NYCW: Old School 'Til We Die

1PWfan · September 16, 2010

Here we are, folks, 24 hours later than usual but hopefully none the worse for it

“Okay, I don’t want to sound mean Tammy, but what the h*ll are we doing here, really?”

“At a guess, Hugh, I’d say visiting my brother”

Which seemed fair enough, Hugh reflected. Admittedly he wasn’t sure how he felt about Sean’s decision to leave North of the Border- leaving aside the whole family issue, Hugh couldn’t see why you’d want to leave at all- but if he had to work for one of the big companies, at least he was working for Cornell’s mob. Not that Hugh especially liked TCW, but that was just his general dislike of anyone who offered written deals- at least TCW wasn’t part of the Eisen’s Evil Empire.

Which reminded him, he really ought to see about sticking it to Nero for selling out to the Eisens…

“TEEEEEEEEENNN-SHUN!!”

Almost on reflex, Hugh snapped to attention and saluted, then realised how stupid he looked.

“Man, Hugh you always fall for the same joke, over and over again. It’d be embarrassing if it wasn’t so funny”

“C’mon Thom, what else am I supposed to do? Try and kill you with a slow motion hand grenade?”

Hugh had known Thom Barrowman, on and off, for years. His dad had been TWL’s referee for donkey’s years, and after they’d closed in the mid 90’s he’d wound up at PPPW just as Hugh was starting out there. Since then Hugh had more or less stayed in contact- Referee Billy was a good guy, and the two shared similar views on the nature of Old-School wrestling, and how it was better than anything made post-1990.

“Oh he’s fine, moved back to Austin a few years ago. I look in on him every time we’re in the area, bring him the occasional tape.”

“He’s still watching wrestling? Actually, that’s not as surprising as I thought, this is Billy we’re talking about"

“Yeah, well, these days he mostly just watches old TWL tapes- there’s a couple of local cable networks down there that run their old shows on weekends. Tommy keeps talking about buying up the rights, of course, but last I hear Stampy’s family still weren’t selling.”

“Good for them- I like Tommy and this whole TCW thing more than Supreme, but you know how I feel about the whole global bullsh*t scene.”

“Well, Hugh, if I hadn’t noticed the first fifty times you sounded off on the evils of the major companies, that shoot interview you gave where you called Richard Eisen an evil sh*tbag and Tommy a Limey Megalomaniac would certainly have alerted me to your views on the matter”

“What can I say? I speak my mind”

“Yeah, it’s just a pity that your mind’s so hell-bent on making trouble for you. Seriously, Hugh, you’re easily good enough to work here- if you wanted to you could walk in here tomorrow and be on Total Wrestling straight off.”

“That’s nice, Thom, really, but I’m NYCW, okay? ‘Til I die, and even then I’ll probably come back and haunt the place”

“Okay, Hugh, fine, but I still don’t get that attachment- NYCW’s just another throwback company in New York, who cares?”

“I do, Thom, okay? Besides, you’re ex-DaVE, of course you don’t get it. Vibert’s idea of wrestling is to keep getting more and more up-to-date until you’re so modern that nobody notices you’re so full of sh*t that it’s making you go bald. But there was a time when there was room for everything in wrestling- when you could go down to Florida and see Dick the Devastator beating the hell out of Saionji Omura with a steel chair, or head out to Texas and see the Texas Outlaws kicking @ss and taking names. You could even go up to Boston and see Wild Man Sullivan and The Boston Bomber brawling all over the building, or across to Cali to see Preston Holt and Edmond Jackson go at it in one of the finest wrestling clinics you could imagine. But thanks to that satanic son-of-a-b*tch Eisen it’s gone, and now Cornell, the one guy I thought we could count on to bring it back, what’s he doing? The same global monopolising bullsh*t Eisen peddles! Well, excuse me if I don’t buy into that particular vision. I promise you, Thom, if there’s one thing I’m gonna do in my career, it’s keep the territories alive-even if every other company in America is swallowed up by Cornell and Eisen, NYCW’s gonna be there, keeping the flame alive”

“Whoah- I can see why they say you drink too much coffee”

“Yeah, whatever, Barrowman. Look, tell you dad I say hi, okay? I’ve gotta head off”

***

The whole way home (it was a heck of a drive from New Jersey to Long Island, and Hugh didn’t see the point in flying), Tammy was silent. Granted that wasn’t unusual- as a general rule Hugh talked more than enough for both of them- but if there was ever a time when Tammy could get close to Hugh’s level of gabbiness it was after she’d visited her brother.

“Hughie, did Sean seem…different to you?”

“Honestly, honey? I said like three sentences to him all evening. You know I’ve never been able to talk to your brother, how would I tell if he was different than usual?”

“He never talked about Roger or Lucy, not once. You know him, every other time I see him he’s never shut up about them, it’s all ‘Lucy did that’, ‘Roger said this’, y’know? But tonight, I don’t think he mention them once. Or Vicky, either”

“Okay, that is kind of off. Speaking as a man who nearly vomited pretty much every time Vicky mentioned Sean from ’97 through to 2000, I’ve never talked to those two without them being nauseatingly in love.”

