SWF: Who Is Richard Eisen?

James Casey · March 28, 2010

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Supreme Wrestling Federation</span></strong></p><p>

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Global</p><p> </p><p>

<strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Roster</span></strong></p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Main Event</strong></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Brandon James</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Christian Faith</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Eric Eisen</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Jack Bruce</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Jack Giedroyc</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Remo</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Rich Money</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Robbie Retro</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Rocky Golden</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Steve Frehley</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Troy Tornado</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Vengeance</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Upper Midcard</strong></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Aaron Andrews</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Angry Gilmore</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Chris Morrisette</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Frederique A. Garcia</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Harry Allen</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Jay Chord</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">John Greed</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Kid Toma</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Marc DuBois</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Runaway Train</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Squeeky McClean</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Valiant</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Midcard</strong></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Akima Brave</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Bart Biggz</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Brett Biggz</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Darryl Devine</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Donnie Jackson</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Ford Gumble</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Green</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Gregory Black</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Jake Marlowe</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">James Prudence</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">John Maverick</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Paul Huntingdon</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Randy Bumfhole</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Sean Deeley</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Steadfast</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Swoop McCarthy</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Zimmy Bumfhole</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Lower Midcard</strong></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Bali</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Enforcer Roberts</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Grace Harper</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Joanne Rodriguez</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">John Maverick</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Kurt Laramee</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Red</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Spencer Spade</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Steven Parker</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Sundance Morgan</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Suzanne Brazzle</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Ted Brady</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Umaga</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Opener</strong></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Cyclonus</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">James Hernandez</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Melody Cuthill</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Scourge</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Ted Brady</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">William Hayes</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong>Preliminary</strong></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#339966;">Eddie Cornell</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="color:#FF0000;">Gino Montero</span></p></div><p></p></div><p></p><p>

<span style="color:#FF0000;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Lauren Easter</span></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p></div><p></p>

James Casey · March 28, 2010

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SWF World

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Rich Money - March 2010

Eric Eisen – December 2009

Jack Bruce (2) – February 2009

Vengeance – August 2008

Jack Bruce – August 2007

Runaway Train (2) – October 2006

Steve Frehley – January 2006

Runaway Train – January 2005

Christian Faith – February 2004

Enygma – January 2004

Sam Keith (4) – March 2002

Christian Faith (3) – January 2000

Sam Keith (3) – October 1998

Sean McFly (2) – February 1998

Sam Keith (2) – July 1997

Christian Faith (2) – January 1997

Sam Keith – May 1996

Sean McFly – November 1995

Bruce The Giant (2) – March 1994

Christian Faith – October 1993

Bruce The Giant – May 1993

Sam Strong (4) – January 1992

Rip Chord (3) – January 1990

Sam Strong (3) – December 1988

Rip Chord (2) – February 1988

Sam Strong (2) – August 1986

Rip Chord – October 1985

Micky Starr (2) – June 1985

Dread – July 1984

Sam Strong – February 1980

Corporal Doom – November 1978

Micky Starr – July 1972

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SWF North American

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Angry Gilmore (3) - July 2010

Brandon James (2) – October 2009

Lobster Warrior (3) – July 2009

Brandon James – November 2008

Jack Giedroyc – May 2008

Rich Money (2) – December 2007

Eric Eisen – August 2007

Rich Money – September 2006

Squeeky McClean – April 2006

Joe Sexy – November 2005

Angry Gilmore (2) – April 2005

Freddie Datsun – January 2005

Remo – May 2004

Lobster Warrior (2) – February 2004

Enforcer Roberts (2) – November 2003

Lobster Warrior – June 2003

Angry Gilmore – November 2002

Skull DeBones – October 2001

Black Hat Bailey (3) – July 2001

Freddie Datsun – December 2000

Enforcer Roberts (2) – May 2000

Jim Force (2) – March 1999

Black Hat Bailey (2) – November 1998

Captain USA – July 1998

Enforcer Roberts – February 1998

Jim Force – August 1997

Black Hat Bailey – January 1997

Nemesis – July 1996

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SWF World Tag Team

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CCX (H. Allen and F. Gumble) - July 2010

The Samoan Wildboyz (3) – March 2010

Purity of Purpose (A. Gilmore and S. McClean) – January 2010

Jack Giedroyc and Valiant – December 2009

Paul Huntingdon and Marc DuBois – August 2009

The Amazing Bumfholes (3) – December 2008

The Pain Alliance – July 2008

The Amazing Bumfholes (2) – November 2007

The Samoan Wildboyz (2) – August 2007

Sexual Aggression – July 2007

Death Row – June 2007

The Samoan Wildboyz – January 2007

The Biggz Boyz (4) – August 2006

The Amazing Bumfholes – April 2006

High Concept (2) – November 2005

The Underwater Union (L. Warrior & C. Kid) – July 2005

High Concept – October 2004

The Lords Of War (4) – February 2004

The Underwater Union (J. Shrimp & C. Kid) (2) – November 2003

The Biggz Boyz (3) – August 2003

The Underwater Union (J. Shrimp & C. Kid) – May 2003

The Darkness Warriors – October 2002

The Biggz Boyz (2) – January 2002

The Lords Of War (3) – July 2001

The Biggz Boyz – February 2001

The Lords Of War (2) – July 2000

Enforcer Roberts & Black Hat Bailey – February 2000

The Lords Of War – April 1999

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SWF Shooting Star

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Aaron Andrews (2) - July 2010

