New York City Wrestling: Old School Lives On

[1PWfan]

NYCW Brooklyn Brawl

Live to DVD from The Ministry

Saturday, Week 4, June

Audience: 843

 

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

 

Animal Harker, Dazzling Dave Diamond & The Atlantic Connection vs. Urban Insects & Natural Storm

We’ve been getting a few complaints about guys not being used, so I threw this match out in the dark to make sure everybody got a chance to work the show. As you might expect from a match featuring four jobbers and Animal Harker it wasn’t the most entertaining bout we’ve ever seen, but it was a fun brawl that saw all eight guys get a couple of moments to shine, even if it relied an awful lot on double team spots to squeeze all eight guys into the six or so minutes of runtime it received. As for a finish, this went to a double count-out when all eight guys started brawling outside the ring- I’d have given it to the faces but I want to keep Natural Storm as strong as possible so they can challenge for the titles down the line.

Winners: None Match Rating: D-

 

Amber Allen vs. Eve Grunge

As with the previous match, this was a chance to make sure everybody got in front of the crowd tonight, although this was a much stronger match. To be fair, though, Amber and Eve are a step ahead of the weaker end of the men’s match, and without a load of different guys to squeeze in Amber and Eve were able to put together a much stronger match. That’s not to say there weren’t problems, though- Amber’s psychology is terrible, leaving her with a tendency to throw spots in willy-nilly and completely lose the crowd. She’s a talented worker, though, and Eve’s a solid worker who’s fundamentals were pretty much strong enough to cover for the worst of Amber’s mistakes. It has to be said, though, that even with the worst psychology in the business Amber’s one of our finest workers, so she got the win here with Trapped in Amber (Chikara Special), her ostensibly unbreakable hold.

Winner: Amber Allen Match Rating: D+

 

 

The Show

 

Tamara McFly vs. Emma Bitch

Let’s be honest here: Tammy’s run at the title is basically guaranteed unless she dies or goes to Japan full-time, so this match was all about getting her momentum up ahead of the finals at New York State of the Mind. It was still a good match, though, so I’ll have to look at potentially revisiting this one in the future depending on how the other match comes off (the tournament is as much about establishing who’s gonna be top heel as who’ll be champion). Emma’s a decent worker- okay, so her selling is lousy, but she’s a solid brawler and her charisma makes up for her weaknesses. As for Tammy, she’s been on tour with 5SSW this year and it’s done pretty amazing things for her ability- she was always good, but her fundamentals are up, she’s a sharper chain wrestler, her flying’s gone through the ceiling- basically, somebody hooked her up to a talent machine and left it running (or had her wrestle DEVIL Karube a bunch of times, but it amounts to the same thing). Story-wise, this was built around the usual power vs. skill dynamic, with Emma trying to outmuscle Tammy whilst the smaller woman fought back with technical skill and sheer speed, not to mention her considerable experience edge. In the end it was this edge that got her the win- Emma nailed her with the Payback (Short-Arm Lariat), but taunted the audience for too long before going into the pinfall, giving Tammy a chance to recover and roll her into an inside cradle of her own, securing the victory.

Winner: Tamara McFly Match Rating: D+

 

*

 

From there we cut to a music video hyping up NYSOM’s main event of Black Hat Bailey vs. Steve Flash. It’s your basic training montage stuff: Bailey works out in a very traditional-looking gym, sparring with other members of the Old School, lifting weights, going over strategy, that sort of thing; whilst Steve runs through central park and works out at home, all set to the sound of Def Leppard’s Hysteria. The reaction was pretty positive, we’ll have to look at revisiting this kind of line down the line.

Rating: D

 

*

 

After the video we’re headed to the Promo Position, where Jen’s on hype duty for the main event

 

“Since I arrived in NYCW, there’s been two big thorns in the side of The Old School: Steve Flash and The Sensational Singh. Oh sure, there’s half a dozen other guys in this company I don’t like- Ring Generals, those titles are going to be ours before long and you know it- but nobody else gets under my skin quite like you two do. So tonight, you’re going up against the best we’ve got. Steve, you’ve proved that you can hang with Black Hat Bailey- on a good day- but do you really think you’ve got the speed to match up with Cameron Vessey. And Singh, you like to play your little mindgames with Cam, and maybe they’ve gotten to him, but you don’t have a chance at getting inside the mind of a veteran like Bailey. Tonight is not your night, guys. Tonight is our night, because Old School Rules”

 

Jen continues to bring the value on the mic.