“You know what he talked about, instead? TCW, all the plans, all the successes, all the publicity stuff you spout to the dirtsheets when you’re doing an publicity job for the company. He sounded like a machine”

“See, that’s why I never joined the big leagues. All that kow-towing and toadying- now Sean’s joined TCW he’s probably gone corporate, just like that rat Minnesota”

“I don’t know, Hugh- Sean’s always been such a nice guy, I can’t believe he’d sell out like that”

Hugh didn’t say anything then, but later that night, when they were both in bed, he couldn’t help but admit that he’d never liked Sean quite as much as everyone else did: he’d come from Supreme, and even the nicest guy in the world came out of that place feeling like the world owed him. And that wasn’t an attitude Hugh’d ever liked- the world didn’t owe you, you owed the world. Or, in this case, the business. He’d given 110% for the wrestling business, when he could, and now it looked like even the guys he thought he could count on to make a stand against Eisen’s Sports Entertainment monopoly were selling out to the corporate paychecks and monopolising B.S. the globals peddled.

Still, he figured, if it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight they’d get. And at New York, they had the best- the overlooked, the old and the not-quite-there, the guys who’d go out, give 150%, come back, and keep the Old School flame alive for as long as they could.

And knowing Stomper, probably even when they couldn’t in case he stopped their paycheck.

***

Card for NYCW Rumble in the Bronx

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Freddie Datsun

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Atom Smasher vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Lone Star Express

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Jesse Christian vs. Rick Sanders

Ford Gumble vs. Jared Johnson

Emma Bitch vs. Lauren Easter

Show up on Saturday, folks, same as always, and now for the fan questions!

Firstly, from RY-RAW's Jaded:

For Lauren Easter: "Do you think that NYCW will ever try main eventing with a women's division match?"

Lauren: Only if it’s Tammy vs. Lucy Stone-McFly. Seriously, though, NYCW, and more importantly the NYCW creative team, are too hidebound and conservative to try something so daring. I’m not trying to be a b*tch here, I’m just stating the facts: NYCW’s whole ethos is based around denying that the 90’s ever happened, and seeing that women’s wrestling was a sideline at best during the period Hugh’s trying to recapture it’s unlikely that he’ll ever give us a shot at the top spot.

Next, from Regis:

For Freddie Datsun: “The move from DAVE to USPW is a study in contrasts. How did it feel to move from a promotion that prided itself on being on the cutting edge to one that is self-consciously retro in its approach?”

Freddie: Don’t forget, I was at the SWF between DaVE and USPW, so stylistically the big changes had already happened. But yeah, I’ve had a habit of moving between wildly differing styles of company in my career, and it’s always a little weird at first. But as for the USPW-DaVE contrast specifically, I didn’t really have much of a problem with it: after all, I’d had six years at Supreme between the two, and in any case I never really felt like DaVE was a perfect fit for me. I could wrestle the style, and still bust some of that quite often, but I never got the hang of the presentation there. The American Everyman thing I do, that’s very much who I am in real life, and in DaVE ordinary nice-guy types didn’t get over very well at that point- DaVE fans wanted rebels or bad guys as their heroes, and I’m a card-carrying member of the Republican Party and a member of my Neighbourhood Watch, all that kind of very establishment stuff they hated. Whereas in USPW, all you have to do is carry Old Glory and you’re instantly a top babyface, so that kind of black-and-white dynamic was far more suited to me.

Finally, from RIPW's BHK1978:

For Lee Wright: “Lee how do you manage to keep up in matches against the younger wrestlers, some of who are half your age?”

Lee: I hit them so hard that they have to slow down. That’s pretty much it- I have about fifty pounds on most of the younger guys, so I can use that to dictate the pace of a match. And the bigger guys tend to wrestle a more power-based game anyway, which I can keep up with in my sleep.

ajcrible · September 16, 2010

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="1PWfan" data-cite="1PWfan" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27892" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div> Hugh had known Thom Barrowman, on and off, for years. His dad had been TWL’s referee for donkey’s years, and after they’d closed in the mid 90’s he’d wound up at PPPW just as Hugh was starting out there. Since then Hugh had more or less stayed in contact- Referee Billy was a good guy, and the two shared similar views on the nature of Old-School wrestling, and how it was better than anything made post-1990. “I do, Thom, okay? Besides, you’re ex-DaVE, of course you don’t get it. Vibert’s idea of wrestling is to keep getting more and more up-to-date until you’re so modern that nobody notices you’re so full of sh*t that it’s making you go bald. But there was a time when there was room for everything in wrestling- when you could go down to Florida and see Dick the Devastator beating the hell out of Saionji Omura with a steel chair, or head out to Texas and see the Texas Outlaws kicking @ss and taking names. You could even go up to Boston and see Wild Man Sullivan and The Boston Bomber brawling all over the building, or across to Cali to see Preston Holt and Edmond Jackson go at it in one of the finest wrestling clinics you could imagine. But thanks to that satanic son-of-a-b*tch Eisen it’s gone, and now Cornell, the one guy I thought we could count on to bring it back, what’s he doing? The same global monopolising bullsh*t Eisen peddles! Well, excuse me if I don’t buy into that particular vision. I promise you, Thom, if there’s one thing I’m gonna do in my career, it’s keep the territories alive-even if every other company in America is swallowed up by Cornell and Eisen, NYCW’s gonna be there, keeping the flame alive” </div></blockquote> Two comments. First, of course, love to see Billy Barrowman show up in another diary (stokes my ego a bit). Second, at some point in the future you have to give a 70s C-Verse diary a shot - you're built for it! Can't wait for the next show!!