Jay Chord - June 2010

Aaron Andrews – March 2010

Vacant – September 2008

Frederique Antonio Garcia – June 2008

Brett Biggz (2) – March 2008

Marc DuBois (2) – August 2007

Brett Biggz – May 2007

Zimmy Bumfhole – December 2006

Bart Biggz – August 2006

Marc DuBois – February 2006

Calamari Kid – November 2005

Elmo Benson – August 2005

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SWF Vixxens

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Lauren Easter – October 2009

Grace Harper – September 2009

Tracy Brendon (2) – June 2009

Suzanne Brazzle (3) – March 2009

Ginko Kuroda – December 2008

Gorgon – June 2008

Suzanne Brazzle (2) – February 2008

Michelle Brendon (3) – October 2007

Suzanne Brazzle – June 2007

Wanda Fish (4) – January 2007

Lioness Mushashibo – October 2006

Wanda Fish (3) – March 2006

Nene Ebina – September 2005

Raven Nightfall (3) – May 2005

Crusher Ichihara (4) – January 2005

Sensational Ogiwara – October 2004

Wanda Fish (3) – September 2004

Kit Hatoyama – May 2004

Viv Jacobs – March 2004

Wanda Fish – September 2003

Seiko Nanami (2) – June 2003

Catherine Quine (2) – May 2003

Kiko Sakakibara – January 2003

Seiko Nanami – October 2002

Catherine Quine – June 2002

Eva Berlin – March 2002

Corrine White (2) – November 2001

Raven Nightfall (2) – October 2001

Corrine White – September 2001

Tracy Brendon – July 2001

Raven Nightfall – May 2001

Crusher Ichihara (3) – September 1999

Alpha Female – June 1999

Speedy Marie (3) – March 1999

Yori Toyoshima – January 1999

Suzue Katayama (3) – October 1998

Raku Makuda – June 1998

Miss Mexico – March 1998

Suzue Katayama (2) – December 1997

Nikki Power – June 1997

Principessa – May 1997

Suzue Katayama – February 1997

Rebecca Petty – January 1997

Reese Paige (3) – December 1996

Speedy Marie (2) – October 1996

Cherry Bomb – June 1996

Speedy Marie – April 1996

Farrah Hesketh – September 1995

Debbie Nair – July 1995

Michelle Brendon (2) – May 1995

Reese Paige (2) – January 1995

Sarah Scholes – October 1994

Michelle Brendon – June 1994

Reese Paige – March 1994

Victoria Stone – January 1994

Thunder Hike – October 1992

Marilyn Stardust (4) – January 1992

Crusher Ichihara (2) – December 1992

Marilyn Stardust (3) – October 1991

Crusher Ichihara – March 1991

Marilyn Stardust (2) – December 1990

Ashley Amazon (3) – September 1990

Marilyn Stardust – June 1990

Ashley Amazon (2) – September 1989

Anne Stardust (3) – March 1988

Ashley Amazon – June 1987

Anne Stardust (2) – March 1986

Helen Bach – October 1985

Anne Stardust – June 1983

Nyoko Tosh'tala – October 1981

The Basilisk (2) – June 1981

Sakuraku Kagawa – August 1980

The Basilisk – February 1980

Heidi Brooks (3) – January 1979

Kim Nakashima – October 1978

Heidi Brooks (2) – April 1978

Melissa Monroe (2) – October 1977

Kumiko Hasegawa – January 1977

Heidi Brooks – June 1976

Melissa Monroe – February 1976

OOC: Thanks to ReapeR for the new North American title.

Credit to the makers of the '97 mod for a lot of the 70s/80s female workers

Slagaholic · March 28, 2010

Never got a chance to get in on a diary of yours from the start. I'm excited.

James Casey · March 28, 2010

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Who is Richard Eisen?

That’s the question that’s been asked in the wrestling business for over thirty years, ever since Eisen and his Supreme Wrestling Federation started making waves in the industry.

For the first time ever Pro Wrestling Hits Magazine has convinced former SWF and DaVE legend John “Nemesis” Campbell to sit down and talk to us about his time in SWF: How he felt about working with Richard Eisen, his experiences with Todd “The Hype” Cusson, that match with Tommy Cornell and, of course, how things stand between him and Richard Eisen.

The full interview can be seen over at ProWrestlingHits.com, but for those of you who don’t have access, we’ll be including transcripts here each month.

(We’re in the house that Nemesis built – a surprisingly well-appointed townhouse just outside Philadelphia. In the background, Christmas music is playing and Nemesis’ son and wife are decorating a Christmas tree. Around John Campbell, the flame-haired, battle-scarred man known as Nemesis, however, the atmosphere is anything but festive. For the first time one of the biggest stars of the last twenty years is looking back over his storied career as he becomes the first in a series of wrestling stars to try and answer the question: Who is Richard Eisen?)

Pro Wrestling Hits: Perhaps we can start at the end, if you will. How do you feel about Richard Eisen today?

John “Nemesis” Campbell: Richard Eisen is a c---t.

(There follows a brief pause, before the interviewer bursts out laughing and Nemesis flashes a grim smile. The interview is paused as the interviewer collects himself.)

PWH: Perhaps you could clarify that last statement?

JNC: Sure. The thing about Richard Eisen that always got to me is that he’s got his vision. You’ve heard about this, right?

PWH: I don’t think so.

(Nemesis snorts)

JNC: No, I suppose not. Look, Eisen is like a jockey in a horse race, right? He’s got to the front by whipping his horse harder than anyone else, and when it starts to slow down he whips it some more. That’s all he knows.

PWH: And his vision?

JNC: His vision is Supreme, literally. His company, his work, top of the heap. I’d say that he’d do whatever it ----ing takes to get there, but he doesn’t know how. He’s only got one idea, but it’s usually a good one. Look, lemme give you an example. Remember back ten years or so ago when DaVE was coming off the East Coast Wars and there was no-one hotter in the business?