Rating: D+

 

*

 

Golden Delicious vs. Ashley Grover

Well that settles that then. This was a disappointing match, and given that neither Goldie nor Ashley are really what you’d call typical NYCW talent to begin with I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be revisiting Tammy/Emma down the line. Given that Goldie was brought in specifically to provide a big name heel (she’s a graduate of the Cat’s Lair and an ex-AAA star, which gives her a certain cachet), that makes it extremely unlikely that I’ll keep her once the tournament’s over- there’s hardly a shortage of decent female wrestlers out there, and as long as Emma’s around we don’t drastically need someone who can carry the top heel spot right out the gate. As for Ashley, she’s young and talented enough to keep her job, at least as long as she shows some improvement in her technical work and psychology over the next year or so. For now, though, she’s the designated face jobber, and she showed that tonight by taking the loss off a small package from Goldie.

Winner: Golden Delicious Match Rating: D-

 

*

 

Marv Statler vs. The Masked Mauler

This was pretty much what you’d expect from a singles match featuring Mauler: good, but nothing special. To be honest, that’s really his biggest drawback- as a tag wrestler Mauler’s a good hand but he’s just not engaging enough to work as a singles competitor. Given how good Rick is that may create problems down the line (depending on who becomes available for the main event down the line I might have to give Rick a singles run), but for now Old School Principals are pretty much our top heel team, and to be fair they do deserve to be. As for Marv, he’s a capable worker who could probably do a really good job against a stronger opponent, but at this stage in his career he’s not yet talented enough to cover for a more mediocre worker like Mauler. That made for a match that was extremely ordinary- though that’s not the same as bad- and mostly based around the interplay between Mauler’s more brawl-based style and Marv’s technical intensity. The end came when Jen got onto the apron to distract the ref. Marv went over to deal with her, but that gave Mauler a chance to roll him up, and a handful of tights gave Mauler a rare single victory.

Winner: The Masked Mauler Match Rating: D

 

*

 

Dean Waldorf vs. Rick Sanders

This was a step up on the previous match, largely because Rick’s one of our strongest wrestlers- I haven’t decided yet, and a lot depends on where the tag division is come August, but there’s a chance that the Principals will capture the titles then and we’ll launch a new face team to feud with them (I’ve got my eye on a couple of promising names at the moment). That’ll free the Generals up to pursue more singles matches; they’re still primarily a tag team but as capable individual wrestlers they’d be a big boost to the Tri-State division. Waldorf in particular would be a big help- his fundamentals are slightly behind Marv’s but he’s a little bit stronger as a wrestler, and in any case he’s got a lot of time to improve fundamentals that are really pretty good to begin with. He got the win here to balance out the previous match; Jen once again leapt onto the apron to distract the opposition, but this time when Rick went for a low blow Dean dodged and the blow caught Jenny in the midriff, knocking her back to the floor. Dean came back hard, nailing Rick with the Waldorf Salad Toss for the victory.

Winner: Dean Waldorf Match Rating: D+

 

*

 

From there we cut to the Promo Position, where Frank’s on hype duty for his match with Sammy the Shark

 

“You and me, Sammy, we go back a hell of a ways. I used to be your mentor, but now? Now I think it’s fair to say we’re pretty much enemies. And tonight, tonight you’re just a bump in the road to the Empire Title. Sure, first I gotta deal with Whistler, and boy will I enjoy doing that, but it’s all about getting my hands on that title belt. So tonight, you better bring everything you have if you wanna beat me. Not that it’ll help- I’m better than you’ll ever be- but maybe if you bring your top game you’ll go the distance. After all, you learnt from the best, and I promise this will be a fair fight.

 

“After all…Would I Lie To You?”

 

Frank’s skill on the mic is the major reason he’s in line for the next top heel run.

Rating: C-

 

*

 

From there we mix to Sammy getting ready for his match. As he heads out of the face locker room he runs right into Jennifer Williams

 

“There you are Sammy, I’ve been looking for you”

 

“The Locker Room’s right there Jen, it can’t have been that hard. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got a match so say your piece or get out”

 

“Yeah, I heard, against Honest Frank too. Now, let’s be serious here, Sammy, what are your chances? Not good, I’d say. Sure you’re a talented worker, you’ve got a lot of potential, but Frank’s been around this business a long time, and when was the last time he fought fair?”

