Welcome. You Know The Drill.

[Beeker]

Good to have you back infinity.

Personally, I want Fox to quit the Zone and either start up his own promotion OR join another fed and go about showing Cliff just how right Bear is!

[infinitywpi]

June 2014, week 4

 

The year was almost half-over. It couldn't happen soon enough for my tastes. I almost didn't get to see what 'the team' had in store for ACZW... until someone reminded them that I essentially worked 'for free'. Lucky me – I got to job out again.

 

Stay professional, Fox, stay professional.

 

 

ACZW #69 (Southeast)

I got to 'fight' for the vacant-with-no-reason ACZW Title, losing to Nelson Callum in... well, it was an okay match. Barrera squashed Panda, Remus squashed Demon Seed, both sucked. Poison Moose squashed Perez and Paradigm, and that was okay. Phillipe got a win over Remmy... good match, but seriously, over Remmy? And finally, Dragon defeated Donnie in a very good match, but Donnie gave me a look afterwards... he's as unhappy with things as I am.

 

(Show rating: C-, 166 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #212

Donnie got to job again, this time to Akima Brave in an Xtreme Title match. While it was a great opening match, Donnie didn't just give me a look afterwards – he flat out said to me, “I got your back. Just don't wait too long.” Barerra squashed Tigre, which was decent, then Remmy and I went for a long time before Remmy got the win – it's a good match, and I actually don't mind losing this one.

 

Moose defeats Paradigm, then Poison defeats Fire Fly, and both matches aren't that bad. Phillipe squashed Cheetah Boy, which... wasn't that good, and Heroic got a squash win over Demon Seed, which was much better. Remus over Perez, and that's about average. Then, your trash of the night, Darryl Devine over Elliot Thomas.

 

For main events, first, Machine retains the CZCW Title over El Mitico. It's a... good match, but not really championship material. Mitico has fallen so far since the days when he was champion. And in the main event, Speedball and Sparrow face Dragon and Cougar over the Tag Titles; this isn't even main event caliber, good, but not good enough. If this doesn't get Cliff to realize he's made a mistake...

 

(Show rating: C+, 6,753 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Halfway through the year, what's the Zone's report card look like?

[Beeker]

Report Card: Fox Mask

Attendance: C- - Mr. Mask has missed large stretches of time for various reasons.

Effort: C+ - Mr. Mask tries hard but struggles socially

Capability: B - Mr. Mask has all the necessary tools to succeed.

Attitude: D - Recently Mr. Mask has been alienated from others and starting squabbles, if he 'straightens up and flies straight' he should easily recover from this semester, if he continues on his current course detention or even expulsion might be necessary.

[infinitywpi]

July 2014, week 1

 

“They're booking themselves into giant pushes, they're alienating the newer talent, they're preventing me from attending meetings--”

“And they're doing exactly what I wanted them to. For the first time this year, we made money this month. Even with the bad economy, even with nobody giving a crap about wrestling anymore, they're making money.”

“I... they're only making money because I spent the last six months getting the word out about us in the south. I would have made even -more- than them if they hadn't butted in.”

“Is that a fact? Listen, Mark, we need another month like June just to get our bank account back up to a million. And then, there's less than a year and a half to reach that three-million goal we talked about at the beginning of the year.”

“And I'll make it. On my own.”

“Not without the locker room behind you. And after what Bear did... there's no way they'll follow you.”

“... watch.”

 

 

ACZW #70 (Tristate)

The 'booking team' had heard about my 'conversation' with Cliff. I had the night off for the first time in years, and only heard about the show second-hand. I spent my night sweet-talking someone into joining the Zone, as Bear's leaving left a hole in the roster.

 

Anyway, the show was... well, it was a show. Phillipe beat Moose, Donnie J beat Jonnie Perez after a good showing, Poison beat Devine in a bit of a snorer, Nelson retained over El Mitico in an average bout, and Speedball and Sparrow retained over Akima and Remmy in the main event in what was apparently a really nice match.

 

(Show rating: C+, 2,000 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #213

As usual, I wasn't allowed into the booking meeting. That didn't mean I wasn't working. The meeting ended, and the team came into the locker room and posted the night's card up on the bulletin board. Some of the guys went to look at it, there was some grumbling... then I went up to the board, and posted my card next to theirs. The boys looked between the two. Poison, Moose, Donnie, Paradigm, Jonnie, Barerra, all came over to me. By the time the booking team came in to see if there were any questions, almost everyone was talking to me, asking what they should be doing.

 

Dragon and Speedball were irate... they tore my card off the board, tore it into pieces. I shrugged, held up the spare copy I had written. They threatened to have me fired... and then Phillippe shrugged and came over to me, shaking my hand. Time to live up to my words...

 

We open with... me, curtain-jerking. But this time, it's in a long match against Donnie, and this time, I can put one in the win column. It's pretty good... I wouldn't end a show with it, but it's got to be enough to start giving me some momentum again. And it's a loss Donnie won't complain about taking, either. After that, Jonnie gets a squash over Elliot Thomas, and it doesn't suck... actually, not half bad. Pity Cliff's going to let him go because he's 'not safe'. Next is the Xtreme Title match, and Akima and Philippe have a great match, almost as good as my own, with Akima retaining.

