NYCW: Old School 'Til We Die

1PWfan · May 14, 2010

It's probably fair to say that most people in this business see New York City Wrestling as USPW-lite: a dumping ground for broken-down old hacks way past their primes looking to cash in one last time before retirement. Now I ain't saying that that ain't true- hell, how many companies would keep a 52 year old worker like Lee Wright on the books?- but I've worked for USPW, back before Sam Strong took over, and NYCW's worth twice anything that bunch of hacks can come up with. Hell, if me or Bailey had got our hands on him Nicky Champion would have been carrying that company two years ago.

Hang on- have I introduced myself? The name's Dansigny- Hugh Dansigny , and that's pronounced Dawn-seen-yay for those of you not from Quebec. If you've heard of me at all you'll probably know my glory days in North Of The Border way back in the 90's. Not that people remember that these days, and that's after I made Dark Angel into the star he is today and damn-near launched the Women's Division (and you'd think Vicky would know better than to dismantle the thing just because she's retired- who cares if Emma's on drugs as long as she's not too high to work?). No, all anybody remembers is that I got fired after eloping with Tamara McFly when she was only twenty years old. Never mind that she asked me, or that there were half a dozen other reasons as well, as far as those hacks on the net are concerned it's all about eloping. Here's a clue, folks: we don't live in an Emily Brontë novel, 'kay? Most of the time when a guy gets fired it's because he's an ******* or an addict, not because he's run off with the boss's son-in-law's baby sister.

Anyway, it's been years since I left North of the Border, and the way some people talk you'd think I hadn't done sweet F.A since. Now that, I'll admit, probably should be true: six months with CGC back in 03 and half a cup of coffee with HGC right as it turned into TCW are not exactly shining examples of gainful employment, but hey, I was just in it for the money anyway. And before you start going on about professional integrity and all that guff, I never had any to begin with so who cares? I certainly didn't, though in fairness I wasn't exactly with it in those days. Not that I'll ever be discussing that, but I'll admit that I was pretty much a poster boy for why it's a bad idea to drink coffee by the gallon and then throw forty cigarettes a day on top of that.

So yeah, NOTBPW was pretty much the highlight of my career until I went to NYCW back in 2006, after Sam Strong kicked me to the curb in USPW. I'll admit, if you were one of the thirty thousand or so web-boys who claimed this was pretty much it for me as a force in wrestling you had a lot going for you: here I was, a burnt-out, past his prime old hack relegated to working one of the smallest companies in the US, the place where careers too unsuccessful for USPW go to die. Heck, even Tammy wasn't that positive, and this is a woman who can put a brave face on anything. Now, though? NYCW's on the way up, and yours truly is back to being one of the best colour men outside the big leagues. Oh, and did I mention I'm running the book now?

***

It started in December '09, at Stomper's place. Every year since 2007 me and Bo Bailey are invited over for Christmas Dinner: I take Tammy and we spend the day making jokes about the fact that I'm an underfed streak of nothing and Bailey wears that stupid hat even outside the ring. It's a good time, and more importantly gives us a chance to sort out plans for the next couple of months without morons like, say, Larry Vessey sticking their nose in.

Anyway, I'd just finished my annual bitching-about-the-tag-division rant when suddenly Stomper steps in with the offer.

“Listen, kid, how'd you like to take over from Bailey on the book?”

This didn't actually stun me into silence, but only because we all know that's impossible.

“Very funny Stomper, top rank stuff. Why the hell would you replace Bailey when we're doing so well? And anyway, the last time I ran the book was back at North of the Border, and I ain't really up to trying that again”

“C'mon Hugh, I'm the top guy right now. I've got enough on my plate main eventing our shows and sorting out my own matches without having to do everything else as well. And besides, you keep coming up with all these B.S ideas and getting them through so at least you can pretend to know what you're doing.”

“You're faith in me is unparalleled, Bo, really. C'mon Stomper, do we really have to keep talking about this? If you want a new booker get Mauler or Frank to do it, they're always coming up with stuff. And shouldn't Vessey be talked to about this if he's really this heir apparent like the net says?”

“Like hell am I letting Larry near something like this. It's still my company kid, and I say who takes over on booking. Look, here's something for you: if you take over the book, maybe down the line a ways I'll let you start up that women's division you've been shooting you mouth off about”

That made me sit up and take notice: right now Tammy's working in some dump in Vegas, and it'd be good to get her over to New York for a bit if we can find the room.

“Okay, boss, if you're really serious about the women's division then I'm the man for the job. Just, please, bear in mind one thing: I am a conniving, underhanded huckster with absolutely no respect for the fans whatsoever.”