PWH: Yes. You joined the company and helped push it onwards.

JNC: Right. I did that because I got canned by Supreme after that match with Cornell.

PWH: Did you deliberately join a hardcore company to spite Richard Eisen?

JNC: No, not at all. I joined because they were hot. It was good business – Vibert had a ton of cash behind him. Not as much as Stallings, but he’d got all the advertisers who’d been sponsoring AWM, PPPW and XFW, right? Well, with that money he could hire almost anyone, and I figured that getting a slice of that and doing what I did best was the way forward. Of course, it worked for a time, but then Eisen got wise.

PWH: What do you mean?

JNC: The thing about Eisen is that sometimes you gotta explain something to him a hundred different ways, and maybe the hundred-and-first will stick. Might mean a sea change – a full one-eighty at times, but when Eisen gets an idea in his head, he runs with it until another one comes along. Look, about that match with Cornell...

PWH: Yes?

JNC: He was on the way out, right? I mean, this is old news to everyone, so I guess I can say it. His contract was coming up, and he wanted out. Stallings had his tongue up Tommy’s --- from the other side of the country – that’s how badly he wanted to sign him. So Cornell wanted to give a big ---- you to Richard before leaving. When he sees that he’s got a match against me that night, well...

PWH: You agreed to go into business for yourselves?

(Nemesis snorts)

JNC: If you want to put it like that, sure. Look, Tommy wanted out. I was starting to get the same way. I couldn’t do what I wanted to in SWF – no blood, no bad language, couldn’t even be seen drinking a ----ing beer on screen. Supreme was a family show back then. I was over, but I wasn’t me, and that’s not what was supposed to happen.

PWH: But... You must have known that when you signed with the company.

JNC: Sure, but Eisen told me that things were changing. He said that we were going to get a bit more real, and he wanted me to be the leader.

PWH: What happened?

JNC: The Hype. ----ing kid.

(Nemesis stares off into the distance, before snapping to.)

JNC: It was back in February 1997. Todd Cusson shows up at a TV taping. He was pretty ----ing far gone. Didn’t know what he was talking about, didn’t know who anyone was... ---- like that is why Eisen canned him. Anyway, a couple of people tried to look after him, but as the show’s going on there’s this ruckus and...

(Nemesis pauses again.)

JNC: Everyone starts running to this little side room they’d stashed Hype in. Turns out the dumb kid wasn’t satisfied with just being high, he was determined to get higher. Hell, I don’t understand that ----. He ODd. I remember Eric Eisen that night most of all. He thought Cusson was the ----, and he stood there next to his dad as the doc tried to resuscitate him.

(Another pause)

JNC: ----ing kid... Anyway, after that wrestling was the ----ing black sheep of the entire world. More than it had been, I mean. A kid like Hype ODs? And everyone and their brother comes out and says that he was doing that ---- because he was being held back in Supreme before he got fired? Just another sign that wrestling was this ----ed up, worthless show with fat old men faking fighting in their jockey shorts.

PWH: And was he? Being held back, I mean?

JNC: ---- no! He was a kid, what, twenty, twenty-one years old? What had he done to deserve a push? You have to put in your time! Besides, can you imagine how bad it would have looked if Hype had ODd if he was a champion?

(The interview breaks again as Campbell has a drink. More family arrives, and a different side of John Campbell can be seen as he interacts with the younger kids. Despite his fearsome appearance, the children treat their uncle like a giant teddy bear, clambering over him and hanging off his huge arms like he was a climbing frame.)

PWH: So you feel that the death of Todd Cusson prevented Richard Eisen from capitalising on the hardcore boom that DaVE caused in the wrestling business?

JNC: See, I never liked that term ‘hardcore boom’. What DaVE did was open the door for alternative wrestling styles, sure. Blood in the east, lucha stuff out west, the women up Seattle-way, hell even the Vegas stuff came in on our coattails. It wasn’t all hardcore – we just got the most press because we had people like Acid, Eddie Peak and Brandon James. People who woulda been stars anywhere, but stuck it out in DaVE because they believed.

JNC: So, Eisen’s vision. He was never good at seeing outside that. The family stuff had worked for him, and he was sticking with it. Maybe he was going to change it before Hype, maybe not. Honestly, I think he was going to let me be me so I could be fed to Faith and then left to fade away. After Hype, though, I figured I had ---- all chance of going anywhere in Supreme, so when Cornell came to me and asked for a favour I figured sure, why not? I figured that he’d owe me, and he could get me a job with Stallings if it came to it.

PWH: Just to go off on a tangent a bit, has Tommy ever repaid that favour?

JNC: Sure. How do you think we kept Peak and the others all that time?

(Nemesis grins)

JNC: Anyway, me and Tommy had our fight, and a hell of a fight at that. Afterwards, we got called into Richard’s office. He left us waiting for ages outside. Probably supposed to intimidate us or something. ‘Course, we were sat outside giggling like schoolgirls. We knew we were free, and when we eventually got in with Richard, it took him about two minutes to fire me and demote Tommy because we clearly weren’t in the least bit sorry. I think he only kept Tommy around because he knew Stalling was interested and he wanted to try and bury him before letting him go.

JNC: Anyway, we were gone and Supreme was taking a load of ---- in the press because of us. It coulda been the end, but then Eisen had his brainstorm.

PWH: Could you explain that?

JNC: Thing about Eisen is he has his vision and trying to change it would be like trying to knock an AMTRAK off its rails. But just sometimes it happens. Back then, he realised that Supreme had sunk about as low as it could so, well, why not roll the dice?