 

Barerra squashes Tigre in an average affair, then we transition the Tag Team Titles to a new team; Speedball and Sparrow are angry, but they're professionals, and they have a great match with the new champions: Poison Moose. Then, Remus gets a squash over Cheetah Boy, and it's... the worst thing so far.

 

Another great match as Fire Fly and Heroic reform Los Luchas, taking on Devine and Callum in a fast-paced spotfest that sees them come away the winners. Then, we introduce our newcomer: Mokuami Maita, one of Japan's more popular workers. Unfortunately, nobody here knows who he is, and even with the benefit of working with El Mitico, the match doesn't come off well... even with him getting the win. Demon Seed defeats Panda Mask, and that one's surprisingly good, and we move on to our main events.

 

Snap Dragon is given the task of jobbing to Remmy Skye... and together, they turn out a match better than we've seen in the Zone in months; quick, hard-hitting, action-packed. Unfortunately, after that our main event of Masked Cougar challenging Insane Machine for the CZCW Title falls a bit flat, not even ranking in the best half of the show. Machine retains, and definitely needs some new challengers.

 

(Show rating: C, 6,434 tickets sold.)

 

On the next Coastal Zone: “All right, Mark. You've got the rest of the month. Beat last month's profit... or else.”

[infinitywpi]

July 2014, week 2

I unleashed my first trick to having a higher profit this month: CZCW Onslaught, our weekly Southwest show, was being cut to two hours. This meant not everyone would get paid... but also meant that we'd have some more time before matchups got too stale. And, of course, save money. Cheating? I certainly didn't think so. Just because nobody else thought of it...

 

In any case, I sent out a few contract offers... on the off chance that certain individuals decided to no longer work with me once I succeeded in this little challenge.

 

ACZW #71 (Southeast)

My first ACZW show back in control. I decided to go for a bit more of a 'cheapskate' approach than I used to. We open with El Mitico defeating Tigre in an okay match, then Joey beats Demon Seed in a bad match, Fire Fly beats Jonnie in a good match, Mokuami beats Cheetah Boy in a poor match, Remmy and I get in some practice to get back in the swing of things in a very good match; I put Remmy over, and it felt good to make that call. Finally, Nelson defended the ACZW Title against Snap Dragon – Dragon grits his teeth and bears it, but he loses, and it's just as good as my match.

 

(Show rating: C-, 206 tickets sold.)

 

Two of my contracts came through. Jackpot Jordan had sat around long enough to enjoy having a paycheck, and was no longer demanding far more than he's worth. We also imported another luchadore, as I intended to refocus on them; Chess Maniac seemed like a good fit for us. Jordan fit right into the midcard; Maniac was an unknown in the states and would be in the jobber corps for now.

 

CZCW Onslaught #214

Somehow, cutting the show by an hour meant ten of the boys wouldn't get paid tonight. I had no idea how the math worked out that way. I made a note to work more star power into ACZW to make it up to them... yet still try to save money.

 

We open with me and Philippe going for twenty minutes before I put the Canadian over; this is one of the better I've had lately, it really had me feeling like I've still got it. We follow that up with Poison Moose's first title defense, against a reformed Los Rudos team of Demon Seed and Panda Mask; it's about average for us in our home turf, and the champs retain, so I'm happy with the results.

 

The Xtreme Title is next, and Akima'ss opponent is Jonnie Perez. If Jonnie won't learn to be safe enough for Cliff to rehire him, well, at least I can give him some high-profile matches before he leaves. The match is a good one; it shows how far Jonnie's come that he can have this caliber of match, but he's just not having enough caution. We debut Chess Maniac next; since we don't want to put him with Los Rudos or Los Luchas yet, it's a triple threat match where he beats both Tigre Salvaje and Amazing Fire Fly. As far as matches go, it's in the middle... better than average, but not enough to be called 'good'. A good debut for Maniac though. Then, in our breather of the night, Jackpot Jordan returns and defeats Paradigm. Next to no heat for this, and Jordan is going to have to work hard to justify being back... although filling a roster spot is a good thing right now.

 

For main events, we start with a tag match between Los Luchas (Mitico and Heroid) and Snap Dragon and Marc Speed. Okay, just a -little- but of vengance booking on my part. Guess who wins. No, seriously. Los Luchas? How did you ever guess? The 'former booking team' sandbags a bit, but just enough to bring the match down without sucking the life out of it before they lose. Finally, our main event, Insane Machine vs Remmy Skye for the CZZCW Title as we try for a repeat of our best match ever. We... don't, and it's sadly becoming clear to me that Machine... well, he can still go, just not nearly as well as he used to anymore. He retains... but I've got to make a decision now.

 

(Show rating: C+, 6,753 tickets sold)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Will Fox take the title off Insane Machine, or run the risk of his 'enemies' doing it for him? And if he does... who is the next CZCW Champion?

[infinitywpi]

July 2014, week 3

 

“You're not extending his contact again.”

“And why not? I'm not fired yet, Cliff.”

“Because he busted his damnfool ribs! We're lucky he didn't hurt anyone else in the process!”

“He can still go, and for what we pay him he's damn good.”

“It's not worth the risk. Tell him he's gone the day his contract is up.”