“Kid, if I wanted some spineless mark who listened to the internet all the time then I'd have to change my name to Cliff Anderson, and frankly shoot my own d*ck off. Besides, I know you hate everybody, kid, it's why I like you so much”

So there I am, folks: trying to keep this company afloat and simultaneously keep Stomper happy and avoid annoying Larry so much he actually tries to kill me. All this whilst our main event fossilises and our decent young talent gets stolen because Stomper hates talking to people. All on the offchance that some-day, maybe, he lets me bring the wife into the company and god-push her to the title.

It's good to be me.

1PWfan · May 14, 2010

When I got into work in January, the first thing I dedicated myself to was looking at our roster.

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Whistler

Age: 48 Height/Weight: 6' 3”/300lbs

Finisher: Rebel Yell (Three-Point Stance into a Lariat)

Whistler's an old hand, and whilst he's got some name value he's also really showing his age in the ring. Five years past his best, and frankly not all that great to begin with, Whistler's a half-decent brawler with solid-ish fundamentals. Really, his only great strength is his charisma: most of his matches these days are more about playing to the crowd than actual work rate. In most companies he'd probably spend the rest of his career building new stars, but at NYCW his charisma and popularity make him valuable enough to keep near the top, although I don't see him getting another run at the top title.

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Steve Flash

Age: 43 Height/Weight: 6' 0”/235lbs

Finisher: Flash Bang (Snap DDT)

Steve's pretty much the complete opposite of Whistler. Whilst the big man compensates for his average wrestling ability with above-average charisma, Flash is all about the wrestling and nix on the charisma. He's been one of NYCW's key names for years now, and I really don't see him leaving the main event soon. The only thing holding him back from a major title run is a complete absence of charisma: given that Bailey can't talk either it'd be difficult to make a feud work without shelling out loads for a few managers to do the talking for them.

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Black Hat Bailey

Age: 48 Height/Weight: 6' 3”/288lbs

Finisher: Bailey Breaker (Texas Cloverleaf)

The current Empire Champion and my predecessor on the book, Bailey's a solid heel champion. He's a decent wrestler, not quite on Steve's level but only a little behind him, but he's let down by below average charisma and a lack of stamina that makes it difficult for him to go beyond 10 minutes. That said, he's got good fundamentals and the boys really look up to him so he's a lock in the company until he chooses otherwise. He's just come off the back of a successful feud with Whistler, so right now the pressing concern for Bailey is to find him a manager and get him a new feud.

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Honest Frank

Age: 39 Height/Weight: 6' 5”/300lbs

Finisher: The Best Policy (Piledriver)

Frank's basically a heel version of Whistler, only slightly better. He's not a great worker, although he's not a bad one, and he gets by on his excellent charisma and the fact that a lying, cheating heel who calls himself 'honest' will always get heat. He's one of our strongest utility players, who can fit in just about anywhere, and whilst there may be better than him out there I think Frank's got a lot to offer. The obvious thing to do is either partner him up with an up-and-coming young heel who needs to learn to talk or feud him with Whistler, since they play off each other well and it's not too much of a step down for either man.

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Lee Wright

Age: 52 Height/Weight: 6' 2”/292lbs

Finisher: Wright Stuff (Sleeper Hold)

Ol' Angry B@stard himself, Lee's been around for years. Unfortunately it really shows: this guy's not just knocking on retirement's door, he's inside the lobby commenting on the shelving. I give him maybe six months before he retires, which will definitely be a blow as despite his age Lee's one of the best we've got in the ring. He's a solid brawler and could definitely match up with some of our younger guys really well. The main thing with Lee is to balance showing respect for his achievements with using him to get other people over: jobbing him out would just be rude, but he has a duty to make sure we don't lose too much when he retires down the line.

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Roger Cage

Age: 27 Height/Weight: 6' 3”/255lbs

Finishers: Cage Rage (Reverse DDT)

Let's face it, Roger's not going to be around much longer. Solid talent, excellent fundamentals and off-the-charts charisma mean that Supreme's going to put an offer on the table within the next couple of weeks minimum, and I don't see Roger turning them down. That's definitely a pain- he's a good worker and part of a pretty decent tag team with Sammy the Shark. Finding a replacement for Roger won't be easy, not least because talent that fits us is hard to come by at the moment.