Jaded · September 16, 2010

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Freddie Datsun

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Atom Smasher vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank - Too soon for a rematch? Nah, let's go!

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Lone Star Express - Storm are awesome.

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Jesse Christian vs. Rick Sanders - Go JC!

Ford Gumble vs. Jared Johnson - I don't dig JJ as much as many others on the board, but I DO dig JJ.

Emma Bitch vs. Lauren Easter - Probably my favourite non RY-RAW character in the CVerse.

Question for Honest Frank - "Is there any circumstance in which you WOULD lie to us?"

1PWfan · September 16, 2010

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="ajcrible" data-cite="ajcrible" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27892" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Two comments. First, of course, love to see Billy Barrowman show up in another diary (stokes my ego a bit). </div></blockquote> That was actually part of the reason for the re-write- originally the conversation was with Joey Minnesota, and was very different in tone (obviously as an NYCW Loyalist Hugh has major issues with Joey's departure, and I'm not so fond of him myself). But when the New Wave cameo'd in your TWL dynasty I saw the opportunity to give a shout-out to one of my favourite dynasties on the boards, as well as a reference to one of my favourite real-world promotions (and points to anyone who can spot the reference and the company) <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27892" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Second, at some point in the future you have to give a 70s C-Verse diary a shot - you're built for it! </div></blockquote> I've been looking at doing something in that mod for a while now, but I'm up to 2012 in NYCW write-ups and don't know when I'll stop (though I do know I won't end it in a *final* sort of a way- I like the idea of ending the dynasty with the idea that it'll continue offscreen). When that ends, I'm looking at maybe doing something with Championship Wrestling from Boston or AAFW- hardcore isn't usually a part of my sensibilities, and it'd be nice to try and combine real old-school stuff with rampant chairshots. Plus, Saionji Omura is one of my fabourite '77 pics.

Dragonmack · September 16, 2010

Card for NYCW Rumble in the Bronx

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Freddie Datsun

DQ or countout, no title change.

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Atom Smasher vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

Ota is the dark horse, but Flash is your strongest challenger

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Lone Star Express

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Jesse Christian vs. Rick Sanders

Ford Gumble vs. Jared Johnson

Emma Bitch vs. Lauren Easter

Boltinho · September 16, 2010

nice to see my favourite dynasties updated tonight

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Freddie Datsun

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Atom Smasher vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

Has to be a feud with Smasher.

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Lone Star Express

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Jesse Christian vs. Rick Sanders

Ford Gumble vs. Jared Johnson

Emma Bitch vs. Lauren Easter

BHK1978 · September 17, 2010

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="1PWfan" data-cite="1PWfan" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27892" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I've been looking at doing something in that mod for a while now, but I'm up to 2012 in NYCW write-ups and don't know when I'll stop (though I do know I won't end it in a *final* sort of a way- I like the idea of ending the dynasty with the idea that it'll continue offscreen).</div></blockquote> Well you could always do what I did for my 08 NYCW diary and have it all end up being a dream in Jim Force's head. Granted that did not go over well with people but hey, I thought it was worth a shot.<img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE Cameron Vessey vs. Freddie Datsun Cameron has got this. FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP Atom Smasher vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES Natural Storm vs. The Lone Star Express It is raining cats and dogs where I am at right now, so this seems to work for me. FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE Jesse Christian vs. Rick Sanders Would really like to give this to Rick but I have to be realistic. Ford Gumble vs. Jared Johnson Emma Bitch vs. Lauren Easter

Regis · September 17, 2010

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Cameron Vessey vs. Freddie Datsun

This is the era of Vessey.

FOR THE NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP

Atom Smasher vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

We've not seen the Smasher on the top billing for a while, and he's not faced Vessey before.

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

Natural Storm vs. The Lone Star Express

Sniff sniff... there's that smell again.

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Jesse Christian vs. Rick Sanders

Christian may be a bit old, but Sanders really isn't on his level.

Ford Gumble vs. Jared Johnson

The 'Placate The Cowboy' Tour continues!

Emma Bitch vs. Lauren Easter

Providing a fresh challenger for Tammy.