 

“About the same as the last time The Old School did. Now what do you want?”

 

“Okay, here’s the deal. You wanna win this one, right? So I’ll make you an offer. You sign on with The Old School, we’ll guarantee you a victory in this match. Heck, we can guarantee you wins in any match you want. So, what do you say?”

 

“…I say cram it up your @ss. Now get lost”

 

The whole point of this segment was to see if we could get Sammy’s mic work to improve. It didn’t show anything more tonight, but if we can keep this up then hopefully we’ll see something soon.

Rating: D

 

*

 

Sammy the Shark vs. Honest Frank

This was an odd match- both guys are capable of good matches against other people, but this one was kind of mediocre. To be fair, this might have been just a length thing, as I had this one go the full 15 minutes despite neither guy being in the main event (Frank’s slipped all the way down to the midcard and Sammy’s not much above him), but even so this was weirdly average. I mean, Frank’s one half of the best match we’ve ever had, and whilst I’d be the first to admit he’s no great worker his charisma and psychology should usually be good enough to get the rating up a bit. As for Sammy, I’m inclined to think his style is the problem- he’s a solid competitor but he’s an Entertainer and that’s not a style that meshes well with our crowd (too ‘sports entertainment’ I guess)- the only other Entertainer in the company is Singh, and he’s on another level from Sammy. In any case, whilst this match wasn’t a complete disaster it wasn’t a huge hit, and ended with a fairly standard Frank finish: distract the ref with a chair, nail Sammy with the Brass Knuckles and go for the pinfall.

Winner: Honest Frank Match Rating: D

 

*

 

From there we’re headed to the Promo Position to hear from Whistler

 

“Ever since you arrived in New York you’ve talked a real big fight Danny. You’ve got everyone running scared like you’re the big bad wolf, but you know what? Last month, you didn’t get it done. You lost, and you know what? Tonight you’re gonna lose too. Sure you’re tough and scary, but I ain’t known fear since I was sat on my momma’s knee and I ain’t gonna start now! No retreat! No Surrender! Do or die, make my stand! Tonight, Danny Rushmore, you’re going down! HOOOOOOOO!!!!”

 

This was around Whistler’s usual level.

Rating: D+

 

*

 

Whistler vs. Danny Rushmore

Retirement’s looming for Whistler but he’s going out in style: this was the best match he’s had all year. Most of that’s down to Danny, really; Whistler’s a popular guy and a good promo but he’s really not much cop in the ring and can’t reach a match of this quality off his own bat. Danny, on the other hand, is an extremely capable brawler with capable brawlers, even if he’s showing his age in the ring (who isn’t in this company, eh?). He probably deserves a more concerted push than he’s gotten from us- at the moment he’s theoretically the number two heel but at best he’s being pushed as number three behind Bailey and Frank, and there’s an argument that he’s number four behind Cam as well. Part of that is down to direction- his feud with Sammy’s yet to take off, and with Sammy’s push in question I’m still unsure where we’ll go next with this feud, whether to continue it into the second half of the year or wind it up and move Danny into something else. In any case, this was a heck of match, a wild brawl that saw The Mountain control the early going, only for Whistler to fire up as the match reached 10 minutes and take control. Unfortunately when he went for the Rebel Yell Danny pulled Bull in the way, taking the ref down. Whistler continued to fight on, but when Frank joined Rushmore in the ring it looked like that was it for the All-American Everyman. The tables turned once again, however, when Frank went for the knucks, only to hit Danny when Whistler got out of the way. One Rebel Yell to Frank later and Whistler was the last man standing in the ring. And when Michael Bull recovered from the Yell it was easy for Whistler to get the victory.