 

 

ACZW #76 (Tristate)

We do a quickie show tonight, five matches. We open with the ACZW Title, because I'm giving Jackpot a title shot for him to try to get motivated. He's not winning, of course, but the match is much better than his last one. We then do the Tag Titles, as Poison Moose faces P-n-P as we attempt to get Jonnie some more paydays before we have to let him go. He was obviously hurting, but toughed it out for a decent match. Then, our newcomer Maita has a short match with Rod Remus that ends in a quick rollup; with more time, maybe they could do good, but this was bad.

 

To wrap things up, first Phillipe takes Speedball twenty minutes before making him tap out in a good match, and then Akima retains the Xtreme Title against Remmy Skye for a big win – and a big match that Speedball says he can't believe I wasted on the Tri-state area.

 

(Show rating: C, 2,000 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #219

For a show half an hour longer than ACZW, we only get in one more match? I must be doing the scheduling strange. We open with a four-way Xtreme Title match; Akima defending against Dragon, Maita, and Heroic. It's not a great opener, but it's certainly better than our average matchup... sort of. I'm realizing a lot of our matches are abvoe average, so shouldn't our average be moved up? Eh. Anyway, the title changes hands here as Mario Heroic begins another Xtreme Title reign here.

 

We then go on and proceed to blow that match out of the water with a triangle Tag Title match, Poison Moose defending against Los Rudos (Demon Seed & Panda Mask) and Los Luchas (Fire Fly and Mitico). The champs retain, but this was easily a main-event-level matchup. We get a bit of a breather as Donnie J defeats Matt Sparrow in a simply average match, and then get even worse as Darryl Devine gets a win over Marc 'Sandbag' Speed.

 

For our big endings, we have a big tag match between The Lords Of Xtreme (Dragon and Cougar) vs Zone Out (me and Remmy). We have to deal with a bit of a down crowd, but we overcome that and put on a great match, with Remmy getting the pin on Cougar. Then, in the main event, Insane Machien defends the CZCW Title against Philippe Grenier, and the Canadian kid puts on the match of his career here in the Zone, going nearly half an hour and coming out of an awesome match with his first CZCW Championship.

 

(Show rating: B-, 6,514 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: We give up... on keeping track of show numbers. And is Fox crazy to put his faith in a member of the 'booking team' that will replace him if he fails?

[infinitywpi]

July 2014, week 4

Slow news week...

 

ACZW #72... or is it 77... y'know what, I give up... (Southeast... wait, southwest...)

We fit seven matches into tonight's show, holding a rare ACZW show in the Southwest (okay, okay, I messed up the scheduling). We open with Chess Maniac putting on a good showing before Donnie disposes of him, and then give a title shot to our jobber corps: Elliot Tomas and Barerra. It's... not the best, but it's not too bad. The two of them just don't work well together, otherwise this might've even been passable. Poison Moose gets to put another notch on the bedpost here. Paradigm gets a surprise win over Darryl Devine, and this was just horrid... then a random tag match as Akima Brave and Maita lose to Dragon and Jackpot (I had to give them a win -sometime-, might as well be in a tag). Surprisingly, this was a pretty enjoyable match.

 

Tigre Savaje gets a win over Cheetah Boy, the less said about it the better. El Mitico defeats Matt Sparrow in an okay match, and then I lose my ACZW Title shot against Nelson Callum, giving a pretty good accounting of myself – I'm hoping this gives him a bit of momentum that's hard for him to get as a champion in lesser-travelled regions.

 

(Show rating: C+, 4,030 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #220

It's what might be the last show of my Zone career, so I plan on making it a big one... and this has so much potential to backfire. We start with me and Dragon fighting it our for a title shot in the main event, but just as we're getting going Philippe charges in with a chair and takes us both out, delivering a few extra shots before telling us he'll see us both in the main event. To my amazement (and relief), the crowd really gets into this.

 

After that, we give them a real match, a triangle tag match (Triangles became an unintentional mini-theme for the night). Fire Fly & Heroic, Demon Seed & Panda Mask, and Maita & Maniac square off. The Mexipans win, and the match is a lot of fun to watch, even if my head is ringing a bit. Barerra squashes Jonnie as best he can while avoiding Jonnie's ribs, but this just... fails horribly. Real bush-league stuff. To recover from that, a random tag match: Donnie & Devine defeat Sparrow & Remus. It's about average, and had to deal with a really cold crowd after that last bit.

 

To warm us up for the main event, Akima defeats Paradigm in a so-so match, and then we get the match that's going to set the bar for the main event: Machine vs Skye vs Cougar. Great match, suitable as a main event, with Skye winning. After that, it's the CZCW Title Match; Philippe vs me vs Dragon. We hold our own with the main event, but Dragon and I can't help but toss a few potatoes at each other... it probably takes a bit away from the match, just enough that we're not quite as good as the match before us. Philippe retains his title and gets a win over two big Zone names in the process.

 

(Show rating: C+, 6,825 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Did Fox's shorter shows and more thought-out booking let him meet his goal of making enough money? Or will he have to make a choice between working for a booking team that has no respect for him... or leaving the Zone?

[infinitywpi]

August 2014, week 1

“You asked to see me, boss?”

“Yeah, Fox, sit down.”

“Fox? Not Mark? This is either really good news, or really bad news.”