1PWfan · September 17, 2010

Just the usual 1 day to go warning folks- show should be up tomorrow evening as I'm busy in the afternoon. And I can say, with regards to finishing the dynasty, that I plan to end it at the point when we reach Cult, which won't be for a while yet as I'm only running one show a month at the moment, and that inside the Tri-State region exclusively. After that, I plan to work on a WIW '77 dynasty (when I took a look round I liked the idea of doing a very small, obscure part of that mod), although knowing me by then we'll have a new TEW to play and I'll just another NYCW.

Regis · September 17, 2010

Also, editing concern: Thom responds to a question about his father that Hugh never asks.

1PWfan · September 17, 2010

Also, editing concern: Thom responds to a question about his father that Hugh never asks.

So he does- I'll go back and edit that later. Maybe. If I remember.

1PWfan · September 19, 2010

NYCW Rumble in the Bronx

Friday, Week 4, May

Live to DVD from The Ministry

Audience: 1,000 (SOLD OUT!)

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

Sammy the Shark vs. Remmy Honeyman

This was a predictably good match, but then that was the whole point. Remmy’s probably going to be losing a lot, even though he’s a talented guy, but he can get over doing that, and Sammy needed an opponent he could rely on to get his momentum up a bit. He took the win at the ten minute mark, hitting Remmy with the Ace in the Hole for the pin.

Winner: Sammy the Shark Match Rating: D+

The Show

Ford Gumble vs. Jared Johnson

This wasn’t as good as Jared’s previous squash matches have been, but in fairness Ford’s not on the level of Freddie or Steve. Plus, we’re still having problems with Ford’s morale, as his recent string of losses have left him with a few issues with the way things are being run (fair enough really, and I’m trying to throw him a few more wins to cheer him up). Unsurprisingly, given that he’s still more or less a top guy, Ford took this one, nailing JJ with the Savate kick at exactly the six minute mark (seriously, right down to the very second).

Winner: Ford Gumble Match Rating: D+

*

“Ford Gumble wins an exciting opening match…what the h*ll, that’s Atom Smasher!”

Sure enough, Atom Smasher comes through the curtain, rapidly followed by Cameron Vessey as the champ lays a beatdown on his foe. Ford heads to ringside to help his friend out, but Emily calls down Lee Wright and Old School Principals to help lay out the two member of The Frontline. Fortunately for our heroes, Whistler and Steve Flash come charging out from backstage to even the odds, and things descend into a brawl as The Old School and The Frontline duke it out all over ringside. In the end, it takes the entirety of the venue’s security team and most of the backstage crew (including a quick cameo from the boss-man himself) to separate them. The reaction to this was pretty good, but we can do better.

Rating: D-

*

We head backstage to the Interview Position, where Emma Bitch is on hype duty for her match

“Lauren Easter, when you pinned me last month in your debut, you humiliated me. Well, now it’s time for payback…and you know what they say about payback.”

Another fairly tepid reaction here, but this was basically a time-filler so who cares?

Rating: D-

*

Emma Bitch vs. Lauren Easter

This was another great women’s match, with two of our strongest female workers contributing their usual performances. Emma’s weaknesses remain the same as usual, but she continues to balance them out with her charisma, making her just about worth keeping. As for Lauren, she’s Stone-trained and it shows: she’s one of the finest all-round workers I’ve seen since Belle Bryden or whatever Sam’s calling her down in Florida. Emma got the win tonight, nailing Lauren with The Payback.

Winner: Emma Bitch Match Rating: C-

*

Back at the Interview Position, Kristen’s on hype duty for the tag title match

“So, Dazzling Dave Diamond’s picked up a new partner, some ranch-hand kid from Buttlick East Texas named Bradley Blaze. Now, Dave, Bradley, I don’t care how good you think you are, how many bottles of hooch you down or how many fists you throw. You’re not walking out of this one with the tag team titles. Natural Storm have held the titles for over a year now, and when they take these titles from us they’ll have to pry them from our cold, dead hands”

As always Kristen was on the money, delivering a solid promo that got a strong reaction.

Rating: D+

*

Natural Storm vs. The Lone Star Express

This was an excellent debut for the Express, who both delivered exactly what I was hoping for: a good ol’ fashioned fistfight with plenty of entertainment value. Against the vastly more experienced Natural Storm they made for natural babyfaces, and their wild antics and wild brawling just added to that. Bradley in particular I wanted to look strong, since it was his debut, and he responded with some really enthusiastic brawling, at one point throwing so many punches that he not only hit both members of the Storm but also the ref and very nearly Dazzling Dave, who entered the ring to chase off Kristen Pearce. In the end, though, his enthusiasm was no matches for the Storm’s experience, and he went down to A Storm is Coming, though Deec did get his foot up on the ropes to make sure Bradley stayed down.

