DAVE '97: No Disqualifications

[arwink]

In the Dog House

 

Most bookers have to spend time keeping the peace in the backstage area, but thanks to Phil’s desire for a unified locker room there’s usually not much call for it in DAVE. You’re more likely to find people chatting about shared interests – much as I’d done earlier in the evening when I came across Dewey Libertine and Chris Caulfield trading the title of surfing videos they’d both enjoyed – than you are resolving arguments spawned by legitimate issues between two workers.

 

Which is not to say there weren’t some problems. Case in point: Darryl Freeman, aka Dog Fyte.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpg

 

There’s a theory that says wrestling persona’s are at their best when they’re close to the real-life personality of the wrestler. I don’t necessarily know if I agree – anyone who meets Chris Storm in the locker room would have trouble reconciling his goofball personality with the intense MVP of NYC persona – but Dog Fyte is easily one of those guys who can be used as an exhibit for the affirmative in the debate. He plays an intense, arrogant, overconfident dick to perfection because he’s exactly that, and like most overconfident arseholes he prefers to blame everyone else for the things that go wrong in his life.

 

We knew there was trouble coming the moment we started the House of Stone storyline with the Ontario Kings. Darryl didn’t like being called out as the weak link of the training school (although he is, compared to the Kings, and likely will be for some time); he didn’t like eating the loss when he tagged with JD; he just plain didn’t like having to build a storyline where he wasn’t the focus.

 

And on the way into the bar tonight one of the fans who’d come from Philly made a few comments about the fact that Dog lost, and Darryl started making threats against the kid’s life. Fortunately Whisky Jack was there to diffuse things before they got out of hand, falling back on his much-vaunted experience as a bouncer. Turns out those tall tales Jack tells us about his time on the door aren’t quite so tall after all – he actually manhandled Darryl into the backstage area in the aftermath of the incident.

 

I didn’t find out about it ‘til after the show, otherwise Dog Fyte wouldn’t have gone over Panda Mask the way he did. I chewed Darryl out pretty good when I found out, and all the while he stood there with a surly look on his face.

 

“We done?” he asked when my anger ran out of steam.

 

“No-where near.”

 

“It’s no big deal, dawg,” Darryl said. “A fan got in my face, I did what was needed to make things safe to work. It’s the way it’s always been, yeah? You’d do the same in your day.”

 

“No Darryl, I wouldn’t.”

 

“It wasn’t a big deal,” Darry said. “It really wasn’t.”

 

He stared at me. I stared at him. We both waited for the other to blink.

 

“If it happens again I’m docking your pay,” I said. “If it happens after that, you’ll be left off shows indefinitely. Possibly forever.”

[arwink]

A quick up-date for those who were following this: there's going to be a short break from regular posts until the second week of September (due to me heading off to nerd things up at this year's Worldcon), so expect the next show to be uploaded around September 10th.

[arwink]

Coming Up at DAVE Night of Vengeance

 

DAVE hits the Ministry in New York City for Night of Vengeance on Monday, Week 4 of march, with the following extreme matches:

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Vengeance.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg

 

Vengeance vs. Corporal Doom

Hardcore Casket Match

 

The issue between Doom and Vengeance comes to head in the match Vengeance has made famous in DAVE – the Hardcore Casket Match. The ring is strewn with weapons, the casket lid is lined with coils of barbed wire, and the winner is the man who imprisons his opponent and nails the lid shut. Vengeance has never lost a Hardcore Casket match, but this one takes place in Corporal Doom’s home territory and the NYCW champion isn’t going to go down easy in front of his hometown fans.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

Chris Storm vs. Eric Tyler

 

Eric Tyler is looking to build momentum for his Extreme Championship match in May, but he comes up against the MVP of NYC in the venue that NYCW has made famous. Furthermore, a victory here could easily get Storm his own shot at the title before Total Disruption and thwart the Traditionalist’s desire to take the Extreme Championship from the DAVE Icon, Johnny Martin.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BryanHolmes.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpg

 

Bryan Holmes vs. Dog Fyte

 

Bryan Holmes is coming in looking for revenge after Phil Vibert interfered in the tag-team match between the Kings and the unlikely alliance of Fyte and JD Morgan, but Dog Fyte has recently signed with Vibert and comes into the clash with one of the most dangerous managerial minds on the planet is his corner. Either way, when these two trainees of the House of Stone meet, you can be sure it’ll involve some of the best wrestling action you’ll see this year.

 

Complete Card

 

Bryan Holmes vs. Dog Fyte

Panda Mask vs. Black Eagle

Chris Storm vs. Eric Tyler

Vengeance vs. Corporal Doom

[Jingo]

Bryan Holmes vs. Dog Fyte

Panda Mask vs. Black Eagle

Chris Storm vs. Eric Tyler

Vengeance vs. Corporal Doom

Vengeance aint losing his match .. surely!

[arwink]

DAVE Night of Vengeance

Monday, Week 4, March 1997

The Ministry (Tri-State) – 1,000 people

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Vengeance.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PandaMask.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BryanHolmes.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackEagle.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

Downward Spiral

- Video Montage -

 

The music starts up and the montage begins.

- cut – Vengeance: Twice before I’ve put men into the casket and nailed the lid shut. Twice, and neither has returned to DAVE in the aftermath.

- cut – Eric Tyler: Brent Hill isn’t here tonight. Brent Hill doesn’t need to be here.

- cut – Chris Storm: New York City is my backyard, the place where I made my name.

- cut – Black Eagle: Dawn in New York has four columns of mire and a hurricane of black pigeons splashing in the putrid waters.

- cut – Corporal Doom: What do I have against Vengeance? Maggot, look who you’re talking to. I’m thirty-nine years old. I’m taking paychecks from some Canadian kid to wrestle his matches.

- cut – Bryan Holmes: I’m straight-edge. Don’t talk about it much, don’t need too with Thomas around.

- cut – Panda Mask stares at the camera, quivering, a bamboo shoot hanging from his mouth.

- cut – Dog Fyte: House of Stone? Bitch, I was better than all of them before I started.

- cut – Vengeance: Rent flesh can heel, but a broken spirit cannot. The casket shreds both.

- cut – Eric Tyler: Tradition says you respect your opponent. This place has no use for tradition.

- cut – Chris Storm: People come here to fight me, Eric. They know what beating the MVP of NYC means.

- cut – Black Eagle: Dawn in New York groans on enormous fire escapes searching between the angles for spikenards of drafted anguish.

- cut – Corporal Doom: People look at me like I’m over. People think I’ve got nothing left to offer this industry. They forget I’ve been a champion…that I’m still a champion.

- cut – Bryan Holmes: I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I don’t eat meat. I became a wrestler for the rush, for the thrill of competition.

- cut – Someone drops something behind the camera and Panda Mask starts, leaping to his feet and looking around like a trapped animal.

- cut – Dog Fyte: It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog, yeah?

- cut – Vengeance: Your list of transgressions is long, Doom. I look forward to seeing your blood on my hands.

- cut – Eric Tyler: Respect? Respect is earned.

- cut – Black Eagle: Dawn arrives and no-one receives it in his mouth because morning and hope are impossible here. Sometimes the furious swarming coins penetrate like drills and devour abandoned children.

- cut – Chris Storm: This is my house, Eric Tyler. I don’t lose here.

- cut – Corporal Doom: I don’t do this for your entertainment, maggots. Tonight, I don’t even do it for the money.

- cut – Bryan Holmes: Tonight, I get that rush. Tonight, Dog Fyte learns what competition really means.

- cut – Panda Mask freaks out, going nuts and snarling as he leaps at the camera man.

- cut – Black Eagle: People who go out early know there will be no paradise. Like me, they feel it in their bones.

- cut – Dog Fyte: Bryan Holmes…bitch, it’s time to bring it.

- cut – Vengeance: Doom is a source of corruption in this world. I come tonight to cleanse him.

- cut – Corporal Doom: Tonight I answer the question everyone’s been asking...does Doom still have it.

 

Rating: C

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BryanHolmes.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Bryan Holmes vs. Dog Fyte /Phil Vibert

 

It’s hard-hitting and fast paced from the opening bell, with Holmes taking some of Dog Fyte’s stiffest shots and coming back for more. It’s clear that Holmes is slightly better in the ring – he has the benefit of experience over Dog Fyte – but the presence of Phil Vibert at ringside serves as an equalizer and there’s several stretches where the Stiffest Mutha-F—ker in the game gets to live up to his hype. It all goes well until Dog Fyte lines up the Death Threat, smashing two kicks into Bryan Holmes’ chest only to have the third kick caught and transitioned into the Stone Ankle Lock. Dog Fyte scrambles for the ropes and breaks the submission, but he turns and walks straight into a Cyclone Shock Kick that puts him away.

 

Bryan Holmes defeated Dog Fyte in 12:04 by pinfall.

Rating: C-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PandaMask.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackEagle.jpg w/ http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RavenNightfall.jpg

 

Panda Mask vs. Black Eagle w/Raven

 

Black Eagle charges into the match with a mysterious, gothic beauty at his side and immediately sets to work on Panda Mask. After a series of enziguri kicks the inevitable ENDANGERED SPECIES ATTACK MODE is engaged and the two get down to business, putting together a fast-paced cruiserweight clash that’s heavy on the spots and light on psychology. Panda Mask comes to close to getting the pinfall, but when he goes to the top rope for the Panda Attack! his leg is grappled by the mysterious woman, giving Black Eagle the time he needs to recover, throw Panda Mask to the mat, then finish things with the New Jersey Turnpike.

 

Black Eagle defeated Panda Mask in 7:44 by pinfall.

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

Chris Storm vs. Eric Tyler

 

This is a slow-burning fuse of a match, a concession to the NYCW fanbase that look for something a little more traditional that the explosive action DAVE favours. Storm starts off looking strong, but even his considerable technical expertise isn’t enough to take Eric Tyler on the mat and the Traditionalist keeps coming up the victor on their exchanges. Storm changes up his style and focuses on hit-and-run tactics, charging in with high-impact strikes and throws, wearing Tyler down. It works better for him, allowing him to slip on the arm-bar at the eight minute mark and come dangerous close to a match-ending submission, but eventually Tyler picks his spot and elevates Storm over the top rope with a backdrop.

 

Chris Storm hits the concrete hard and lies there, winded and bruised, while Tyler rolls out of the ring and dishes out some punishment. Despite this, the local boy kicks out of the cover that follows when he’s rolled back into the ring and the crowd pops like crazy. The next seven minutes or so contain a lot Tyler dominance with some very well-timed hope spots, largely courtesy of Eric’s instincts for keeping a babyface alive while leading a match. It finally builds to a rush of smash-mouth offense that puts Storm back in the match, hammering Tyler around the ring.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

And then Vin Tanner spoils it, charging into the ring with a chair and jamming the edge into the back of Storm’s knee. Chris Storm goes down and Tanner places the chair across his face before hitting a leg-drop, the crack of heel against steel echoing across the Ministry. The fans roar their disapproval but there’s nothing the referee can do under DAVE rules – Eric Tyler recovers and locks in the Tradition lift, securing the submission.

 

Eric Tyler defeated Chris Storm in 17:43 by submission.

Rating: C

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

Eric Tyler takes a moment to catch his breath, then demands the ring crew deliver a microphone to the ring.

 

“Tick, tick, tick,” he says. “The countdown is on Johnny Martin. The seconds slip by, turning into minutes, the minutes slip by, turning into hours. The hours turn into days. The days turn into months. Two more shows, Johnny Martin. You need to hold that title for two more shows, because when I have my title match at Total Disruption it’s going to be your hands I rip that belt out of. This company is everything that’s wrong with wrestling in this country, and you are the beating heart that keeps fans walking through those doors.

 

“I’m not going to make threats about stopping that heart – a man schooled in the traditions of this sport doesn’t need to make threats, and he doesn’t need to destroy his opponent to know that he’s the best – but you will not walk out of Total Disruption a champion. I’m the best wrestler in the world, Johnny. I won’t be stopped. I’ll take that belt and I’ll teach this company the respect it’s lacking.”

 

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Vengeance.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg

 

Vengeance vs. Corporal Doom

Hardcore Casket Match

 

The fans are hungry for this after the intensity of the pair’s post-match clashes, allowing the two men to ride a wave of heat unlike any other match we’ve put on in the year thus far. Doom starts things off with a strike from his truncheon, but Vengeance quickly disarms him and throws the weapon into the crowd. Doom tries for a series of strikes, punching for the face, but Vengeance no-sells the move and grins. Doom tries for a sneak throat-strike, but Vengeance sees it coming and catches the veteran’s hand…then proceeds to throw Doom out of the ring and follow up, collecting a snow shovel as he goes.

 

Doom’s heat sees him make a comeback and use the barbed-wire lined lid of the casket as a weapon, half-loading Vengeance in before slamming the lid on his back several times. The barbs rake the Avenging Angel’s back, drawing blood, but he fights free with a series of elbow shots. Doom never seems to be on the back foot for long after that; he may not have Vengeance’s power, but there’s a wealth of experience for the Sadistic Corporal to draw upon and he unleashes every dirty trick in his considerable arsenal.

 

At the very end the two men are standing in the casket, both of them trading blows with their chosen weapon in an effort to finally put their opponent down. Blood streams down both their faces, but it’s Doom who gets the final advantage – he fakes a shot to the head with the fire extinguisher he’s been swinging, then sneaks the Corporal Punishment shot to the throat in past Vengeance’s defenses. The big man’s eyes bulge behind his mask as he gasps for breath, but there’s no time. Doom takes him down and slams the lid on the casket, fumbling for the hammer as the steady thump of Vengeance’s fists suggest the Avenging Angel is getting free. The fans hiss as Doom hammers home the securing nails – one…two…three…four…and the match is over.

