KCCW 2011: Everything Old School is New Down Under

[1PWfan]

The Legend of Bonnie Rockworth

Or: How a Millionaire Heiress brought Old-School Wrestling to Australia

By Bonnie Rockworth, with Foreword by Victor Goliath

 

 

Foreword

 

The one question I get asked more than any other is ‘what did you think of Bonnie Rockworth the first time you met her?’

 

To give some background to the question, we’re both on the Board of Kingdom Championship Class Wrestling, the promotion that’s really the centrepiece of this book, and have worked together since the promotion was first developed in September 2009, right up to the present day. Bonnie was also the last of the investors, that peculiar group that somewhere along the line earned the nickname ‘The Kingdom Six’ to come on board.

 

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/BooSmithson.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/MacGuffin.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/VictorGoliath.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/DanReacher.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/DingoDevine.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/LisaBowen_jhd.jpg

The Kingdom Six- the original owners of KCCW

 

Originally, the idea of KCCW, an Old School promotion akin to the old TWL and AAFW shows that were being shown on The Bloke Channel and ASN, came from Boo Smithson, who brought on board his old comrade from the independent scene, Macaulay ‘Mac’ Guffin. I came on board a little later, alongside Dan Reacher and Boo’s tag partner Gary ‘Dingo Devine’ Culkin, and together we put together the basics of what would become KCCW, including the name, the famous flag logo, and the promotion’s home base of Fremantle, Australia. It was only at this point, about a month after everything was put in place, that Bonnie Rockworth came on board. I don’t remember who exactly it was that introduced her to the group- it was either Dingo or Boo, as she’d just come off a spate of guest appearances with APW- but I do remember that my first thoughts on meeting her were that she was either a complete airhead or the most incredibly shrewd businesswoman I’d ever met.

 

As it turned out she wasn’t quite either, but one quality she definitely didn’t lack was determination. Alright, she wasn’t (and still isn’t) the most knowledgeable promoter or businesswoman in the wrestling business, but whatever she didn’t understand she simply bulldozed straight through, usually by throwing either money or charm at the problem until it went away. By the time the promotion ready to open in January 2010 she’d doubled our original funds for a starting bank balance of 100,000 dollars and garnered enough publicity that even before we’d run our first show we were already considered a larger outfit than DIW in Sydney- a hardcore company that will probably play further part in this narrative but remains one of the more fondly remembered independent promotions in Aussie wrestling.

 

As for Bonnie herself, as time went on I’d like to think we began to see more of her real personality. She was, as I’ve said, a very determined woman, a little naïve but utterly willing to push the company as hard as she could to succeed. She was good at working with people but almost completely unreliable when it came to any kind of long-term planning, and she had that peculiar attitude towards money that comes of having far more of it than you’ll ever actually spend- she begrudged losing any but had a tendency to stop paying attention to the budget if something else was happening. In fact, that goes for all aspects for her life- Bonnie’s one of the most easily distracted people I’ve ever met.

 

Not, therefore, someone you’d expect to be a successful wrestling booker, and definitely not someone who you’d think would one day rank as one of wrestling’s very few successful female wrestling promoters. And yet somehow, that’s exactly what she’s become. Despite the lack of concentration, the weird attitude to money and the complete lack of knowledge when it comes to behind-the-scenes of professional wrestling, that ambitious drive and reckless fandom (and, let’s face it, not-insubstantial bank account) have somehow made Bonnie Rockworth, and KCCW, one of the most interesting stories in wrestling, one that’s actually somehow made it into print.

 

This one’s for you, Bonnie: Somehow, you’ve earned it.

[1PWfan]

Introduction

 

This book exists because of Horatio Dangerous.

 

Not so much because of what he did in TCW (he’s a fantastic booker but there’s about four hundred things I’d do differently, most of which involve firing Generation Omega), but because his book, ‘Take It Home, Boys’, recently became the biggest selling book ever published on wrestling. So, naturally enough, TCW press started looking to replicate that success. Obviously we’ve all seen their books of road stories and Sam Keith’s autobiography, which by the way is possibly the best book of it’s kind ever, but then somebody in their publishing arm suggested looking to their international promotional partners* for a book like Dangerous’, what you might call a booking diary. And what do you know, lil’ Bonnie Rockworth’s name somehow made it to the top of the list, though that’s probably more to do with heritage than personal name value: when your father’s a global sports magnate (Rockworth Balls Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of rugby, footy and cricket balls, which buys you a certain amount of column inches in the papers) people tend to remember your name, even if they have no idea what it is you actually do.

 

Now, a word about what you’ll be seeing in this book: in 2011, when this book starts, KCCW had been operating for a year already, a year which is largely lost to memory because it honestly never occurred to me to keep a record of what I actually did as head booker. But looking back at what I’ve written, the story that runs through most of this book is one that I think really defines what it is to be an indy fed in a region dominated by a frankly cr@ppy televised promotion. RAW, which was for many years the dominant wrestling promotion in Australia, was basically what you get if you take the SWF and remove all the talent and good ideas, and about 90% of the actual wrestling. Given that KCCW was The Home of Old School Down Under, that made for a somewhat tense relationship, especially given that we stole their head booker in 2010 and they started signing our talent as 2011 rolled round.

 

It’s also been pointed out to me that a lot of the people reading this book may not know a huge amount about the Aussie wrestling scene- aside from the occasional mention on TCW Television or the DVD’s sold through TCW.com, Australian wrestling has very little global presence. So, I figured that the best thing to do with the rest of this introduction is to give a brief potted history of where Aussie wrestling was at come 2011, so that when I start ranting about the pathetic inability of APW to knock RAW off the top spot, or praise ZEN to the rafters as one of the best promotions in the world, you aren’t left wondering what the hell I’m talking about.

 

At the start of 2011, there were five promotions active Down Under. KCCW you’ll get to see more of as we go on, and if I talk about RAW too much I might actually kill someone. The other three promotions, were Australian Pro Wrestling (APW, and we’ll be hearing plenty of them too), Deep Impact Wrestling (DIW), and ZEN: Art of Wrestling (you can probably figure that one out). APW was the original Gen 2 Aussie Promotion, the one that kick-started the new wave of Aussie wrestling back in 2007 by buying out the various local promotions that were in operation up to that point.** It’s kind of hard to summarise what they do: it’s halfway between a traditional wrestling promotion and something a little more hardcore, and when you add in the fact that they were at war with RAW you start to see why APW were pretty much stuck in their East Coast stronghold throughout most of this period. Oh, and it’s worth pointing out that APW were our only ‘official’ allies during this period- we signed a working agreement with them in mid-2010.

 

Our nearest competitor in terms of size, DIW was a one hundred per cent straight-up hardcore promotion, channelling the spirit of DaVE without Phil Vibert’s pretensions towards upmarket production values or big business- I’m talking proper bargain-basement underground stuff. Their boss, The Comedian, was one of the few big Australian workers who wasn’t signed up by APW when they first opened, and he opened DIW to counteract APW’s monopolistic ambitions and RAW’s general awfulness. Embroiled in a war with both APW and RAW, Comedian’s ragtag army occasionally pops up in this tome, largely when it comes to our sharing talent, but for the most part they have their own thing going on, and in any case we’re on opposite sides of the country so interaction is at a minimum (we’re in Fremantle, they’re based out of Sydney).