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Dazzling Dave Diamond

Age: 31 Height/Weight: 6' 6”/285lbs

Finishers: Dazzle Driver (Death Valley Driver), Diamond Mine (Running Elbow Drop)

Dazzling Dave's one our more promising midcarders. He's not really young enough to be termed a hot prospect but I feel he's still got the potential to develop further, which given that he's already pretty good has to be a good thing. A rock-solid brawler, Dave's got virtually no technique at all but makes up for that with charisma and the aforementioned skill at straight-up fighting. He's also got solid fundamentals outside his psychology, which all in all makes DDD a guy we definitely want to keep hold of, though I don't see him rising up the card much.

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Rick Sanders

Age: 40 Height/Weight: 5' 11”/227lbs

Finisher: Figure Four Leglock, Old School Rules (Ankle-lock/Elbow Drop combo, tag finisher)

Rick's another nondescript career midcarder, although unlike DDD he's pretty much done all he can in the business. Nevertheless he's still a key name and someone I expect to get a lot of usage out of: his technical skills are very solid, and whilst he's no great brawler he won't disgrace himself in a fight. His real plus points, however, are his good fundamentals and excellent tag team with The Masked Mauler : Old School Principals have pretty much held the tag team division together single-handedly, and whilst they're not champs at the moment, the titles will be back around their waist sooner or later.

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Sammy the Shark

Age: 23 Height/Weight: 6'/225lbs

Finisher: Ace in the Hole (Stunner)

The most over of our hot prospects, Sammy's already a very solid young worker with a good all-round game and great fundamentals for a kid his age. Really all he needs to do to blossom is work on his psychology a bit and maybe develop his character a bit more: laid-back dudes do not make hood main eventers unless they've got more size on their side than Sammy does. He's currently in a tag team with Roger Cage but we've been careful to give him his own thing to do outside that, which is why he's our current Tri-State Regional Champion. As long as we can keep hold of him I see bright things in Sammy's future.

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The Masked Mauler

Age: 37 Height/Weight: 6' 6”/300lbs

Finisher: Iron Claw, Old School Rules (Ankle-lock/Elbow Drop combo, tag finisher)

As with his partner Mauler's unlikely to rise out of the midcard, but within that slot he's one of our most valuable workers. He's got great fundamentals and isn't a horrendous wrestler, but his main value is backstage. Along with Steve Flash and Black Hat Bailey Mauler's one of our locker room leaders, and his usual positive personality make him invaluable far more so than what he does in the ring. He's definitely going to be confined to the tag division for the foreseeable future, but Mauler remains probably our key midcarder.

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Dean Waldorf & Marv Statler- The Ring Generals

Ages: 24 & 24 Height/Weight: 5' 11”/258lbs (Waldorf), 6'/250lbs (Statler)

Finisher: Waldorf Salad Toss (Fisherman's Suplex), Backdrop Backbreaker (Over-the-shoulder Backbreaker), Squared Circle Assault (Double Superplex, tag finisher)

Currently our two hottest prospects, The Ring Generals are also our reigning tag champs. I'm not sure they're quite ready for it- neither guy has much name value for a start, and their momentum's never really gotten going- but they've done a good enough job so far, and with a lack of credible contenders other than Old School Principals there's no one to replace them even if they don't work out. Right now our top priority has to be to find these guys some new challengers that can help them develop, which won't exactly be easy.

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Land Mass

Age: 46 Height/Weight: 6' 9”/430bs

Finishers: Jelly Belly Suplex (Belly-to-belly Suplex), Ten Ton Avalanche (Avalanche)

As with virtually all super heavyweights Land Mass sucks, and the fact that he's 9 years past his frankly rubbish prime hasn't helped either. His one redeeming value is his size, but frankly I'm not interested in monster heels unless they can also work, and Land Mass really can't. That being said I do like him as a person, and unless he makes an active nuisance of himself (or I find someone I prefer, or I just need to slim down the roster) I'll at least keep him to the end of his contract.

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Animal Harker

Age: 24 Height/Weight: 6' 3”/270lbs

Finisher: Stump Piledriver, apparently

Apparently some people see shades of Wild Man Sullivan in this guy. All I can see is clearly they've got better eyesight than me: this guy is an at-best mediocre brawler with fundamentals so bad he shouldn't even be in this business, let alone working for us. He's not even so young that he can really improve to an acceptable level- a worker this poor would need to be at most 20 for me to figure on him getting good. He's a jobber, and should be thankful for that.

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The New York Doll

Age: 23 Height/Weight: 6'/200lbs

Finisher: Leg Drop

Our other jobber, the Doll's unlikely to rise out of this position but still has a lot more going for him than Harker. Alright, so that's like saying he's got more going for him than smallpox, but he's still a half-decent worker who's cheap enough to keep his job and young enough that he might improve into something better, even if that is just a higher class of jobber. He's also got a good backstage attitude, which helps, so whilst he'll never be anything but a jobber he'll at least always be that.

