MAW: Working with Rip Chord

[TommyDaniels]

[I]“Whatever it is, make it quick. I have a two o’clock meeting.” [/I]Rip Chord announced, looking rather annoyed. [I]“I am your two o’clock, Mr. Chord,”[/I] I stated, [I]“Tommy Daniels, Mid Atlantic Savings and Loan.”[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/TommyDaniels.jpg[/IMG] [B]Tommy Daniels[/B] A loan officer for Mid Atlantic Savings and Loan, I was on the fast track up the company ladder. A graduate from Harvard business school with a degree in finance I was considered a young star by the bank’s board of directors. One of our clients was the Mid Atlantic Wrestling promotion, and I made sure that I would be the one to review the loan, being a childhood fan of the owner, Rip Chord. The promotion was in trouble and would most likely fold up before the end of the year unless some changes were made. I setup a meeting with Rip to talk about some ideas I had for MAW. [I] “So you’re the banker that’s gonna tell me how to run my promotion?”[/I] [I]“No, I am the loan officer that is going to help you to develop and grow your promotion.”[/I] [I]“Banker, loan officer, either way you sure don’t look the part. Don’t you people wear suits and ties?”[/I] [I]“When you’re good enough, they’ll let you work in your boxers.”[/I] Rip smiled. [I]“We might just get along after all. So let’s hear your plan, kid.”[/I] I shared with him my ideas on a number of topics such as the roster, contracts, ticket pricing, even some ideas on other workers and possible gimmicks. We clicked immediately, and we agreed upon my future involvement with the promotion. I would continue to work with Rip under the title of head booker, with both of us making all decisions together.

[TommyDaniels]

First Week on the Job [B]Monday, Week 1, December 2005[/B] The first move I made was to get on the phone and setup some contract negotiations with a number of workers I thought could be beneficial to MAW. I was looking for charismatic stars who knew their way around the ring but for one reason or another had yet to break out. After placing some phone calls to the hopefully future stars of the MAW promotion, I started to go about removing some of the former stars. I setup a meeting with Karen Killer to terminate her written contract. [B]Saturday, Week 1, December 2005[/B] Between Thursday and Friday I was able to sign a number of workers to Pay-Per-Appearance deals. I am not sure if all of them will be used much, if at all, but I wanted to get the talent signed early so I could make calls to the other promotions over the weekend. I am planning to call many of the promotions in North America and ask for a non-aggression pact to prevent my roster from being raided. Some of the deals that were signed included: [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] [B]Joey Minnesota [/B]- 1,200 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/Persephone.jpg[/IMG] [B]Persephone[/B] – 1,000 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/DarrylDevine.jpg[/IMG] [B]Darryl Devine[/B] – 950 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/HellMonkey.jpg[/IMG] [B]Hell Monkey[/B] – 950 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/BrentHill.jpg[/IMG] [B]Brent Hill [/B]– 725 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG] [B]Steve Flash[/B] – 700 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/FrankiePerez.jpg[/IMG] [B]Frankie Perez[/B] – 600 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] [B]Champagne Lover[/B] – 425 dollars PPA for 9 months [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyBeauchamp.jpg[/IMG] [B]Joey Beauchamp [/B]– 250 dollars PPA for 9 months There were other deals signed as well but these are the names you will most likely be seeing the most of for the near future. [B]Monday, Week 2, December 2005[/B] Over the weekend I was able to agree to non-aggression pacts with six other promotions, including TCW, 4C, NOTBPW, USPW, CGC, and MOSC. I will try again in the near future to work out agreements with DAVE, SWF, NYCW, and AAA. Our first show is scheduled for Saturday, Week 4, December 2005, entitled MAW: The Rebirth. The fliers are highlighting a championship match between The Mean Machine and Joey Minnesota and should be seen around town quite a bit over the coming weeks.