 

Corporal Doom defeated Vengeance in a Hardcore Casket match in 15:09 when Vengeance was trapped.

Rating: C

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg

 

The victorious Doom climbs on top of the casket and raises one arm in victory, blood trickling down the side of his face from the injuries sustained in the match. There is a storm of boos from the crowd as the casket movies, twitching as the monster Vengeance struggles against the coils of barbed wire slammed against his frame.

 

And then Doom seems to come a decision and he drags a steel chain from underneath the ring. It gets thrown over one of the exposed rafters of the Ministry and secured around the casket, then Doom drags the whole thing into the air with Vengeance still inside. It takes him nearly two minutes to get it high enough, but he secures the chain and leaves the Casket hanging in mid-air.

 

Then he produces the sledgehammer.

 

Doom circles the casket with the weapon in hand, milking the moment. The casket sways on its makeshift cradle, reacting to the movement of Vengeance within, and Doom lines up his first shot at the place where the head should be. He takes two practice swings before the first strike, but the third hits home with a deadly CRACK and the casket spins.

 

Doom pauses, studying the dent in the casket.

 

CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.

 

The sledgehammer lashes out another six or seven times, shattering the side of the casket, leaving a hole wide enough for one of Vengeance’s limp arms to fall free, and then Doom’s done. He drops the hammer and walks away, the sadistic sneer in place, while blood drips from the casket suspended over the concrete.

 

Rating: B-

______________________

 

Overall: C

[arwink]

I wasn’t in the mood for the staff meeting on April 1st, but I showed up regardless and settled into the corner while Mitch, Chris and Phil debated the relative merits of XFW’s decision to headline with Genghis Rahn and Dean McWade (working a singles mat-technician gimmick rather than the semi-famous mountain man tag-team with his brother) versus the fast-paced RPW main event that saw Silver Shark and Blue Sky defeat Dylan Sidle and The Guru. Both matches were good, verging on great, but there was very little doubt in anyone’s mind who was coming in top of the rankings this month. The sheer risk of the stunt we’d pulled off for Vengeance’s farewell was enough to ensure we were being talked about, even if the match that preceded it wasn’t quite what we were hoping for.

 

Despite this, I was fretting. Figuring out Vengeance’s last match for the company was the first time I’d been faced with a big booking decision – given the skill with which Phil put the big man on the top of the heat, it was always going to be one of DAVE’s defining moments of 1997. Worse, it had come out of no-where – Sean Mertyn phoned me a few days after our Boston show with the news that he’d signed with Philly Pro for a better deal. While we’d already been planning our New York stopover – a gig Doom lined up for us on the sly through his NYCW contacts – I’d have preferred to send Vengeance out in front of a larger crowd.

 

I spent days debating who’d finally take Vengeance down, pitching names at Phil to see how they sounded. Doom was the logical choice given that he was already working a program, but the long-term benefits of getting the Corporal over were dubious. The man’s a former SWF champion and a respected veteran of the sport, after all, so it’s not like he needed to go over Sean in order to make his mark. There were several times where I was ready to give into the temptation of sending Vengeance out in a more subtle manner, hoping we’d be able to hire him back in six months time, but Phil ultimately warned me against it.

 

“We’re in war,” he said, “and talent moves on all the time. I know it, you know it, the fans know it. No-one gets the rub unless we do something special.”

 

And so Vengeance went out losing his own match, the one he’d brainstormed with Phil way back when he first came into the company. And what we got out of it was a new monster - a no-nonsense, sadistic, hardcore Corporal Doom that sheds a little of the old-school attitude that might have held him back in DAVE.

 

It worked, yes, but still there's the questions. The what if's? We already knew it’d be a solid match, but it wasn’t until Doom and Vengeance came and pitched the aftermath that we knew we had this month in the bag. It was gimmicky and risky as hell for Vengeance – Doom really did have to swing hard with that sledgehammer to make the piñata trick work with the coffin and Vengeance left the company with a few nasty looking bruises – but it worked. March was our month on the TEW rankings, and everyone else was chasing us after the success of Vengeance’s farewell.

 

News of the War: March Rankings

One: DAVE

Two: NYCW

Three: XPW

Four: PPPW

Five: RPW

[20LEgend]

That ending was a great way for him to leave.

[arwink]

Coming up at … DAVE Rock and Roll Over

 

DAVE return’s to Pennsylvania Park on Monday, Week 2 of April, with the following extreme clashes:

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg

 

Johnny Martin vs. Corporal Doom

Fans Bring the Weapons Match for the DAVE Extreme Championship

 

Corporal Doom’s been a champion in every promotion he’s worked with in his long and illustrious career, and following his destruction of the Avenging Angel he’s been given the chance to add the DAVE Extreme gold to his collection.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FreddieDatsun.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheInsaneHeat.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RaulDarkness.jpg

 

Freddie Datsun & Chris Storm vs. The Insane Heat & Raul Darkness

 

In Boston Freddie Datsun made the mistake of striking Phil Vibert. At Rock & Roll-over he starts paying for that mistake – taking on two of DAVE’s most psychotic competitors in the form of The Insane Heat and Raul Darkness. Chris Storm has stepped up to serve as Datsun’s partner, but can even the MVP of NYC help Datsun stand up to the assault that’s waiting for him?

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheIdahoPunisher.jpg

 

Jimmy Cox vs. The Punisher

 

Jimmy Cox takes on the Punisher with Chris Caulfield at ringside. Cox has fallen victim to Punisher’s Crush Rush several times in the past, but the Punisher has never tasted Cox’s devastating finisher. Chris Caulfield’s ordered his friend to take Cox down and drive him out of DAVE, but Cox is never a man who should be underestimated.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MichaelCook.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LucasHale.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ElijahBlack.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MurderousMikey.jpg

 

Michael Cook & Lucas Hale vs. Black Murder

DAVE Tag-Team Championship

 

The issues between Black Murder and the DAVE youth movement come to head once more as Lucas Hale and Michael Cook step into the ring and fight for the DAVE tag-team championships. The rookies may be struggling for momentum, but no-one can deny their heart and the sudden threat of the arm-bar Cook slapped on the giant Murderous Mikey at our last Philly show. One submission may be all it takes to end the reign of DAVE’s first tag-team champions.

 

Complete Card

Mexico’s Most Wanted vs. JD Morgan & Dog Fyte

Wiley Steinway vs. Vin Tanner

Michael Cook & Lucas Hale vs. Black Murder for the DAVE Tag-Team Championship

Panda Mask vs. The Wolverine

The Ontario Kings vs. The Tennessee Outlaws

Jimmy Cox vs. The Punisher

Freddie Datsun & Chris Storm vs. The Insane Heat & Raul Darkness

Ed Monton vs. Eric Tyler

Johnny Martin vs. Corporal Doom for the DAVE Extreme Championship

[Jingo]

Mexico’s Most Wanted vs. JD Morgan & Dog Fyte

Wiley Steinway vs. Vin Tanner

Michael Cook & Lucas Hale vs. Black Murder for the DAVE Tag-Team Championship

Panda Mask vs. The Wolverine

The Ontario Kings vs. The Tennessee Outlaws

Jimmy Cox vs. The Punisher

Freddie Datsun & Chris Storm vs. The Insane Heat & Raul Darkness

Ed Monton vs. Eric Tyler

Johnny Martin vs. Corporal Doom for the DAVE Extreme Championship

After sending away Vengeance Doom simply must win here ... Unless he's now going to help put Martin over .. Tough pick.

[arwink]

DAVE Rock and Roll Over

Monday, Week 2, April 1997

Pennsylvania Park (Tri-State) – 2,000 people

______________________

 

Dark Match: In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, Picture Perfect defeated The Wild Boys in 8:08 when Eddie Chandler defeated Chris Perkins by submission with a Fabulous Stretch. (D)

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FreddieDatsun.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WilliamFletcher.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheInsaneHeat.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EdMonton.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EmmaChase.jpg

 

Downward Spiral

- Video Montage -

 

- cut- Corporal Doom: Vengeance was the first strike, the beginning of the war.

- cut- Johnny Martin: Corporal Doom used to frighten me when I watched him as a kid. He was big, and he was cruel, and he was damn near unstoppable.

- cut- Eric Tyler: I respect Ed Monton. I say that up front.

- cut- Freddie Datsun: People keep telling me I should make peace with Phil...

- cut- William Fletcher walks backstage, pausing before the locker room door marked with Eddie Chandler’s name.

- cut- The Insane Heat: In hell there is no light, there is only the heat and the flame and the endless pain.

- cut- Ed Monton: I started fighting at sixteen, eh. Brawling for money in the back of my daddy’s bar.

- cut- Eric Tyler: Under different circumstances I’d have him in my corner, a veteran of the sport who understands what it means to be great.

- cut- Corporal Doom: I’ve proved I’m not done yet, maggots. I’ve vanquished the man who terrorized this promotion.

- cut- Johnny Martin: But I grew up. I became a warrior. I learned how to fight men like Doom, and I learned how to beat them.

- cut- The Insane Heat: In hell there is no hope, no victory for the pure of heart

- cut- The door to Eddie Chandler’s locker room opens, revealing Easy Emma. William Fletcher offers her a shy smile…and Emma smiles back.

- cut- Ed Monton: When I was twenty-two I got stabbed for the first time, jumped by some biker after a show in Calgary.

- cut- Freddie Datsun: They tell me I’ve got a family to think about, like I somehow managed to miss that.

- cut- Corporal Doom: A battle is won and lost before the first shot is fired.

- cut – Johnny Martin: This title means everything. I know Doom understands that.

- cut – Eric Tyler: But Monton’s between me and my inevitable destiny, another man who must be beaten so I can take down the scourge that is Johnny Martin.

- cut – Ed Monton: When I was twenty-five I got beat down by three men, eh, and I’m still ticking.

- cut – The Insane Heat: In hell there is no mercy, there is only pain and suffering.

- cut – Freddie Datsun: I’m not sorry I hit you, Phil Vibert. I’m only sorry I didn’t break your damn nose.

- cut- Corporal Doom: Vengeance was a monster, Johnny Martinis just a man…

- cut – William Fletcher disappears behind the door to the locker room, and Easy Emma’s distinctive giggle can he heard as the door is closed.

- cut – Ed Monton: There’s nothing you can do to stop me. Ed Monton doesn’t lie down and die.

- cut – The Insane Heat: In hell the sinners are punished. Freddie Datsun has sinned, and I am hell’s emissary. There will be no mercy, but there will be pain. There will be...punishment.

 

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RafaelRuiz.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SpanishSuperfly.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JDMorgan.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Mexico’s Most Wanted vs. JD Morgan & Dog Fyte w/Phil Vibert

 

Vibert’s replaced by Emma Chase and Thomas Morgan in the commentary booth for this match, giving Thomas Morgan ample opportunity to cut promos on Dog Fyte and Morgan for their cheap victory in their clash with the Kings. He makes several comments about the lack of unity between Vibert’s clients – Dog Fyte and JD Morgan rarely tag each other in when they should and it costs them dearly in the early stages, especially given the speed with which Mexico’s Most Wanted work the match.

 

Eventually Phil Vibert plays on his client’s pride, pointing out that their lack of cohesion is going to lose them the match, and business picks up. Dog Fyte whips the hell out of Spanish Superfly, then JD Morgan comes in off the blind tag to stretch the hell out of the young luchadore. Ruiz gets a burst of offense off the hot tag, aided by the seeming inability of either heel to let their partner get the pinfall, but he eventually falls victim to the Cross Atlantic Stretch to end the match.

 

JD Morgan and Dog Fyte defeated Mexico’s Most Wanted in 8:23 by submission.

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Jakki.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WileySteinway.jpg

 

Jakki White Trash is sitting backstage, plucking a tune on her guitar. A shadow falls across her face as Wiley Steinway looms over her. “Seems you’re sitting here on your own, little girl,” Steinway says, then he flashes her a broad grin. “Not smart.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Jakki returns the grin and stands. “Yer the one whose here without your partner, darlin’. All I gotta do is whistle –” she pauses to pout, threatening to whistle –“and two angry cowboys are comin’ in here to whup your butt.”

 

Steinway snaps an arm forward, pinning Jakki to the wall. “Promises promises,” he says. “But don’t strain yourself, little girl. Me and Dynamite, we’re eager to get in the ring with your boys again. You might even say we’re lookin’ forward to it.”

 

He eases off and takes the guitar, plucks a single string. “Relax, darlin’. I already got myself a match tonight, and I don’t beat on women. Just tell your boys to be ready at Total Disruption, ‘cause the next time we meet it isn’t going to be a match…it’s going to be a massacre.”

 

Rating: E+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WileySteinway.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

Wiley Steinway vs. Vin Tanner

 

Tanner returns to his usual form, running through the standard hardcore heel routine he’s built up over the last four years. Steinway makes a good showing, but he falls prey to the V for Victory after an overbooked brawl.

 

Vin Tanner defeated Wiley Steinway in 8:35 by pinfall.

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BenCross.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MichaelCook.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LucasHale.jpg

 

Rick Astley’s Take Me To Your Heart rings out over the arena, heralding the arrival of Lucas Hale and his tag-team partner Michael Cook. The two men emerge from the backstage area with Ben Cross at their size; Cook is all business, stalking towards the ring with an intense focus, but Lucas Hale falls back on his usual antics – flirting with ladies at ringside, cutting loose with some thoroughly cheesy pick-up lines, and generally ignoring the irritated expression on Cook and Cross’s faces.