 

As for the last major promotion Down Under, ZEN: Art of Wrestling is New Zealand’s premier (and only) wrestling federation, and they’re combo of CZCW and a very surreal sitcom. Lots of comedy, lots of high-flying action, and more gimmick matches than you can shake a stick at (one of their major matches involves trying to trap your opponent in a large ballpit), they’re actually a lot of fun, and stand as the largely undisputed number three promotion in the region. You’ll see ZEN names crop up from time to time, but as a general rule we don’t have a lot to do with them: again, sheer distance means we don’t interact, as well as radically different products.

 

Well, there we are, folks: Aussie wrestling at the start of 2011, at least in brief. From here we’ll be getting stuck into the story of KCCW, the little promotion that probably couldn’t but hadn’t realised that yet, and the booking career of a woman who’d placed herself in charge despite knowing next to nothing about how to book a wrestling show. It should never have worked, somehow it did.

 

Let’s find out how, shall we?

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

*international promotional partners: a fancy term that essentially means that in return for providing local advance publicity KCCW talent gets to appear on TCW’s tours down under (usually losing to midcard guys like Merle O’Curle or Marc Speed) and out DVD’s are sold stateside through TCW.com. It’s actually a pretty good deal considering we make no money out of it.

 

**For future reference, you’ll occasionally come across promotions being referred to as either Gen 1 or Gen 2. The Gen 1 promotions are the small promotions that were operating in Australia prior to 2007, but due to a combo of miniscule budgets and bad booking the scene was pretty much moribund ‘til APW came along. Gen 2 promotions are the group that sprang up after 2007, and tend to be a lot more successful. If it helps, compare it to 60’s and 70’s America, with the rise of the territories.

[1PWfan]

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/KCCW.jpg

 

Chapter One: January 2011 (Or: In which our heroine discovers the advantages of writing things down once in a while)

 

 

Well, here goes: first entry in the all-new KCCW booking diary. In theory this will help us organise storylines and shows, as now we have a ready-made record of exactly what’s happened and what’s meant to be happening. At least in theory: I have a sneaking suspicion that what’ll actually happen is that I’ll still make it all up as I went along, and then write it down afterwards in a vague effort to make it look like I’m actually maintaining some level of organisation.

 

Anyway, kicking this off at the start of the year gives me an opportunity to actually do something useful: summarise the roster, who’s where and doing what to whom. One of the biggest problems facing any wrestling booker is keeping track of the roster and their storylines, and if we’re going to make this diary thing work it seems to me that the first thing we do is start making note of where everyone is on the roster before the first show of the year.

 

 

The Main Event

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/Tombstone.jpg

Tombstone

Age: 21 Height/Weight: 6’ 6”/260lbs

Entrance Music: Rock n’ Roll Train- AC/DC

Finishers: Rear Naked Choke, Rest In Peace (Swinging Side Slam)

Currently KCCW’s franchise player, Tombstone had a great 2010, feuding with Boo Smithson. He won that feud at the season finale Comfortably Numb, and turned face by showing respect to his defeated foe. With that in mind a run at current King of the Ring Mark Misery is very much on the cards, and should make for some great matches. He’s also separated from manager Delbert DeGeorge and should speaking for himself more, if we can find a way of working his menacing, bad-ass character into something that works on the mic.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/MarkMisery.jpg

Mark Misery

Age: 27 Height/Weight: 6’ 3”/240lbs

Entrance Music: Mars, The Bringer of War- Gustav Holst, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra

Finishers: Pain Killer (Victory Roll)

‘Mr Wrestling’ Mark Misery used to work for RAW, but jumped ship to KCCW where his wrestling talent bagged him a run as King of The Ring (our current top title) and the lead role in our dominant heel stable The Goliath Corporation. He defeated Dingo Devine at Comfortably Numb, with the help of Kip Rockwell, and will likely move into a feud with Tombstone for most of this year. That should work pretty well- Mark’s got the right kind of skill set to help Tombstone improve his technical game, and the two match up well in terms of characterisation as well.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/DingoDevine.jpg

Dingo Devine

Age: 30 Height/Weight: 6’ 3/245lbs

Entrance Music: Run to Paradise- The Choirboys

Finishers: Southern Lights Suplex (Northern Lights Suplex), The Toxic Trio (Snap Suplex/Vertical Suplex/Fisherman’s Suplex combo)

Dingo spent most of last year chasing after Mark Misery for the King of the Ring title, which worked well as a feud but never delivered to the standard of Boo/Tombstone or the tag division, relatively speaking. He’s a solid competitor, though, and plans are to feud Dingo with Kip Rockwell, the man responsible for costing him the title, for the rest of this year. It’s also worth mentioning that as one of The Kingdom Six Dingo’s got a good chance of finding his way to the top title sooner or later, and that he’s one of The Frontline, KCCW’s top face stable, alongside Tombstone and Boo Smithson.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/TheKipper.jpg

Kip Rockwell

Age: 31 Height/Weight: 6’ 6”/265lbs

Entrance Music: No Way but the Hard Way- Airbourne

Finishers: Lariat

After spending a year largely treading water, Kip Rockwell took a big step up to the main event at the season finale when it was revealed that he was the traitor that had sold out The Frontline. That’s catapulted him into the main event and will probably do a lot to help his career- his problematic psychology made it difficult for him to tackle the top heels, but both Dingo and Boo have the psychology to carry him through most matches. He’s about kick off a feud with Dingo Devine, which ought to make for an interesting contrast in styles- Kip’s a pure brawler, whilst Dingo’s a suplex machine.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/BooSmithson.jpg

Boo Smithson

Age: 32 Height/Weight: 5’ 11”/230lbs

Entrance Music: Spicks and Specks- The Bee Gees

Finisher: Crossface Chickenwing

A lot of people will tell you that Boo Smithson isn’t main-event material, that he’s got no charisma and looks like a fat hobo. Which just goes how stupid some people are, as if looks and talking matter when you’re capable of putting on a mat-wrestling classic. Admittedly Boo’s starting to show some signs of decline in the ring-his chain wrestling in particular is noticeably less smooth than it used to be- but he remains Australia’s premier technical wrestler. After being defeated by Tombstone at the end of last year, Boo’s at a bit of a loose end at the moment. I’m considering moving him into the tag division, possibly playing the mentor to one of our younger workers.