Winners: Natural Storm Match Rating: C

*

Jesse Christian vs. Rick Sanders

The other third of my Texas Trio was on good form tonight, although it’s worth pointing out that he’s another one who’s got a couple of morale issues. Against an old hand like Rick, though, he couldn’t help but deliver, and sure enough this was an entertaining power vs. technique encounter. I also had Sammy do a run-in to keep his storyline with Jesse ticking over. Appearing at around the 9 and a half minute mark wielding a baseball bat, he nailed Jesse with a thunderous shot, he proceeded to lay a thunderous beatdown on the bigger man, earning the champ a DQ victory. Not that Jesse was exactly in a position to comment, having taken about a dozen bat shots by then.

Winner: Jesse Christian Match Rating: C-

*

Backstage Freddie Datsun is getting ready for his match when Honest Frank appears out of nowhere, brass knuckles in hand. He proceeds lay several hard shots into Freddie, pounding him into the floor and leaving him a bloodied mess, to our usual rather mild reaction.

Rating: D

*

Atom Smasher vs. Fumihiro Ota vs. Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

This one was a good match, not up to the level of the title match from a couple of months ago but still a good match nonetheless. It benefited from the four different styles brought to the table- Smasher’s power game, Ota’s Japanese-style super junior style, Steve’s old-school chain wrestling and Frank’s brawling and gratuitous cheating- which combined to tell an interesting story, if not necessarily an enthralling one. In the end, this one went to Smasher, as he nailed both Frank and Ota with a series of big suplexes and bodyslams before hoisting Frank up for The Mushroom Cloud.

Winner: Atom Smasher Match Rating: C

*

Cameron Vessey vs. Freddie Datsun

The era of Vessey continues to roll on, handing in another new best ever match in this rather thrilling encounter. Admittedly this wasn’t the finest technical encounter we’ve ever seen- the ravages of age are starting to affect Freddie’s technical work, and Cameron has solid ability but nothing really special- but where it excelled was in narrative and psychology. Freddie was the aging veteran getting what could be his last title shot (it almost certainly won’t be, but what kind of an idiot lets logic get in the way of a good story?), Cameron was the ****y young hotshot looking to finish off his opponent for good. That leant a lot of emotion to the match, which complimented the pair’s intense brawling, plus the rapid-fire chain wrestling. In the end, though, Cameron took the win, nailing Freddie with delayed vertical suplex before hitting the Vessey Driver for the win.

Winner: Cameron Vessey Match Rating: C+

Overall Rating: C, and it’s number two with a bullet on the top 10.

Sorry this is up late folks, was busier than I thought yesterday. Follow-up tomorrow as usual

1PWfan · September 20, 2010

Well, folks, let's see how the predictions went down this time.

Jaded: 3/6, and you're question will go in the next slot

Dragonmack: 4/6

Boltinho: 5/6

BHK1978: 4/6, and I don't see Jim Force figuring in this dynasty, as I suck at writing him.

Regis: 5/6

So, this week's winners are Regis and Boltinho, who both get to ask any question they like of any member of the NYCW roster.

Boltinho · September 20, 2010

Yay!

For Atom Smasher:

"Cameron Vessey seems pretty unstoppable right now with a big win over Freddie Datsun. What makes you think you can take his title?"

Regis · September 21, 2010

Question for Kristen Pierce: How did you come to work with the Storm? Did you seek them out, were they looking for a manager, or was it all just a happy accident?

1PWfan · September 22, 2010

Buddy Rogers’ New York Minute

Another quiet month in NYCW- only major news is the dismissal of Jemma Griffiths and the expiry of Cheerleader Nicki’s contract. Apparently Nicki’s departure was the result of an administrational ****-up, and she’s likely to return at the earliest opportunity, but sources have told me that Jemma was dismissed due to being surplus to requirements. In any case, NYCW’s got a lot of valets and general fluff personalities hanging around, so a minor clear-out is probably required to keep the roster under control. In related news, Hugh’s also re-signed nearly half of the roster, including Natural Storm, Fumihiro Ota, Ford Gumble and Connie Morris.

Now, for this month’s column I thought I’d do something a little bit different. It’s been over a year since Natural Storm won the tag team titles, and with the division taking on increased prominence under Hugh Dansigny I thought it was time that we got to know the teams that comprised the division, who they are, what they do and, most importantly, what their chances of unseating the champs are.

Jared Johnson & Ant-Man: A newly formed jobber team, both JJ and Ant-Man have shown considerable potential without ever really sharpening their skills up much. Admittedly JJ’s already a strong athlete in need of a few breaks, but at the moment he’s been relegated to the job squad in order to keep his ego in check. As for long-term prospects, I don’t see these guys remaining together for long- JJ’s bound to rise sooner or later, and Ant-Man needs to deliver on some of that potential if he wants to stay with NYCW long term.
Tag Finisher: None
Chance of Unseating the Storm: None whatsoever

Natural Storm: The current champions, Natural Storm have spent the last year demonstrating exactly why they’ve been hailed as the finest young tag team in the United States. The pair have a lot of experience, and really mesh as a unit: Eddie is the big power wrestler, whilst DC Rayne provides the technical prowess and brawling ability. The addition of Eddie’s real-life girlfriend Kristen Pearce has also rounded out their mic work, covering their one major weakness. Granted, there are weaknesses to the unit (they have virtually no personality as individuals, and let’s face it neither of them are top-drawer workers), but I still say that there are few tag teams better suited to NYCW than Natural Storm
Tag Finisher: A Storm is Coming (STO/Running Big Boot Combo)
Chance of Unseating the Storm: Given that they are the Storm, none.