 

The only difference between this and his usual entrance is the utterly besotted look that washes across his face when he spots a particular woman sitting in the front row. Hale immediately starts chatting her up, doing his best impression of Pepe le Pew, and Cross has to drag him to the ring in order to start the match.

 

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MichaelCook.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LucasHale.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BenCross.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ElijahBlack.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MurderousMikey.jpg

 

Cook & Hale w/Ben Cross vs. Black Murder

 

It’s an awkward match, heavily hampered by the fact that Elijah Black’s the only man in the ring whose actually accepted by the fans. We run things by the numbers – a brief burst of offense for Hale and Cook, Black Murder taking control courtesy when Lucas Hale attempts the Money Maker and there’s no water in the pool, Cook coming in off the hot tag and locking in arm bars on both members of Black Murder in rapid succession, then the messy boondoggle that occurs when all four men start brawling in the ring. It ends with Lucas Hale getting crushed by Black’s Soul Train.

 

Black Murder defeated Hale & Cook in 7:49 by pinfall.

Rating: E

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ElijahBlack.jpg

 

Elijah Black is quick to claim his tag-team title strap and a microphone. “Cross!” He yells, leaning against the turnbuckles. “Your kids lost again Cross! And you know what? We’re bored of it. And you know what happens when Mikey gets bored, Cross.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MurderousMikey.jpg

 

Murderous Mikey roars and scoops up Michael Cook, holding him in position for a crucifix bomb. He holds Cook aloft for a few seconds, then charges towards the side of the ring and pitches the rookie over the edge. Cook goes through the announce table and lies there, unable to move.

 

“One down, Cross,” Black yells. “One down, and one to go.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisPerkins.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RoyStephens.jpg

 

Mikey moves towards Lucas Hale, but Chris Perkins and Roy Stephens charge the ring with chairs before he can continue with the wave of destruction. Stephens gets there first and slams a chair into Mikey’s stomach, doubling him over, then holds the weapon next to Mikey’s head while Perkin’s delivers an enziguri through the steel. It’s enough to rattle the big man, and Elijah Black seems to have found somewhere else to be during the assault.

 

Rating: E

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PandaMask.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheWolverine.jpg

 

Panda Mask vs. The Wolverine

 

The fans wait for the endangered species attack mode to engage, but it never seems to happen in this match. Panda Mask is intimidated by the Wolverine, treating him like an alpha predator, and although he mounts a token defense this is the Wolverine’s match all the way. Panda Mask gets thrown around the ring for five and half minutes before Wolverine nails him with the Maul and claims the pinfall.

 

The Wolverine defeated Panda Mask in 5:36 by pinfall with The Maul.

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BryanHolmes.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ThomasMorgan.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WhiskyJack.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackjackRobbins.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Jakki.jpg

 

The Ontario Kings vs. The Tennessee Outlaws w/Jakki White Trash

 

A ten minute brawl that plays heavily on the size difference between the two teams, with the Outlaws bullying the smaller Kings around the ring and the Kings taking the match to the mat in order to hold the advantage. It’s one of those rare nights where Bryan Holmes underperforms, which actually makes the match seem a little more even given the esteem with which Holmes is held by a large chunk of the fan base. Despite this, he eventually puts Blackjack Robbins away with the Tornado Shock Kick.

 

The Ontario Kings defeated The Tennessee Outlaws in 9:56 by pinfall.

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Jakki.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WhiskyJack.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackjackRobbins.jpg

 

It’s become the routine that ends most Tennessee Outlaws matches – Jakki White Trash smashes her guitar across the back of Bryan Holmes’ head and calls for the table, and the Outlaws immediate start setting up and preparing to spike their opponent through the furniture.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WileySteinway.jpg

 

The only difference is that this time Wiley Steinway charges the ring and pushes Blackjack Robbins off the ropes, sending the big cowboy through the tables before they load Holmes into position. Whisky Jack charges as soon as he works out what’s wring, but Steinway’s prepared – a fist wrapped with a steel chain catches Whisky across the jaw, felling him in a single shot.

 

Steinway looks at the carnage he’s wrecked, then winks at Jakki. “Massacre,” he yells, holding the chain-wrapped fist in the air.

 

Rating: E

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheIdahoPunisher.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpg

 

Jimmy Cox vs. The Punisher w/Chris Caufield

 

There’s a surprising streak of energy running through this match, and not all of it comes from the heat of seeing Cox and one of the Hard Knocks boys in the ring. There’s chemistry at work here – not a huge amount, but enough that the pair feel confident of working stiff without risking each other’s health – and for two men known for their limited arsenal of moves it’s a surprising match. The Punisher sticks with what brings him to the dance – big slams, hard-hitting clotheslines, the occasional spear – but Cox works hard to provide the variety and incorporate some new spots into his move-set. He scores a big pop after busting loose a roaring elbow that comes very close to winning him the match, but it finally takes the Immortal Driver to put Punisher away.

 

Jimmy Cox defeated The Punisher in 10:22 by pinfall.

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ThomasMorgan.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BryanHolmes.jpg

 

The Ontario Kings are in their locker room, cooling down after their match. Bryan Holmes is holding a bandage against the back of his head, treating the injury from the guitar smashes across his head, while Thomas Morgan is busy unwrapping the tap around his wrists. There’s a knock on the door, and Phil Vibert lets himself in. The boss is carrying a briefcase in his hand, and he’s sporting a black eye that wasn’t there a few hours earlier.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Thomas Morgan stands and look Vibert over, trying not to smirk. “Nice colour,” he says, nodding at the eye.

 

Vibert, for his part, tries not to glare. “The Dog wants a rematch,” he says. “The Ontario Kings versus Dog and the Partner of his choice.” He opens the briefcase and holds a contract out to the Kings. “You boys in?”

 

Thomas Morgan exchanges looks with Bryan Holmes, the two of them grinning. “We’re in,” he says, and Holmes nods. “But we’ve got condition…we want you banned from ringside.”

 

Vibert shakes his head. “The offer’s for another match,” he says. “No negotiations. I own this company. I own *you*.”

 

Morgan shrugs. “If you say so,” he says. “But you’re the one who explains it to Dog Fyte.”

 

Vibert raises one hand and touches it to the black eye, perhaps not even aware that he’s moved. “Fine,” he says. “I won’t be at ringside.”

 

Bryan Holmes stands and claims the contract. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

 

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FreddieDatsun.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheInsaneHeat.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RaulDarkness.jpg

 

Freddie Datsun & Chris Storm vs. The Insane Heat & Raul Darkness

 

Both Heat and Darkness walk into the ring armed with the kendo sticks that have long been Darkness’ trademark, and they focus their attention on one thing throughout the match: destroying Freddie Datsun. Chris Storm capitalizes on their inattention during the early stages of the match, keeping them off-balance, but it isn’t long before Raul Darkness takes exception and swats Storm across the forehead with the Singapore Cane. Storm goes down, bouncing off the ring-apron, and the two monsters give Datsun their full attention. Freddie is at his best taking a beating, timing the hope spots and attempted tags perfectly, and by the time he finally gets the hot tag the fans are fully prepared to cheer Storm’s rapid bursts of offense. The four-way breaks out not long after, ending when Storm kicks Heat towards Datsun and Datsun puts the former XWF champion away with the Patriot Press.

 

Freddie Datsun and Chris Storm defeated The Insane Heat & Raul Darkness in 13:46 by pinfall.

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg

 

Storm quickly collects a microphone after the match is done. “Vin Tanner,” he says. “I don’t know what I did to you, and I don’t really care. Two weeks ago you cost me a match in my home town – you caused the MVP of NYC to loose in the building he sells out, night after night. That kind of thing doesn’t sit right with me, so I’m calling you out: you and me, no holds barred, falls count anywhere and the last man standing wins.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

The opening guitar riff of Metallica’s Harvester of Sorrow plays and Vin Tanner makes his way to the ring, idly chewing on a toothpick as he gets in Storms face.

 

The veteran holds up three fingers, then folds down the first. “One,” he says, “you’re a goddamn punk. MVP of NYC? Kid, you might be good, but anyone whose that damn ****y doesn’t have what it takes, mentally speaking, to last long in this business.

 

“Two: you’re a moron. If you want to know why I cost you a match, ask yourself why you’ve been getting bookings since our last match and I’ve been sitting home trying to figure out how I’m paying my rent. It’s the first rule of wrestling, kid – you take a man’s spot, and the man will do what it takes to get it back.

 

Storm turns, ready to walk away, but Tanner grabs him and holds his attention.

 

“Three,” Tanner says, “you’re f—kin’ on.” And he proceeds to throw a big right that knocks Storm to the canvas. The DAVE veteran flicks his toothpick on the prone form. “You got a week to prepare, kid. Use it well. Because when you and I meet in the ring again, I plan on making sure you’re never in a position to take my spot again.”

 

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EdMonton.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

Ed Monton vs. Eric Tyler

 

Tyler spends the match working on Monton’s shoulder, starting the process off with a hammerlock drive for the corner and continuing with hold after hold that torques the joint in an unnatural direction. Monton endures, fighting free time after time, and his own bursts of offense are hard-hitting shots that rock his opponent. Tyler is easily the better wrestler, and it’s noted his focus on the shoulder both softens up Monton for the Tradition Lift in addition to making it near impossible for him to get any force behind the Jawbreaker Rush, but Ed Monton refuses to die and Phil Vibert actually wonders if Monton would be willing to sacrifice his arm in order to pick up victory.

 

It would appear the answer is yes, since the Jawbreaker comes into play around eighteen minutes in. The impact sends Tyler reeling back into the ring-ropes, using them to keep himself upright, but it also seems to put Monton’s right arm out of the match for good. It hangs limp at his side, and the pain is enough to keep the Canadian Hardcoase from capitalising and getting the pinfall.

 

Tyler has no such trouble against an injured opponent – Monton’s injured arm becomes an easy target and the Tradition Lift is applied for the submission.

 

Eric Tyler defeated Ed Monton in 19:44 by submission.

Rating: C-

______________________

 

Eric Tyler helps Monton to his feet and shakes his hand, showing his respect for the Canadian veteran. The fans give him an uncertain pop, but Tyler is quick to claim a microphone and shut down any chance of getting turned face.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

“Shut your mouths,” he orders. “I didn’t do that for you idiots. I did that for him, a man I respect, a man who understands what it takes to be the best. A man I’d be honored to *wrestle* for my title once I take it from Johnny Martin’s hands. You want to cheer me because I respect an opponent? You want to pretend I suddenly care what you think? Screw you! Screw every damn one of you! Until you understand what it takes to climb into this ring, I don’t give a damn about any of you.”

 

Tyler drops the microphone and flips the bird on the entire crowd, but he doesn’t head backstage. Instead he chooses to take third chair on the commentary booth for the next match, mumbling something about taking the opportunity to scout Martin while he’s at his best in the upcoming match.

 

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EmmaChase.jpg

 

Johnny Martin vs. Corporal Doom w/Easy Emma

Fans Bring the Weapons Match for the DAVE Extreme Championship

 

While it’s not the longest of Johnny Martin’s title defenses, this is easily the most vicious – Doom walks in with his baton in hand and starts beating on Martin before the bell’s even rung. Martin scrambles for cover, eventually using the belt to shield himself from the attack before getting his feet beneath him and blasting Doom in the face with the strap. Things don’t get much better for Martin after that – he gets maybe a quarter of the offense in the match, holding on by the skin of his teeth against the aggression of Doom, and what little momentum he manages to accumulate is rapidly cut off by the interference of Easy Emma. Eric Tyler gets increasingly incensed on commentary, running down Martin and Doom alike, but even he admits a grudging respect for Martin’s ability to keep getting and fighting to retain the title. Eventually Doom gets the upper hand, nailing Martin with the Corporal Punishment throat punch. Martin gasps for air, trying to draw breath, and Doom prepares to finish things with a powerslam.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

And that’s when Eric Tyler climbs into the ring, a chair in hand. He snaps a shot across the back of Corporal Doom’s skull, putting the SWF legend down, then follows it up with an additional chair shot while the big man’s down. Easy Emma climbs into the ring, but Tyler takes her down as well. He then nails the gasping Johnny Martin with a DDT and drags the unconscious Extreme Champion on top of his opponent and forces referee Dewey Libertine to make the three-count.

 

Johnny Martin defeated Corporal Doom in 15:18 by pinfall.

Rating: C

______________________

 

Overall: D+

[arwink]

Learning to Think in Threes

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BenCross.jpg

 

If Phil Vibert wrote a book on booking, you can be sure the phrase "three is the magic number" would come up very early. I'used to hear him say it a once a week or so when I first started working at the DAVE offices, his recurring booking matra whenever he got stuck for ideas. Sometimes we'd even talk about the triads he used as the foundation of DAVE in years gone by, building the company's identity and headline fueds around three particular workers over the course of the year.

 

The core of the theory is this: dualities are dull. Good versus Evil, face versus heel, man versus nature - it's all classic storyline stuff, but it leaves you very few directions to go in. When two people argue and they both believe their right, there's very little chance of getting a resolution. It isn't until you add a third person that things get interesting - people take sides, they can form majorities, and suddenly you have more than an either/or resolution.

 

The first year of DAVE rested on the shoulders of four men: the hard-hitting British style of JD Morgan, the old-school mentality of Black Hat Bailey, and the agressive tag-team work of the Demons of Rage. Much of 1996 revolved around Johnny Martin, Eric Tyler and Freddie Datsun - Phil booked the three title changes in last year's Attitude Adjustment as a precurser to putting all three men in the ring at the headline of the Alternative Showcase to blow off the fued.