 

 

Upper Midcarders

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/Cyanide.jpg

Cyanide

Age: 25 Height/Weight: 6’ 5”/222lbs

Entrance Music: Eye of the Needle- The Datsuns

Finishers: Skull Splitter (Double Underhook Brainbuster, Solo Finisher), Black Veils of Melancholy (Running Big Boot/Leg Sweep combo, Tag Finisher)

Currently one half of KCCW’s Tag Team Champions, Cyanide’s one of our most reliable workers in both singles and tag competition. A very capable technical worker, Cyanide’s a little one-dimensional but is young enough to polish his game up, and is placed high enough on the card that he’ll have a chance to work against guys like Boo Smithson or Dingo Devine, both of whom could help Cyanide round out his skillset. His most likely feud for now is with former champs The Apocalypse, but I’d like to see them move beyond that into a feud with a new unit once I’ve identified the next potential challengers.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/Massacre.jpg

Massacre

Age: 27 Height/Weight: 6’ 7”/270lbs

Entrance Music: Eye of the Needle- The Datsuns

Finishers: Black Descent (Big Splash, Solo Finisher), Black Veils of Melancholy (Running Big Boot/Leg Sweep combo, Tag Finisher)

Cyanide’s tag partner in The Enemy, Massacre is a capable monster heel but doesn’t stand out as anything other than a solid brawler. He’s incredibly menacing, and bumps exceptionally well for a guy his size, but he’s not got a lot in terms of general skillset, and there are more menacing guys on the roster. He’s shown some improvement over the last year or so, though, and his tag team with Cyanide looks promising.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/MichaelRheur.jpg

Michael Rheur

Age: 35 Height/Weight: 6’ 3”/240lbs

Entrance Music: Back in Black- AC/DC

Finisher: The Munich Stretch (Inverted Chikara Special)

A veteran of the Aussie independent scene, Michael’s a solid technical hand who can also brawl pretty well when the situation calls for it. A lot of his mystique is built around The Munich Stretch, which is virtually impossible to break (only two men have ever done so- Harry Simonson, back in 2002, and Swoop McCarthy at the MWF’s last ever show), and it was that hold that got him his first major title run when he forced M-Jack to submit to it at Comfortably Numb, capturing the KCCW ANZAC title. He’s going to maintain his feud with M-Jack for now, but will likely fall down the card a ways once that’s over- Michael’s a good midcarder but I’m not sure he’s main event material.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/SpiffyStanStandish.jpg

Spiffy Stan Standish

Age: 22 Height/Weight: 6’ 2”/234lbs

Entrance Music: Get Off Of My Cloud- The Rolling Stones

Finisher: Brainbuster

Stan Standish joins us on loan from APW- I’ve brought him in to pep up The Anniversary Special, our Season Premiere. He’s a solid brawler with some technique, but he’s a complete disaster when it comes to submissions and his fundamentals aren’t amazing either. If he impresses at The Special there’s a chance I’ll bring him back down the road but it seems unlikely so far.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/Warmonger.jpg

Warmonger

Age: 27 Height/Weight: 6’ 7”/300lbs

Entrance Music: If You Want Blood You Got It- AC/DC

Finishers: Spine Shatterer (Blue Thunder Driver, Solo Finisher), Apocalypse Nowish (Double Chokeslam, Tag Finisher)

One half of former tag team champions The Apocalypse, Warmonger’s recently joined RAW whilst his partner hasn’t, which has made for a rather tense locker room at times. He’s definitely the more talented of the pair, but remains a fairly standard big-man brawler that never leaves his feet. I don’t see him making a full-time singles run any time soon, but he’s got the odd title shot in the past and I don’t see that changing any time soon provided he continues to deliver in the ring.

 

 

Midcarders

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/RustyMills.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/DonovanBoon.jpg

Rusty Mills & Donovan Boon- The Duo

Ages: 22 (Mills) & 23 (Boon) Height/Weight: 6’/235lbs (Mills), 6’/200lbs (Boon)

Entrance Music: Take a Long Line- The Angels

Finishers: Spinebuster (Mills’ Solo Finisher), Donovan Driver (Michinoku Driver, Boon’s finisher), Duo Drop II (Slingshot/Lungblower Combo, Tag Finisher)

KCCW’s fastest rising tag team, over the course of 2010 The Duo went from rookie jobbers to an established part of the tag division, and a guest appearance on Australia’s favourite comedy ‘Horses on Courses’ has seen them polish up their entertainment skills, making them an increasingly effective partnership. Donovan’s the brawler of the pair and plays the straight man, whilst Rusty Mills is the more technical worker and a hyped-up maniac with a penchant for shouting ‘ARMBAR!’ every time he locks one in. Together they make for a very good team-they’re currently the second most experienced team in the division- and whilst they’re currently feuding with Criminal Excellence a run at the tag titles is surely in their future.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/MauriceJackson.jpg

Maurice Jackson

Age: 21 Height/Weight: 6’ 5”/275lbs

Entrance Music: Galvanize- The Chemical Brothers

Finisher: Flying Tackle

Nobody’s denying that M-Jack’s pretty talented. He’s a good brawler, a fantastic talker and physically one of the best wrestlers out there. But he suffers from an attitude that’s always on the verge of tipping over into becoming a problem, and until he shows signs of working on that and putting some serious work into developing his abysmal psychology I’ll always be wary of giving him a sustained push. That being said, he’s got star quality to spare, and now he’s signed with RAW there’s a good chance that he’ll get over no matter what I do. If that happens I won’t complain, but I don’t see myself making a concerted effort to get him to the top myself. He’s coming off the back of losing the ANZAC title to Michael Rheur, but he’ll likely regain it by the end of the year- I may be a little wary of his attitude and lack of improvement, but you waste a worker like The King of Diamonds at your peril.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/PaulParquar.jpg

Paul Parquar

Age: 39 Height/Weight: 5’ 8”/198lbs

Entrance Music: Cowboy Song (Live Version)- Thin Lizzy

Finisher: P-Wave (Sliding Forearm Smash)

Paul returned to active wrestling with us midway through last year, and so far he’s done sterling service. A talented brawler with solid mic skills and good fundamentals, he’s yet to rise up the card much but hopefully 2011 will give him a chance to get nearer the main event. I don’t see him as a protracted top-level star- even without the kind of decline you’d expect to see in a worker his age he’s still not among the best we’ve got- but he’s got a lot of pedigree and deserves at least a brief run near the top, if only for services rendered. At the moment he’s kind of at a loose end, wrestling whoever needs a match or some improvement, and I’ll likely keep him in that slot as we need a few of these ‘utility workers’- guys who can be counted on to slot into just about any slot on the card and deliver a good bout.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/RichieFox.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/VanceSturt.jpg

Richie Fox & Vance Sturt- Criminal Excellence

Ages: 21 (Fox) & 29 (Sturt) Height/Weight: 6’ 3”/265lbs (Fox) & 6’ 5”/260lbs (Sturt)

Entrance Music: Hell Ain’t a Band Place to Be- AC/Dc

Finishers: Straitjacket Powerbomb (Ricola Bomb, Fox’s Solo Finisher), The Offer You Can’t Refuse (Stunner, Sturt’s Solo Finisher), Sleeping with the Fishes (Side Slam/Famouser combo, Tag Finisher)

KCCW’s newest tag team, Criminal Excellence have settled into their midcard role with considerable aplomb, kicking off a feud with The Duo after maybe a couple of months of existence. Individually Richie’s definitely the star of the team- he’s got great fundamentals for his age, and enough charisma and mic skills to make a d@mn fine talker- but neither man can do much more to brawl, and when you consider Richie’s ego it’s probably a good thing that they’re still a midcard team at the moment. Chances are, though, that they’ll end up with the tag team titles at some point, when they’ve got a bit more experience.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/SaulRubennick.jpg

Saul Rubennick

Age: 35 Height/Weight: 6’/245lbs

Entrance Music: The Dead Heart- Midnight Oil

Finisher: Face-First Suplex (Sit-Out Front Suplex)

Michael Rheur’s sometime tag partner, Saul’s a veteran mat wrestler, although he doesn’t have much else in his playbook. He’s a solid hand, and reliable enough in the ring, but his bitter veteran gimmick is a little too close to reality for my tastes- he’s got a tendency to cause trouble backstage, and whilst we’ve got enough positive presences backstage to keep the likes of him and Richie under control I’m still not happy about it. Outside of his team with Rheur Saul’s mostly a midcard gatekeeper, but the team is good for the odd title shot when there’s a gap on the card.

