfortunately, their tag division is in a terrible state: the departure of the Ring Generals and one half of the Good Ol’ Boys have left them without any young talent in the tag division, whilst the Wolverine’s recent retirement has deprived them of a major team in The Deadly Alliance. As with CZCW, the Tag Titles are in the hands of two singles workers, Remmy Skye and Tank Bradley (a rather baffling choice, given that he’s a) a main event worker, and b) part of their only remaining tag team anyway). Size-wise, the company are basically an irrelevance- F+ pop and importance in Tri-State and E- prestige makes them the lowest ranked promotion in the war, which might create problems when it comes to trying to keep their big stars. Plus, most of their talent also works elsewhere, making it difficult for them to schedule shows that everyone can make it to. All in all, therefore, PSW are in a bad way. The drop in size hit them hard, and the loss of key names from their roster has left them looking weak. They have started to stage a comeback, though, and with some decent workers on staff they could find themselves safely off not too far in the future. It’s also possible that they could start going backwards, though, and if anyone’s going to go under during 2010, I’d bet on PSW being that company. RIPW: They’re the SWF’s developmental territory, but RIPW are currently doing well for themselves without any help from upstairs. Supreme’s yo-yoing between global and cult has left Rhode Island without a great many developmental names to work on, giving them the opportunity to develop their own stars. Not that they have, really, but their independence has put them in a strong position nevertheless. RIPW’s three top stars are all PPA signings rather than developmental names. Puerto Rican Power and Jim Force are both fairly obvious names for a company this size-neither are particularly great wrestlers but they’ve both got name value and strong, family-friendly characters. The third name, on the other hand, is a big surprise, being as it is Double A Aaron Andrews, who also works for the F’s major competition, TCW. He’s a great wrestler with solid name value, but it’s a bold move for the SWF’s developmental territory to prominently feature a man who works for their parent company’s biggest rivals. The rest of the card is generally solid. Names like Ekuma the Hawaiian Strongman, Gigolo Jack Stein, and Assassin #2 (a.k.a Ernie Turner) may be terrible workers, but they do at least all have something to recommend them (Ekuma’s over, Stein’s great on the mic and Turner’s got charisma and decent fundamentals). Other workers like Brendon Idol, Kentucky Bill and Lassana Makutsi (the last developmental worker left in the company) provide some talent in the midcard. Somewhat bizarrely, though, RIPW still have Lion Heart on roster- two years on he still sucks, and he doesn’t have the popularity to counterbalance that. It’s also worth pointing out that the departure of Raphael in mid 2009 has left them without a tag division, and whilst the Tag title is in theory still active it’s currently vacant and hasn’t been contested since May 2009. In terms of size RIPW are doing well for themselves. Currently Small sized, they’re at E importance, E+ pop in their home area of New England. With Regional requiring E+ importance they’re maybe two good shows away from jumping up a Size, giving them an increased financial base on which to draw on and putting them within spitting range of the SWF (at least in terms of size, if not popularity). At E+ prestige they’re also reasonably off for a smaller company. To sum up, then, RIPW are enjoying a healthy run of good fortune at the moment, with a reasonable roster and good popularity. Plus, with their financially profitable Sports Entertainment product giving them one of the best financial bases in the country to work from they’re definitely looking at a good long-term future. SWF: They’re still the number one promotion in the world, but the SWF have had an eventful two years. A rapid rise to Global in early 2008 was followed by a drop to Cult, and over 2009 the company would once again rise to Global before falling back down to Cult. Currently still at Cult, the SWF nevertheless enjoy global popularity, and the recent arrival of former NYCW talent The Masked Mauler as head booker has seen their fortunes lift somewhat, with the result that they’re still the biggest company in the world, and on the verge of climbing the mountain to Global yet again. Their main event is emblematic of the SWF’s rollercoaster ride fortunes. 9 men strong, it combines monsters like Vengeance and Runaway Train with smaller all-rounders like Lobster Warrior, Rich Money and Jack Bruce, and brawlers like Steve Frehley, Remo and Christian Faith. However the company is also featuring Kurt Laramee as a top name, and he’s definitely the odd man out in that group- neither especially skilled nor hugely menacing like the monsters, his main asset seems to be his charisma, which is good but hardly extraordinary. The current World Heavyweight Champion is Jack Bruce, who lost it in December 2008 to Vengeance only to recapture it in March 2010. He’s probably the best choice for the top guy thanks to his all-round skill and decent overness, although the SWF main event scene is even enough that any of them could probably be counted viable contenders. Moving down into the midcard, one encounters too many key players to mention them all, but it’s fair to say that with workers like Valiant, Eric Eisen and Enforcer Roberts on the verge of the main event the higher reaches of the card are in good hands. That said, Big Smack Scott also enjoy a lot of popularity, and the North American Title is currently in the hands of Joe Sexy, a capable worker but not one who merits the nearly year-long reign he currently enjoys. This peculiar title situation is mirrored in the tag division, which features teams like High Concept, The Biggz Boys and The Amazing Bumfholes but currently has the titles on The Pain Alliance (Laramee and Scott) who are among the division’s weakest workers, and probably too popular to