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Larry Vessey

Age: 51 Height/Weight: 6' 3”/272lbs

Finishers: Sick Cycle (Spinning Brainbuster)

The so-called heir apparent to NYCW, Larry's an Occasional Wrestler with a very bad attitude and the talent to pretty much match. Oh, he's got his upsides- decent psychology and some more-or-less competent brawling- but with his attitude and stamina problems he's basically useless. I have no idea how I'm going to use him, but fortunately his contract is up in 2 months so I probably won't have to.

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Cheerleader Nicki

Currently Roger Cage's valet, Nicki will probably switch to managing Sammy once Roger leaves, putting her on her third client since she got here (she worked with American Machine before he left for the big leagues). She's decent eye candy who works for next to nothing so I don't see the point in getting rid of her.

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Fern Hathaway

Fern's basically a b*itch in b*itch's clothing, so she's out the door first chance I get. Dazzling Dave can get an new valet from somewhere, and I'm tired of dealing with Fern's attitude.

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Herb Stately

His attitude's almost as bad as Fern's, but unlike the b*tch Herb at least has talent. Currently he's managing our one and only stable, The Old School, which features both our Empire and Tag Team Champs, so his job is safe for now.

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Rock Downpour

The voice of NYCW, Rock's currently one of the best announcers on the independent scene, and since I'm not up to dealing with Mitch Naess shouting down my ear Rock's job couldn't be more secure. That said, his style is rather generic and he doesn't have much charisma to speak of, so whilst he's good he's not perfect

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Hugh Dansigny

Well, that's me. I'm apparently considered one of the best colour commentators on the indy scene right now, so I'm unlikely to try and find somebody else in this spot for a while yet. I can also step into the announcing slot if needs be, though given that it's been 13 odd years since I did that full time I'm not exactly a top candidate.

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Michael Bull

No B.S. is a good ref with a decent attitude, which makes him a lock in that role. I don't see us augmenting him with any extra guys, either: more than one ref is really an indulgence at any level, so why bother?

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The Stomper

Owner, visionary and road agent, The Stomper's probably the single most valuable member of the roster right now: he's a brilliant road agent, and the guy who pays my wages, so we need to keep as long as possible. Fortunately he's the boss, and at the age of 60 he's got about five years before he leaves the business, giving us all that time to find a replacement. Not a bad situation to be in, really

Dragonmack · May 14, 2010

I hear that David Mack guy is pretty good. Too bad you couldn't get him to sign for you.

Always good to see some more NYCW love, and always interested to see where someone else takes it.

Regis · May 15, 2010

One word for the Land Mass: Enforcer. Got to love what Menace brings to the table in any angles his boss runs, especially if he's doing it for a midcard guy who won't be dragged down too much by his lack of overness. To keep the Mass worthwhile in other ways, hire jobbers on a one-show contract for $100-$150, have him squash them in 2 minutes in the dark to build him some overness, then job him out on the main show to whoever the hell you feel like once it would actually do something worthwhile for them.

Good to see that cantankerous b*stard Hugh back in NYCW.

Clp605 · May 15, 2010

Looking forward to another NYCW diary. Mine turned into a bit of a flop I just wasn't able to get into it. Good luck though.

1PWfan · May 15, 2010

Thanks for all the kinds words guys- I'm really looking forward to getting to grips with NYCW and hopefully building up some of my own stars for the first time (at least until Freddie Datsun and Jungle Jack become available, at which point it's become the Freddie & Jack show)

Buddy Rogers' New York Minute

Since Hugh Dansigny took over at the start of January I've had a lot of readers asking me what I think of the appointment. Well, it's certainly an interesting one, especially given Hugh's famous antipathy towards Larry Vessey. If the rumours that Vessey is the future owner of NYCW are true then either Hugh's not expected to last long in the post or Stomper's looking to extend his hold over the company's image beyond his eventual retirement. Personally speaking I'm inclined to go with option 2: it's not like it'd be out of character for Stomper to do whatever he can in order to maintain his grip on the company, and with Hugh firmly in Stomper's camp that does seem likely. Of course, several behind-the-scenes workers at NYCW have told me that Hugh's been quite open about his desire to dispose of Vessey at the first opportunity, so it may be that the heir apparent rumours are untrue anyway and that Stomper's simply appointed the best man for the job.