 

 

Lower Midcarders

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/AlyxMacquarie.jpg

Alyx Macquarie

Age: 24 Height/Weight: 6’/200lbs

Entrance Music: I Predict a Riot- Kaiser Chiefs

Finisher: Super Kick

Another guest joining us for one show from APW, this is Alyx’s second appearance with us (he challenged for the ANZAC title back in September of last year). He’s an okay cruiserweight with some technique, but like Spiffy Stan Standish he’s unlikely to be back on a regular basis. He has the benefit of being popular enough to pop ticket sales without trying to avoid losing to my big stars, so he’s a solid choice for talent trades. There’s also a chance I’ll bring his tag partner, Cole Taylor, over to do the job for one of my face teams one of these days.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/BlackFlash.jpg

Black Flash

Age: 20 Height/Weight: 5’ 10”/195lbs

Entrance Music: The Batman Theme- Danny Elfman

Finisher: Senton Bomb

A talented rookie that would probably fit better in ZEN than here, Black Flash has nevertheless settled in well, mostly playing a jobber in the tag ranks alongside Whirlwind Lee Wilkes. Primarily a high flier, Flash nevertheless does have some technical skill, and for a rookie he’s got great fundamentals, particularly in terms of his consistency and selling. Sooner or later I want to move this guy, and his tag partner, up the ranks but for now he’s probably better off as a jobber- that way he can wrestle a lot of our top guys, and improve against them.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/Hatemonger.jpg

Hatemonger

Age: 28 Height/Weight: 6’ 6”/285lbs (Hatemonger)

Entrance Music: If You Want Blood You Got It- AC/DC

Finishers: Giant DDT (Spike DDT, Solo Finisher), Apocalypse Nowish (Double Chokeslam, Tag Finisher)

In recent months Hatemonger’s been hit hard by a run of mediocre singles matches and losing the tag team titles, but his position this low on the card is strictly temporary. He’s a solid competitor, albeit one with dire selling, and has show improvement in recent months that should help him boost his singles matches, which have up to now been pretty below average as I’ve already said. Realistically though his primary value is as a tag competitor with Warmonger- although now Warmonger’s joined RAW and Hatemonger hasn’t things are a little tense between them.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/Smasher.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/Mauler.jpg

Smasher & Mauler- The S&M Connection

Ages: 30 (Smasher), 31 (Mauler) Height/Weight: 6’ 4”/267lbs (both)

Entrance Music: Scarred for Life- Rose Tattoo

Finishers: The Pounce (Mauler’s Solo Finisher), Elbow Drop (Smasher’s Solo Finisher), Here Comes The Pain (Double Neckbreaker, Tag Finisher)

They have their fans, but frankly neither Smasher nor Mauler have much hope of rising out of the lower regions of the card here. Both intensely mediocre individually, they’re an experienced unit who can usually be counted on to deliver a good tag match, but given that they lack the upsides of most of the other teams on the roster they’ll likely act as jobbers for the most part, though the possibility of a title shot or two isn’t out of the question.

 

 

Openers

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/ChristopherGerard.jpg

Christopher Gerard

Age: 18 Height/Weight: 6’ 1”/232lbs

Entrance Music: Help Is On It’s Way- Little River Bamd

Finisher: T-Bone Suplex

KCCW’s newest signing, Chris only turned pro in December of last year, and will receive his first match at The Anniversary Special. It’s therefore a little difficult to really form a proper opinion of his talents, but all the signs suggest he’s got a lot of promise. He’s a solid technical competitor with decent fundamentals, but he could do to sharpen up his brawling quite a bit and his psychology is at roughly Tombstone or M-Jack levels of awfulness. There’s a chance he might wind up being associated with The Frontline if he gets over enough, but at the moment I’m happier leaving him at the bottom of the crowd where he can polish up his skills a bit.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/WhirlwindLeeWilkes.jpg

Whirlwind Lee Wilkes

Age: 25 Height/Weight: 6’ 2”/234lbs

Entrance Music: Dizzy- Vic Reeves and the Wonder Stuff

Finisher: Reap the Whirlwind (Fireman’s Carry dropped into a double knee gutbuster)

Although he’s basically a jobber for us at the moment, Lee Wilkes is one of the most valuable members of the KCCW roster. For one thing, he’s a great all-rounder that can match up with any worker we’ve got, which makes him incredibly valuable as a jobber. He’s also got great fundamentals, and has the makings of a fine ring general, but the simple fact is that there’s too many people ahead of him to make getting him over a priority. If he sticks around though (and there’s no signs that he won’t) then chances are that he’ll find his way up the card eventually, even if it’s just as far as the midcard.

 

 

Non-Wrestlers

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/BillOlliver.jpg

Bill Oliver

KCCW’s new announcer, Bill Oliver joined us in the off-season between last year and this year. He’s one of the best announcers out there right now, although he hasn’t worked regularly since the Gen 1 promotions closed and that shows a little in terms of his relative quality- whereas once only Mitch Bryson at APW was better, now he’s behindg Garfield Harth over at RAW and Sparky Sparks at ZEN. Still, he’s more than capable, and his presence adds an experienced edge to the announcing position.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/LisaBowen_jhd.jpg

Bonnie Rockworth

Having spent most of last year as KCCW’s lead announcer I’m switching over to colour commentary this year, as Bill Oliver’s been brought in and Scott Hickey’s contract demands were too high. In all honesty there’s hundreds of guys who could do the job better than me, but I have the advantages of coming cheap and being the head booker: the major part of my job is keeping the audience up-to-speed on our storylines, and given that I’m the one putting them together I’m ideal for the role.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/DelbertDeGeorge.jpg

Delbert DeGeorge

Delbert was brought in off the indy scene to act as Tombstone’s mouthpiece, but Tombstone’s recent face turn has left him at a loose end. He’s still a talented mouthpiece, though, and it’s simply a matter of finding the right talent for him to manage. In the meantime he’ll be joining Bill and I on the commentary desk, ‘scouting for new clients’.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/LillianODonahue.jpg