“Your little thing with shorter shows? Didn't work. You paid more in salary this month than the last couple'a months.”

“... how? I mean... I didn't use as many guys, they're upset about not getting paid as much, and... well, that's that, then. I guess I'll pack my bags.”

“You must be quitting on me, then. Pity. You almost tripled last month's profit.”

“You mean...”

“I mean, you can keep the book. Seventeen months to make two million bucks... after this month, I think you might just damn near do it.”

 

ACZW (Southeast)

We start the show with a three-on-three Lucha match; Los Luchas vs Los Rudos. The locals have gotten used to our brand of wackiness, and they're hot for this matchup, even with Los Rudos winning. Barerra squashing Jackpot, not so much. It's treated like an early bathroom break. Surprisingly, Joey Poison over Rod Remus is just as bad... but this one's down more to chemistry than talent. Akima Brave defeats Maita in a good matchup – I'm confident that once Maita gets more known, he's going to have the crowd eating out of his hand.

 

For main events, we have Jeremiah Moose defeat Snap Dragon in what's the match of the night so far, and then Sparrow sandbags an ACZW Title match against Callum, leaving the champ looking not quite as impressive as we'd like.

 

(Show rating: D+, 170 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #221

This should be a fun show. We open with Rod Remus defeating Jackpot Jordan... and they stink up the joint, neither one looking like they want to be there. After that, we wake up the crowd with a triple threat match for a future title shot: Myself, Donnie, and Cougar. We go over twenty, Cougar gets the victory pinfall (which I eat), and it's a really good match. Then, for a breather, Paradigm beats Cheetah Boy in a quick match, and it's... better than our opener, at least.

 

Up next is the Xtreme Title, with Mario Heroic defending against his stablemate Amazing Fire Fly. As expected, these two put on a great show, easily good enough to main event, and Fire Fly does -not- get another Xtreme run just yet – Heroic retains. We get our first average match of the night with a triple-threat tag; Demon & Panda, Maita & Maniac, and the thrown-together team of Barerra & Devine. During the match, Chess Maniac clobbers his partner and leaves – but doesn't attack or aid Los Rudos, so who's side is he on? IN the ensuing chaos, Barerra sneaks out the win.

 

For main events, we start with Insane Machine facing El Mitico; it's another great match, and Machine seems to have picked up a step since we took the title off him – less pressure, maybe? Machine gets the win here, but you can see these two learning from each other. Finally, in the main event, Grenier defends the CZCW Title against Remmy Skye; it's another great match, lots of action packed into it before Grenier retains.

 

(Show rating: B-, 6,774 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Strange rumblings are afoot as we say goodby to someone who's been with the Zone for nearly five years.

[infinitywpi]

August 2014, week 2

I kept getting strange feelings in the locker room. Speedball and Dragon, having hushed conversations with some of the others, then acting like nothing was going on when they saw me. I just decided it was leftover paranoia... after last month, nothing could phase me.

 

Well, one thing. We had to say goodbye to Jonnie Perez... his ribs had healed up, but he just wasn't reigning in his style, even during practice runs.

 

 

ACZW (Tristate)

We get things started before a sell-out crowd with Cougar defeating Akima Brave in a pretty decent match. Then, things manage to get even better as Tigre and Panda face Barerra and Devine – not the four men I thought I'd say that about. Barerra gets the pinfall, and I'm wondering what happened... he's performing a lot better lately. I can't say that about the next two, not really; Chess Maniac gets a win over Rod Remus, and it's not that good... maybe because Maniac isn't well known here, but c'mon...

 

How bad a match was that? Our next match is -better-... and it's Speedball beating Jackpot. To be fair, it's about average, but still... we follow it with me picking up a victory over Mitico, and I am obviously no Insane Machine... the match is good, but not great. For a main event, Nelson defends the ACZW Title against Fire Fly... and holy crap, these two blow away everything else on the show! Callum retains, but I have the feeling this would've stolen the show even out on the west coast...

 

(Show rating: C+, 2,000 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #222

We open with a six-man lucha match, as Demon Seed and Panda are joined by Maita, and Mitico and Fire Fly are joined by Chess Maniac. We get a ton of action in this one, the crowd really digging it, and an ending coming when Maniac cheap-shots Fire Fly, letting Demon Seed get the win... then joins Demon and Panda in beating down Maita. After that, Donnie J gets a win over Insane Machine, and Machine is hurting all of a sudden... moving really slow. This deserves more than to just be average. Remus defeats Speedball, and the match is horrid... then a Tag Title match as Poison Moose faces Barerra and Devine. Surprise #1: Good match. Surprise #2: The challengers win the titles, and declare themselves to be Devine Justice.

 

In the running for 'crap match of the night', Jackpot gets in a quick squash over Elliot Thomas. Then, in an Xtreme Title match, Akima Brave fails ot get his belt back from Mario Heroic... and, surprisingly, the match is only so-so. But our real main event is next, a tag match between Philippe and Dragon taking on Cougar and Skye. This is the first main event in a while I've been disapointed in; it was good, don't get me wrong, but it needed more. Cougar gets the pinfall to give him some momentum going into next week's title match.

 

(Show rating: C, 5,933 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Philippe vs Cougar: Will the work we've put into this one be redeemed? Insane Machine: Can the aging vet show he still has what it takes? Maniac and Maita: Will the overseas import get his revenge on Los Rudos?