In any case, the D-Man's already made his presence felt with the news that Fern Hathaway's been dismissed from the company for 'attitude problems'. This is hardly surprising after all the trouble Fern's caused over the years, but what is surprising is that Hugh's already announced her replacement: Jemma Griffiths, a young valet from Texas who's been working the independent scene for years. Also announced as arriving in the company shortly are Kammy Ling, a young Asian-American valet from the independent scene, and Persephone, another indy scene manager who's best known as having been Steven Parker's girlfriend for the last six years

Also of note is the massive talent blitz Hugh's embarked upon: no less than seven separate wrestlers have been brought into the company to beef up the roster. Of these the most notable are Fumihiro Ota and Ford Gumble, both former TCW stars (although Gumble's stint was slightly more recent than Ota's). To be honest I'm surprised it's taken NYCW this long to sign Ota, who's perfect for the company's style and was one of the biggest free agents on the independent scene, but Gumble's more of a surprise. It's no secret that he's put on a lot of weight since he left TCW and is no longer the trim 225 pounds he used to be, but apparently Hugh feels he still has something to offer the company, and given that he's coming in as one of the company's biggest names it's likely that he'll move into a feud with Bailey straight away. In fairness Ford's always been a pretty talented worker, and if he can deliver some of the solid promo work he demonstrated in TCW then he could be a very useful worker, but even so I'm not hugely enthused by his arrival just yet.

Also announced as debuting for the company are FCW's Natural Storm and MAW's Cameron Vessey and Riley McManus and Curtis Jenkins, aka The Atlantic Connection. The two teams have obviously been brought in to beef up the tag division, and on the whole I like these signings: Natural Storm have a very solid reputation as exactly the kind of old-school rugged team that NYCW fans will love, whilst The Atlantic Connection are a couple of promising young workers with the right kind of style for the company. As for Cameron, that smacks of politics and keeping his father happy, but he's done a good job at MAW and I'm willing to give him a chance to show what he can do in New York.

The card for NYCW Rush Hour, due to go out on the last Saturday of the month, looks something like this:

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE
Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES
The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE
Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

Dragonmack · May 15, 2010

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

draw While Flash should win this title and you will want Bailey to drop it soon, might as well build it up for a bit first

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Ota has been a rock for me

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

Frank is just a little better, and a lot younger

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

No reason to move it off the Generals yet

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

'Cammy' Vessey has to pay his dues, even with his father interfering

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

Cage gone already?

ChrisKid · May 15, 2010

You got the weight wrong for Land Mass its 800lbs

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

BHK1978 · May 15, 2010

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

I would say give the title to Flash because Bailey is old but so isn't Flash so who knows.

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

Whistler is about to retire so you might as well go with the younger of the two.

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

There is no real upside in having the OSP's win the titles.

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

I can never figure out what to do with NYD.

Marcel Fromage · May 15, 2010

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash - Draw

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

John Lions · May 15, 2010

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

I'm a big Black Hat fan, hopefully he lasts for 4-5 more years for you <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Ninja's are pretty entertaining

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

Honest Frank is entertaining as well

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

In what seems to be a staple match for ANY NYCW diary, The Ring Generals retain again

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

DDD > CV1

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

Sammy the Shark has always been better than Roger Cage, IMO

Regis · May 15, 2010

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

No title changes on the first show.

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Good ol' Fumi. I mark in a half-way enthusiastic manner for Fat Ford Gumble, though.

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

He never had any brass knuckles. Would I lie to you?

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

I love these guys too. Ring Generals versus The Natural Storm sounds like a license to print money.

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

The power of the debut is blinding me!

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

No, seriously.

Clp605 · May 16, 2010

FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

Draw seems like a good call like what Dragon and Fromage said.

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

Both are people who will usally join NYCW since they have records in one of the big two so it can be hard on deciding who would win but Ota just haas a better feel to him then the more modern Grumble, you know gaining weight. Land Mass and Grumble as a tag team, why can I see that now.

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

Younger, faster, stronger need I go on.

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

Both are a classic team who when I play NYCW are always over pushed by myself so I can't say who I would pick so I'll just go with the generals.

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Cameron Vessey

Let me guess, you couldn't get the whole team. Anyway, Vessey win, plain and simple.

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

Doll is just not that usefull, that sounds right.

1PWfan · May 17, 2010

NYCW Rush Hour

Live to DVD from The Ministry

Audience: 825

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

Land Mass vs. The Atlantic Connection

This was largely here to introduce The Atlantic Connection, so the fact that it kinda sucked wasn't really a big issue. As for the Connection, they worked hard and looked pretty good out there, but Riley's got a couple of consistency issues and CJ's still got a lot of developing to do. As for Land Mass, we all know he's no good so the fact that he was poor at best here wasn't really surprising. He's still more over than either Riley or CJ, though, so he got the win here, putting Curtis down with the Ten-Ton Avalanche.