Lillian O’Donahue

Lillian was brought in last year to manage Richie Fox, but bad chemistry put paid to that and she’s currently attached to The Goliath Corporation. A solid talker but nothing really special, Lillian’s largely a spare wheel at the moment- Vic handles the promo’s for the stable, and we don’t really go in for eye candy in KCCW. Her secretary gimmick does at least add something to the stable, though, and if somebody needs a heel manager and can’t work with Delbert DeGeorge she’s at the top of the list.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/MacGuffin.jpg

Mac Guffin

A member of the Kingdom Six, Mac’s our lead face manager and a key part of the locker room. Currently heading up The Frontline, Mac’s played a major part in the Frontline/Goliath Corporation feud, and has generally done stirling work on the mic throughout last year. Having been associated almost exclusively with top guys like Boo Smithson and Dingo Devine previously I’m looking to use Mac’s mic skills to get a couple of our undercard guys over.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/VictorGoliath.jpg

Victor Goliath

Another member of the Kingdom Six, Victor’s our top heel manager. In charge of The Goliath Corporation, KCCW’s dominant stable of evil corporate heels, Vic’s one of the best talkers in the company and has regularly produced some of the best segments on our shows. Currently managing every single one of our champions, Vic’s probably going to play a major role in KCCW storylines for years to come.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/GenePerry.jpg

Gene Perry

Our deputy official, Gene was brought in partway through last year to add another positive presence to the locker room. He’s a solid hand but nothing special, and is likely to be kept around more for his backstage presence than anything he does in the ring.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/GlenLee.jpg

Glen Lee

KCCW’s senior official, Glen’s one of the best refs on the independent scene. You can rely on him to do a good job and not cause trouble, so unless that changes his future with the company is assured.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/DanReacher.jpg

Dan Reacher

The last of the Kingdom Six, Dan’s our resident Director of Authority, in charge of the day-to-day running of the company and making sure matches are put together and shows are run properly. He’s definitely a heel, but rather than the usual corrupt/tyrannical type of authority figure Dan’s just plain lazy- he doesn’t care what people do as long as they don’t bother him. That makes for a different kind of dynamic onscreen, and serves to differentiate him from just about every other authority figure out there (how has it never occurred to anyone to just make the guy in charge incredibly lazy?)

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/OwenOldacre.jpg

Owen Oldacre

The O Man is our current road agent, and given how bad most of roster are at calling their own matches he’s going to be earning his paycheck. There’s maybe a couple of better agents out there than Owen, but they don’t have his presence in the locker room so he’s safe enough for now.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/KCCW.jpg

 

Card for The Anniversary Special:

 

THE ANNIVERSARY BATTLE ROYAL

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes)

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

[Midnightnick]

THE ANNIVERSARY BATTLE ROYAL

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes)

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

[mistaken]

THE ANNIVERSARY BATTLE ROYAL

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes)

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

[Regis]

THE ANNIVERSARY BATTLE ROYAL

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish

He's the highest-pushed out of the lot, so why not?

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

Mark has a bad history in non-title matches. Tombstone can make a good challenge here.

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie

Nah, not yet.

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes)

JOBBERS!

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

Shut his whining up for a while.

[Rathen4]

Love the amount of people here that I've simply never used as APW. Would be very interested in you uploading a save of this!

 

THE ANNIVERSARY BATTLE ROYAL

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish - It's him or Kip, I think - and I do like a bit of Devine!

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery - Misery might have more momentum, reading the backstory. But it's a toss up here for me.

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie - Unless Alyx is coming into the fold, I don't see why you'd give him free popularity.

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes) - A rub for BlackWind, but not a win.

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard - A training match to let Saul teach him a thing or two. Great idea.

 

Good luck, can't wait!

[Oregano Jensen]

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish

 

I feel like heels win a lot of battle royales. It sounds like Rockwell needs a signature win to cement his spot as a main eventer, and Devine is established anyway.

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

 

Presumably, this is the start of their feud.

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie

 

Boo is good, MacQuarie would probably be a jobber even if you had him full-time.

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes)

 

Three promising guys and Vance Sturt. It doesn't sound like you want to push Flash or Wilkes yet, though this being Australia, what are you waiting for, really?

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

Even the midcard gatekeepers need to go over someone occasionally. Generally, someone below the midcard, and preferably someone who needs to learn from their experience.

[MJStark]

THE ANNIVERSARY BATTLE ROYAL

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes)

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

[1PWfan]

Show should be going up later today, folks, so if there's anybody wanting to get in some last-minute predictions there's still time.

[borman_48]

THE ANNIVERSARY BATTLE ROYAL

Dingo Devine vs. Paul Parquar vs. Maurice Jackson vs. Hatemonger vs. Warmonger vs. Cyanide vs. Massacre vs. Kip Rockwell vs. Michael Rheur vs. APW’s Spiffy Stan Standish

Winning the battle royal should give him the boost going into his feud with Dingo.

 

NON-TITLE MATCH

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

Non-title goes to the challenger.

 

Boo Smithson vs. APW’s Alyx MacQuarie

Job out the guy on the talent trade.

 

Criminal Excellence (Vance Sturt & Richie Fox) vs. BlackWind (Black Flash & Whirlwind Lee Wilkes)

Criminal Excellence is just further up the card.

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

Same as above.

[1PWfan]

The Anniversary Special

Live to DVD from The Wrestleplex

Thursday, Week 4, January

Audience: 270

 

The Show

 

Boo Smithson vs. Alyx Macquarie

This was as good an opener as you could have wished for, which is probably unsurprising when you consider the quality of the guys in this match. Alright, so Alyx is pretty average, but there’s a reason Boo Smithson is known as The King of the KCCW Mat, and against an opponent of Boo’s stature Macquarie was more than capable of elevating his game. It helped that we had such an easy story to build around here- highflier vs. mat worker is a good solid story to build a match around, and the unusual role reversal (usually the highflier is the face and the technician is the heel) made the match stand out a bit from the usual bouts of this kind. In the end there was only ever going to be one winner, and sure enough Boo got the win here, dodging an attempted Crossbody by Alyx and locking in the Crossface Chickenwing to score the victory.

Winner: Boo Smithson Match Rating: D+

 

*

 

For the first time tonight we’re back at the KCCW Interview Position, where Victor Goliath is on hype duty for the Main Event

 

“Last month, at Comfortably Numb, I had one of the best nights of my life. That night every title wound up in the hands of The Goliath Corporation, and at the end of the night, Dingo Devine, that pathetic waste of space, was left lying in the ring. And it’s all because of this man, Kip Rockwell. Tonight, Dingo, when you step into the ring for The Anniversary Battle Royal, just remember one thing. You’ve been defeated before, and you’ll be defeated again. Just pack up, go home and cry in your beer like the loser you are, because tonight, The Anniversary Battle Royal belongs to The Goliath Corporation, just like everything else in this company. And you know why, Dingo? Because we are the business…and business is good”

 

This might be the best reaction Vic’s ever got.