PWH: By which you mean-

JNC: Hype’s death got a ----storm of bad publicity, and even Eisen wouldn’t try and exploit that. Me and Cornell, though? We brought in more coverage then the last three Supreme Challenges put together, and Richard started to do little things to exploit it. A little blood here, a so-called fan flashing the camera there... A year or so later, when the heat was off and DaVE was really starting to heat up, Eisen went for it – full on, really the only way he knows. And it worked. That’s why Eisen’s a c--t: He had ---- or bust, and he turned up gold. Again.

(Nemesis laughs)

JNC: Really, you have to admire him for it.

(Stick with Pro Wrestling Hits for more interviews from the greats of the wrestling business as we try and find out: Who is Richard Eisen?)

I closed the magazine and sighed, my breakfast forgotten and long since gone cold. Somehow I had a feeling that Mr. Eisen wasn’t going to be happy about this...

*

OOC: Well, here we are - the first real post to my new dynasty/diary/whatever. Hopefully folks will enjoy this one, even if I have a lot of competitors both past and present.

Just a note to say that I wanted to post this for Wrestlemania weekend (nine minutes as I type this), but I'll be away from my PC likely until Tuesday night so I'm not ignoring any replies - just busy with work.

Phantom Stranger · March 28, 2010

Poor ol' Todd.

Seriously, when I look at everything that's happened to him, in any diary that's mentioned him...

Poor ol' Todd.

(Even if he never performed as well as I'd hoped for me.)

The Shape · March 28, 2010

I have never heard of this Hype kid before. Before my time perhaps, heh.

Bigpapa42 · March 28, 2010

Oh hell yes. About time, JC! Sad that MAW has finally ended, but thrilled to see this one kick off finally. Love the opening interview with Campbell and look forward to see what you do with Supreme.

Phantom Stranger · March 28, 2010

I have never heard of this Hype kid before. Before my time perhaps, heh.

Check his entry in the C-Verse 97 mod. He's been namedropped in modern and 97 diaries periodically over the past year.

Candyman · March 28, 2010

Awesome first post. I've been looking forward to this.

smurphy1014 · March 28, 2010

Oh hell yes. About time, JC! Sad that MAW has finally ended, but thrilled to see this one kick off finally. Love the opening interview with Campbell and look forward to see what you do with Supreme.

I agree. Can't wait to see what you do with SWF.

Sonfaro · March 29, 2010

REMO FOR WORLD CHAMP!

ehem... Sorry about that. Big destroyer mark. Not the 'dark destroyer'. the 'Real Destroyer'.

Looking forward to this.

- Sonfaro

The Shape · March 29, 2010

Check his entry in the C-Verse 97 mod. He's been namedropped in modern and 97 diaries periodically over the past year.

Ah yes, cheers. Quite the tragic character..

Wallbanger · March 29, 2010

JNC: ---- no! He was a kid, what, twenty, twenty-one years old? What had he done to deserve a push? You have to put in your time!

Nice homage to Monkeypox's characterization of Nemesis, JC. Well played indeed.

Ruthian23 · March 29, 2010

Really looking forward to this. Great start.

Nedew · March 29, 2010

Very well written article. Read very real.

Nightshadeex · March 29, 2010

I'm looking forward to these. Big time.

CubsFan915 · March 29, 2010

I'm looking forward to these. Big time.

Any time James Casey does a diary, it's an instant subscribe. Looking forward to this.

James Casey · April 1, 2010

<p>I could hear the yelling from down the hall. This in itself wasn’t uncommon. Mr. Eisen liked to conduct his meetings at top volume sometimes, especially if passions were running high. It was important to listen to the tone of the shouting – a pleased Richard Eisen got overexcited and mangled his words a little. Backstage, Rich Money was known to a select few as Runny after Mr. Eisen accidentally portmanteau’d his name when he got worked up about a potential angle.</p><p> </p><p>

On the other hand, an angry Richard Eisen became cold and clinical behind the bluster. He knew exactly what he was saying, and his sentences became harsh and clipped. Unbeknownst to his father, Eric had started printing t-shirts that were handed out to those who’d survived their first chewing out. It was a sign of progress – that you’d risen far enough in the pecking order that he noticed you.</p><p> </p><p>

I got mine when I’d talked Mr. Eisen around about how Eric’s debut match should so. I’d kept my cool, and eventually he’d come around to my way of thinking. On the whole, I found it best to work that way with my employer. I didn’t win any more arguments than anyone else, but it was a lot less stressful.</p><p> </p><p>

This current argument, though, was two-way. Most people knew to keep their cool with Mr. Eisen when he was ranting. To do otherwise was to risk prolonging the argument, and even to risk making him focus on exactly what you brought to the table.</p><p> </p><p>

More than one person had lost their job that way, with the boss unhappy about what they were contributing. But the round table meetings meant that very few people could claim authorship of any idea in its entirety. A lot of people contributed, and ideas got pulled in all directions. The best ideas men threw things out constantly, and then the rest of the group ran with it, destruct-testing to see where it could go, who could get involved, what might happen if...</p><p> </p><p>

The argument was still going on. For once, Mr. Eisen was being out-shouted, and I winced. I knew exactly who was in there: Peter.</p><p> </p><p>

Peter Michaels has done well for SWF, I think. He’s been the head booker for around two years, ever since Sam Keith was canned over the Election storyline. The Jack Bruce: Man Under Pressure storyline was Peter’s baby, and it had led to great business for the company domestically, and even helped us build our profile overseas. </p><p> </p><p>