really work the division. That said, they do have A* experience, so it’s perhaps not as odd as it initially seems, and if you’re going to push the Smacker you might as well put him in a match where there’s three people to cover for him. Whilst the higher reaches of the card may be in an odd situation (lots of talented workers, but champions of undistinguished calibre), the Shooting Star division is in roaring good health. The signing of James Prudence and Stevie Grayson in early 2008 has given them some solid high fliers to build around as the likes of Marc DuBois and Kid Toma moved into the NA title hunt, whilst younger talent like John Greed and Paul Huntingdon provides them with some good future champs once Prudence and Grayson outgrow the title. Perhaps the biggest signing in the Shooting Star division, however, is Chance Fortune: the former TCW star is a perfect fit for the SWF in general and the Shooting Star division in particular, and whilst he’s currently something of a jobber it’s surely only a matter of time before he’s the recipient of a big push. Size-wise, the SWF is in an odd position. The rapid swings between Cult and Global have left them with a very low prestige of D, but they’re still the most popular company in the world, with an average of B- popularity across key areas like the US, Canada and Japan. What’s more, they’re at C+ importance or higher in 5 regions of the US, putting them just one good show away from making it to a proper National footing, which should in turn catapult them back up to Global. All in all, therefore, the SWF are in a strong position. Still #1 in the rankings, and with a strong roster, they’re probably the most successful company in the world. That said, their yo-yoing size has hit their prestige hard, and whilst they’re once again on the verge of rising to Global I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back at Cult when 2011 rolls round. TCW: Like the SWF, TCW have spent the last two years switching between Cult and Global, with all the attendant prestige problems that suggests. They’re currently at Global, though, and with C prestige and a talented roster they’re as well-placed as they’ve ever been to take Supreme’s crown as top promotion in the world. One of the big problems TCW had at the start of 2008 was a weak Main Event, so it’s unsurprising that they’ve revamped it considerably over the last two years. Tommy Cornell’s still in the picture, obviously, as are RDJ and Troy Tornado, but they’ve been joined by Wolf Hawkins, Death Monkey and Sean McFly (currently competing as Officer McFly due to a storyline intro involving Rick Law). Somewhat more surprising is the continued presence of Tyson Baine, who remains one of their biggest stars despite a lack of any appreciable talent. The biggest shock, though, is the current World Heavyweight Champion, Rocky Golden: he’s still a rather weak wrestler, and isn’t even all that popular on a Global level, but he’s managed some decent matches and at least has opponents that are capable of carrying him to some great matches. Moving down the card, one again sees considerable improvement on where they were at the start of 2008. Jeremy Stone, Owen Love, Freddie Datsun and current International Champ Shawn Gonzales have added depth to the higher reaches of the card, whilst lower-card arrivals like James Hernandez, Steven Parker and Eddie Chandler have given them some great all-rounders to add to the All-Action division, currently lead by Owen Love under the alias of Canadian Cat (evidently Joel Bryant has a thing for dumb-ass alter ego’s- it’s probably only a matter of time before Tommy Force puts in an appearance). It’s also worth noting that due to TCW’s working agreement with NYCW several of their lower-card workers also work the independent scene-something that doesn’t make a great deal of difference to TCW, but may go some way to explain the robust state of the US independent scene. In the tag division, though, TCW has a bit of a problem. The loss of Scout (currently touring with WLW) and John Anderson (on a written deal with BHOTWG) during previous stints at Cult level have deprived them of their two biggest teams, and whilst they do have a solid division on the go a lot of the teams are very inexperienced, with the exception of aging veterans Painful Procedure (over the hill and never that good anyway) and The Tag Team Specialists (also showing their age a little, but still a fine pair of workers). The current champs are Joey Minnesota and Sammy Bach under the name The New Legends, and whilst they’re only F- experience they’re a solid pair of workers, and probably the best bet for leading the tag division at the moment. Size-wise, TCW are in an odd position. At C prestige and Global size they’re technically bigger and more prestigious than their rivals the SWF, but they don’t have the F’s global popularity. They're currently averaging B popularity in Canada and the States, but are only at C+ pop in Japan and haven’t made the inroads into Europe and the UK that Supreme have. This puts them firmly at number two in the world, and whilst they may be as close as they’ve ever been to displacing Supreme as the #1 in the world it’s still not all that close. To sum up, then, TCW are in a strong position but with little chance of rising. They’re way ahead of #3 company WLW but quite a ways behind the SWF. The main problem they have is the number of untalented and aging wrestlers they still have on roster: the like of Painful Procedure, Genghis Rahn and Texas Pete are among the workers they need to replace if they’re going to have a viable chance of making it to number 1. USPW: Given that they’re a company based on nostalgia rather than talent, USPW are still full of the kind of popular-but-talentless lugs that defined them in 2008. That said, the company does actually have some good wrestlers on board, and whilst they’re nowhere near reaching national level they’re definitely not an independent promotion. Looking at their main event, one begins to appreciate USPW’s size-over-skill emphasis. Of the five men in the main event, only James Justice and Chris