Old School Principals: Former two-time tag team champions, the team of Rick Sanders and The Masked Mauler remain a presence in the division despite the lack of attention paid to them in recent months. The most experienced team in the division, the pair are reliable hands without ever really setting the world on fire. The reasons for that are simple enough- whilst they’re both solid workers, neither man is anything more than a decent worker with veteran fundamentals. What’s more, Sanders is starting to show his age in the ring, which in an increasingly youthful division has to count against them
Tag Finisher: Old School Rules (Ankle-lock/Elbow Drop Combo)
Chance of Unseating the Storm: Their experience will always make them legitimate challengers, but they wouldn’t be my first choice to unseat the champions.

The Atlantic Connection: Curtis Jenkins and Riley McManus have served as the tag division face jobbers since their arrival in 2010, and show no signs of moving beyond there. They’ve singularly failed to impress anyone in their time with the company, and are currently keeping hold of their jobs thanks to their relative cheapness. However, they are both young, and have the chance of improving into something pretty decent if they can get regular work for that long.
Tag Finisher: Concorde Crush (Double DDT)
Chance of Unseating the Storm: Got to be the most outside of outside chances.

The Lone Star Express: A new team, this pair consist of veteran brawler Dazzling Dave Diamond, and promising young rookie Bradley Blaze, aka Bradley Masterson Jr, one of the feature players on The Pop! Network’s Lone Star Shakespeare (in which a disadvantaged Texan High School attempted to stage a version of Shakespeare’s Henry V). That’s turned an otherwise unremarkable worker into one with a lot of charisma, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Express make a bit of a splash in their first few matches. That being said, they’re still an unknown quantity, and it’s possible that they may fail to deliver.
Tag Finisher: Don’t Mess With Texas (Hart Attack)
Chance of Unseating the Storm: It’s very possible, but we can’t be certain of their chances ‘til we’ve seen them in action.

The Ring Generals: This pair, who lost the titles to Natural Storm back in February of last year, have been locked in a low-key feud with them ever since. Phenomenally promising, Statler & Waldorf are only 25 yet have fundamentals comparable to workers in their mid-30’s and sound technical abilities. They’re also favourites of Hugh Dansigny, who reportedly sees them as key parts of the division in the future.
Tag Finisher: Squared Circle Assault (Double Superplex)
Chance of Unseating the Storm: They’ve got to be the favourites, but I can’t help but feel that, what with all the title shots they’ve received, if they were going to take the titles back they’d have done it by now.

***

Card for NYCW Wall Street Warfare

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE
Ford Gumble vs. Cameron Vessey

Freddie Datsun vs. Fumihiro Ota

FOR THE NYCW BRASS KNUCKLES TITLE
Honest Frank vs. Atom Smasher

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE
Tamara McFly vs. Connie Morris

The Lone Star Express vs. Jared Johnson & Ant-Man

Sammy the Shark vs. Marv Statler

And now, as always, it’s fan question time! Firstly, this one from Jaded:

For Honest Frank: "Is there any circumstance in which you WOULD lie to us?"

Honest Frank: Absolutely not. I’m as honest as the day is long or the New York Giants are Worthless.

After all…Would I Lie To You?

Secondly, from Boltinho

For Atom Smasher: "Cameron Vessey seems pretty unstoppable right now with a big win over Freddie Datsun. What makes you think you can take his title?"

Atom Smasher: As the Moons of Mongo rise over the swamps of Arboria, the Atomic Warrior Spirits will achieve the full potential of their fury, and all servants of the Merciless will be swept aside in a battle unlike any other, and the great spirit of Ajax will impale the darkest one and bring victory to the forces of good!

Lastly, from Regis:

For Kristen Pearce: “How did you come to work with the Storm? Did you seek them out, were they looking for a manager, or was it all just a happy accident?”

Kristen Pearce: When I left the so-called big leagues, I looked around to find a company with talent worthy of my managerial efforts, and Natural Storm were easily top of that list. There’s simply no Tag Team in this country that have more potential, more ability and more inherent class than the Storm, and nowhere else that demanded my involvement more than NYCW. As for how we actually came to be working together, I don’t remember who made the actual approach- I believe I let them know that I was interested and they approached me for a formal deal- but it was definitely a planned coordination of effort.

Dragonmack · September 22, 2010

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Ford Gumble vs. Cameron Vessey

Vessey is the horse you are riding on to lead NYCW, and I don't see Gumble as a better choice.