[TommyDaniels]

MAW: The Rebirth Pre-Show [U][SIZE=6][B]MAW: The Rebirth[/B][/SIZE][/U] [B]Saturday, Week 4, December – Stanley Hall, Maryland – Attendance: 63 People [/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyBeauchamp.jpg[/IMG] [B]Announcer – Joey Beauchamp[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JayFair.jpg[/IMG] [B]Referee – Jay Fair[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/RipChord.jpg[/IMG] [B]Road Agent – Rip Chord[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/Persephone.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #1[/B] – The crowd was treated to a quick shot of Persephone getting ready backstage. [I][B]B+[/B] The crowd was restless but this segment lifted their mood.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/RipChord.jpg[/IMG] & [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #2[/B] - Rip Chord came out to the ring to introduce the new face of Mid Atlantic Wrestling, Joey Minnesota. [I][B]B-[/B] Rip performed well, but Joey did not. The crowd was still restless.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] & [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/RipChord.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #3[/B] – More for show than anything else considering it had been advertised for weeks, Joey Minnesota demanded a shot at the title. Rip Chord granted his request without hesitation. [I][B]B[/B] Joey performed poorly to the still restless crowd.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] & [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/Persephone.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #4[/B] - Champagne Lover headed to Persephone’s dressing room backstage and asked her out for dinner after the show. She accepted on the condition that he wins a match during the show. [I][B]C- [/B]This segment was a let down after the last few and brought down the crowd’s mood. On a positive note though, Persephone improved in performance, acting, and charisma.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG] & [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/FrankiePerez.jpg[/IMG] - [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/RipChord.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #5[/B] - Steve Flash accidentally bumped into Frankie Perez backstage. Perez shoved him and let him know to watch his step. The arguement escalated for a minute before Rip Chord, on his way back from introducing Joey Minnesota, heared them and told them to settle it in the ring. [I][B]C+[/B] Rip Chord’s performance was fantastic, but Flash underperformed. Steve Flash learned a little from Rip’s performance and improved in charisma, acting, and performance.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #6[/B] - Champagne Lover headed down to the ring to call out Darryl Devine, and announce that he will be an easy opponent. [I][B]C-[/B] This segment brought the crowd’s mood down. [/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] vs [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/DarrylDevine.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #7[/B] - Champagne Lover vs Darryl Devine Champagne Lover won at 6:11 by pinfall after illegally using the ropes for leverage. [I][B]C[/B] The announcing and commentary really added to this match. Darryl Devine picked up some technical skills from Champagne Lover.[/I]

[TommyDaniels]

MAW: The Rebirth [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/HellMonkey.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #1[/B] - Hell Monkey came to the ring and announced that would take on and crush any opponent brave enough to accept his challenge. [I][B]C [/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/FrankiePerez.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #2[/B] - Frankie Perez came down to the ring to tell the audience his plans for later that night after his victory over Steve Flash. [B][I]C[/I][/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/FrankiePerez.jpg[/IMG] vs [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #3[/B] - Frankie Perez vs Steve Flash Frankie Perez defeated Steve Flash in 6:32 by pinfall with a handful of tights. [I] [B]C[/B] The color commentary gave this match a boost[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/BrentHill.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #4[/B] - Brent Hill came down to the ring and announced that he accepted Hell Monkey’s challenge and that he would come out the winner. [I][B]C [/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/BrentHill.jpg[/IMG] vs [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/HellMonkey.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #5[/B] - Brent Hill vs Hell Monkey Hell Monkey won at 7:28 by pinfall after hitting Brent Hill with foreign object. [I] [B]C[/B] They didn’t click at all and it made for an awkward match, even with the commentary and announcing giving it a boost. The good news however was that Brent Hill improved in rumble and technical. [/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #6[/B] - Joey Minnesota announced to the audience that he would dispatch of The Mean Machine quickly and easily and become the new champion in the process. [I][B]C+[/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] vs [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/MeanJeanCattley.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #7 [/B]– Joey Minnesota vs The Mean Machine Joey Minnesota won at 4:32 finishing the match with an Empire Spiral. Joey Minnesota is now the MAW Championship title belt holder. [I][B]C[/B] The commentary boosted this match. Joey Minnesota improved his technical and rumble skills, while The Mean Machine improved his flying and performance skills.[/I] [B]Overall Show Rating: [I]C[/B][/I]

[Greg McNeish]

Welcome to the boards, Tommy! Wow! A C rating with MAW is impressive indeed. I just hope you didn't break the bank on that one, but I'm sure a Loan Officer with the bank wouldn't be too interested in bankruptcy. I've recently started playing as MAW too, and am considering starting a dynasty for it, so I'll definitely be reading.