Winner: Whistler Match Rating: C-

 

*

 

Steve Flash & The Sensational Singh vs. Black Hat Bailey & Cameron Vessey

Okay, so this is now our best ever match. Which is good, but doesn’t exactly simplify matters when it comes to going forward- with Steve, Singh, Cam, Bailey, Danny, Frank, whoever replaces Whistler and maybe Sammy as well all scrapping for three or four main event slots we’re really top heavy at the moment and it’s making it difficult to find solid midcarders to fight for the tri-state title. Part of the problem is that Cam and Singh have gotten popular much quicker than I originally intended, and with Sammy struggling to maintain main-event levels of form everything’s kind of up in the air at the moment. Still, as long as we can keep delivering matches like this then I’m not too worried. Story-wise, this was a close-run affair, with neither side able to claim the advantage for very long: every time The Old School looked to have the upper hand Singh was able to lure Cam into an easy trap or unleash a well-timed suplex to even the score, whilst every time Steve and Singh had the upper hand Jen interfered to keep her team in the game. Gradually momentum started to swing in the direction of the heels, as Bailey dedicated his time to working over Singh and kept Cam on the apron where Singh’s mind games couldn’t get to him, whilst Jen kept the ref distracted whenever The Old School wanted a two-on-one advantage. It looked like it was all over for the faces as Bailey went to shoot Singh off the ropes to set up for the Backbreaker, but Singh managed to go over the top rope and activate a Texas Tag to his partner (much to Rock’s considerable glee- I swear, that guy will make me go deaf before the end of year). The heels tried to get the advantage back but all they did was book themselves into the Dropkick Hotel, leaving them reeling as Steve went to work like it was 1997 and he was the best in the world (as opposed to the best wrestler on the indy scene, which he still is). Jen attempted to interfere, but Singh took her out with the simple dint of snogging her senseless (my call: ‘Well, that’s certainly an unusual tactic!’). Cam did his best to hold up in the face of Steve’s assault but he didn’t have the experience to cope with the older man’s all-round ability, and he wound up eating the Flash Bang for the loss.

Winners: Steve Flash & The Sensational Singh Match Rating: C

 

 

Overall Rating: C-, keeping up our run of form.

[1PWfan]

Another show, another set of predictions. Let's see how they went this time:

 

Hashasheen: 4/7

Midnightnick: 3/7

Tiberious4: 4/7, and you'd be surprised how many of my ideas have come via Chikara (which is let's face it POW's obvious inspiration)

Regis: 2/7

BHK1978: 3/7

Occasional_Z:3/7, and when will the next UJW update be up?

MJStark:3/7

 

So, Hashasheen wins in an unusually low-scoring field, so the question's yours. Next post will be up Wednesday or Thursday- I'm out from about 8:30 BST to 11 o'clock at night tomorrow so I won't be anywhere near a computer

[Regis]

Whistler seems to have been the major spoiler, and it seems like most - hell, all - of us called the OSP vs. Generals matches wrong. This has been a show full of unexpected twists and turns - I look forward to the next backstage segment.

[Occasional_Z]

 

Occasional_Z:3/7, and when will the next UJW update be up?

 

With any luck, June's preview will be up tomorrow.

 

Got to say, my favourite part of this dynasty is Honest Frank's promos. They're true to his character yet have a serious 'main event' feel to them.

[Tiberious]

I knew Whistler wouldn't let me down.

 

Tiberious4: 4/7, and you'd be surprised how many of my ideas have come via Chikara (which is let's face it POW's obvious inspiration)

 

I make no secret of my love of Chikara. The POW promotion is clearly based in large part of them and I blatantly ripped of the king of trios idea for my diary.

[Hashasheen]

Question to Honest Frank: How do you feel, as a man who could once be safely described as the Tri-State King, to have fallen so low in NYCW?

[1PWfan]

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/MichaelBull.jpg

 

 

“We’d had a good run of shows- Riots and Brooklyn had been real good stuff, and frankly since January we hadn’t had a really bad show- but the booking was getting kinda scrappy. The thing was, we were struggling to really establish who went where at the top of the card. Danny had come in and was having some great matches but wasn’t getting anywhere, and Cam and Kash were kinda drifting near the top of the card without ever really being certain where exactly they were position- top of the midcard, or bottom of the main event, y’know? Now, normally you deal with that by shifting people around, dropping somebody down a level or just letting guys go. Hugh’s approach was somewhat different…well, instead of letting guys go, he signed more.”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SuperSonic_alt2.jpg

 

Hugh shrugs apathetically

 