Freddie Datsun vs. Fumihiro Ota

I mark for the Warrior of Darkness

FOR THE NYCW BRASS KNUCKLES TITLE

Honest Frank vs. Atom Smasher

The moons of mongo aren't gonna stop a pair of brass knucks in the trunks.

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Connie Morris

Nepotism, how I love thee.

The Lone Star Express vs. Jared Johnson & Ant-Man

named team vs jobber pairing

Sammy the Shark vs. Marv Statler

The ship seems to have sailed on Sammy's potential.

Boltinho · September 22, 2010

Loved the tag breakdown. So many diaries assume that all readers remember whos in every single team...

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Ford Gumble vs. Cameron Vessey

Champ over tubby cowboy

Freddie Datsun vs. Fumihiro Ota

Freddie hasnt been booked the strongest recently but its time to remember exactly who he is.

FOR THE NYCW BRASS KNUCKLES TITLE

Honest Frank vs. Atom Smasher

He did promise me he'd kick ass. Kind of.

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Connie Morris

Connoe Morris over a McFly?

The Lone Star Express vs. Jared Johnson & Ant-Man

coin toss here

Sammy the Shark vs. Marv Statler

last chance for Sammy to impress

Regis · September 22, 2010

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Ford Gumble vs. Cameron Vessey

Cammy's not going to lose to a guy who loses his bottle in the Main Event.

Freddie Datsun vs. Fumihiro Ota

As long as the champ's heel, the faces have to be kept strong.

FOR THE NYCW BRASS KNUCKLES TITLE

Honest Frank vs. Atom Smasher

Atom Smasher isn't going to come out on top here - he deserves better.

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Connie Morris

Tammy's going to win. Simple as.

The Lone Star Express vs. Jared Johnson & Ant-Man

Nice debut for the new team.

Sammy the Shark vs. Marv Statler

Good singles midcarder over tag team guy. Nice and easy.

BHK1978 · September 23, 2010

Honest Frank: Absolutely not. I’m as honest as the day is long or the New York Giants are Worthless.

And I used to like Honest Frank!

Card for NYCW Wall Street Warfare

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Ford Gumble vs. Cameron Vessey

Freddie Datsun vs. Fumihiro Ota

FOR THE NYCW BRASS KNUCKLES TITLE

Honest Frank vs. Atom Smasher

I can't vote for a Giants hater!

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Connie Morris

The Lone Star Express vs. Jared Johnson & Ant-Man

Sammy the Shark vs. Marv Statler

1PWfan · September 23, 2010

And I used to like Honest Frank!

Well he is a Jets fan, to be fair.

BHK1978 · September 24, 2010

Well he is a Jets fan, to be fair.

Nobody is a Jets fan!

1PWfan · September 24, 2010

Nobody is a Jets fan!

I'll take your word for it- I've only seen the last superbowl and played a lot of Madden NFL '09 (or maybe '08, don't remember which).

Anyway, this is the 24-hour warning, folks, so there's still time to get predictions in!

1PWfan · September 25, 2010

NYCW Wall Street Warfare

Saturday, Week 4, June

Live to DVD from Pennsylvania Park

Audience: 1,768

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

Emma Bitch vs. Amber Allen

Amber’s never really gotten much momentum going in NYCW, but she always performs well, and against a worker with Emma’s problems that makes her a useful worker. This was a decent women’s division match, albeit not one of our better matches. Emma’s weak selling and drugs habit aren’t going to go away any time soon, but her charisma and decent ability make her a valuable asset, whilst Amber is talented but eminently replaceable. In the end Emma got the win, nailing Double A with The Payback.

Winner: Emma Bitch Match Rating: D+

The Show

Freddie Datsun vs. Fumihiro Ota

This was a good match, and could have been even better if I hadn’t had to cut it down to 10 minutes to save time. Freddie’s age is problematic but not hugely so, whilst Ota has a couple of issues (he’s not very consistent, and frankly my grandma throws better punches) but remains one of the best workers on the roster, and a potential replacement for Stomper when the big man goes down (and that’s all anyone has to say on that matter). In the end, Freddie took this via DQ after Frank hit the ring with his trademark brass knucks, laying a beatdown on his rival to keep their feud going.

Winner: Freddie Datsun Match Rating: C

*

We’re back at the NYCW Interview Position, where Cameron Vessey is on hype duty for the main event

“Another month, another title defence, and the era of Vesset just keeps rolling on. Tonight, I wrestle the Tulsa Tornado Ford Gumble, and I gotta say I just don’t get the tornado thing Ford. I mean, I’ve never seen a fat Tornado, and you…well, it’s called a stairmaster, Ford, you might wanna look into it. Tonight is not a challenge to me, tonight is just another night in the long, long reign that defines the Era of Vessey.”

Cameron’s promos are always excellent, although it might be nice if he remembered the rest of The Old School once in a while.