[TommyDaniels]

Back to Work [B]Monday, Week 1, January 2006[/B] I had a good feeling that this past weekend’s event went well but I did not know until this morning just how well. First thing I noticed upon arriving at my office was an article in the local paper with a positive review of the show. [QUOTE][I]“Mid Atlantic Wrestling is one of the best entertainment values in town. For just five dollars per ticket fans were treated to exceptional show this past Saturday night at Stanley Hall. Stars such as Rip Chord and Joey Minnesota make it an enjoyable experience for any wrestling fan.”[/I] [/QUOTE] This review really broadened our audience, and already this morning we have received double our usual number of ticket inquiries. We are now more of a small promotion than a local one. Putting on such a great show wasn’t cheap with our worker payouts for the weekend totaling 8,100 dollars, but with our sponsors contributing 7,234 dollars for the month of December the price tag was bearable. A real positive sign was 1,860 dollars coming in from merchandise sales, but after everything was added up, including Rip Chord’s 3,000 dollar a month salary, we still lost 5,028 dollars for the month of December. Hopefully our audience growth will help increase revenues enough to balance out our costs. Also received the responses from our fan polls concerning our new worker gimmicks: Frankie Perez – Suave – Heel – A Hell Monkey – Machine – Heel – A Steve Flash – Blue Collar – Face – A The Mean Machine – Machine – Heel - A Rip Chord – Authority Figure – Heel – B+ Brent Hill – Legitimate Athlete – Face – B+ Champagne Lover – Ravishing – Heel – B+ Persephone – Daddy’s Little Girl – Heel – B Joey Minnesota – Chosen One – Heel – B Darryl Devine – Blue Chipper – Face – B- In other news from over the weekend, both CGC: Title Bout and DAVE: Danger Zone TV were both dropped from their TV slots.

[Grimm]

I hope you edited the money that you started with. With those contracts you'll be headed for a quick bankruptcy. And don't forget to change to JIT for merchandising if you haven't. Nice show though.

[TommyDaniels]

Slow Month Friday, Week 4, January This month has been very slow both with no real news to report. Our second show is planned for tomorrow night at Stanley Hall, MAW: Resolutions. The plan is to bring out some of our lower priced talent and see if we can catch lightning with one or two of them. Joey Minnesota is the only star we have used in our advertisements. Some of the new talents that will make their debut tomorrow night are: [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyPoison.jpg[/IMG] [B]Joey Poison[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ThomasMorgan.jpg[/IMG] [B]Thomas Morgan [/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JohnnyStones.jpg[/IMG] [B]Johnny Stones[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoseThompson.jpg[/IMG] [B]Joss Thompson[/B] Nothing really newsworthy outside of MAW either. The only major belt to change hands this month so far has been in DAVE where Chris Caufield defeated Bryan Holmes in week one. The other current major title holders are as follows: SWF World Heavyweight - Enygma TCW World Heavyweight – Tommy Cornell 4C Championship – Joey Poison USPW World – Giant Redwood NOTBPW Canadian – Dan Stone Jr. NYCW Empire – American Buffalo Coastal Zone Championship – Snap Dragon CGC World – John Maverick DAVE Unified – Chris Caufield AAA Femme Fatale – Wanda Fish I have to go make sure everything is ready for tomorrow night’s show, but I will post again Sunday with the results.

[TommyDaniels]

MAW: Resolutions Pre-Show [U][B][SIZE=6]MAW: Resolutions[/SIZE][/B][/U] [B]Saturday, Week 4, January – Stanley Hall, Maryland – Attendance: 126 People [/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyBeauchamp.jpg[/IMG] [B]Announcer – Joey Beauchamp[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JayFair.jpg[/IMG] [B]Referee – Jay Fair[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/RipChord.jpg[/IMG] [B]Road Agent – Rip Chord[/B] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/Persephone.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #1[/B] - The crowd was treated to a quick shot of Persephone getting ready backstage. [I] [B]B[/B] This segment had to deal with a restless crowd.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/BrentHill.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #2[/B] - Brent Hill cut a video hyping him and his match vs. Johnny Stones. [I][B]C-[/B] This segment was a letdown after the last one and brought down the crowd’s mood.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/BrentHill.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JohnnyStones_alt.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #3[/B] - Brent Hill vs Johnny Stones Brent Hill won by pinfall at 7:51 with a foreign object. [I][B]C-[/B] The commentary and announcing gave this match a boost, but it still brought the crowd’s mood down. On a positive note Johnny Stones improved his technical and performance skills. [/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoseThompson.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #4[/B] - Joss Thompson came down to the ring to challenge Steve Flash, addressing him as Flash in the Pan to the audience. [I][B]C [/B] [/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] & [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/Persephone.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #5[/B] – Ran a video displaying footage of a romantic dinner between Champagne Lover and Persephone, the result of his win over Darryl Devine the previous week. [I] [B]C- [/B]This segment brought the crowd’s mood down, but Persephones performance skills improved in the process.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] & [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/Persephone.jpg[/IMG] [B]Pre-Show Segment #6[/B] - Champagne Lover came out to the ring to announce that not only are he and Persephone now dating that she will be taking the role of his manager. [I][B]D[/B] Persephone’s performance skills improved again at the cost of a drop in the mood of the crowd.[/I]