[infinitywpi]

<p>August 2014, week 3</p><p>

Big news for the wrestling industry today, as Rip Chord announced his upcoming retirement. His son, Jay, has already taken control of Mid Atlantic Wrestling. Likewise, El Hijo De Zonk retired – although this was forced due to injuries. </p><p> </p><p>

It's a tough time all over. The economy is in the toilet here, in the UK, and in Aussieland. Wrestling is having a growth explosion in Mexico, but it's about as popular as Telletubbies: The Next Generation here in the states. Possibly even less. </p><p> </p><p>

ACZW (Southeast)</p><p>

About tonight... well, they can't all be winners, right? We open with Maita defeating Tigre Salvaje in a decent matchup. Up next, Devine Justice defend their new Tag Titles against Los Rudos (Demon Seed & Panda Mask), and retain when Maita does some interference. We go from improving to dropping like a rock as Joey Poison defeats Rod Remus, who is showing he can't really carry anyone.</p><p> </p><p>

Paradigm defeats Jackpot Jordan in a match that's just as bad as the last one. We make things a bit better as I job to Jeremiah Moose – and let's face it, Moose has improved a heck of a lot in the last five years. Good match. Finally, Machine gets a shot at Nelson Callum's ACZW Title; he fails, of course, but it's still enough for the match of the night. </p><p> </p><p>

(Show rating: C, 210 tickets sold.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

CZCW Onslaught #223</p><p>

Maita faces off against Demon Seed; this should be a forgone conclusion, but Tigre Salvaje runs in and clocks Maita, letting Seed get the win. It's a surprisingly good match. Donnie beats Dragon, who sandbags the whole way. Then, God help me, I book Jeremiah Moose to defeat Insane Machine. Machine doesn't let me hear the end of that before or after the show – but the two of them have a good match, and Moose is certainly showing he deserves his spot just outside the main event. Then Fire Fly defeats Joey Poison, and it's a little sub-par... I've come to expect more from Fly.</p><p> </p><p>

The Tag Titles are next, Devine Justice defending against Cheetah Boy and Rod Remus. Yeah, this is just to give the champs another title defense before bigger contenders come along. Bad match, champs retain. For main events, first, a tag match as Remmy and I defeat Speedball and Sparrow – they put on a decent show of things, although I'm pretty sure Speedball wrenched one of his armbars a little hard there. Finally, the CZCW Title is on the line. Philippe LaGrenier vs Masked Cougar – and it exceeds our expectations, an awesome match all around, twenty-two minutes of action. LaGrenier retains, and he just showed the crowd why he's champion.</p><p> </p><p>

(Show rating: B-, 6,876 tickets sold.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

On the next Coastal Zone:August comes to a close. Who steps up against LaGrenier?</p>

[infinitywpi]

<p>August 2014, week 4</p><p>

Speedball started a fight with Dragon backstage at ACZW. I'd decided enough was enough... Speedball was sent 'home' and wouldn't be appearing for us anymore. Dragon decided to leave us the next night. The roster was getting dangerously thin – I started looking for new names to bring in. For added fun, Donnie J had seemed to make it his life's mission to make sure Elliot Thomas never got a push, badmouthing him at any opportunity. Life was staying interesting.</p><p> </p><p>

(Interesting note: Speedball and Dragon leaving bumped out backstage up ten percent.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

ACZW (Tristate)</p><p>

We open with El Mitico defeating Paradigm, who continues to improve... which I guess is making him my best student so far. Decent, average match. Maita defeats Akima in a good match, and then the Tag Titles are up: Devine Justice retain over Joey Poison and Jackpot Jordan. Surprisingly, just as good as the last match. Mario Heroic retains the Xtreme Title over Snap Dragon in a great match, and then Nelson retains the ACZW Title over Masked Cougar in a simply amazing match – and giving us one of our best ACZWs yet!</p><p> </p><p>

(Show rating: B-, 2,000 tickets sold.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

CZCW Onslaught #224</p><p>

The Tag Titles open the show in a triple-threat match; Devine Justice gets caught up in the Luchas/Rudos feud as they face Demon Seed & Chess Maniac and Fire Fly & Maita. As is typical of a Luchas/Rudos match, this is a blow-away opener with the champs retaining when the two luchadore groups pay too much attention to each other.</p><p> </p><p>

After that, the follow-up match was going to be a letdown no matter what it was.. but Tigre Salvaje defeating Jackpot Jordan is still sub-par. Jeremiah Moose defeats Rod Remus in a decent bout, Joey Poison beats Paradigm and it's quite good, and then we have a big six-man match between Donnie J, Akima, Machine, Sparrow, Cougar, and Mitico. Donnie wins, and the match is really good... but not the great we were hoping it would be. Then, to give the crowd a breather, Panda Mask beats Elliot Thomas in... well, your typical bathroom break.</p><p> </p><p>

Two big matches cap off the show. First, a non-title Xtreme vs ACZW match, Heroic vs Callum. Great match, Nelson comes out the winner. Then, a triple-threat CZCW Title match; Philippe, me, and Remmy. Typical Zone main event; action-packed, but nothing really special. Philippe retains to end the month.</p><p> </p><p>

(Show rating: B-, 6,132 tickets sold.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

On the next Coastal Zone: One-third of the year left. We're down a couple main eventers. Who will step up, and who will step in?</p>

[infinitywpi]

September 2014, week 1

This could be harder than I thought. Compared to July, in August I trimmed our budged by forty-five grand... only for the economy to rob us of over a hundred thousand dollars in ticket sales. Net gain for the month: Thirteen grand. Ow.