Winner: Land Mass Match Rating: E+

The Show

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

I knew I could count on these two to deliver a decent match, and sure enough this was a good, entertaining match. Granted it probably wasn't the greatest technical encounter you'll ever see, but then Frank and Whistler have built entire careers on the space in between the punches and clotheslines. What that meant for this match was a hugely entertaining bout between two of the most obvious embodiments of the face-heel dynamic you could imagine: Whistler's the definitive battling babyface, Frank's every cheating no-good heel you've ever seen in one guy. In the end Frank got the win, rolling Whistler up and getting a foot on the ropes to score the pinfall.

Winner: Honest Frank Match Rating: D+

*

“What a way to kick off tonight's show! Fans, I'm Rock Downpour and THIS is NYCW Rush Hour!”

“I think they know that Rock- though given that they were dumb enough to order the show that's maybe not a given.”

“My broadcast partner Hugh Dansigny, ladies and gentlemen. The only man in the world who bites the hand that feeds him”

“Are you kidding me? If I bit these people I'd probably catch something. Oh no, there will be no biting of the rednecks thank you very much."

“If you say so Hugh. Fans, we've got a heck of a show for you tonight! Ford Gumble and Fumihiro Ota will be making their NYCW debuts later tonight, the Tag Team Titles are once again up for grabs, and in tonight's main event Black Hat Bailey defends the Empire Title against Steve Flash!”

“It never ceases to amaze me that Steve's kept wrestling all these years- you'd think he'd know better by now. Does he really think he can beat a veteran like Black Hat Bailey, a man with nearly 10 years of experience at the very highest levels of our sport? C'mon, even Flash can't be that stupid”

“Don't forget, Hugh, Steve's no rookie himself. This is a man who's won titles in no less than four separate companies, not to mention his history of competing against top-level athletes like Brent Hill, Runaway Train and Jeremy Stone. I think Steve's got a very good chance of scoring the victory tonight”

“If Flash wins tonight I'll eat my hat. Not only does he have to beat Bailey, he's also got to watch out for Herb Stately at ringside and the rest of The Old School. Do you really think he can beat Bailey, Lee Wright and the Old School Principals all at once?”

“Well if anyone can Steve can. Don't forget, he's one of the versatile workers in the whole company- there's literally no area in which Steve can't compete. On the mat, in the air or in a straight-up fight, Steve can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone”

“Yeah yeah, versatilty's all well and good, but what it also means is that Steve can't match up to a technical specialist like Bailey- sure, he might have an advantage in the air or in a brawl, but as long as Bailey can keep it technical he's got a definite edge.”

“Whatever happens tonight, folks, it promises to be one hell of a match!”

This didn't get a bad reception, but I'd expected something a bit more intense than the low-level buzz we actually got.

Rating: D-

*

Sammy the Shark vs. The New York Doll

This was a combined title defence and squash match for Sammy, who needs a little extra momentum. It wasn't a bad match given the comparative inexperience of both guys, who mostly limited themselves to some fairly bog-standard brawling with Sammy occasionally busting out some rapid-fire chain wrestling or the odd flashy move to liven things up. In the end Doll was never going to beat one of our up-and-coming young stars, and sure enough Sammy scored the win at around 6 minutes with the Ace in the Hole.

Winner: Sammy the Shark Match Rating: D

*

Backstage at the NYCW interview position Whistler's on promo duty

“FRANK! I don't kindly to cheaters, especially low-down dirty weasels like you! It's dishonest, it's cowardly, and it's downright Un-American! Next month, at Big Apple Breakdown I want you one-on-one in a rematch! Then I can beat some decency into you! HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!”

Suddenly Whistler's joined at the position by Honest Frank

“You know what, Whistler? If you're so eager to get into a fight with me, then who am I to refuse. And next month, I can honestly say that you'll get a fair, honest fight.

After all...Would I Lie To You?”

These two always deliver on the mic, which is kind of the reason why they're feuding at the moment.

Rating: D+

*

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

This was a solid tag team match: nothing really special, but entertaining nonetheless. The Ring Generals have some problems with their popularity but they make up for that with their extreme consistency and fluid tag wrestling. OSP, meanwhile, don't have quite the same fluidity but make up for that with experience and an excellent grasp of tag-team tactics: they're classsic cut-the-ring-in-half guys, and they can really punish their opponents once they've got them isolated. That made for a good match here, with Waldorf sweetening the deal by improving his mat and chain wrestling and his basics. In the end The Ring Generals got the win, getting Sanders into their corner and hitting The Squared Circle Assault for the victory.