We all knew the issue under discussion. Since news had broken that Nemesis was going public about the SWF and <em>that</em> match, Mr. Eisen had been on the warpath. There aren’t many people that he truly hates, but Nemesis was top of the list. Doing his own thing on Richard Eisen’s show? More than a decade later, and the wound was still raw. DaVE had done a tenth anniversary tribute a few years back, and suffice to say Mr. Eisen was less than impressed. The full weight of the SWF was brought to bare on Vibert’s little company, and any hopes of DaVE surviving vanished along with their sponsors and TV time.</p><p> </p><p>

Sam Keith hadn’t liked that – he wasn’t the vindictive type. He’d stood firm about the company taking potshots at DaVE on our own TV, and when Richard had gone over his head, Sam had started counting the days until he could leave. Peter took over, and now...</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“Get Retro a wig and get him in the studio,”</span> Mr Eisen bawled. <span style="color:#FF8C00;">“And stop arguing, Michaels. This is my company, and if I want to use our TV time to send a message then I will. Anyone who talks to that rag will get their value stripped.”</span> </p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“You loved that rag when you found out how we’re going to do in the awards this year,” </span>Michaels replied. The two of them were snarling at one another with the office door open. Everyone was going to know about this by the end of the day.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“And now I know why they did it, to try and suck up to me! How dare that bas---- claim that he never got a push! We made him the first North American champion!”</span></p><p> </p><p>

I could almost hear Peter’s thoughts on the value of the North American title when it was first introduced. Nemesis had done a number on Masked Patriot in the tournament final, and for a few days it seemed like he might be on the verge of a big push. Then his first feud was with likable heel No Way José, a feud that drew so little heat that it became a byword for booking failure in the months afterward. It only went downhill from there.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">”We’ve just had one of the greatest pay-per-views of all time, and this is when they decided to try and ruin my image. Again! I’ve had enough. Anyone bringing Pro Wrestling Hits into a show gets it confiscated, Sophie, pass that onto security!”</span></p><p> </p><p>

Sophie was Mr. Eisen’s executive assistant, and responsible for the memos that bore his stamp.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“Richard, you’re feeding them next week’s story. If you overreact to this thing with Nemesis-“</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“Overreact? Overreact? It’s been thirteen years and he’s still trying to kill my company!”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“He’s one man, and the interview puts you in a decent light – if you read it properly.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

I closed my eyes. <em>One, two, three...</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“Are you suggesting that I haven’t read this diatribe?”</span> Mr. Eisen’s voice was dangerously cold. I could imagine that along the corridor, heads were dropping and necks were being pulled into collars. A sensible person ducked when Richard Eisen spoke like that.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“I’m suggesting that you read the part where he praises you, Richard. This isn’t an attack, its an acknowledgement that you took a rotten situation that Nemesis and Tommy made worse-“</span></p><p> </p><p>

I winced. <em>Tommy?</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“-and came up smelling of roses. It’s a testament to your ingenuity, Richard!”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“I’m sure that’s what Campbell and </span><span style="color:#FF8C00;"><em>Tommy</em></span><span style="color:#FF8C00;"> want everyone to believe,”</span> came the withering reply. <span style="color:#FF8C00;">“I’m disappointed in you, Peter. I thought that we were on the same page.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“Not always, Richard,” </span>Peter’s voice was cold as well. <span style="color:#0000FF;">“Just facing the same direction, usually.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“Do you intend to write the segment with Retro, or will I have to do it?”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“I won’t write it, Richard. I don’t think it’s a good business move.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“You’re refusing to do your job?”</span> this last sentence could have been used to chill a six-pack.</p><p> </p><p>

There was a long pause.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“If that’s the line you’re going to take, Richard, then you don’t leave me with a lot of choice.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

I groaned silently. <em>Don’t do it, Peter. Don’t do it.</em></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“Of course you have a choice. You’ve done good work here, Peter, and I have no desire to lose you.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“And I don’t want to leave, Richard. But if you’re going to overrule my authority then I really </span><span style="color:#0000FF;"><em>don’t</em></span><span style="color:#0000FF;"> have a choice.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

There was another long pause. Silently, I willed our boss to take a step back, to give up ground, to accept that the other person in the discussion had a point. </p><p> </p><p>

I might as well have willed the sun not to rise.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“I’m the owner of the company, Peter. I allow you a great deal of latitude over the creative side, but my word is final.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“We agreed that you’d only ever use that power when it was vital, Richard. I’ve not gone insane, I’m not secretly working for Cornell or the Stones. I’m not a double agent for the United States government.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“Given that you’re trying to prevent me from having a say in what appears on my company’s television-“</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“I’m trying to prevent you from making a televised screw up that could cause serious damage to this company’s prestige.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“How I manage this company is my decision, Peter.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“Ugh.”</span> Something clattered, and I could imagine Peter standing up so quickly that he knocked his chair over. <span style="color:#0000FF;">“There’s no talking to you, Richard. I accommodated your son into storylines when he was injured, and came up with a way of making it work. I came up with a way of keeping Runaway Train at the top of the card. I even wrote that storyline for Scott to keep him on the books after all that fuss. This is the last straw, Richard. You can consider this my notice. I quit.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

The door slammed behind Peter as he stormed out of Richard’s office. I hurried to my doorway to try and cut him off, and he actually stopped at the sight of me.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“You heard.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#008000;">“I heard. Peter, what the-“</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“I can’t take any more, James. I’m sorry. You don’t know the half of it, but you soon will.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#008000;">“What do you,” </span>I began, but stopped. Peter and I looked down the corridor, away from Richard Eisen’s office. Supreme One is Richard Eisen’s fiftieth birthday present to himself. It’s a very, very tall skyscraper occupying a prime piece of Manhattan real estate with a commanding view of Central Park and most of the rest of the island, once you get high enough.</p><p> </p><p>