 

A few new guys would be making their debuts this week; we also had some shuffling of the uppercard. Our main eventers right now were Philippe, Cougar, my, Machine, and Donnie; Remmy, Moose, Sparrow, Brave, and Poison were our upper-midcarders. Barerra and Cheetah Boy had worked their way into the midcard, while Paradigm still sat in the jobber corps. And for some reason, none of the luchadores are managing to get an more over, no matter what I do with them. So... let's try something new.

 

 

ACZW (Tristate)

A standard five-match show this week; first, the Xtreme Title, with Heroic defending against Chess Maniac, and barely retaining... turns out these two have no chemistry, which throws Plan A out the window. Match wasn't that good, either. El Mitico and Masked Cougar turn things around by a full letter grade, putting on a great match that ends with Mitico winning. Jordan defeats our newest member, Regular Joe, in a horrible match. Joe's rusty, it seems. Nelson Callum defends the ACZW Title against Joey Poison, Nelson retains and they put on the match of the night so far. And to wrap things up, me and Remmy go at it with me winning, putting on a great, long match in the process.

 

… hey, I'm allowed to push myself once in a while. I haven't held a title in almost two years...

 

(Show rating: C, 2,000 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #225

We open with some random tag action, Cougar and Brave taking on Machine and Sparrow. The four put on a great match, so good I regret not saving it until the end of the show. Machine and Sparrow win. Remus beats Cheetah Boy, and I'm thinking one of these two is a lost cause... bad match. Devine Justice then defends their Tag Titles against Maita and newcomer XXXXX... and the new team gets the surprising win in a match everyone thought wouldn't be special. Then, a six-man Xtreme Title matchup: Mitico, Heroic, Fire Fly, Demon Seed, Tigre Salvaje, and Chess Maniac. They put on a simply above-average match... I was expecting more, honestly... although some of it may be from the letdown of Chess Maniac being the new Xtreme Champion.

 

A bit of a breather now as Paradigm defeats our third newcomer of the week, the man known as Chill, and boy, does nobody care. Joey Poison gets a big win over Donnie J in a decent match, and then the main event: Me and Philippe for the CZCW Title. We put on a good enough match, but it missed that extra something special that I hoped we would have. Philippe retains, and this show is going to go down as mainly unforgettable.

 

(Show rating: C+, 6,449 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: WE seem to be lacking some excitement. Let's find some, shall we?

[Astil]

Let's go XXXXX!

Let's go XXXXX!

[infinitywpi]

Gah. This is what I get for trying to sim while updating OpenOffice...

[infinitywpi]

(For the record, XXXXX last week was Dean Waldorf.)

 

 

September 2014, week 2

We had a rare opportunity come up this week; a former Zoner was leaving the big leagues, and we were quick to make him an offer. He... responded with a lot of demands. We were able to come to an agreement... that was quite a bit more than I had been planning on spending. But the man had learned one hell of a lot in his time in the spotlight, and I had some perfect plans for him. Well, maybe not 'perfect'. We'd have to see.

 

(On a side note: Back to 100% backstage!)

 

 

ACZW (SE)

Short but simple tonight. Fire Fly defeats Moose in a great opener; Chess Maniac retains the Xtreme Title over Jackpot Jordan in a horrible match; Los Rudos defeat Chill and Regular Joe in a short, mostly non-offensive match; Remmy defeats Devine in an okay bit, and the ACZW Title changes hands as Nelson loses to Matt Sparrow. Yes, Sparrow. That was intentional. I don't want the man on the west coast for a while.

 

(Show rating: C, 300 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #226

Onslaught is a bit different this week, as The Guru is nowhere to be found; after realizing Cliff's been making great headway as a color man, I take Guru off the table to see how Cliff does doing solo color with Steve Smith as play-by-play.

 

We open with Donnie and Cougar teaming up to defeat Devine and Moose; good opener, not great, but good. Callum defeats Maita in a somewhat lethargic match; since most of his work has been as ACZW Champion, the west coast doesn't know him as well. Akima Brave beats Barerra in a good brawl, and then Los Rudos (Demon/Panda) fall to Los Luchas (Mitico/Fire Fly) in a great match.

 

Dean Waldorf squashes Elliot Thomas in a very hated short match, Insane Machine defeats me in a good bout that had to deal with a ticked-off crowd, and then Joey Poison got a shot at the CZCW Title and failed, although he put on a great accounting for himself.

 

(Show rating: C+, 6,002 tickets sold).

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Did we almost do under 6,000 tickets for an Onslaught? The economy hits rock bottom and begins digging as the Zone struggles.