Rating: D+

 

*

 

Saul Rubennick vs. Christopher Gerard

Christopher’s debut match was as solid a bout as you could wish for. Alright, so it wasn’t exactly the most thrilling encounter in terms of flashy moves or intense brawling, but as an 8-minute technical bout it stood out from the majority of wrestling in Australia. The story was built around the pair exchanging holds, with Chris taking the lead offensively whilst Saul sat back and played counter-wrestling, reversing Chris’ holds and staying defensive for the most part. In the end, though, he was simply playing possum, allowing the rookie to tire himself out, and at the 7 and a half minute mark he took over, locking in a vicious abdominal stretch that weakned Chris for the Face-First Suplex. One hooked leg later, Saul had won the match.

Winner: Saul Rubennick Match Rating: D

 

*

 

Back at the Interview position, M-Jack’s on hype duty for the battle royal

 

“2010 was not a good year for me. I know, I held the ANZAC title for 11 months, I wrestled for the King of the Ring title, but you know what? When it counted, I couldn’t get it done. At the season finale, at Comfortably Numb, I stood in that ring with Michael Rheur, and I tapped out. I lost the ANZAC title, I fell down the rankings because I couldn’t hold out. And yeah, it was The Munich Stretch, it was the most dangerous hold in wrestling. Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because it’s not going happen again. Michael, next time you stand in the ring with me you’re not walking away the winner. Hell, you’re not walking away from The King of Diamonds at all. I’m going to take you, I’m going to beat on you ‘til you can’t take any more, and then I’m going to walk away with MY title. Tonight is just the beginning, Michael. I’m Maurice M-Jack Jackson, The King of Diamonds, The One-Man Army. You’re going down, Michael, hard.”

 

This was a good promo from M-Jack, but it’s going to take some work to get him back to his best.

Rating: D

 

*

 

Criminal Excellence vs. BlackWind

This wasn’t a bad match, but it went too long: I gave this 12 minutes when it really should have only had eight. Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a problem- both of these two teams are capable of delivering a solid midcard bout- but I had this set up as a squash match and that basically led to 10 minutes of Richie and Vance beating on BlackWind, with 30 seconds bouts of offence from Lee and Black Flash. Granted that offence was generally pretty crisp- Richie and Vance are both more than capable wrestlers- but it was still too one-sided for the amount of time we gave it. The finish was a fairly standard one- Black Flash went for the Senton Bomb on Vance, missed and Criminal Excellence hit Sleeping with the Fishes for the win.

Winners: Criminal Excellence Match Rating: D

 

*

 

Back at the interview position Mac Guffin’s on hype duty for the main event

 

“We’ve all heard what Victor Goliath has to say, we’ve all heard him gloating about Kip Rockwell, but you know what? I’m not gonna let him get me down. Kip, you’re a rat and a traitor and you’ll get what’s coming to you, but tonight? Tonight isn’t about you, it’s not about us, it’s about this company. It’s about Kingdom Championship Class Wrestling, the greatest promotion in Australia, and the fact that tonight is officially one year since The Era of Old School Begins, since the start of KCCW. And tonight, in The Anniversary Battle Royal, my boy Dingo Devine is going to be fighting for this company, fighting for The Frontline and fighting against everything you stand for, Victor Goliath. Kip Rockwell, last month you betrayed us all. Tonight, you’ve got a target on your back and The Red Belt Warrior. Enjoy your time as Goliath’s lapdog, Kip, ‘cos tonight, Dingo is gonna END you”

 

They’ve only just started and already Kip and Dingo’s feud is getting great results from the managers.

Rating: D+

 

*

 

The Duo vs. The S&M Connection

This was pretty much business as usual for these two teams, but they can always be counted upon to deliver a solid match. In an interesting contrast to the squash match from earlier this was based much more around around double-team moves and offence- both of these pairings are experienced teams, and The S&M connection in particular aren’t that great individually so they pretty much have to rely on a lot of double-team moves. In terms of storyline we went with a variant on the storyline these two teams worked last year- The S&M Connection attempted to isolate Donovan Boon and work him over, only for the Rookie Thunderbolt (my new nickname for Donovan- he’s not necessarily out most athletic performer but nobody moves as fast as him) to blindside them with high-energy brawling, including his trademark flying bionic elbow. From there it was all hot tags and high-paced action, with Rusty ‘ARMBAR!’ Mills tagging in to hit his usual array of arm-related holds and strikes (credit where it’s due, he’s putting a lot of effort into working out armbar variants). In the end, of course, this went to the team who actually have something going on, with The Duo hitting the Duo Drop II to score the win at 12 and a half minutes.

Winners: The Duo Match Rating: D

 

*

 

Backstage, in the locker room, Tombstone’s getting ready for his match with Mark Misery

 

“Last year, it was all about two things- The Goliath Corporation, and Tombstone. Now, they come together. Mark Misery, you might hold the top title, but you’re not The Event. You’re not the most dangerous man in the company, you’re not the man who took on The King of the KCCW Mat and nearly choked him out. You’re just a no-good suit who’s mistaken having back-up and dirty tricks for being good. Well, tonight, Tombstone will Happen to You”

 

Well, that worked- combine Tombstone’s natural menace with his increased name value and presto, instant quality promo.

Rating: C-

 

*

 

Tombstone vs. Mark Misery

This feud could be the major storyline of KCCW for months to come, so there was a lot of pressure riding on it to be good. Fortunately for us, there were no chemistry issues for these two, and left to their own devices both men are more than capable of delivering in the ring. That led for a very technical match, matching Mark’s chain wrestling against Tombstone’s MMA-style submissions. At first it was an even bout- Tombstone had the edge on the mat, but Mark had the experience edge and the presence of Victor Goliath and Lillian O’Donahue at ringside- but eventually Mr. Wrestling made the mistake of trying to turn the match into a brawl. As I pointed out at the time ‘there are two things you don’t do in KCCW: never annoy The Apocalypse, and NEVER try to brawl with Tombstone’; The Event completely obliterated his opponent, pummelling him with a vicious series of punches and chops before lifting him up for the Rest In Peace. Victor Goliath distracted the ref long enough for Mark to get free but ate a boot to the face for a troubles, and when Mark tried to hit the Pain Killer (a move that has never yet failed to win him the match), Tombstone was able to counter the move into a pinfall of his own, scoring a shock 3-count to get the victory.