 

If Phil had stayed as booker 1997 would have been the year of Johnny Martin, Vengeance and the Darkness Warriors. Now we're four months out from DAVE's biggest show in August and only one of the three components is still with company - although Phil's rule of three remains in the decision to add Corporal Doom to the fued between Martinand Tyler, and has echos in the Dog Fyte's antagonistic relationship with Vibert in the Kings/Morgan and Dog Fyte program, and in Phil Vibert's persecution of Freddie Datsun using Raul Darkness and The Insane Heat as the primary tools of harm.

 

The challenge going into 1998 isn't really working out whose going to be the focus - I already have rough plans for two of the three centrepeice workers who'll be getting pushed into the top spots leading into next year's Alternative Showcase and it seems likely Phil will insist that Johnny Martin remain the third.

 

Instead, the challenge for next year will be figuring out which three tag-teams will be given a similar focus - after the departure of Jay Darkness means we have a chance to apply Phil's theory to the entire division after the teams have established themselves, but it's a toss-up as to which team will have come together strongly enough to deserve the spot.

[arwink]

Coming Up at DAVE Contagion

 

DAVE return’s to Pennsylvania Park on Monday, Week 3 of April, with the following extreme clashes:

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

Chris Storm vs. Vin Tanner

Last Man Standing

 

Storm called out Tanner on our last show, looking for some payback after the DAVE veteran cost the MVP of NYC a match against Eric Tyler. Tanner responded in kind, blaming Storm for taking the spot on the card usually reserved for The V Man. When the meet at Contagion it’ll be no holds barred, with the last man standing claiming victory.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EddieChandler.jpg

 

Jimmy Cox vs. Eddie Chandler

 

The two hottest young talents on the DAVE roster clash for the first time. Cox has been making his name in DAVE with the Immortal Driver, attracting the attention of Japan’s Golden Canvas Grappling for his work. Chandler has recently been named one of the hottest talents in wrestling today by the DeColt clan up in Canada, but he’s relied heavily on an entourage consisting of Easy Emma, William Fletcher and Corporal Doom over recent shows. Will the Fabulous One stand alone at Contagion? Can he fend off the Immortal Driver and claim victory?

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LucasHale.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Lucas Hale vs. Larry Wood

 

It may be one of the most anticipated debuts in DAVE history – Larry Wood’s been tearing up the rings in North of the Border Pro Wrestling, putting together a string of high quality singles matches in addition to his tag-team work with his brother Billy. He steps into the DAVE ring for the first time against a crowd favorite – The All-Eighties Love Machine, Lucas Hale.

 

Complete Card

Panda Mask vs. Brent Hill

Lucas Hale vs. Larry Wood

The Wild Boys vs. Raven’s Angels

Jimmy Cox vs. Eddie Chandler

Chris Storm vs. Vin Tanner

Bonus Match: Johnny Martin vs. One Wrestler Whose Previously Wrestled on the Card

[Jingo]

Panda Mask vs. Brent Hill

Lucas Hale vs. Larry Wood

The Wild Boys vs. Raven’s Angels

Jimmy Cox vs. Eddie Chandler

Chris Storm vs. Vin Tanner

Bonus Match: Johnny Martin vs. One Wrestler Whose Previously Wrestled on the Card

[arwink]

DAVE Contagion

Monday, Week 3, April 1997

Pennsylvania Park (Tri-State) – 2,000 people

______________________

 

Dark Match: In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, Jimmy Cox defeated William Fletcher in 8:10 by pinfall with an Immortal Driver. (D-)

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EddieChandler.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WilliamFletcher.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BrentHill.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EmmaChase.jpg

 

Downward Spiral

- Video Montage -

 

- cut – Eddie Chandler: It’s not easy being Fabulous, that’s why I hire help.

- cut – Chris Storm: I fight for the same reason everyone does – to be the best.

- cut – Johnny Martin: Nine months I’ve held the Extreme Championship. For nine months, I’ve been the best.

- cut – Vin Tanner: Twelve years I’ve been in this business; I’ve wrestled matches like this before.

- cut – A grainy, black-and-white shot of the carpark outside Pennsylvania Park featuring a car that rocks in a very…suggestive…manner.

- cut – Larry Wood: I don’t like the city. It’s loud. It stinks. It puts me in a bad mood.

- cut – Eddie Chandler: It started with Emma, then we brought in Doom. It’s not that I needed the help, but it sure makes things easier.

- cut – Chris Storm: I can hold my own in a wrestling match, I know that. But tonight I face my trail by fire.

- cut – Johnny Martin: Every show I go out there and wage war. I fight to keep hold of what’s mine.

- cut – Vin Tanner: I know what a concussion feels like. I know what it’s like to get knocked out, wake up, and keep on fighting.

- cut - Brent Hill: Get the camera out of here. What I need to say, I'll say in the ring.

- cut – The camera zooms in on the windows covered in residue, catching signs of movement within.

- cut – Larry Wood: Thing is, I like to hurt me some people, and there ain’t many places to do that up the mountain.

- cut – Eddie Chandler: Tonight I’ve got Jimmy Cox, the master of the immortal driver. Alone he might be able to beat me…

- cut – Chris Storm: Tonight I’ve got to knock a man out.

- cut – Johnny Martin: One day I’m going to lose. I know that, I’ve accepted it. I don’t know why Eric Tyler stopped that from happening, but he did. I don’t want to win like that.

- cut – Vin Tanner: Your first time out, you think it’s so easy. Putting a man down for a ten count doesn’t sound too different to pinning him for three.

- cut – The car stops shaking. A few minutes later, William Fletcher and Easy Emma emerge, hastily buttoning their jackets.

- cut – Larry Wood: Seems I ran out of people to hurt in Canada, so I’m making a start here.

- cut – Vin Tanner: I’ve been here before, Storm. I know what’s coming.

- cut – Johnny Martin: One day I’m going to lose, but when it happens it’ll cost someone dearly.

- cut – Chris Storm: Vin Tanner, tonight you find out how far I’ll go to be what I say I am.

- cut – Johnny Martin: When I lose this belt, when I go out, I go out as the best DAVE champion the company’s ever seen. I don’t need your help, Eric. I don’t want it.

- cut – Eddie Chandler: With back-up, I’m unstoppable, and tonight is going to be…Fabulous.

 

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PandaMask.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BrentHill.jpg

 

Panda Mask vs. Brent Hill

 

It doesn’t take Hill long to goad Panda Mask into the ENDAGERED SPECIES ATTACK MODE! and the action is fast and furious once that happens. Brent Hill is undoubtedly the better wrestler of the two, but Panda Mask’s ferocity and ability to hit the Rana from any position makes it tough fight. The match ends with Hill reverses a spinning head scissors from Panda Mask, flipping him in midair before locking in a sleeper hold and wrestling Mask to the ground for the Complete Package submission.

 

Brent Hill defeated Panda Mask in 8:28 by submission.

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BrentHill.jpg

 

Hill claims a microphone from the ringside area. “Johnny Martin, I know you’re back there,” he says. “So how about you get your ass out here and we’ll give these people a show.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg

 

Johnny Martin emerges from the backstage curtain, title slung over his shoulder and a cautious look on his face. Hill nods in acknowledgement before he continues. “Relax,” he says, “I’m not going to jump you. When I beat you, it’ll be in the ring, and I’ll walk away with your belt around my waist.”

 

“Considering who you’re running with these days,” Martin says, “you’ll forgive me if I don’t take your word for it.”

 

“Considering how little I care, you can save your damn breath,” Hill says. “See, I came here tonight for two reasons. The first was to fight Panda Mask, ‘cause goofy as that kid may be I have plenty of respect for his abilities.”

 

Martin shakes his head. “Yeah? And what’s the second?”

 

“I’m calling you out,” Hill says. “Man to man, for that belt. ‘Cause Eric’s right, Johnny, you’re not a wrestler, you’re a butcher. You carry that belt and call yourself a warrior, but all you really do is bleed for the pathetic, fat slobs who come in here and bay for blood. I don’t know why Eric Tyler did what he did; he might be coming for that belt, but all he really cares about is giving these idiots a champion they can cheer for, a champion who understands the traditions of the sport. A champion—”

 

“F—k, Brent, do you ever shut up?” Martin plays to the crowd as they pop for the interruption. “Say what you will about Tyler, at least he doesn’t ramble on. Let me break it down for you: do you want to fight me?”

 

“Yes,” Hill says, “ I want—”

 

“Do you want to do it tonight?”

 

“Yes,” Hill says, “but—”

 

“Then it’s on,” Martin says. “You and me for the Extreme Title. Now shut your yap and go get ready.”

 

Rating: C-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LucasHale.jpg

 

Take Me To Your Heart plays over the loudspeakers and Lucas Hale bursts through the curtains, soaking up the small pop he gets from the appreciative crowd. Hale makes a beeline for front row, flirting with the tall woman in the front row. He claims a microphone. “Baby, if I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and Me together.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/NikkiGallagher.jpg

 

The woman breaks into laughter, along with the rest of the audience, and Hale’s manager whispers something into the youngster’s ear. Hale blushes, aware of the mistake he’s just made. “You and I,” he blurts out, trying to cover his mistake. “I meant I’d put You and I together.”

 

The woman shakes her head, pointing Hale towards the ring for his match.

 

Rating: E

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LucasHale.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Lucas Hale vs. Larry Wood

 

It’s a safe bet that there isn’t a fan in the crowd who doesn’t know how this is going to end the moment Larry Wood comes through the curtain. The Canadian wild-man mows through Hale in a little under five minutes, throwing him around the ring with reckless abandon before nailing him with the Running Big Foot.

 

Larry Wood defeated Lucas Hale in 4:56 by pinfall.

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Not content with victory, Wood decides to make a statement. He picks up his limp opponent, charges the length of the ring, and powerbombs Hale through the timekeepers table. The big man celebrates in the ring, climbing the turnbuckles and roaring at the crowd. The backstage crew comes out to tend his victim as he walks back to the backstage curtain, giving the volatile monster a wide berth.

 

Rating: C+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisPerkins.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RoyStephens.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BenCross.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackEagle.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TaylerMorton.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RavenNightfall.jpg

 

The Wild Boys w/Ben Cross vs. Raven’s Angels w/Raven

 

There are three men in this match who are running a high-speed, which only serves to showcase exactly how much Roy Stephens has to learn. He spends much of the match playing to his strength as the whipping boy, occasionally using his size and power to get a brief burst offense. The rest of the match is a showcase of high-flying spots as Eagle, Morton and Perkin’s put on a cruiserweight clinic. Black Eagle picks up the victory with the New Jersey Turnpike on Stephens.

 

Raven’s Angels defeated The Wild Boys in 9:07 by pinfall.

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EddieChandler.jpg

 

Eddie Chandler is backstage, dressed to compete speaking into a cell phone as he paces back and forth beside the backstage curtain. “Emma, I don’t know where you are, but I’m about to go on and you’re not here. You’re not here, and William’s not here, and the Corporal seems to be MIA. This is not what I pay for you for, Emma. This is not cool.”

 

Chandler pauses for a moment, frowning, deflating a little as he looses some of his swagger. The opening strains of Simply the Best start playing, calling him to the ring, and he shouts into the phone to be heard. “I’m facing Cox, Emma! The freakin’ Immortal Driver! This is very, very uncool.”

 

Rating: E

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EddieChandler.jpg

 

Jimmy Cox vs. Eddie Chandler

 

Chandler is visibly rattled by being in the ring without any backup, and Cox is quick to capitalize with a series of rapid strikes that force the Fabulous One into a corner. Chandler slips out of the ring to collect himself, taking his time about getting back in, and Cox makes the mistake of trying to force the issue – he attempts a dive off the ring apron that ends badly, giving Chandler control of the match. Chandler rolls Cox back into the ring and proceeds to spend the next six minute fighting dirty to stay ahead, looking for the opportunity to lock in the Fabulous Stretch.

 

Although he never quite gets the hold locked in tight enough for the submission, the success goes to Chandler’s head and leads to some showboating. Cox puts an end to it with a forearm to the back, starting a furious comeback where he keeps searching for the Immortal Driver. Chandler has the move scouted and always seems to come up with a counter, keeping one step ahead of his opponent, until a frustrated Cox resorts to a roaring elbow that knocks Chandler down for a two-count. Seeing the opening, Cox comes in for another Elbow a few seconds later, but this time he fails to connect and Chandler slips the Fabulous Stretch on in the aftermath to get the submission.

 

Eddie Chandler defeated Jimmy Cox in 13:34 by submission.

Rating: C-

______________________

 

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

Chris Storm vs. Vin Tanner

Last Man Standing

 

The two brawlers go at it, hammering each other with everything they’ve got. Storm is all energy and exuberance, using speed and a technical edge to try and get the advantage, but Tanner is a master of riling up his opponent and it isn’t long before he’s goading Storm into making stupid mistakes. One of them sees Tanner spike Storm into the mat with a piledriver, but it only puts the younger wrestler down for a four-count. It’s another seven minutes before the next count is made, this time coming off a brainbuster from Storm that sees Tanner stay down until an eight count before staggering to his feet.

 

From there both men go to the ringside and start dragging plunder into the ring, hammering one another with a series of sloppy chair-shots and attacks with cookie sheets. Tanner gets busted open soon after, but the veteran refuses to stay on the ground no matter what Storm does, and eventually he puts Storm through a table with the V for Victory to end things. Referee Dewey Libertine counts down the ten and names Tanner the winner.

 

Vin Tanner defeated Chris Storm in 15:27 when Chris Storm could not beat a ten count.