[infinitywpi]

September 2014, week 3

Unless something else changes, The Guru is going to sit around while we wait out his contract. Cliff is doing a great job on color on his own. Our 'big signing' had another week or so on his old contract before we could start using him. Strangely enough, two of our boys took new positions... our play-by-play man, Steve Smith, had opened up a new promotion called True Coastal Combat (Stupid editor... but I'll go with it), while as one heck of a surprise, NYCW got a new owner out of the blue, and it was our own... Chess Maniac???

 

…

 

The Stomper is rolling over in his grave. Not that he's dead. He's just not there anymore.

 

 

ACZW #68 (Tri)

Another short-and-sweet show. Chess Maniac retains the Xtreme Title over Amazing Fire Fly, and it's a great match. Paradigm defeats Rod Remus and it's okay, Tigre Salvage defeats Dean Waldorf and nobody cares, then Devine Justice faces the thrown-together team of... me and Nelson Callum? We're going by the name Coast-2-Coast, and we get the victory – and look pretty good doing it. Finally, Sparrow makes his first AZCW defense against Remmy Skye, giving us another good match to wrap up the show.

 

(Show rating: C+, 2,000 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #227

We open tonight with a long match between Akima and Maita. I admit, I was expecting more, but they do a decent enough job, with Akima getting the win. We get a bit of a break with Poison Moose defeating Devine Justice in... well, a stinker. Paradigm defeats Chess Maniac for the Xtreme Title (I'm not having a belt on another company's owner) in another poor show, and then Cheetah Boy pins Chill to save everyone else from 'trash of the night' status. The show's been... bad, so far.

 

Things get better with Donnie beating Remmy in an average matchup, and then a chaotic triangle tag: Los Luchas, Los Rudos, and Coast-2-Coast. And we put on, as expected, a good main-event-quality matchup. Nelson and I get the win – he's over overseas, so teaming with me should get him over here, right? Finally, we get the rematch: LaGrenier vs Machine II for the CZCW Title. Machine's been better lately, so we feel safe doing this... and Machine looked like an old man in there. Philippe wins, but what a downer ending for the show...

 

(Show rating: C, 6,321 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Well, that sucked. Let's see if the new guy can spice things up a notch, shall we?

[infinitywpi]

September 2014, week 4

Cliff was giving me the evil eye for days after that last show... I told him it was just a small mis-step. He didn't believe me, until I told him my plans for the next one.

 

ACZW (SE)

No, I'm not vindictive... Matt Sparrow is running a Ladder Gauntlet tonight. He defeats Chill (okay), Elliot Thomas (Still okay), Jackpot Jordan (so far, consistent), Panda Mask (Good), Cheetah Boy (Back to okay), and finally El Mitico (which is pretty good).

 

(Show rating: C-, 300 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #228

It's Triangle Tournament Time! Three triple-threat matches, a triple-threat final, and the winner faces Philippe in the main event. Our opening match is me, Akima, and... in a shock that has the crowd amazed, fresh from SWF, Valiant! Brave seems a bit put out that he's no longer our best brawler, but we still put on a great opener. We follow that up with Machine vs Poison vs Donnie; Joey gets the win on that one, and it's just as good. Then we have Remmy, Cougar, and Mitico; Cougar getting the win and that one's main-event-level.

 

For a bit of a break, we get a Tag Title match with The Odd Couple retaining against Devine Justice. The match is just okay, but after the mass of action we just had, that's okay. After that, Paradigm makes the first defense of his new Xtreme title reign against Fire Fly, with a good match that's a bit on the short side and sees Paradigm retain.

 

The finals of the tournament is Poison vs Valiant vs Cougar; of course, Valiant wins, but this is a great matchup, and hopefully sets the stage for a great main event. CZCW Title, Philippe LaGrenier vs Valiant; Philippe is great in the ring, and Valiant has learned an awful lot in the big leagues, so of course this blows the rest of the card out of the water, and on the night of his return, Valiant has picked up the CZCW Title.

 

(Show rating: B-, 6,341 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Hey, for what he's charging us, of course we used him three times in a night... now, who can we put up with him for great matches?

[Beeker]

Shame Valiant isn't aka Prince Adam.

[infinitywpi]

October 2014, week 1

Will Valiant put butts in the seats? Who knows. But he's not the muscle-bound kid who was here years ago. While his flying skills are still nothing to sneeze at, he can chain-wrestle when he has to and can brawl pretty damn well... but he's got amazingly solid basics, psychology, he's just got that 'it' factor that fans love. He is also, due to being SWF North American Champion and SWF World Tag Team Champion for nearly three and a half years (and only two dozen defenses... that's not even one a month, is it?) amazingly over nation-wide.

 

With Valiant's arrival, the card is somewhat reshuffled; he joins the top of the main event, along with me, Donnie, Cougar, Machine, and at Cliff's insistence, Sparrow. The uppercard is Philippe, Poison, Moose, Akima, Remmy, and Maita. Everyone else is pretty much where they were before, with Los Luchas stuck in the midcard, Los Rudos stuck in the lowercard, and Elliot Thomas eternally jobbing.

 

Financially, last month was a good month, relatively; we made over fifty grand. We lost ten grand in ticket sales, but merchandise was up and we drasticly cut worker costs with Speedball and Dragon both gone – we saved over forty grand. If this kept up, we might actually meet Cliff's three-mil-by-2016 ultimatum. Of course, 2014 wasn't over yet, so... who could tell?

 

Note to self: Wrestler who can see the future. Could be fun.