Winner: Tombstone Match Rating: C-

 

*

 

The Anniversary Battle Royal

In pure wrestling terms this was pretty average for us, but in fairness battle royals are hideously difficult to put together so what we actually got, a fairly standard brawl with more bodies than usual, worked more than well enough. As for story, this one started out with Spiffy Stan Standish making the classic outsider mistake- cussin’ out everyone else and bragging about his own superiority. After all nine of the other competitors ganged up on him he was the first to go, and from there it devolved into a whole bunch of different brawls, with guys usually going after their current rivals. Hatemonger was the next to go at about 5 minutes in, after Cyanide ducked an attempted big boot and Massacre hoiked him the rest of the way over the rope, followed two minutes later by M-Jack after Kip Rockwell decked him with a lariat and Michael Rheur pushed him the ropes. By the ten minute mark, though, The Goliath Corporation had suffered their first elimination when Michael Rheur was dispatched by Warmonger, with the assistance of M-Jack at ringside- Warmonger had Rheur balanced on the top rope, and The One-Man Army pulled him the rest of the way over. Boo Smithson was the next to go, eating a lariat from Kip Rockwell that sent him over the top rope, onto the floor and into the crowd barriers; he was followed by Massacre and Warmonger at the 15 minute mark in a double elimination. That left Cyanide, Kip and Dingo Devine as the final three, and Dingo had spent most of the match being beaten down by various members of The Goliath Corporation. Naturally enough, therefore, now was the time for the traditional babyface comeback, and a (somewhat inexpertly applied) headscissors took out Cyanide to leave Rockwell and Dingo, KCCW’s newest feud, the last two men standing. Rockwell then made the biggest mistake you can possibly make in a battle royal: he charged at a suplex specialist who was standing in front of the ropes. One Southern Lights Suplex later and Dingo Devine had won The Anniversary Battle Royal.

Winner: Dingo Devine Match Rating: D+

 

 

Overall Rating: D+, about standard for us.

 

Sorry this is a little late, uni's been busier (and sunnier) than usual, so I've been away from my computer a lot. On a related note, check outThe Wrestling Network, there's some really interesting indy feds on there that give you a good visual comparison for KCCW shows (I reccommend OVW in particular for a visual comparison and general show quality)

[1PWfan]

Time for the follow-up mi amigos! And for information's sake, we'll go with the fan questions, because A) it's a cool idea, and B) Nobody else seems to use them.

 

Midnightnick: 3/5

Mistaken: 2/5

Regis: 5/5

Rathen4: 4/5

Oregano Jensen: 4/5, though I do see your point as regards Kip

MJStark: 3/5

borman_48: 4/5

 

So, Regis, Rathen, Oregano and borman all have the right to ask a question of any KCCW superstar they wish. Provision deadline for this is Tuesday evening BST/GMT/Whatever the hell time scale we're on now as I'm planning to post the next post Wednesday morning

[Regis]

Question for Mark Misery: You left a fat paycheck and a regular TV slot at RAW for KCCW. Considering your less than stellar win-loss record and your reliance on the Goliath Corporation to secure your victories, is that a choice you're coming to regret?

[Rathen4]

Yaaay! I knew my dubious knowledge of the Australian scene would pay off!

 

Question to Tombstone - if you could have a match with anyone on the Australian scene NOT in KCCW, who would it be?

[Oregano Jensen]

My question is for Black Flash and Whirlwind Lee Wilkes. You're facing a lot of more experienced wrestlers, most of whom are physically much larger than you are. How do you hope to take them on successfully?

[1PWfan]

Fans questions now, next post hopefully later- writing up the next show is taking longer than I'd thought so it may be another day or so before it's done.

 

**********************************************************

 

Firstly, from Regis:

 

Question for Mark Misery: "You left a fat paycheck and a regular TV slot at RAW for KCCW. Considering your less than stellar win-loss record and your reliance on the Goliath Corporation to secure your victories, is that a choice you're coming to regret?"

 

Mark Misery: I've got to ask, are you clinically retarded? Why should I regret leaving RAW, a crappy company that treated me like some midcard hoss, for KCCW, where I'm part of the greatest stable in wrestling and the current King of the Ring? So, explain to me why I should regreat leaving RAW, genius?

 

Now, this one from Rathen:

 

Question to Tombstone: "If you could have a match with anyone on the Australian scene NOT in KCCW, who would it be?"

 

Tombstone: There's two answers to that question. The first, and one that's really a dream match for me, is Harry Simonson- he's a great all-round worker and someone I think I could have a really great match with. But I'd also like a chance to get in the ring with Rahmel Goode and shoot on him- he's one of those guys who's never had to work for his spot and needs to learn respect for the business.

 

Next up is this question from borman_48:

 

To Paul Parquar: "What was your motivation to return to the ring after a couple of years spent backstage?"

 

Paul Parquar: Part of the reason I'd retired was the state of the scene at that time- it was largely dead and there wasn't much point staying in wrestling when I was basically held together by spit and willpower. By 2010, though, I'd healed up, and wrestling was looking a lot more active and interesting than when I'd retired, and I was seriously starting to think about making a comeback. In the end, though, what settled the deal was the offer from KCCW- it wasn't just the money, they were also keen to portray me as a big deal, and give me the chance to work matches against pretty much whoever I wanted. It's not creative control, but when you're told 'we want to make you a legend, a big deal and a link back to the early days of australian wrestling' it makes the decision a lot easer, you know?

 

Finally, from Oregano Jensen:

 

Question for Black Flash and Whirlwind Lee Wilkes: "You're facing a lot of more experienced wrestlers, most of whom are physically much larger than you are. How do you hope to take them on successfully?"

 

Lee Wilkes: The answer's simple- speed, speed and more speed. There aren't many guys who can move as fast as we can, and that gives us an advantage against most of the guys on the roster.

 

Black Flash: There's also the simple matter of gaining experience- I've not been in the business a full year yet, I've still got a lot to learn about how to win matches. Right now, the best thing to do is keep giving 110%, using our speed like Lee says, and learn as much as I can.

[1PWfan]

Sorry this is later than planned, but England's been in the grip of ridiculously good weather and like hell was I sitting in front of my computer rather than outside in the sunshine.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/KCCW.jpg

 

Chapter Two: February 2011 (Or: Why running at a loss isn’t a problem when you’re a millionaire)

 

 

Just took another look at the financials, and guess what? Once again, KCCW made a substantial loss.

 

That isn’t unusual- we haven’t made a profit since June 2010- but it’s still a pain in the @ss. For whatever reason, wrestling in this country isn’t a big money business, and that means that smaller companies, like KCCW, struggle to make money without very stringent budget management. For example, our entire profit for the month, including ticket sales, merchandise sales and sponsorship, came to a thousand pounds less than we spent on workers. Admittedly we used a hell of a lot of people this time round- virtually the entire roster was on the show- but that’s not uncommon for us, especially when you consider that at any given time half the matches on the card involve tag teams, which can double the number of workers used on a show. So, yeah, it’s not impossible for us to make a profit, but what it would require us to do is basically scalp the roster, probably dismantling the Tag Team and ANZAC divisions along the way, and run 60 minute shows featuring as few wrestlers as possible. And that, that’s not what I’m about.

 

Ordinarily I’d just full steam ahead and d@mn the torpedoes: as long as we have some money in the bank at the end of the year I can always dip into the not insubstantial funds granted to me as a millionaire’s daughter- after all, what’s the point of having money if you never spend it? But at the moment, I’m rather anxious to ensure that KCCW remains financially viable on it’s own merits. We’re a new company, still working on expanding our business and attracting new sponsors, and to do that they need to see us as a viable company to invest in. And to do that, KCCW needs to be able to stand on it’s own two feet, without being constantly bailed out by yours truly.