Rating: D+

______________________

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisStorm.jpg

 

A battered Chris Storm climbs to his feet with the help of Dewey Libertine, although he constantly looks ready to keel over and crash into the mat again. The crowd applauds his heart as Storm staggers towards his opponent, offering his hand in a gesture of respect.

 

Vin Tanner stares at the hand for a moment, smirking all the while, then lays Storm out with a discus punch. Storm goes down in a heap, crumpling rather than falling, and Tanner nods once before leaving the ring.

 

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BrentHill.jpg

 

Johnny Martin vs. Brent Hill

DAVE Extreme Championship

 

What little advantage Martin can get out of the fact that Hill’s already wrestled one match tonight is quickly gone – the King of the Hill has superb conditioning and cardio training, making him more than equal to the task of matching Martin as the champion pushes the pace. Hill responds by trying to take the match on the mat, making the same mistake as many other technical challengers who assume that Martin can’t work as a technician. The pair trade holds and submissions for ten minutes, working to find the advantage, before Hill finally realizes that Martin is almost as good on the ground as he is in a hardcore brawl.

 

The two stare at each other, circling around, then each gives a nod of grudging respect before the lock up once more. Hill finds success with a series of high-risk moves, using the impact of his top rope arsenal to rattle the champion, building towards a series of false finishes. Martin stays in the match courtesy of some big desperation moves, but the commentary team starts noting the wear on the champion – he’s held the strap since August ’96 and it’s obvious that the constant stream of challenges is wearing him down. Hill isn’t the one to finally put Martin down for the three, but he comes dangerously close several times prior to the desperation Lariat that finally wins Martin the match.

 

Johnny Martin defeated Brent Hill in 31:50 by pinfall.

Rating: C+

______________________

 

Overall: C-

[arwink]

Tag-Wars, Redux

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BenCross.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MitchNaess.jpg

 

“Ten bucks says he’s realized what you’re doing with the tag-teams,” Naess said. “I mean, s—t, why else hire Wiley?”

 

We were sitting in the office, a half-hour early for the monthly meeting, and I was filling Mitch in on the various movements on the roster over the last few weeks. Some of it was pretty much expected – Chris Storm had signed a development deal with the SWF – but the departure of Wiley Steinway to XFW seemed to amuse Mitch Naess. He hadn’t been a fan of the Wiley Coyote team and largely regarded Wiley Steinway as the weak link.

 

“Course he’s realized.” I tapped a photograph of Duncan Kendall and Randall the Vandal in one of the local wrestling zines. “Duncan may not have the chops to have spotted it, but the Vandal isn’t a slouch. He may not have Phil’s mind for the business, but he knows what a draw the Peaks are and he’ll work to protect it.”

 

“Still, you’d think he’d target someone other than Steinway.” Naess picked up the zine and studied the article, grinned at the show report praised the XFW main event between Genghis Rahn and Travis Century for the title, but panned the rest of the card.

 

The departure of Steinway hurt less than XFW might have expected, largely because the presence of Wiley Coyote on our cards was always meant to be a temporary thing. The goal had been to phase them out after working a couple of programs, giving both the Outlaws and Black Murder someone to brawl with. Having Steinway disappear halfway through the feud with the Outlaws was annoying, but hardly derailing. We still had several duos that were coming along fairly well. The Wild Boys and the Outlaws were both starting to show signs of gelling as a team, the former aided by their considerable chemistry, and I was confident that the Kings and the School of Hard Knocks would be joining them in the near future. It would still take the better part of year or two before they were truly established, but the teams were on their way.

 

And XFW was hardly alone in taking note of our tag-team plans – PPPW had launched three new teams in the space of the month, although the generally conservative approach Andrew Barber favoured meant they’d gain experience at a much slower rate than ours. RPW was still putting the bulk of their faith in the tag-team of Cousin Ezra and Lance Henderson – a moderately acceptable tactic, given the program they had Ezra working with Brains McGhee, but it was hardly building a division to work with.

 

Whether my plan would work or not in the long-term, it’d at least thrown some focus on tag-teams that hadn’t been there before.

 

News of the War: April Rankings

 

One: RPW (Best Show: Day of the Underdog; Rating: C; Main Event: Steve Flash defeated Lance Henderson to retain the RPW World Title in a C+ match)

 

Two: DAVE

 

Three: NYCW (Best Show: Genocide; Rating: C-; Main Event: Corporal Doom defeated Sheik Mustafa to retain the NYCW World title in a C- match)

 

Four: PPPW (Best Show: Firecracker; Rating: C-; Main Event: Krusher Karloff defeated Rick Sanders to retain the PPPW World title in a C- match; Best Match: the debuting Skull Debones [aka Vengeance] defeated Man Mountain Cahill in a C rated match)

 

Five: XFW (Best Show: Living In Hell; Rating: D; Main Event: Genghis Rahn defeated Travis Century to retain the XPW World Title in a D+ match)

[arwink]

Coming Up at DAVE Total Disruption

 

DAVE return’s to Pennsylvania Park on Monday, Week 3 of May, with the following extreme clashes:

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

Johnny Martin vs. Eric Tyler

DAVE Extreme Championship

 

Johnny Martin’s had the longest DAVE championship run since the founding of the company, but the strain of holding the top spot is starting to show. At Rock’n’Roll Over he was nearly beaten by Corporal Doom, and it was only the intervention of Eric Tyler that allowed him to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. At Contagion he squared off against Tyler’s protégé Brent Hill and was taken to the limit. Eric Tyler has made no secret of his desire to hold DAVE gold again, and with the cracks starting to show in Martin’s defenses he may have his best chance to win.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FreddieDatsun.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheInsaneHeat.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RaulDarkness.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg

 

Freddie Datsun vs. The Insane Heat vs. Chris Caulfield vs. Raul Darkness vs. Corporal Doom

 

Phil Vibert has stacked the decks against Datsun in this match, putting him in the ring with four of DAVE’s most brutal wrestlers. It may be a five-man-scramble with the first fall claiming victory, but Vibert’s promise that any man who pins Datsun will be given the power to sign his own matches there’s very little hope for the Hardcore Everyman.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/AlexBraun_alt.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

Alex Braun vs. Vin Tanner

 

Vin Tanner may have chased Chris Storm out of DAVE, but at Total Disruption he faces a new challenge in the form of the veteran wrestler Alex Braun. Recently departed from RPW, Braun is looking to make DAVE his home on the East Coast and he’s got his eye on Vin Tanner’s spot.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CoyoteDynamite.jpgvs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackjackRobbins.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WhiskyJack.jpg

 

Coyote Dynamite & ????? vs. The Tennessee Outlaws

Tables Match

 

Wiley Steinway may have walked away from DAVE, but his former partner Coyote Dynamite intends to live up to his obligations when he squares off against the Tennessee Outlaws in a Tables Elimination Match. The only problem is finding someone on the roster whose willing to be his partner…

 

 

Complete Card

Alex Braun vs. Vin Tanner

?????? & Coyote Dynamite vs. The Tennessee Outlaws

Thomas Morgan vs. Dog Fyte

Bryan Holmes vs. Brent Hill

Ed Monton vs. Larry Wood

Freddie Datsun vs. The Insane Heat vs. Chris Caulfield w/the Punisher vs. Raul Darkness vs. Corporal Doom w/Easy Emma

Steve Flash vs. JD Morgan

Johnny Martin vs. Eric Tyler for the DAVE Extreme Championship

[arwink]

DAVE Total Disruption

Monday, Week 3, May 1997

Pennsylvania Park (Tri-State) – 2,000 people

______________________

 

Dark Match: In a match that had an average crowd reaction and some decent in-ring action, The Wolverine defeated Lucas Hale in 8:24 by pinfall with The Maul. (D)

 

Dark Match: In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, Picture Perfect defeated Riot Act in 7:50 when Eddie Chandler defeated Harry Allen by submission with a Fabulous Stretch. (D+)

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ThomasMorgan.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BrentHill.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

- cut - Phil Vibert: I know my limitations. I’m not a wrestler.

- cut - Eric Tyler: So everybody’s asking the question – why did Eric Tyler save Johnny Martin from Doom. Everyone keeps asking it like it’s hard to figure out.

- cut - Thomas Morgan: The House of Stone isn’t a training camp, it’s a place where you learn who you really are.

- cut - Johnny Martin: One more time, Eric Tyler. One more time we step into the ring.

- cut - Corporal Doom: Discipline; training; ruthless aggression. Learn these words, maggots. Take them to heart.

- cut - Brent Hill: Eric Tyler taught me this isn’t a place for wrestlers…

- cut - Larry Wood: The Canadian Hardcase. Unstoppable. Unwilling to quit.

- cut - Vin Tanner: You come into this business and you earn your spot.

- cut - Phil Vibert: I can mould champions, I can build on potential, but I don’t step into the ring.

- cut - Eric Tyler: Once upon a time Corporal Doom was a wrestler. I respect his accomplishments in the past.

- cut - Thomas Morgan: It’s a place where you get pushed to your limits, forced to reckon with your own flaws.

- cut - Johnny Martin: You keep talking about tradition, you keep telling me I’m just an animal, but you’re the one with the posse, Eric. You’re the one who interfered in another man’s match.

- cut - Corporal Doom: I destroyed Vengeance and ran him out of this company. I broke Johnny Martin when he put his title on the line.

- cut - Brent Hill: He showed me the hypocricy of Vibert, the distortion of the traditions we hold dear.

- cut - Larry Wood: They say Ed Monton is all these things. They say he can’t be broken.

- cut - Vin Tanner: Maybe you aren’t the best, aren’t challenging for the titles, but you kick arse and you win matches and you bide your time ‘til the moment’s right.

- cut - Phil Vibert: This is a violent sport, a blood sport, but there are rules. The first is simple – you don’t lay a hand on the referees, and you don’t lay a hand on non-combatants.

- cut - Eric Tyler: Today? Doom’s just another monster, breaking bones and shedding blood to hear the fan’s cheer.

- cut - Thomas Morgan: Me and Bryan, we know who we are. We know what we need to do in order to live up to our training.

- cut - Johnny Martin: This isn’t about words anymore. Tonight, Eric Tyler hears what I have to say in the ring.

- cut - Corporal Doom: I came into this company a gun fire hire, but old habits die hard.

- cut - Brent Hill: I respect Eric, I learn from him, but make no mistake, Brent Hill has a mind of his own.

- cut - Larry Wood: Ed, be smart, pack your bags and go back to Canada.

- cut - Vin Tanner: Alex Braun ain’t nothing; he ain’t been nothing since he jobbed his way out of a job as Ace McFreeze.

- cut - Phil Vibert: Freddie Datsun broke the rules, pure and simple. Now he’s paying the price.

- cut - Eric Tyler: Johnny Martin, Corporal Doom – they’re both goddamn butchers. I couldn’t let one monster fall to be replaced by another.

- cut - Thomas Morgan: Dog Fyte, he never got it. He relied on aggression where discipline would have served him better.

- cut - Corporal Doom: I’ve remembered the taste of blood, maggots. This is your only warning.

- cut - Brent Hill: I’m the king of the hill, the best in the world. Tonight, Bryan Holmes learns how I earned that title.

- cut - Larry Wood: I came down from the mountains for a challenge, and unbreakable’s one of those words I just have to test…

- cut - Vin Tanner: Chris Storm learnt what happens when you try to take what’s mine. Tonight, Alex Braun learns the same thing.

- cut - Johnny Martin: Tonight, Eric Tyler gets hardcore whether he likes it or not.

- cut - Eric Tyler: Tonight, Johnny Martin loses that belt to someone worth.

- cut - Phil Vibert: Tonight, Freddie Datsun experiences a new kind of hell.

 

Rating: C-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/AlexBraun_alt.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

Alex Braun vs. Vin Tanner

 

Braun slouches against the ring-ropes, his ring gear consisting of torn jeans and sneakers rather than the tights and boots that marked his recent run with RPW. Tanner sneers at the ensemble, utterly unsure of what to make of things, but the sneer is quickly wiped of his face once Braun bursts into movement. The Ice Man gives up a lot of size to his opponent, but speed and experience count for a lot and he spends several minutes outwrestling Tanner. It isn’t until Vin goes to the floor that he manages to take control, largely by throwing a fan’s beer into Braun’s face and spearing him into the guard-rail. Braun struggles to get his momentum back after that, but he manages to pick up a desperate pinfall when he reverses the V for Victory into a quick roll-up.

 

Alex Braun defeated Vin Tanner in 8:08 by pinfall.

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/AlexBraun_alt.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

An irate Tanner immediately starts laying into Braun, but he’s barely started throwing punches before two kids come charging through the curtain to make the save – the fans in attendance recognise from the dark match, and Mitch Naess identifies them as rookie prospects Ford Phoenix and Harry Allen.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FordPhoenix.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/HarryAllen_Alt1.jpg

 

The pair nail Tanner with stereo superkicks, making the save, and the V-Man beats a path back to the curtain. A bruised Alex Braun climbs to his feet and claims the microphone.

 

“I’ll be brief,” Braun says, “’cause I got tickets to show later, and I need to get outta here. My name’s Alex Braun, these two punks are the Riot Squad. They’re with me.”

 

The fans start an Ice Man chant for Braun; he slumps into the corner of the ring to wait them out. “The Ice Man’s not here,” he says. “He worked for RPW, and they fired his ass for being too old. ‘Course, given that I’d just delivered their match of the night, I figure they were ****ting me. I figure they canned me ‘cause I wasn’t family friendly.

 

The DAVE fans are quick to agree, starting up a quick chant of “you still got it.” For a moment – just a brief moment – it looks like Braun is about to smile.