Winners: The Ring Generals Match Rating: C+

*

Once again we're back at the NYCW interview position, where Herb's on hype duty for Cameron's match

“Tonight, you stand in the presence of greatness. Cameron Vessey, the future of The Old School, makes his début against that inbred hick southerner Dazzling Dave Diamond. Dave, you don't want to make life hard for yourself. Just lie down and let Cameron get the win and you get to walk away from this with all your teeth intact. Otherwise...well, you're in for a nasty surprise”

Herb's a decent talker but this didn't get a great reception, largely due to the fact that Cameron's a largely unknown quality here.

Rating: E+

*

Cameron Vessey vs. Dazzling Dave Diamond

This was a pretty good match, another bog-standard brawl but no worse for that. Vessey shows a lot of promise, and has decent fundamentals, but I'm not sure if he's got the physical ability to headline for us just yet, whilst Diamond's a career midcarder who needs to work on his stamina a bit before he can really start to get back into title contention. With that in mind, and given that Cameron's lined up to feud with Sammy over the Tri-State title, Vessey took the win here after Lee Wright interfered and nailed Diamond with a chair, setting him up for the Vessey Driver (Pumphandle Half-Nelson Driver).

Winner: Cameron Vessey Match Rating: D+

*

Ford Gumble vs. Fumihiro Ota

This was a good match, which is promising as both these guys figure in my plans going forward. Gumble's lined up to be my next major babyface challenger, whilst Ota's currently our biggest heel in pure popularity terms. Tonight they delivered a match mainly focussed around old-school cruiserweight action (which means lots of chain wrestling and the occasional aerial spot for those of you born after 1980). In the end Gumble got the victory, nailing Ota with the Savate Kick for the victory.

Winner: Ford Gumble Match Rating: C-

*

As Ford heads backstage he runs into Black Hat Bailey, on his way out to the ring for the main event. The two guys glower at each other, but the general press of wrestlers prevents them from physical contact. As a means of starting the feud this was a bit of a damp squib, but I've got plans so it wasn't too bad.

Rating: D

*

Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash

This was the best match on the card, just beating out Gumble/Ota thanks to Steve and Bailey's skill and popularity. Admittedly Ota's technically more over than either of these guys, but the simple fact is to the NYCW fans this the pair that have carried the company for the last five years, which de facto makes them our biggest names. If I had to pick out a problem with this one, though, it would have to be the length: Bailey can't go for more than 10 minutes, which means that a lot of our fans get dissatisfied with the length of our main events. Still, though, when they're this good who cares what the fans think? Not me, as long as they keep buying tickets and merchandise. In the end, this one went to Bailey after Herb distracted Bull long enough for Bailey to nail Flash in the back with a steel chair, weakening him up for the Bailey Breaker.

Winner: Black Hat Bailey Match Rating: C

Overall Rating: C-, more than adequate for a company our size.

Regis · May 17, 2010

Slight misprint in the results, the Ring Generals/OSP match is down as a C+ rather than the D+ I'm guessing it actually got. Still, good first show!

1PWfan · May 17, 2010

Slight misprint in the results, the Ring Generals/OSP match is down as a C+ rather than the D+ I'm guessing it actually got. Still, good first show!

Thanks- as for the tag title match, dunno where that came from, but yeah, it was a D+.

So, let's see how the predictions went this, shall we? Yes we shall, I'm writing this and what I says goes.

Dragonmack: 3/6, largely due to differing philosophies on NYCW I think

ChrisKid: 5/6, with only DDD/Vessey against him

BHK1978: 5/6

Marcel Fromage: 3/6

John Lions: 4/6

Regis: 5/6

Clp605: 4/6

So, it's a a three way tie between Kid, BHK and Regis, so each of you will be getting a special edition copy of 'NYCW: The Rebirth of Tradition', NYCW's first ever show, featuring talent like Captain USA, Crippler Ray Kingman, the debut of The Insane Heat, and of course The Stomper. With commentary from the current NYCW announcing team plus guests like The Stomper, Rick Sanders recalling the debut of The Ace Express (who lost to The Tag Team Specialists on the show), plus a copy of the show's post autographed by all the current NYCW roster, this is...well, it'd be a hell of a package if it was actually real.