 

 

ACZW (SE)

We open with Paradigm retaining the Xtreme Title over Rod Remus in a sub-par match; Fire Fly defeats Chess Maniac in a decent one; The Tag Titles are on the line as the Odd Couple faces Los Rudos (Tigre & Panda), and the champs retain after a good bout. The ACZW Title is next, with Sparrow defending against Demon Seed; a surprisingly good match that ends with the rest of Los Rudos rushing the ring and keeping Sparrow busy long enough for Demon Seed to claim the title. Finally, an awesome match between Donnie J and Masked Cougar to see who gets first crack at Valiant – Cougar wins, but this one should've been saved for the Southwest....

 

(Show rating: C+, 300 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #229

Hrm. Only six matches in a show? Yeap. We start with a Battle Royal to determine who'll face Paradigm tonight, and the answer is: Panda Mask. Not a bad Battle Royal. While we set up the ladder, Valiant and Cougar argue backstage and set up our main event. Paradigm beats Panda, and it's... not that good. Then I beat Sparrow in a show but sweet matchup that's still pretty good.

 

Insane Machine puts over Akima Brave in a fun brawl. The Odd Couple retain their tag titles against Los Luchas (Mitico and Fire Fly) in an amazing match. Then, for the main event, Valiant vs Cougar, we give them a full half-hour. And they keep the crowd enthralled for the whole thing, turning out a great matchup that may be one of the best matches this year. If only I could have Machine at his prime... Valiant retains, and if he keeps performing like this...

 

(Show rating: B-, 6,287 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: Can anyone put on a match as good as Valiant has been doing? We take a chance and see who might...

[Astil]

IDEA:

 

Run NYCW invasion angle with Chess Maniac. Call stable the Pawns.

[infinitywpi]

October 2014, week 2

No, I didn't put Sparrow through that just for lulz (If I may use out-of-date Internet slang). I just, y'know, like messing with him.

 

 

ACZW (Tri)

We open with Moose beating Maita, and it's actually a really good match. Barerra squashes Jordan, and that's... more horrible than usual. Remmy beats Sparrow for another good match, then we get a rare amazingly-horrible match as Cheetah Boy beats Chill, Regular Joe, and Elliot Thomas in a four-way match. Demon Seed retains the ACZW Title against Mario Heroic in a pretty good match, and finally Philippe LaGrenier defeats Amazing Fire Fly for a great cap on the evening.

 

(Show rating: C, 2,000 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #230

This should be a fun show. We open with my and Callum beating Poison Moose, and it's a great match if I say so myself. Cougar beats Sparrow, which is okay. The Odd Couple retain their titles over Devine Justice, which... is a bit off from what we hoped for. Philippe beats Remmy and Donnie in a triple-threat that works out well, and Mario Heroic beats up Chill for a few minutes to eat time... and the crowd knows it.

 

Insane Machine beats Fire Fly, but Fire Fly gets a good share of offense and the match is a good one, with the youngster coping with the old-timer's issues quite well. And finally, for the first time in a long time, the CZCW Title will not be defended in a ladder match... but in an I Quit match, as Valiant takes on Akima Brave. It's an awesome match, and good for some variety, and we're quite happy with it as Valiant comes away with another win.

 

(Show rating: B-, 5,919 tickets sold.)

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: We just did under 6,000. It's not us – it's the economy. And, y'know, the industry as a whole is in the toilet. How can things possibly get worse? The most shocking Welcome in years...

[eayragt]

Shocking as in "Bah gawd infinity's just made a shocking mis-click?"

 

I'm missing them...

[Beeker]

The most disappointing part of the Welcome to...

Has been the lack of infinity going... oh... I meant Matt Sparrow not Matt Spade...

 

I love the Welcome to... Mistake Tsunamis.

[infinitywpi]

October 2014, week 3

I'm settling into a bit of cruise control. With Valiant on the roster, championship matches book themselves and don't need a lot of thought. I can focus a bit on the undercard now, try to develop some of these guys.

 

And maybe get my mind off how bad things are in the country, and hope things get better in the next year or so. F/F+ and still falling? Oi. (Seriously. Everywhere else in the world is going up. It's just the US that sucks. And I don't even have strict boom-and-bust on...)

 

 

ACZW (SE)

Short show tonight, five matches. Maita beats Heroic, but the Southeast still hasn't warmed up to either man. Remus sneaks in a win over Moose, but it's a bad match. Barerra beats Mitico, and that's much better. Philippe defeats Akima, and that's okay as well. Finally, a triple-threat ACZW match: Demon Seed retains over Fire Fly and Sparrow, and it's one hell of a match.

 

(Show rating: C, 300 tickets sold.)

 

 

CZCW Onslaught #231

…. holy ****. This is... one of those decisions I never thought I'd have to make...

 

The two-hundred and thirty-first Onslaught has been cancelled. Refunds will be available from whoever you purchased tickets from.

 

CZCW is in a state that combines shock and mourning. This morning, a member of our family was found dead, apparently of an overdose of drugs. This death has thrown the entire company into turmoil.

 

R.I.P...

 

 

 

Cliff Anderson.

 

 

On the next Coastal Zone: … now what?

[eayragt]

 

That's out-shocked everything.

 

Ever.