[TommyDaniels]

MAW: Resolutions [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #1[/B] - Steve Flash came out to accept Joss Thompson's challenge and acknowledged that Joss is a skilled opponent and this match would be tough. [I][B]C-[/B] This segment brought the crowd’s mood down even further.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoseThompson.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #2[/B] – Steve Flash vs. Joss Thompson Steve Flash won by pinfall at 7:49 after executing a Flash Bang on Joss. [I][B]C-[/B] The crowd’s mood dropped even further despite the great chemistry these two seemed to have together. The announcing and commentary boosted match as well and Joss Thompson picked up some tricks from Steve and improved his technical and rumble skills.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/HellMonkey.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #3[/B] - Hell Monkey came to the ring to announce that he believes he is more than qualified to be the MAW Champion and states that if Joey Minnesota is able to beat him he can have his mask. [I][B]C[/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #4[/B] - Persephone and Champagne Lover came out to issue a challenge to newcomer Joey Poison. Champagne mocked Joey by acting like a dopey surfer while Persephone called him out. [I][B]C- [/B]Yet another mood dropping segment, but again Persephone’s performance skills improved.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/FrankiePerez.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #5[/B] - Frankie Perez cut a video to hype his match vs. Thomas Morgan. [I][B]C[/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/FrankiePerez.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ThomasMorgan.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #6[/B] - Frankie Perez vs. Thomas Morgan Frankie Perez won with a P-Clutch submission at 8:46. [I][B]C[/B] These two showed great chemistry together which helped Thomas Morgan improve his flying skills. The commentary and announcing was great again.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #7[/B] - Joey Minnesota came out to announce that he accepted Hell Monkey’s challenge and that he had the perfect spot in mind for where to hang the mask in his den. [I][B]C+[/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #8[/B] - Champagne Lover came out to continue taunting Joey Poison using some broken English comments about surfers and repeatedly using the words “dude” and “for sure”. [I][B]C[/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/ChampagneLover.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyPoison.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #9[/B] - Champagne Lover vs Joey Poison Champagne Lover won with a Champagne Breakfast submission at 8:51. [I] [B]C-[/B] The announcing and commentary helped this match but it still lowered the crowd’s mood.[/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #10[/B] – Joey Minnesota came down to the ring and told the crowd that Hell Monkey is a good wrestler but not nearly good enough to win the title. [I][B]C+[/B][/I] [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/HellMonkey.jpg[/IMG] vs. [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a273/Ytarra/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG] [B]Segment #11[/B] – Joey Minnesota vs Hell Monkey Joey Minnesota retained his title with an Empire Spiral at 4:46. He ripped Hell Monkey’s mask off and held it up over his head in victory after the match. [I][B]C+[/B] The commentary gave this match a boost.[/I] [B]Overall Show Rating: [I]C+[/I][/B]

[TommyDaniels]

Financial Reality Setting In [B]Monday, Week 1, February[/B] I couldn’t be happier with the overall crowd response to Saturday’s show, but looking over the budget the numbers are starting to concern me. My hope was that by putting on great shows I could develop a strong fan base more quickly and begin to turn a profit within a few months. While our shows have both been exceptional, our popularity is not rising fast enough to cover costs, especially with Rip’s giant paycheck each month. For February, and most likely March we are going to be showcasing our less costly stars and using our big ticket workers sparingly. A few positive signs from the month were a 200 percent increase in attendance and an increase in merchandising up to 2,250 dollars. Results from our fan polls concerning our new worker gimmicks: Joss Thompson – Evolution - Heel – A Thomas Morgan – Underdog – Face – A Johnny Stones – Surfer Dude – Face – B+ Joey Poison – Surfer Dude – Face - B

[theunholyicon]

Joey Poison is gold. If you want someone who works good with alot of people (I have found) Is Phenomenal. E. Noone EVER talks about him or gives him praise, so I think noone else has found out how good he is.