The most notable feature of Supreme One, at least from the outside, is the name. The word SUPREME is etched into the glass and steel in twenty foot high letters over the entrance, the word spilling across the whole of the frontage of the building.</p><p> </p><p>

The number 1 stands almost ten stories tall over this. Also a result of painstaking etching, it was designed to hold the eye the whole way along the street. It has been suggested in certain architectural blogs that it looks like someone flipping the bird. Well, perhaps. I wouldn’t put it past Mr. Eisen, after all.</p><p> </p><p>

The west wall of the building had the best views, but the further south you were, the less of Central Park you got to see. Mr. Eisen occupied the north-west corner office on the highest of the office floors, and just south of him was the head writer’s office. Mine was the next in line, and typically everyone shuffled along when a higher one was vacated.</p><p> </p><p>

Just over two years ago Peter and I had moved along when Sam when left and Chief Two Eagles stepped down as Chief of Tours. Now Peter was leaving...</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#0000FF;">“I’ll work out my notice, so we’re good through to the pay-per-view,”</span> Peter was saying. <span style="color:#0000FF;">“But you’ll have to take control sooner or later.”</span></p><p> </p><p>

The door at the far end of the corridor banged open, and Peter resumed his march down the corridor as though he hadn’t broken stride.</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#FF8C00;">“Casey,” </span>Richard Eisen barked as he drew level with me, not sparing a glance at Peter. <span style="color:#FF8C00;">“You’re moving office, and we’re having a meeting in ten minutes about this week’s TV. I want ideas for Retro in a red wig, got me?”</span></p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#008000;">“Yes, Mr. Eisen...”</span></p><p> </p><p>

*</p><p> </p><p>

<em>OOC: Thanks for all the comments. I'm hoping to live up to the hype of putting together one of the longest running diaries (still topped by Nevermore's ECW among others, of course). Hopefully we'll get a few new readers along for the ride as well - it's an all new story, although there may be a few familiar faces popping up.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>

I hope to try and get into a weekend = Supreme TV routine, but naturally week one would have to be the break in the routine. Put it this way: I watched Wrestlemania on Tuesday and last night. I started Raw last night and finished it tonight. I've decided to forego NXT this week as I'm just </em><em><span style="text-decoration:underline;">done</span></em><em>. SD will be tomorrow night.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>

STV is written bar one segment, but there's a few short pieces to post between now and then. I've forgone my own good advice on this diary by </em><em><span style="text-decoration:underline;">not</span></em><em> writing ahead but it's all so routine now that I don't forsee that being a problem. At the very least, I have plans through to the Supreme Challenge, and no bp42-like wussing out by starting three months in </em><img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>

One thing I'm going to try and change from MAW is text colouring. On-screen, every wrestler will be </em><em><span style="color:#0000FF;">blue</span></em><em> for faces and </em><em><span style="color:#FF0000;">red</span></em><em> for heels. The announcers will get their own text colours, as will Richard, his sons and myself, but otherwise characters will default to blue. That means I won't have to grapple with the colour chart (not to mention the difference between Words 2003 and 2007) too much while writing.</em></p>

James Casey · April 1, 2010

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Bigpapa42" data-cite="Bigpapa42" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27367" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Oh hell yes. About time, JC! Sad that MAW has finally ended, but thrilled to see this one kick off finally. Love the opening interview with Campbell and look forward to see what you do with Supreme.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I have some big footsteps to fill, of course, but I hope folks will enjoy my take on the land of Supreme. My path won't be as easy as Avatar's - no Eisen daughter to cosy up to, for one <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The Shape" data-cite="The Shape" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27367" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Ah yes, cheers. Quite the tragic character..</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Hype is just a byword for all that was wrong in wrestling back then. Thankfully modern day wrestling is a lot cleaner <img alt=":rolleyes:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/rolleyes.png.4b097f4fbbe99ce5bcd5efbc1b773ed6.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Wallbanger" data-cite="Wallbanger" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27367" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Nice homage to Monkeypox's characterization of Nemesis, JC. Well played indeed.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> One of the classics, and an easy one to refer to as surely by now everyone's read that diary. Nem's just an impossible chaacter to write differently, really.</p><p> </p><p> </p><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Nedew" data-cite="Nedew" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27367" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Very well written article. Read very real.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Thanks! I want the articles (they'll be monthly, ish, with Sam Keith and Whipper Spencer Marks due next, at present time) to have their own distinct character - none of the people interviewed will exactly be shrinking violets, and it's only a matter of time before someone gets canned and PWH snap them up for the exclusive interview...</p>

mad5226 · April 2, 2010

I'm loving it so far man. The backstage stuff is brillent, keep it up.

BYU 14 · April 2, 2010

Another classic in the making!

James Casey · April 3, 2010

Peter’s office was as familiar to me as my own. The writing team gathered here frequently for brainstorming sessions. It was a habit that had developed during Sam Keith’s tenure as head booker. The different writers would get together, throw ideas back and forth, argue, berate, promote and generally have the sort of free-form, all-in discussion that can make or break a storyline. A few of the senior wrestlers sit in sometimes. It was Angry Gilmore who had come up with the idea of occasionally having a theme to the meeting. Most recently, we’d had a Mexican meeting, with a mariachi band crooning quietly in one corner, and sombreros for all. One meeting had fallen on Superbowl Sunday the year before, and to compensate those who were missing out on the match, we’d arranged for jerseys, balls, helmets and pads to be littered around the room, together with several kegs and a live feed of the match on one of the room’s giant plasma screens.