 

There’s also another thing going on here-KCCW isn’t just my pet project. You’d have to be an idiot to have missed all the press around the time I got involved with KCCW, the number of journo’s who denounced the project as nothing more than a vanity project for a brainless millionaire debutante. Leaving aside the fact that I’m more than a little fed up of being compared to Annie Stallings (yes I have money, yes it comes from a relative, no I do not spend all my time drinking and partying), KCCW is not and never has been a vanity project. We want to be taken seriously as a legitimate wrestling company, and profit plays a big part in that. If the company survives purely through constant financial support from me then that just adds fuel to the accusations that it’s not viable on it’s own merits, and that does more damage to our credibility than any number of bad matches or stupid booking decisions.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/KCCW-1.jpghttp://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/LisaBowen_jhd.jpg

KCCW- more than just Bonnie Rockworth’s vanity project

 

So the big issue this month was how to remain profitable- or really, how to go back to being profitable- without compromising our roster or show quality. That’s not an easy question to answer: as I’ve said, reducing the roster size would effectively cripple our tag division, which is one of the major features of the KCCW brand, whilst we experimented with running 90 minute shows in the mid-point of last year and the results, to be honest, weren’t what I liked: yes they were profitable, and no worse in objective terms than the standard 2-hour shows, but the booking for them was a nightmare, and not something I’m eager to revisit. Instead, the logical pattern seemed to be running alternate months, one month on, one off. Admittedly we’re actually booking 7 on, 5 off due to the season finale falling in December, but the alternating months plan should hopefully help pad out our bank balance and get us ahead of the game over all by year’s end. There’s a good chance, of course, that with the economy on a downward turn and the wrestling industry following we’ll simply end up making a slightly smaller loss than usual, but at this stage of the game I’ll take whatever we can get. In any case, at our size (and the truth is that we’re only just a Small company, as opposed to the real bush-league Local outfits) anything that can extend our lifespan will be welcome.

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/KCCW/KCCW.jpg

 

Card for Foundation and Empire

 

TAG-TEAM MATCH- FRONTLINE VS. GOLIATH CORPORATION

Dingo Devine & Tombstone vs. Kip Rockwell & Mark Misery

 

FOR THE KCCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Enemy (Cyanide & Massacre) vs. The Duo (Rusty Mills & Donovan Boon)

 

FOR THE KCCW ANZAC TITLE

Michael Rheur vs. Paul Parquar

 

The Apocalypse (Warmonger & Hatemonger) vs. The S&M Connection (Smasher & Mauler)

 

Maurice Jackson vs. Saul Rubennick

 

Boo Smithson vs. Brodie Lachlan

[Oregano Jensen]

TAG-TEAM MATCH- FRONTLINE VS. GOLIATH CORPORATION

Dingo Devine & Tombstone vs. Kip Rockwell & Mark Misery

 

After Devine and Tombstone both won last time, the balance tips back.

 

FOR THE KCCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Enemy (Cyanide & Massacre) vs. The Duo (Rusty Mills & Donovan Boon)

 

This is essentially Cyanide and Massacre's debut... why would they drop the belts?

 

FOR THE KCCW ANZAC TITLE

Michael Rheur vs. Paul Parquar

 

I don't see Parquar taking this... Rheur isn't anything special, but he's better than that guy.

 

The Apocalypse (Warmonger & Hatemonger) vs. The S&M Connection (Smasher & Mauler)

 

Hatmonger distracts Mauler by offering to sell him a hat at a surprisingly low price, giving Warmonger an opening to sneak up and hit him.

 

Maurice Jackson vs. Saul Rubennick

 

Rubennick beats the jobbers, but cements M-Jack's legitimacy by losing.

 

Boo Smithson vs. Brodie Lachlan

 

I don't even remember there being anyone named Brodie Lachlan.

[Midnightnick]

TAG-TEAM MATCH- FRONTLINE VS. GOLIATH CORPORATION

Dingo Devine & Tombstone vs. Kip Rockwell & Mark Misery

FOR THE KCCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Enemy (Cyanide & Massacre) vs. The Duo (Rusty Mills & Donovan Boon)

 

FOR THE KCCW ANZAC TITLE

Michael Rheur vs. Paul Parquar

 

The Apocalypse (Warmonger & Hatemonger) vs. The S&M Connection (Smasher & Mauler)

 

Maurice Jackson vs. Saul Rubennick

 

Boo Smithson vs. Brodie Lachlan

[mistaken]

TAG-TEAM MATCH- FRONTLINE VS. GOLIATH CORPORATION

Dingo Devine & Tombstone vs. Kip Rockwell & Mark Misery

 

FOR THE KCCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Enemy (Cyanide & Massacre) vs. The Duo (Rusty Mills & Donovan Boon)

 

FOR THE KCCW ANZAC TITLE

Michael Rheur vs. Paul Parquar

The Apocalypse (Warmonger & Hatemonger) vs. The S&M Connection (Smasher & Mauler)

 

Maurice Jackson vs. Saul Rubennick

 

Boo Smithson vs. Brodie Lachlan

[MJStark]

TAG-TEAM MATCH- FRONTLINE VS. GOLIATH CORPORATION

Dingo Devine & Tombstone vs. Kip Rockwell & Mark Misery

 

FOR THE KCCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Enemy (Cyanide & Massacre) vs. The Duo (Rusty Mills & Donovan Boon)

 

FOR THE KCCW ANZAC TITLE

Michael Rheur vs. Paul Parquar

 

The Apocalypse (Warmonger & Hatemonger) vs. The S&M Connection (Smasher & Mauler)

 

Maurice Jackson vs. Saul Rubennick

 

Boo Smithson vs. Brodie Lachlan

[Rathen4]

TAG-TEAM MATCH- FRONTLINE VS. GOLIATH CORPORATION

Dingo Devine & Tombstone vs. Kip Rockwell & Mark Misery

 

FOR THE KCCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Enemy (Cyanide & Massacre) vs. The Duo (Rusty Mills & Donovan Boon)

 

FOR THE KCCW ANZAC TITLE

Michael Rheur vs. Paul Parquar

The Apocalypse (Warmonger & Hatemonger) vs. The S&M Connection (Smasher & Mauler)

 

Maurice Jackson vs. Saul Rubennick

 

Boo Smithson vs. Brodie Lachlan

[1PWfan]

Card will be going up in the next couple of days- a lot depends on how much work I get done and how quick I get the show after written up. Either way, there's still time for predictions

[Big Roguey]

Card for Foundation and Empire

 

TAG-TEAM MATCH- FRONTLINE VS. GOLIATH CORPORATION

Dingo Devine & Tombstone vs. Kip Rockwell & Mark Misery

 

FOR THE KCCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Enemy (Cyanide & Massacre) vs. The Duo (Rusty "ARMBAR" Mills & Donovan Boon)

 

FOR THE KCCW ANZAC TITLE

Michael Rheur vs. Paul Parquar

 

The Apocalypse (Warmonger & Hatemonger) vs. The S&M Connection (Smasher & Mauler)

 

Maurice Jackson vs. Saul Rubennick

 

Boo Smithson vs. Brodie Lachlan