 

“Whatever,” he says, waving the chants off. “It’s not like I cared. I wanted out of that dump anyway. Old man Preston kept complaining about my hair, and DAVE offered me a chance to work with three of my students. These two --” he jerks a finger at the Riot Squad “— and this punk you may be familiar with named Tayler-****ing-Morton. It sounded cool, yeah, so I drove on out. And when I met Tayler backstage, well...”

 

Braun pauses, milking the moment, and the crowd’s in the palm of his hand.

 

“Well, that’s between me and him,” Braun says. “But lets say it wasn’t pretty. In fact, lets say next time I roll through me and Tayler will be doing more than having words.”

 

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ThomasMorgan.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Thomas Morgan vs. Dog Fyte w/Phil Vibert

 

Morgan doesn’t quite have the same chemistry with Dog Fyte as his partner in the Kings, but the pair still put together a respectable match given their comparative positions on the roster. It’s fast and aggressive, full of stiff strikes from Dog and some technical showboating from Morgan. After six minutes of furious action Dog Fyte sweeps the leg and gets a fast roll-up, using the ropes for leverage to ensure Morgan can’t escape.

 

Dog Fyte defeated Thomas Morgan in 6:32 by pinfall.

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Jakki.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WhiskyJack.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackjackRobbins.jpg

 

Jakki White Trash leads the Outlaws into the ring, her guitar slung over one shoulder as she trades insults with the cloud. Whisky Jack and Blackjack start setting up tables as she climbs into the ring with a microphone.

 

“Dynamite, your partner might have run scared, but that don’t excuse you from facing my boys tonight. Find yourself a partner and get your ass out here, ‘cause Whisky and Blackjack are itchin’ to do some damage and you’re the designated victim for the night.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CoyoteDynamite.jpg

 

There’s a brief pause before the Coyote Dynamite emerges from the backstage curtains to the strains of Bad to the Bone, drawing a lackluster face pop from the crowd. He poses for a moment, glaring at Jakki and the Outlaws, and the crowd waits for his partner to emerge.

 

“Who’s it going to be?” Vibert says. “Who’s stupid enough to climb into the ring with these two rednecks and risk getting piledrivered straight through a table?”

 

The opening guitar of Beck’s Loser hits the loudspeakers. The more loyal fans in the crowd go crazy, but Jakki and the Outlaws are utterly nonplussed as Dynamite’s new partner emerges…

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PandaMask.jpg

 

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PandaMask.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CoyoteDynamite.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WhiskyJack.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackjackRobbins.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Jakki.jpg

 

Panda Mask & Coyote Dynamite vs. The Tennessee Outlaws w/Jakki

Tables Match

 

It’s a short, furious match that’s largely carried by the stipulation. Panda Mask is surprisingly at home with the tables environment – while he lacks the big power moves of the Outlaws and Coyote, once he’s in ENDAGERED SPECIES ATTACK MODE the masked cruiserweight comes close to scoring the first elimination of the match when he attempts dropkicks Whisky Jack onto a table and goes to the top rope for the PANDA ATTACK! splash. Unfortunately Jakki is there to pull Whisky free at the last moment, sending Panda belly-first through the furniture for the first elimination. The rest of the match sees the Outlaws double-teaming Coyote Dynamite, and a few minutes later he’s sent through a second table courtesy of a tag-team backdrop.

 

The Tennessee Outlaws defeated Panda Mask and Coyote Dynamite in 6:27

Rating: E+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CoyoteDynamite.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/Jakki.jpg

 

Daynamite staggers to his feet after the match, woozy but still swinging. Almost immediately Jakki White Trash is on the ring-apron.

 

“Outlaws! Get the tables!”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/WhiskyJack.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackjackRobbins.jpg

 

Whisky Jack and Blackjack Robbins go into the routine, setting up the table, while Jakki climbs into the ring and grabs a battered Coyote Dynamite by the goatee. “Let this be a lesson, boy,” she screams into Dynamite’s face. “We don’t care who you bring in – not Wiley, not this here masked freak – you don’t get in the Outlaws faces without payin’ a price.”

 

She hauls Dynamite over the corner, helping Blackjack lift Dynamite into position. “This time, make sure he doesn’t get up.”

 

Whisky Jack nods and the spike piledriver sends Coyote through the furniture. This time the biker doesn’t get up – in fact, he barely moves and members of the backstage crew have to stretcher him out of the arena.

 

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BryanHolmes.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BrentHill.jpg

 

Bryan Holmes vs. Brent Hill

 

There’s no real issue going into this match, just two talented young wrestlers going at it at a mile a minute, and really that’s all it takes to get the crowd behind them. Hill and Homes are virtual mirror images of one another, seamlessly changing styles and approaches between strikes, holds, throws, submissions and aerial offense. Hill picks up the victory after scouting the Cyclone Shock Kick, sweeping Holmes’ legs out from under him and nailing him with a right hand as Bryan Holmes bounces back to his feet. The King of the Hill that follows is devoid of the usual set-up – Hill bounds off the second rope, turning to springboard off the top rope as he goes, then lands the big legdrop on his opponent before making the cover.

 

Brent Hill defeated Bryan Holmes in 10:20 by pinfall.

Rating: C

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Phil Vibert climbs into the ring after the match is over, a microphone in hand. “I’m here because we have a guest backstage tonight,” he says. “A man who came to Pennsylvania to catch up with some old friends, a man who should be smart enough to sign with DAVE and come play with some real wrestlers. A man who should know better than to walk into enemy territory.

 

“Steve Flash, get out here.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SteveFlash_alt.jpg

 

There’s no themesong, no spectacle; Steve Flash comes out in track pants, white sneakers, and one of his shirts from NotBPW. He climbs into the ring, visibly nervous about appearing for the competition, backing away when Vibert attempts to shake his hand.

 

“Steve, Steve, Steve,” Vibert says. “I’m not going to hurt you. Hell, I’m not sure I could if I wanted too; you’re one of the best wrestlers on the independent scene today, a champion everywhere you go. You could kick my butt six times to Sunday if you wanted too, and I don’t plan on giving you a reason to do so.

 

“The problem is, Steve, you shouldn’t have come here. You shouldn’t have come backstage. ‘Cause some of the boys saw you, and they know who you are. They know what you can do. And they know who you work for, Steve, and some of them don’t have good memories of their time with our Really Pretty Worthless competition. In fact, some of them have been making noises about not letting you leave in one piece.

 

“Now, I have a solution, but you’re not going to like it; you see, DAVE operates under a code and all the boys agree to it – if you step into this ring and wrestle, then you’re worthy of respect. If you step into this ring and wrestle, you’re one of us. And that means you’ll go through hell in this ring, but you don’t mess with a man backstage unless you want heat with the locker room.

 

“You’ve already got heat, Steve, but you’re safe in this building as long as you do one thing – step into this ring tonight and wrestle JD Morgan. If you don’t, well…good luck getting to your car. Take a moment, think about it. I know your boss back in RPW won’t like it, I know it may cost you a pay-cheque, but you’ll still have your career Steve.”

 

Vibert drops the microphone and walks away, leaving Flash in the ring. Steve Flash throws a glance towards the backstage curtain, another one towards the crowd. A quick pan of the camera catches sight of silhouettes against the exists; wrestlers standing guard.

 

“Vibert,” Flash says, and the head of the company halts.

 

“I don’t wrestle for free,” Flash says. “Does your match with Morgan come with a paycheque?”

 

“It’s got a winner’s purse,” Phil says. “If you’re good enough to win.”

 

“That’ll do, eh,” Flash says. “Tell your man Morgan to get ready.”

 

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FreddieDatsun.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheInsaneHeat.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheIdahoPunisher.jpg vs.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RaulDarkness.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EmmaChase.jpg

 

Freddie Datsun vs. The Insane Heat vs. Chris Caulfield w/the Punisher vs. Raul Darkness vs. Corporal Doom w/Easy Emma

 

Datsun doesn’t mess around with this one – he’s the first man out and he nails the second, Chris Caulfield, with a right hand to the jaw before the bell is rung. Raul Darkness is the next out and he too goes down before he realizes what’s happening, but Doom and Heat aren’t quite as easy suckered in. They approach the ring in tandem, coming at Datsun from either side, and even then Freddie Datsun does a fair job of holding his own against the two-on-one assault.

 

It takes about five minutes before the numbers game catches up with Datsun, the momentum shifting when Darkness sees an opening and delivers a cane-shot to the nether-regions. Darkness goes for the cover, but he gets pulled off and thrown out of the ring by The Insane Heat. Both Caulfield and Doom intervene when Heat attempts to get the three-count, and Mitch Naess starts taunting Phil Vibert on commentary, pointing out that he may have outsmarted himself. “There’s no way these four men are going to let their opponents get the pinfall,” Naess crows, “not with ability to book their own matches on the line.”

 

Chaos reigns for the next eight minutes as all semblance of unity between the heels breaks down. Everyone involved goes to ringside and collects plunder from beneath the ring, setting up chairs and tables in addition to swinging weapons. Datsun rallies several times amid the confusion, keeping himself alive through several bursts of offense and quick-falls, but every rallying burst is quickly cut off by one of the other men in the ring.

 

Finally, weary and battered and realizing he has no chance of winning, Datsun resorts to trickery – he rakes Doom’s eyes as the big man prepares to hit the Corporal Punishment, then pulls Chris Caulfield into position to take the throat-thrust. Caulfield goes down and a half-blind Doom makes the cover while Freddie Datsun cuts Darkness and Heat off from making the save. Doom gets the three-count.

 

Corporal Doom defeated The Insane Heat, Raul Darkness, Chris Caulfield and Freddie Datsun in 13:17 by pinfall.

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FreddieDatsun.jpg

 

Doom rolls out of the ring and stalks away as soon as the match is over, a look of mild irritation on his face. Phil Vibert isn’t quite so easily placated– he stands on the announce desk with a microphone. “Idiots, all of you,” Vibert says. “You think this is a victory Datsun? Well, we’re just getting started.”

 

Vibert’s gaze sweeps across the other competitors in the ring. “Five thousand dollars to the man who makes Freddie bleed. Five thousand dollars and a title shot.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheInsaneHeat.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RaulDarkness.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheIdahoPunisher.jpg

 

And it would appear that’s all the other competitors need to hear, the offer sparking off a four-man beat-down on Freddie Datsun. The Insane Heat starts things off with a series of punches to the forehead, but he’s quickly replaced by Raul Darkness swinging a cane and the double-team offense of Caulfield and the Punisher. Datsun finds himself being bounced between them all, taking punishment at everyone’s hands, and finally Chris Caulfield succeeds in busting him open with a Danger Drop onto a chair.

 

Rating: D

 

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SteveFlash_alt.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JDMorgan.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Steve Flash vs. JD Morgan w/Phil Vibert

 

It’s the best match JD Morgan’s had in months, but to be fair that’s got a lot to do with his opponent. The two men lock up and the difference in their styles is immediately apparent – they’re both spectacular technicians, but Steve Flash is defined by the efficiency and innovation of his transitions and reversals. JD Morgan is no-where near as crisp, but there’s a brutality to his style that Flash lacks – it’s easier to predict what’s coming, but when he executes a hold and locks on a submission it’s almost like that doesn’t really matter.

 

Both men spend much of the match searching for the opening that’ll let them hit their finisher, but Flash can see the Cross-Atlantic Stretch coming a mile off and the first time he attempts to hit the Flash Bang JD Morgan grabs hold of the ropes and pulls himself into the move, catching the ropes across the belly and falling out of the ring to catch his wind. A late burst of offense by Flash finally swings the momentum in his direction – he catches Morgan with a picture perfect Moonsault Press and quickly transitions the move into a Boston Crab. Morgan claws for the ropes, aided by Phil Vibert, but Flash feels the momentum on his side and the fans rally behind him. There’s a furious burst off action, hold and counter hold, and Morgan is sent into the ropes. Flash steadies himself, hits the Flash Bang successfully for the first time all match, then makes the cover.

 

Michal Bull goes down and makes the count – one…two…

 

And then the bell rings, just a fraction of the second short of the three-count, and Phil Vibert is quick to enter the ring and call the match a draw.

 

Steve Flash drew with JD Morgan in 30:00 when the time limit expired.

Rating: C

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EdMonton.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Ed Monton vs. Larry Wood

 

The show shifts tones sharply as Larry Wood enters the ring, hammering Ed Monton around the ring like a human wrecking ball. There’s no real psychology to this – Wood hammers Monton mercilessly, building heat from the moment the bell rings, with Monton’s offense consisting primarily of hope spots and getting blood on Larry Wood’s knuckles. The fans start screaming for Monton to fight back, unsure of why the Canadian Hardcase is doing so little, but after almost seven minutes of carnage they get their answer – Monton cuts off Wood’s charge and smoothly rolls him up, picking up the three-count.

 

Ed Monton defeated Larry Wood in 6:55 by pinfall.

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

For a moment Larry Wood sits there, utterly stunned that he lost to an opponent he dominated, and Ed Monton is quick to take advantage of the wild man’s confusion. He makes a quick break for the backstage area, wiping blood from his eyes as he goes. Unfortunately he’s only just disappeared behind the curtain when someone throws him back out, and that’s all the time Larry Wood needs to recover.

 

The big Canadian rolls out of the ring and stalks Monton. Monton makes another attempt to escape, but to no avail – Wood catches him and rains a series of punches into his victims skull, opening a wide gash that covers Monton’s face and chest with blood.