1PWfan · May 18, 2010

Coming out of NYCW Rush Hour, a couple of things were apprent. Firstly, our main event was in better health than it seemed: Bailey, Flash, Gumble and Ota still had enough gas in the tank to keep us going, and with Whistler, Frank and Cameron not far behind them we had a good crop of cusp guys that could cover any gaps in the card. Secondly, our tag division was in rude health: the tag title match had been the best undercard match of the night, and with Natural Storm on hand to beef things up the division was set to be a key part of our booking strategy for some time to come.

Going forward, the biggest piece of the news in February was the sell-out of the Idaho Punisher's book (and who else was surprised by the whole him-Idaho thing?). I've been making a habit of buying the book for all our young talent to teach them something about the history of the business, plus I actually get a mention (in the chapter on PPPW I'm the 'weaselly little play-by-play guy that quit after he fell out with Barber'). Oh, and Jesse Christian came back from hiatus, so I threw an offer his way: I don't have big plans for him but he's a solid worker and can team up with DDD or Whistler if needs be. Plus, his fundamentals are too good to ignore, so I figure what the hell? If I don't find a space for him it's no big loss anyway. In the end, though, I backed out after he demanded a title-run: whilst he's good my title transitions are planned for the next six months and like hell am I changing them for some utility player guy. I also re-signed Larry Vessey for 1500 per appearance- a little excessive but worth it for now I guess.

There were a couple of retirements this month: Anger finally decided to hang up the boots, but that was eclipsed by the fact that Rip Chord's walking away from the business. I'm already making plans to acknowledge him on our next show somehow: however you spin it there's not a company in the whole of North America that doesn't owe something to him, and if you can't admit to that then you're a god-d@mn liar. In the end, though, I couldn't think of anything beyond bigging up the connection during the Cameron Vessey and Natural Storm matches. As for MAW, Jay's took over from his dad, and Eric Tyler's come in to run the book. Hopefully that's a good sign for how Jay's going to do things- Eric's an old hand, and whilst his background's mainly with DaVE he's got exactly the kind of old-school mentality that MAW works on.

For our next show, Big Apple Breakdown, I went with the following card

IF GUMBLE WINS, HE CAN CHALLENGE FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus

juggaloninjalee · May 18, 2010

Big Apple Breakdown

IF GUMBLE WINS, HE CAN CHALLENGE FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus

Regis · May 18, 2010

IF GUMBLE WINS, HE CAN CHALLENGE FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble

Because if he doesn't, the stip is pointless.

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright

Woo! Go Steve! Go Whistler!

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals

I smell a Natural Storm mark... but seriously, for the indie tag scene, this is a license to print money.

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark

Cammy's not going to unseat Sammy so son.

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

JOBBER!

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus

ALSO JOBBER!

ChrisKid · May 18, 2010

IF GUMBLE WINS, HE CAN CHALLENGE FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus

Dragonmack · May 18, 2010

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble

Gumble is a big name for a small fed, so he should win to get a title shot

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright

Flash and Whistler get some momentum back

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals

While some may like them, I've never found Natural Storm all that good when I have used them.

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark

Neither is really a strong candidate for this title. I don't think Sammy was ready to carry it, and I doubt Cameron is the best man to take it.

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus

Jobbing and I assume using the only Working agreement Stomper allows to its fullest with MAW

Clp605 · May 18, 2010

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble
Gumble is a big name for a small fed, so he should win to get a title shot

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright
Flash and Whistler get some momentum back

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES
Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals
While some may like them, I've never found Natural Storm all that good when I have used them.

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE
Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark
Neither is really a strong candidate for this title. I don't think Sammy was ready to carry it, and I doubt Cameron is the best man to take it.

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus
Jobbing and I assume using the only Working agreement Stomper allows to its fullest with MAW

Just the same as I was going to pick and much better reasons then what I had. So I'll just quote this and there we go my picks, errr our picks.

BHK1978 · May 18, 2010

IF GUMBLE WINS, HE CAN CHALLENGE FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright

Lee Wright is the weak link in this match.

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

I am going to go with the upset here because Curtis has done well for me in my personal MAW game. And I am sick of seeing Ota.

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus

TLLK · May 19, 2010

Gonna jump in with the requests on this show:

IF GUMBLE WINS, HE CAN CHALLENGE FOR THE EMPIRE TITLE

Black Hat Bailey vs. Ford Gumble

Whistler & Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank & Lee Wright

FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Ring Generals

FOR THE TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Sammy the Shark

Fumihiro Ota vs. Curtis Jenkins

Rick Sanders vs. Riley McManus

1PWfan · May 21, 2010

Just to let y'all know that the show will be going up later today, so there's still time to get those predictions in, anonymous lurky fans!

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