Caulfield (coincidentally both faces) could be said to have any appreciable talent. Of the rest, T-Rex is unskilled but hugely menacing, Henry Lee is similarly useless in the ring but has popularity and charisma, and Peter Valentine has…well, a friendship with Sam Strong. This is emblematic of USPW’s roster overall: whilst there are a fair few decently skilled workers on board, the emphasis is more on size and popularity than astonishing workrate. The lynchpin of the midcard is undoubtedly Steven Parker, who USPW share with TCW and NYCW. Currently holding both the Television and Tag Team Titles (with Jumbo Jackson as the bizarrely named Double Top) Parker is clearly someone USPW see as the future of the company on some level. Other key names include Colossus, Jumbo Jackson and perennial USPW favourite Jim Force, all of whom are currently enjoying pushes to a greater or lesser extent. The women’s division, meanwhile, is in comparatively robust health: as with NOTBPW there’s only four women in it, but given that two of them are Alicia Strong and Wanda Fish that’s probably not a massive problem. Their title, however, is currently inactive, probably due to the size of the division (although why, then, is NOTBPW’s still around?). It’s also worth noting that there are currently only two active tag teams, Double Top and Savage Fury, due to the retirement of Captain USA and the departure of Danny Rushmore and Al the Hillbilly. The other major issue to consider with regards to USPW is their size. Currently they’re at C popularity across the States, putting them well out of reach of the eight C+ importance regions they need to make national. That said, their TV and PPV deals give them a level of popularity that serves to keep them well away from a drop in size, and their family-friendly product is a veritable goldmine of profit, giving them a good long-term survival chance. They’re also at C+ prestige, making them the most prestigious company in the US right now. All in all, USPW are in a good place right now. They’re unlikely to ever rise to National judging by their roster and current popularity, but they’re comfortably ensconced in their Cult status and have good long-term prospects given their financial viability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1PWfan Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 Sorry for the slow post-rate, was working on a show that took a flippin' age to do. Anyway, here's the next set of predictions COMING SOON- NYCW MANHATTAN MÊLÉE FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE Steven Parker © vs. Aaron Andrews vs. Art Reed Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Ace Express vs. Natural Storm FLASH'S REVENGE Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE Mean Jean Cattley vs. Statler Nevada Nuclear vs. Kirk Jameson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH- FOR THE NYCW VETERANS' TITLE Honest Frank vs. Nate Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FINisher Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE Steven Parker © vs. Aaron Andrews vs. Art Reed Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Ace Express vs. Natural Storm FLASH'S REVENGE Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE Mean Jean Cattley vs. Statler Nevada Nuclear vs. Kirk Jameson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH- FOR THE NYCW VETERANS' TITLE Honest Frank vs. Nate Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Stranger Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE Steven Parker © vs. Aaron Andrews vs. Art Reed Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Ace Express vs. Natural Storm FLASH'S REVENGE Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE Mean Jean Cattley vs. Statler Nevada Nuclear vs. Kirk Jameson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH- FOR THE NYCW VETERANS' TITLE Honest Frank vs. Nate Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyde Hill Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE Steven Parker © vs. Aaron Andrews vs. Art Reed Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Ace Express vs. Natural Storm FLASH'S REVENGE Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE Mean Jean Cattley vs. Statler Nevada Nuclear vs. Kirk Jameson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH- FOR THE NYCW VETERANS' TITLE Honest Frank vs. Nate Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 COMING SOON- NYCW MANHATTAN MÊLÉE FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE Steven Parker © vs. Aaron Andrews vs. Art Reed Tempted to call a change in the three-way, but always bet on the champ. Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook Nicky takes one back, leading to a rubber match next month. FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Ace Express vs. Natural Storm With Johnny Martin, east coast legend, on board? I think they'll get a decent run before the inevitable slight de-push. FLASH'S REVENGE Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot Going to bet on the Patriot here - got to love his inevitable rise to the upper-card. FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE Mean Jean Cattley vs. Statler Just a hunch. Nevada Nuclear vs. Kirk Jameson Nevvy's okay, but I think Kirk might be abnle to carry it off the back of a recent turn. SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH- FOR THE NYCW VETERANS' TITLE Honest Frank vs. Nate Johnson Frank's a bit past it, even for the Veteran's belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolinc Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE Steven Parker © vs. Aaron Andrews vs. Art Reed Nicky Champion vs. Tim Westybrook FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Ace Express vs. Natural Storm FLASH'S REVENGE Steve Flash vs. Masked Patriot FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE Mean Jean Cattley vs. Statler Nevada Nuclear vs. Kirk Jameson SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH- FOR THE NYCW VETERANS' TITLE Honest Frank vs. Nate Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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