 

Rating: C+

 

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EricTyler.jpg

 

Johnny Martin vs. Eric Tyler

DAVE Extreme Championship

 

Early on Mitch Naess mentions that Johnny Martin spends more time scouting footage of Eric Tyler than any other wrestler, and it quickly becomes apparent that this is true – the two men burn through their usual spots in the first ten minutes and they have one-another perfectly scouted. Martin responds by going to ringside, ready to start dragging weapons into it, but he’s pulled up short when Eric Tyler starts mocking him and claiming a champion who needs a steel chair doesn’t deserve to hold the belt. The fans start shouting Tyler down, but his barbs do the job – Martin wavers for a moment, unsure, and in that moment Tyler is out of the ring and in control of the bout. “It’s over,” Vibert says on commentary. “I don’t care how good Martin is, you don’t let a man like Eric Tyler get into your skull like that.”

 

And for a few moments it seems like this is true, but Martin starts fighting back, giving as good as he gets as he struggles with Tyler at ringside. They spill into the fans, the rowdy crowd closing around them, but Martin pointedly ignores the weapons offered to him by the fans and concentrates on beating the hell out of the challenger. Eventually he sends Tyler headfirst into the wall, only for Tyler to pull himself up short and nail Martin with a sneaky kick to the crotch while the referee is distracted. Martin keels sideways, using the wall for support, and Tyler gets into position behind him and prepares to lock in the Tradition Lift.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/CorporalDoom.jpg

<CORPORAL Doom>

 

And it’s then that Corporal Doom strikes, nailing Tyler across the back of the skull with a truncheon shot. Tyler sags without going down, doing his best to turn, but that just means he’s in position to catch the second shot across the bridge of the nose and the Traditionalist goes down for good with that. A recovering Martin steps in and shoves Doom in the chest, irate at having his match interrupted, but Doom simply clubs him across the face as well. Martin goes down and with both men unconscious Dewey Libertine has no choice but to declare a double stoppage.

 

Johnny Martin drew with Eric Tyler in 26:33 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: C+

______________________

 

Overall: C-

[Jingo]

Night of draws hey!?

 

Don't know how i forgot to predict .. Nice debut for Ford and Harry. Also cool Steve Flash angle look forward to see where you go with him.

[NicoTheUnique]

just read the entire thing,.....awsome work, i dont usaly like C-verse diary's....but this intreges me

Johnny Martin <3 <3

now you bring in my favorite C-verse worker, Steve Flash....i'm in love <3

[arwink]

Night of draws hey!?

 

There's only a few loopholes in the DAVE product that allows for a draw, but there's a storyline coming that'll make use of them and that means getting the fanbase used to the idea early. Bludgeoning two into the same show was basically a way of saying "they can happen, and this is how".

 

I suspect it'll be a while before there's another night with two such results in it though. After all, DAVE does bill itself as the place where there must be a winner.

 

Don't know how i forgot to predict .. Nice debut for Ford and Harry. Also cool Steve Flash angle look forward to see where you go with him.

 

Flash is short-timer, sadly, although I'll deal with that a little more in the next between-show update. Harry and Ford probably aren't going to last much longer - they're young and full of potentiall and fresh out of training, and it's only a matter of time before they're packed off to SWF development camp...

 

just read the entire thing,.....awsome work, i dont usaly like C-verse diary's....but this intreges me

Johnny Martin <3 <3

now you bring in my favorite C-verse worker, Steve Flash....i'm in love <3

 

Thanks, Nico. Glad you enjoyed it.

[arwink]

Flash of Brilliance

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SteveFlash_alt.jpg

 

We didn’t have to wait for the end-of-the-month newsletters this time; Steve Flash debuting for DAVE made news within the space of twenty-four hours, especially since he’d no-showed a RPW event in order to perform as an invader on DAVE.

 

This wasn't the first time someone had used a talent-trade as a means of short-cutting the war - RPW used to use their relationship with CZCW in a similar way back when the war started up, but they were cautious about it. They tended to focus their attention on Undercard guys though - folks who weren't wearing titles or working major programs who therefore had less to lose if they pissed off their East Coast Home by playing fast and loose with their contract agreements.

 

Steve Flash wasn't undercard; he was still RPWs World Champion, and given that the only viable draw the company had to challenge him was Cousin Ezra there were pretty good odds he'd stay the champion despite his choice to work dates with Us.

 

The trade to get Flash was all Phil’s doing, the result of a quick deal cut with North of the Border that saw Steve fly to Philly for three dates while we sent Corporal Doom to the North. Convincing Flash to skip RPW was the tricky bit – he’s a loyalist who didn’t want to do any damage to the promotion he main events under usual circumstances, so we could only do the surprise appearance if we agreed not to use the opportunity to trash RPW.

 

Phil’s comment pushed the boundaries a little – I had a long chat with Steve afterwards about how unhappy he was with the quip – but ultimately both Flash and Preston Holt saw the potential for his guest spot given RPW’s gradual phasing out of their Tri-State Presence in favor of consolidating their hold on the Mid-Atlantic.

 

It did cost us, though. Flash got a bonus in addition to his appearance fee, one of the few times we’ve ever given out money on top of the PPA, and we made sure it was sizable enough to keep him onside for the next two matches on the deal.

[arwink]

Coming up at DAVE Badlands

 

DAVE return’s to Pennsylvania Park on Monday, Week 4 of May, with the following extreme clashes:

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpg

 

Johnny Martin vs. Chris Caulfield

Fans Bring the Weapon’s Match

 

Caulfield earned his title shot after bloodying Freddie Datsun at Total Disruption, agreeing to face Johnny Martin in the match that’s become the Extreme Champion’s specialty – Fans Bring the Weapons, anything goes. Caulfield comes in with a solid advantage in the form of his back-up, the Punisher – will be he be the one to take down the champ?

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SteveFlash_alt.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Steve Flash vs. Larry Wood

 

Phil Vibert blackmailed Steve Flash into performing at Total Distruction, but the RPW Champion fought JD Morgan to time-limit draw and came dangerously close to defeating Vibert's chosen one. But a draw wasn't enough to save face in the East Coast War, so at Badlands Flash returns and squares off against a very different kind of threat - – the Canadian Wild-man, Larry Wood. Wood is fresh off a loss to Ed Monton and you can bet he’ll be looking for a target for his aggressions, and it appears Steve Flash may get that role.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/AlexBraun_alt.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FordPhoenix.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/HarryAllen_Alt1.jpg

vs.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TaylerMorton.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackEagle.jpg and ?????

 

Alex Braun & The Riot Squad vs. Raven’s Angels

 

Braun called out his former Tayler Morton at our last event, obviously irritated by a backstage conflict between the two. At Badlands Braun steps into the ring with his Riot Act protoges for a six-man match again Morton, Black Eagle, and a mystery partner.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpg

 

Jimmy Cox vs. Dog Fyte

 

Cox hits the States for the first time in over a month after taking part in GCG’s My Enemy tour, and he’s going after the stiffest mutha-f—ker in the game to show the DAVE fans what he’s learnt. The vicious Dog Fyte has been wrestling a very different kind of competitor of late, but with Vibert in his corner and a victory over fellow House of Stone graduate Thomas Morgan you can bet there will be violence aplenty when he steps into the ring.

 

Complete Card

 

Jimmy Cox vs. Dog Fyte

Rafael Ruiz vs. The Wolverine

Ed Monton vs. Vin Tanner

Alex Braun & the Riot Squad vs. ???? & Raven’s Angels

Steve Flash vs. Larry Wood

Johnny Martin vs. Chris Caulfield

[Jingo]

Jimmy Cox vs. Dog Fyte

Rafael Ruiz vs. The Wolverine

Ed Monton vs. Vin Tanner

Alex Braun & the Riot Squad vs. ???? & Raven’s Angels

Steve Flash vs. Larry Wood

Johnny Martin vs. Chris Caulfield

[NicoTheUnique]

Jimmy Cox vs. Dog Fyte

Rafael Ruiz vs. The Wolverine

Ed Monton vs. Vin Tanner

Alex Braun & the Riot Squad vs. ???? & Raven’s Angels

Steve Flash vs. Larry Wood

Johnny Martin vs. Chris Caulfield

[arwink]

DAVE Badlands

Monday, Week 4, May 1997

Pennsylvania Park (Tri-State) – 2,000 people

______________________

 

Dark Match: In an extremely poor match, The Tennessee Outlaws defeated Boogie Knights in 5:34 when Blackjack Robbins defeated Tempest Appleby by pinfall with a Leaping Side Suplex. (E+)

 

Dark Match: In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, Nathan Coleman defeated The Punisher in 8:21 by pinfall with a Pioneer Twist. (D-)

 

Dark Angle: Phil Vibert comes out and announces the arrival of DAVE’s new backstage interviewer, Nicole Kiss. Out she comes to make her first appearance as the newest signing. (D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/AlexBraun_alt.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TaylerMorton.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SteveFlash_alt.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Downward Spiral

- Video Montage -

 

- cut - Johnny Martin: August ’96 I won this belt. Ten months I’ve been fighting to keep it. I keep fighting because I have too, because the alternative is worse.

- cut - Alex Braun: I know rejection, I understand it. I’ve grown used to its sting.

- cut - Chris Caulfield: Johnny Martin. The Extreme Championship. It should be a big night for me, one of the biggest in my career.

- cut - a camera follows Steve Flash as he parks a beat-up rental car and pulls a sports bag from the back seat.

- cut – Vin Tanner: I worked for my spot, I don’t give it up to anybody.

- cut – Larry Wood: People ask me why I live on the mountain, so far from other people; I tell them it’s for their safety. I tell them it’s easier to control myself so far from the temptation to cause pain.

- cut - Tayler Morton: I wanted to train in Canada. I wanted to be part of the House of Stone. But training costs money and I didn’t have any, so what I got was a washed up jobber who hit on my girlfriend and told stories about how he could have been somebody.

- cut - Jimmy Cox: I’ve been touring Japan, working for the Golden Canvas; 40 days of strong style, working stiff and kicking ass. I’m stronger than I was…faster than I was…

- cut - Chris Caulfield: I’ve read the websites, I’ve heard what people are saying. They think I’m going to win, some of them even think I deserve to win. And really, it’s a nice thought, but it’s too little too late.

- cut - Alex Braun: People keep telling me that I’m too old to keep doing this, that I’m starting to slow down.

- cut – Vin Tanner: Now DAVE keeps bringing in new names; guys like Alex Braun and those little pricks he’s mentoring. Guys like Ed Monton. Guys like Jimmy Cox.

- cut - Someone behind the camera says “Steve, Steve, can we have a few words”, but Steve Flash shakes his head and steps into his locker room.

- cut - Chris Caulfield: Some people are born great, some people have greatness thrust upon them, and some people make do with what they’ve got and live with the blood on their hands.

- cut - Johnny Martin: But when I lose this title – not if, but when – I plan on stepping aside like a man. I plan on looking the man who beat me in the eye, handing him the belt, congratulating him for finally taking me down.

- cut – Larry Wood: I don’t come down here to win; I come because I need too. I come because agony needs to be inflicted.

- cut – Jimmy Cox: I’ve been fighting some of the best young prospects in Japan today, I’ve been learning from the American Gaigin who are among the best in the world.

- cut – Vin Tanner: I tell those guys…go ask Chris Storm what it means to take what’s mine. Go ask him how he felt when he limped into his new job for Jerry Eisen with bruises I caused covering his body.

- cut – Chris Caulfield: I think about this match and all I feel is hollow. ‘Cause Chris Caulfield isn’t a wrestler anymore. He didn’t bust Freddie Datsun open for a title shot.

- cut - Jimmy Cox: And now I’m back, stepping into the ring with the Dog, and it’ll tell me what I still need to know…It’ll tell me whether I’m good enough to do what I need to do now I’m home...

- cut - Alex Braun: And man, whatever. Like it even matters what they think. But you, Tayler, you should know better. You should know exactly what Alex Braun can do.

- cut - Tayler Morton: And really, f—k you, old man. You weren’t a choice, you were a necessity. The only path I had to get where I’m going. Tayler Morton is better than you, he’s better than your bull**** protégé’s, and tonight you meet my new mentor…the man who really taught me all the things you should have…the man whose future burns brighter than yours ever did.

- cut – Chris Caulfield: I did it because I’m a monster, because Freddie is better than I can ever hope to be. And tonight I face a man with honor, a man who truly deserves to hold his belt,

- cut - Johnny Martin: ‘cause whoever it is, whenever it happens, when they hold this belt high they’ll know one thing – it means more because Johnny Martin fought to hold it, and it means more because they finally beat me down and took the belt away.

- cut - The sound of the crowd chanting DAVE…DAVE…DAVE…DAVE can be heard through the walls. Steve Flash breathes slowly, totally focused on his pre-match preparation.

 

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DogFyte.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Jimmy Cox vs. Dog Fyte w/Phil Vibert

 

Cox comes out firing once the bell rings, exchanging chops, strikes and elbows with the stiffest mutha-f—ker in the game. Mitch Naess spends some time talking about Cox’s Japanese tour and the shift in focus, quoting the nickname of “American Strong Style” Jimmy Cox that’s being used in the Japanese press. Cox’s momentum lasts until he tries a running forearm, whereupon he’s promptly trapped and suplexed by Dog Fyte.

 

Dog Fyte’s offense is all aggression, mauling his opponent before starting to throw him around with a series of suplexes. It isn’t until he calls for a steel chair that things turn around on him – Cox nails the chair with a desperate yakuza kick, dazing his opponent. Cox follows the kick with the Roaring Elbow and Dog Fyte counters on instinct, ducking low and looping his arms ‘round Cox’s waist for another suplex. Cox fires off a series of elbows, fighting free. Dog Fyte fires in a round-house kick; it’s blocked once, twice, three times, then Cox counters with a boot to the gut and the Immortal Driver.