Not everything that comes out of these sessions is a good idea, but they’re getting better. The very first meeting, around five years back, had seen one staffer grouching about the absence of young stars on the roster, and the need to push the ‘same old s---‘ month in, month out. That had led to us scouring RIPW for anything promising, and while not all of it had worked, we had got Marc DuBois and the Bumfholes out of it. Over the years, the sessions had gone from crisis-point booking under Sam Keith, to near-weekly events under Peter Michaels. They were now well-established, with a single, unwritten, rule: Richard Eisen Is Not Allowed.

I was originally a wrestler bumming around the indies for, doing whatever job was asked of me. When I couldn’t wrestle, I reffed, or commentated, or acted as a road agent. I guess it was that status as a jack of all trades that saw me brought into Supreme.

Later I took up a full-time position as a road agent when Spencer Marks left the company. I certainly wasn’t his replacement – I was the very lowest man on the pole, as everyone else moved up a notch. Over the years, attrition had worn down those ahead of me, and I’d moved up the pole. I was hired by Richard Eisen when I came in as a wrestler. My second conversation wasn’t until I finished working in-ring, about five years later. Eventually, though, Mr. Eisen began to recognise me as someone other than one of the faceless, nameless majority who work for him.

My official title is – was, I guess – Chief of Tours, which harkens back to an age when SWF mostly stuck close to home, but sent the occasional show out on the road to help the kids get experience, and remind people that there was something other than their local fed providing quality wrestling. The business has moved on – SWF workers now spend north of two-hundred days a year on the road. The title remains, though, and anyone who holds it is supposedly one of the powerbrokers in the company. Mr. Eisen, Peter Michaels... and me.

The Chief of Tours is basically the head scout and road agent. He lays out matches – sometimes as a tightly defined script, sometimes as a series of spots for the workers to incorporate, sometimes just nodding when a talented worker comes up with the match all by themselves.

The Chief is also the man the workers come to when they have a complaint – whatever it is. It might be personal, professional, both, or neither. Once upon a time Chief Two Eagles held this post, and it was he who recommended that I follow him into the role. I’ve never quite been sure if he was helping me out or punishing me. What I do know is that, as the youngest road agent in SWF, I spent a lot of years doing the dogsbody work before I caught a hint of the glamour one might expect from a life where I might have Hannah Potter knocking on my door at two in the morning, unable to sleep.

I’ve taken foreign wrestlers out in Minneapolis at 3am in search of a suitable restaurant because they’ve been unable to eat American food. I’ve shepherded Big Smack Scott from arena to arena, making sure he was where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there. I babysat the Bumfholes through their first public appearances, when Christina and Justin were both in town and our boys still drew the biggest crowd.

I’m been somewhat involved in the writing process, but my role is more that of being a computer of sorts; will a story work, is it logical, does it have any flaws or gaps hearkening back to earlier stories. I’ve come up with the odd idea – I’m responsible for the team of Kurt Laramee and Big Smack Scott, for example.

These days I’ve not actually been out on the road that much. Still, I do go out to TV every week. And every month I go to our pay-per-view. That means around seven or eight nights a month away from home, and that’s enough. I’m the same age as Christian Faith, give or take, and he’s out there almost every night, giving and taking against some of the best and hardest-hitting. The Chief of Tours, perversely, doesn’t tour much – instead my subordinates handle the daily grind. When you consider that my subordinates are all older than me than I guess I’ve gone soft, but just the thought of that makes my bones ache. Wrestling is a young man’s game.

Christian Faith is a freak – in the nicest possible way, of course.

I regarded Peter’s chair as I waited on Mr. Eisen’s arrival. I’d have to move my own in from my office, but not yet. I wasn’t about to sit in Peter’s chair, either. I took a seat on one of the sofas that lined one wall and thought about the upcoming meeting.

Head booker for SWF? I’d never wanted this role – I’d seen what it did to Sam Keith, and Peter as well. But here I am.

The storylines at present were pretty solid, with the World title triangle the hottest of all. Would we go for a triple threat at the next show? Would Bruce get his rematch? Peter had already set his plans in motion. Surely I was only a caretaker. Surely I was here until Phil Vibert or Larry Wood got the call.

I put Laramee and Scott together. That wasn’t good writing – that was a desperation move to put two troublemakers in one room. I have no experience of running a company, none of long-term planning of the sort that Peter was so good at, and while I can manage egos and knock heads together, all that means is that I can do a good job as a road agent.

I’m not the new booker.

I can’t be.

Where is Mr. Eisen?

His ten minutes turns into thirty, and forty, and eventually he charged into the room almost an hour after sending me in. At first he looked to the desk as though expecting me to be there, or maybe just by reflex, and it took a couple of seconds for him to locate me in the room. Already in that time he was colouring red, clearly furious that I’d disobeyed his order to be here. Even when he spotted me his expression didn’t change too much, although at least the worrying scarlet colour faded a little.

“Casey, you’re our new head booker.”

“Yes sir,” I said, doing my best to sound like this was a wonderful opportunity. “Er, can I assume this is on a temporary basis, though? I don’t have any booking experience, and this isn’t a company to cut your teeth on.”

“No need to worry about that,” Mr. Eisen said. His tone of voice was probably meant to be bracing. It certainly felt like I’d had cold water poured over me. “You’ve got writers to do the writing, so you’ve just got to pull it together. Michaels said you were good at that.”