Rating: C

*

Tamara McFly vs. Connie Morris

This was largely a filler match, but Tammy and Connie’s chemistry always makes for an effective encounter, and this was definitely one. Tammy’s work continues to improve, and her chain wrestling in particular is looking better than ever, whilst Connie’s grasp of the fundamentals is better than just about everyone else in the women’s division. We built this one around the same underdog formula that Tammy’s made her own, with Connie dominating the champ for most of the match, until Tammy was able to stage a fight-back at about the four minute mark. That brought out Emma Bitch in an attempt to interfere, only for her wild lariat to miss Tammy and nail Connie full in the face. Two McFly Rolls later and Tammy once again came away the champion.

Winner: Tamara McFly Match Rating: C-

*

Back at the Interview Position, Jesse Christian and The Lone Star Express are on hand to cut a promo

“Now, me and The Lone Star Express, we have a lot in common. We’re all from God’s Own State of Texas, we all kick @ss, and we’ve all had trouble in the business. Whether it’s that no-good slimeball Sammy the Shark, Natural Storm or even The Old School, seems like some days the whole world’s out to kick our teeth in. So, as of now, we’re watching each other’s backs. Ain’t that right Bradley”

“Damn right Jesse. You mess with one of us, you’re messing with all of us. And like all Texans everywhere, we’re tougher than two-dollar steak and ready to kick your @ss all the way to the Rio Grande and back”

“You’re god-d@mn right Cowboy! YEEEE-HAWWWWW!!!!!

Team Texas (as they’re called) are all solid talkers, but unfortunately popularity is not on their side.

Rating: D-

*

The Lone Star Express vs. Jared Johnson & Ant-Man

This might very well be JJ’s last match with us- NOTBPW just made him an offer, and since they’re at National now it’ll be a written deal- and like all his matches with us, this was a good one that never quite delivered what it promised. The main problem with this one was, of course, JJ and Ant-Man’s name value- whatever I’ve tried, it hasn’t gotten JJ over like I’d wanted, and Ant-Man’s also never gotten over (though it’s not like I’ve ever tried with him). In the end, of course, the Express took this one, nailing Ant-Man with Don’t Mess with Texas

Winners: The Lone Star Express Match Rating: D+

*

Sammy the Shark vs. Marv Statler

This was a disappointing match- both guys are good workers but this was a decidedly average match. Maybe it was the interference- I had Jesse do a run-in to keep his feud with Sammy alive- but whatever the case, I have to colour this one a disappointment. In the end, Marv took the win here, nailing Sammy with a Slingshot Suplex after Jesse nailed him with a Flying Tackle.

Winner: Marv Statler Match Rating: D+

*

Back at the interview position, Atom Smasher’s on hype duty for his match

“The Zero Point has been reached, and as the Galactic Lens focuses itself on the beacon of greatness that is New York, the atomic spirits have singled out the man known as Honest Frank for defeat. When the powers of the nuclear hyperwave focus themselves upon him, he shall be doomed as surely as the departed Eddorians of Boskone, who no longer trouble Civilisation with their villainy. Then shall good soar like the Skylark through the galaxy, bringing the light of tradition to the ancient halls of long-dead Arisia”

Smasher always delivers a good promo, even if he does seem kinda nuts.

Rating: C-

*

No sooner has Smasher finished his promo, though, than Cameron Vessey comes out of nowhere to attack him. Smasher fights back, though, and in the end it takes a crowd of road agents and backstage personnel to separate them

Rating: D

*

Atom Smasher vs. Honest Frank

I booked this one to fulfil Atom Smasher’s contracted title run, but it was a pretty decent sub-main event nevertheless. Not that that’s exactly a surprise: both of these guys are top-level guys for us, and amongst our most talented in the ring. The story was simple: Smasher dominated with his big power moves, whilst Frank fought back with his usual array of dirty tricks, including a cool new spot where he hip-tossed Smasher onto a set-up chair. In the end, though, the power of the Smasher won out, and he was able to nail Frank with the Mushroom Cloud to claim the win.

Winner: Atom Smasher Match Rating: C

*

Cameron Vessey vs. Ford Gumble

Okay, the era of Vessey has to have some kind of mystical import: there is no, no way, that he just managed a match this good against Ford Gumble. Not that I’m knocking Ford per se, but he’s never been a man you could rely on to deliver a top 5-level main event, and yet here he was, doing exactly that. Admittedly he’s cut his hair and started to look more like he did in TCW, but even so, this was more than slightly unprecedented. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, as Cameron continued his excellent run of matches, pummelling Ford from pillar to post in between the Tulsa Tornado managing spurts of high-octane offence, including the first diving leg drop performed by someone in the company other than Steve or Ota. In the end, though, Cameron once again took the victory, nailing Ford with a kick to the guts as he came off the top rope and hitting the Vessey Driver for the pinfall.

Winner: Cameron Vessey Match Rating: C+

Overall Rating: C, and whilst this one didn’t measure up to Big Time Wrestling or last month it still ranked high in the top 10.

ajcrible · September 25, 2010

Excellent show. I especially liked Vessey's promo on Fat Boy Ford and the Lone Star Express!

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