 

Jimmy Cox defeated Dog Fyte in 9:40 by pinfall.

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/NicoleKiss.jpg

 

With the match over, an enthusiastic Nicole Kiss leaps from the announce desk and goes charging towards the stage: “Jimmy, Jimmy, could we get a few moments of your time for DAVE online? Could you tell us what it was that brought you back to DAVE?”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JimmyCox.jpg

 

Cox is still breathing heavily, his body covered in sweat, but he pills it together and gives Kiss a terse grin. “It ain’t like it’s hard,” he says. “Forty days I was over in Japan, living the dream and wrestling for Golden Canvas, and I reckon I thought about one thing every day I was there – coming back to DAVE and gettin’ my hands on Chris Caulfield. In fact, I’d like to talk to the man right now. Chris! Get out here, man! You and me need to talk.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheIdahoPunisher.jpg

 

Caulfield and The Punisher step through the backstage curtains, both of them watching the ring with skeptical interest. “Talk, Jimmy?” Caulfield says. “I think we’re past talking. I think—”

 

Cox cuts him off. “Man, just shut up for a second, okay? I’m talking here,” he says. “You and me, we’ve got issues, I’m well aware of that. I don’t rightly understand them some of the time, but that don’t matter. Sooner or later we’ll meet in the ring, and if I can’t talk any sense into you then I’ll beat it into you instead. You and me got a date, Caulfield; the match is signed and ready to go – July 1st at the Extreme Double Header, you and me are doin’ battle. That said, I wanted to make one thing very clear: much as I look forward to kicking your ass, you ain’t got nothing to worry about from me this evening.”

 

Caulfield and The Punisher exchange glances, slightly puzzled by the declaration.

 

“Let me spell it out for you,” Cox says, “you’ve got a title shot, Chris. Biggest match of your life. And I figure there’s a part of you that realizes what that means when you’re not talking s—t about feeling empty and blaming me for your problems. That same part of you is probably worrying about what I’m going to do, giving how much you and Punisher rode me ‘fore I flew out. Part of you is wondering if I’m going to cost you your shot, if only ‘cause there’s people thinking that on the internets. I’m here to make it very clear – tonight, nothing’s happening. Tonight, you win and lose on your own merits. You want to blame me for your life, feel free, but there’s no way you’re blaming me for not winning the title.

 

“I don’t roll like that, Chris. When I f—k you up with the immortal driver – and I’m going to f—k you up - it’ll be in the ring, as part of a match, where it should be. Tonight you’re going to win or lose on your strengths as a wrestler.”

 

“Well that’s just the problem, isn’t it Jimmy?” Caulfield says. “I’m not a real wrestler, not like you. Not like Johnny Martin. I don’t get to tour Japan and wrestle the greats of the Golden Canvas; I don’t get to make noble gestures like this. I spend time on the internet, Jimmy. I know exactly what people think of you, what they think of me, what they think of the Punisher. I’ve accepted what I am—”

 

“Man, tell it to someone who cares,” Cox says. “Believe me or don’t, just wrestle your damn match like you mean it.”

 

Rating: E+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RafaelRuiz.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TheWolverine.jpg

 

Rafael Ruiz vs. The Wolverine

 

Ruiz gets some early momentum by targeting the Wolverine’s right knee, surprising the man-beast with an amateur style takedown before applying a knee-bar and cinching the hold tight. Wolverine writhes on the mat like a frustrated animal, searching for an escape, and eventually finds it when he clips Ruiz on the side of the head with a desperate kick. Ruiz swoops in to repeat the same tactic, but the Wolverine knows its coming this time and he quickly powers free. From there the match is a flurry of power-moves, culminating in the spear, powerslam, running Maul sequence that traditionally ends Wolverine’s matches.

 

The Wolverine defeated Rafael Ruiz in 6:03 by pinfall.

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/NicoleKiss.jpg

 

“This is Nicole Kiss, backstage and getting the scoops for DAVE online. I’m here with Vin Tanner, a man whose facing Ed Monton later tonight. Vin, just one week ago Monton was severely beaten by Larry Wood after suffering an assault behind the backstage curtain, and many people are pointing fingers in your direction due to your vocal agenda about keeping new talent from rising up the card. Have you got something to say to you accusers?”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

“Sure,” Tanner says, “they’re all idiots.”

 

“Would you care to elaborate?”

 

“No.”

 

“Okay, then perhaps we can talk about your recent loss to—”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Kiss trails off as Larry Wood steps into frame, looming over Kiss and Tanner alike.

 

“Tell Ed Monton to watch his back,” Wood snarls. “Last week….last week was just a beginning.”

 

Kiss and Tanner watch him go. "You know," Kiss says, "for a guy who doesn't care about winning, he seems kinda pissed..."

 

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EdMonton.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

Ed Monton vs. Vin Tanner

 

It’s only a week since Monton was brutalized by Larry Wood and he’s still feeling the effects here, fighting with a little less snap and vigor than the fans have grown accustomed too from the Canadian Hardcase. Tanner fights like he knows every weak point and injury his opponent’s sustained, opening the barely healed lacerations on Monton’s skull early in the match. A bruised and blooded Monton falls prey to the V for Victory at the nine minute mark to end the match.

 

Vin Tanner defeated Ed Monton in 8:53 by pinfall.

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FreddieDatsun.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/MissBliss.jpg

 

Freddie Datsun comes down into the ring, accompanied by his personal nurse Miss Bliss. The American Everyman has seen better days – he’s sporting a black eye, stitches over his right eye, and one arm is bandaged from wrist to elbow.

 

“I was meant to be here wrestling tonight,” he says, “but it turns out the doctors won’t clear me to compete thanks to Phil’s little vendetta back at Total Disruption. I got two dozens stitches in my head after that beat-down; I got a concussion from Raul Darkness kicking me in the skull; I got a fractured wrist thanks to The Insane Heat getting creative. They say I’m out of the ring until the Double Header, or I’m out of the ring for good if I try to rush back.

 

“And because of that I get to go home and explain to my little girl why there’s no food on the table for the next month. I get to tell her that I messed up and she’s going to pay the price. I have to go in there and tell her that her old man can’t help it, that sometimes there’s just a sunovabitch who needs to feel some knuckles hitting him upside the face and I’m the one who drew the short straw.

 

“But I’m coming back, Vibert. I’m coming back and I’m going to make every single one of your flunkies pay for the months my little girl goes hungry. I’m going through them, Phil, one by one…and when I’m done, me and JD Morgan are going to settle things once and for all.”

 

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/AlexBraun_alt.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/FordPhoenix.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/HarryAllen_Alt1.jpg

 

vs.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TaylerMorton.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackEagle.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DarkAngel.jpg w/http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RavenNightfall.jpg

 

Alex Braun & The Riot Squad vs. Ravens Angels

 

A whisper of excitement passes through the crowd as Britain’s Dark Angel emerges as the third man on Raven’s team, joining Tayler Morton and Black Eagle as they stare across the ring at Alex Braun and his protégés. If Braun’s concerned by the caliber of the opposition and the youth of his allies, it doesn’t show – he stays slumped in the corner, glaring at Morton while the participants are announced, and promptly rises and points to his former student once the bell is rung.

 

The action is fast-and-furious after that, all three men flying in and out of the ring courtesy of rapid tags and chains of high-spots that see them flying over the top rope to the floor. Braun and Morton never seem to end up in the ring together for long – Morton is quick to tag out when his mentor tags in, while Dark Angel seems intent on matching his skills against the veteran. The match starts breaking down after eight minutes as Dewey Libertine loses track of the bodies in the ring, and that’s when the balance is irreversibly shifted to the Angel’s favor.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/VinTanner.jpg

 

Vin Tanner hits the ring, clocking Braun from behind with a steel chair before kicking him under the bottom rope. Dewey Libertine misses it all during the chaos, forcing the Riot Squad into a two-on-three situation as the match continues, and it doesn’t take long for the Angel’s to wear them down. Ford Phoenix takes the pinfall after Dark Angel hits the Descent Into Hell (double underhook facebuster).

 

Dark Angel and Raven’s Angels defeated Alex Braun and Riot Act in 11:48 by pinfall.

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/DarkAngel.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/TaylerMorton.jpghttp://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/RavenNightfall.jpg

 

After the match Dark Angel strikes a pose, both arms stretched out as if crucified. Raven Nightfall immediately climbs into the ring and mirrors the poses, facing in the opposite direction. Tayler Morton throws a glance at Black Eagle – the man he’s been partnering with for months now – and the masked Eagle nods. Slowly, reluctantly, Tayler Morton mimics the other two.

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/BlackEagle.jpg

 

“Darkness,” Black Eagle says. “Darkness is an eternal constant, unified and ever-presence and awaiting the chance to fall like the blade of a guillotine. Darkness is a path, a rejection of the light, a willingness to gaze into an abyss that others shy away from. Darkness is the whisper of angel’s wings above you, the uncertainty and fear that caused our forefathers to gather in caves and cling together against the invisible terrors of the world. Tonight Alex Braun and his students touched that darkness, felt that terror. Tonight they glimpsed the abyss that has looked into Tayler Morton’s soul and taken up residents. This trinity is formed, guided by the Raven. We have seen the darkness and embraced it. We will not be stopped.”

 

Rating: D-

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SteveFlash_alt.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/LarryWood.jpg

 

Steve Flash vs. Larry Wood

 

There’s a lot of familiarity between Flash and Wood after working a tag program for North of the Border back in January, but this is billed as the first singles clash between the pair and it almost lives up to the hype. Flash starts off using speed to counter the raw power of his opponent, launching a series of low dropkicks at Wood’s knees in order to bring the bigger man down to the mat. Wood disrupts his opponents momentum by complaining that Flash pulls his beard while they’re struggling on the mat – a seemingly minor complaint, given DAVE’s usual style of match, but it’s just different enough to satisfy the fansbase and keep the hard-hitting mountain man wrestling as a heel.

 

Things go back and forth several times, but it never reaches the point of raw brutality that Wood’s matches usually do. It’s not that he doesn’t try – twice Wood goes to ringside and grabs a chair, hoping to use it as a weapon, and both times Flash cuts him off before he can bring the steel back into the ring. Finally a burst of offense sees Wood throw Flash around the ring, ending up with a brutal toss to the corner that’s followed by a series of forearm shivs. The big man falls back a moment, setting up for the running Big Boot…

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/EdMonton.jpg

 

…and Ed Monton climbs the turnbuckles, whistles to get Wood’s attention, then launches a flying Jawbreaker forearm off the top rope. It catches Wood perfectly, dropping him to the mat. A rattled Steve Flash tries to point out the interference to the ref, playing the consummate babyface who isn’t willing to take the cheap victory, and Michael Bull explains the no DQ stipulation all DAVE matches are contested under. It takes Flash a few moments to understand what’s being said, but once he does the response is instant – he catches Wood with a quick Flash Bang as the big man rises to his feet and gets the three-count.

 

Steve Flash defeated Larry Wood in 14:54 by pinfall.

Rating: D+

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/SteveFlash_alt.jpg

 

Flash quickly collects a microphone, although the squeal of feedback that follows is a sure sign it isn’t something he’s used to doing. “I don’t feel the need to speak much,” he says, “I’m the kind of man who lets his actions do the talking, but last time I passed through here I fought a man unprepared. This caused some problems with the boss back where I normally work – he’s not just pissed that I let myself get talked into wrestling on my night off, he’s pissed that I didn’t that beat the man I got put in the ring with. Now I came back here tonight for one reason – to rectify that mistake. I’ve shown you what I can do when I come in here ready to rock, now all I need is for Phil Vibert to come down here and give me what I want – one more match with JD Morgan with no time limits holding us back.”

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/PhilVibert.jpg

 

Phil Vibert stands up from the announce table, still wearing his headset. “You want it Steve, you got it. I’ll have JD Morgan ready and waiting for you, night two of the DAVE Double Header. All you have to do is show up…and get ready to tap out to the Cross-Atlantic Stretch.”

 

Rating: D

______________________

 

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/JohnnyMartin.jpg vs. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x15/arwink/ChrisCaulfield.jpg

 

Johnny Martin vs. Chris Caulfield

Fans Bring the Weapons Match for the DAVE Extreme Championship

 

Caulfield surprises everyone by emerging from the backstage area without The Punisher, choosing to face Martin without back-up. He even locks up with Martin, choosing to wrestle rather than brawl, although its not a tactic that works well for him. Martin comes up the winner on every exchange and each time Chris Caulfield is dumped onto the mat with a powerslam and forced to kick out of a cover.

 

Once the weapons come into play Caulfield is back in his comfort zone, although he hesitates a moment when a fan first offers him plunder in the form of a bike chain. There’s something visibly tortured about Caulfield as he wraps the chain around his fist and starts swinging, but the expression gives way to satisfaction as Martin grows increasingly bludgeoned by the assault.

 

Things escalate slowly as the two men bring more weapons into the match, innovating with some of the more unusual instruments the fans offer them. Martin causes damage with a toy fire-engine, jamming the ladder into Caulfield’s ear before driving the toy up Caulfield’s chest and crashing into the chin. Caulfield accepts a sizable teddybear from someone else and uses it to disorient the champion, whipping it into Martin’s face several times as a set-up for a Danger Drop that leads to a count that’s bare moments away from being the end of a match.

 

Martin is ratteld by the move, but he keeps fighting back, and after thirty-five minutes of action he catches Caulfield in a desperate discus lariat and gets the cover.

 

Johnny Martin defeated Chris Caulfield in 35:22 by pinfall.

Rating: C

______________________

 

Overall: D+