“Well, I-“

“Besides, from now on I’m making sure that this company runs right. If you write something I don’t like,” he paused, and flashed a smile that showed a lot of teeth, “I’ll veto it. From now on our shows will have the Eisen stamp of approval...”

mad5226 · April 3, 2010

The Eisen stamp of approval... that should be fun for you.

James Casey · April 7, 2010

Whatever else Mr. Eisen is, he’s not stupid. The rest of the day was taken up with talk about the future of the company. Mr. Eisen had a lot of ideas that had been stockpiling for some time, and he seemed in the mood to implement changes. He mentioned a few things, but hand waved a lot of my comments away.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” he said, several times. “Look, you’ll be covering both posts for the time being, so I’m not going to burden you with details.”

“Both posts?”

He nodded absently. “Yeah, we’re going to be spending money elsewhere. Supreme One will be getting some improvements.”

I looked around. The building was only a few years old.

“What improvements?”

“We’re going into the basement. We want a facility down there for training.”

“Oh. The new dojo,” I said, flatly.

“Yeah,” he said, not noticing my tone. “Supreme U in Hawaii is all well and good, but I want to be able to look at our new guys up close and personal. We’re bringing in too many guys who’ve got ideas above themselves. Brandon and Khoklov both got big deals because your predecessor convinced Jerry they were worth it. That won’t happen again.”

“Are we getting rid of them, then?” I asked. Although I tried to remain neutral about wrestlers, Peter and I had never agreed about Marat Khoklov. The big man had been something of a blind spot for... my predecessor, I guess.

“No. They’d cost too much to let go. But they’re the only ones. Everyone else from now on has got to know their place, got me? And one other thing,” he said, getting up to leave. “I want to make some changes backstage. Here’s the list.”

He handed me a sheet of paper, I glanced down it and saw a series of changes designed to make life rough for some, and heaven for others.

“No alcohol? No smoking? Mr. Eisen, I agree with the alcohol, but some of our wrestlers will go crazy if you ban smoking.”

“They’re getting good food and medical treatment. They shouldn’t complain.”

I scratched my head. In spite of the demands of the lifestyle, there were several smokers on the roster, and even more in the non-competitors.

“Sir, this could be unpopular.”

“It’s your job to make it popular.”

“Excuse me?”

“When you go to TV next week you’ll be telling everyone about this. And you’ll be announcing your new role at the same time.”

On my head be it. No, Richard Eisen wasn’t stupid...

*

“James, is it true?”

I’d barely stepped foot on the cruiseliner I’d be riding to TV when I was approached for the first time. I shook my head.

“Not now, Jack. Once we get to TV and I can talk to everyone. I’ve got some files to go through before then.”

Jack Marlowe nodded and sloped off to the back of the bus. He’s a veteran who’s spent much of his career in Japan, but he’s no stranger to backstage nonsense, which is what I still hoped this to be. Mr. Eisen was feeling fidgety. It happens from time to time. He wanted to flex his muscles, and Peter had taken the fall. Surely in a few days everything would calm down. We were coming up to Christmas, after all, and the spirit of the season would get to Mr. Eisen, he’d call Peter, and everything would be sorted out.

I hoped.

Peter and I had collaborated on the show. Robbie would be doing an episode of his ‘Retro Review’ in character as Nemesis, and the production crew had dug out one of his matches from late 1996 when Nemesis had been on the losing end of a feud with the Outbackers. The match didn’t make Nemesis look very good – he’d lost to Outbacker Rolf, which was embarrassing on any number of levels. Keeping the North American title by getting DQd.... I pulled a face just thinking about it. Nemesis really hadn’t got the push his talent, look and charisma deserved. Putting this match on in the middle of this week’s Supreme TV was a cheap attack on Nemesis, an attack that maybe one viewer in fifty would understand...

I shook my head. As Richard Eisen willed it, so it would be done.

I was looking over the files the rest of the way there. SWF has a mini fleet of cruiseliners, huge, luxurious tour buses that spend most of the year pounding the highways of America, transporting the roster and workers round the country, even into Canada and Mexico on occasions. It’s a triumph of organisation that so many people get to so many places on time, again and again.

As for me, I like letting someone else do the driving while I read up on our latest scouting reports. I watch matches on my laptop, and make recommendations based on what I’ve seen. Technically, I’m the chief scout – it’s part of my role. However, my recommendation joins four or five others and goes to Richard Eisen for the final decision. If his decision is positive, Jerry Eisen then opens negotiations on SWF’s behalf.

I don’t get to see many wrestlers live – that’s what our network of scouts throughout North America and the rest of the world are for. Australia is big nowadays, and we had an offer in with a big guy who’d be flying out for trials in the next few days. Canada, of course, is a rich pool. Japan less so – puroresu has never really worked in America.

At least having a laptop with a big screen makes the job easier nowadays. Occasionally I get one or two members of the roster watching with me, and making comments. This can be a little irritating – I make a rule to watch the matches on my own at least once, so if I get interrupted then I have to watch again. Still, I sometimes glean things from these impromptu sessions, and John Greed actually got brought in based on positive comments made by Zimmy Bumfhole, of all people.

Reviewing the files and watching the videos took up the whole trip to the show, and I jotted down a last couple of notes – Over my dead body – about a certain worker who shall remain nameless as we pulled into the parking lot. I looked at the arena with a sense of foreboding as the bus dropped down into the basement parking lot.

To borrow a line, it was showtime.

The Pink Stranger · April 7, 2010

Wish I knew who "over my dead body" was in reference to. It'd be funny to poke at another diary by saying that in reference to a wrestler who someone else is pushing. Great write up though...obvious by reading this and other people's comments that you have a lot of talent. I've got to read your MAW diary.

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SWF: Who Is Richard Eisen?

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