“I just figured, what we needed was somebody to hold the midcard together. We had a whole crop of guys who could cross between the midcard and the main event- Singh, Cam, maybe Sammy if he could sort out his stylistic problems- but we didn’t have an anchor in the midcard, a guy who wouldn’t move around too much and who could kind of be that permanent back-up plan for the Tri-State title. My first choice was Al Coleman- sure, he had a reputation but it didn’t take a genius to figure he fitted with us like a glove- but his attitude was even worse than I’d heard and we couldn’t get a deal worked out. So I tried Casey Valentine, as I’d heard good things from Cam about his work, but he didn’t want to leave Rip- and I could see that, eh? It wasn’t a problem for me. No, the real problem was that I couldn’t get anyone on a reasonable deal. Darryl Devine, who I was looking at to balance out the face side of the roster, he wasn’t going for anything less than a merchandise percentage and guaranteed title runs, and I wasn’t having that at all. Primal Rage wanted more money than I was really looking to spend- he’s a good guy but not worth 8 or 900 a show- and Lee Bennett refused to leave Japan. In the end I was able to get Des Davids so we could round out the top line faces and Philippe LaGrenier to hold together the midcard but it wasn’t what I’d call an ideal situation”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/PhilippeLaGrenier.jpg

 

Philippe LaGrenier lounges in the studio, his laid-back attitude not all that different from how he appears on camera

 

“I’d trained at The DeColt Power House, and I was aware that it didn’t have the best reputation. I mean, the DeColts had trained there and nobody disputed their talent, but other than that there wasn’t a real star trainee. Fred Garcia working Supreme but he hadn’t held a lot of titles or made a big impact, and a lot of people didn’t know where he’d trained anyway. So I figured, I go out, I work a bunch of different places, I can get the word out that way. And New York seemed like a good place to start because it had a lot of veterans I could learn from. Plus, of course, Steve Flash worked there. Any young Canadian wrestler who says he doesn’t want to work with Steve, you can tell them from me they’re a liar”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SuperSonic_alt2.jpg

 

“Phil had a really good attitude and was just a pleasure to work with. Des, on the other hand, he was out for himself and it showed- I’m not saying he wasn’t a useful guy, but he wasn’t by any stretch the best wrestler we had and yet he still wanted big money and guaranteed title runs. Ordinarily I could cope with that- we can always adjust our plans long-term- but Des would only sign for a year and that’s just not long enough to build to a title run. I still gave him the deal- what else could I do?- but we all knew Des probably wasn’t going to be a long term signing for us. To be honest, once I’d signed the deal I found myself wishing I hadn’t, but we needed a main event for Hudson River Hoedown and he was the only option. Looking back, it was a mistake, but hey, point is we recovered pretty well from it in the end.”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/MichaelBull.jpg

 

“Hudson River was the go-home show before New York State of Mind, so we were real careful to make sure everything was set up to lead into the next month. Everything had to be set up to create a card for New York that felt important enough to stand as our big show, which okay wasn’t difficult with our storylines doing as well as they had been. The big problem, though, was Whistler- we knew he’d be retiring soon, but we weren’t sure exactly when and that meant we had to plan an escape route if he retired before August. Other than that, it was a pretty easy card to put together, at least on paper”

 

***

 

Card for NYCW Hudson River Hoedown

 

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Des Davids vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

 

Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

 

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark © vs. Philippe LaGrenier

 

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

 

NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE TOURNAMENT PLAY-OFF

Amber Allen vs. Golden Delicious

[Blake Trask]

I like the backstage stuff you've got rolling here, probably because PPPW was one of my favourite diaries, well... ever. I might not predict very much but I'm definitely reading along.

 

My only objection is to describing 40 psychology as terrible. Of course it's largely a matter of opinion and I love Amber *looks at avatar*, but for a 22 year old, 40 psychology isn't shabby at all, and I certainly wouldn't associate it with throwing in spots left and right. It's not great, but it's at least a decent grasp of working through a match. Your average spot monkey has sub-30 psychology.

[Hashasheen]

Des Davids vs. Black Hat Bailey © for the NYCW Empire Championship

Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

Sammy the Shark © vs. Philippe LaGrenier for the NYCW Tri-State Championship

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

Amber Allen vs. Golden Delicious

[Occasional_Z]

Des Davids vs. Black Hat Bailey © for the NYCW Empire Championship

Not on his debut

 

Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

Flash will challenge Bailey again

 

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey

Not just yet...

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

Rushmore should win

 

Sammy the Shark © vs. Philippe LaGrenier for the NYCW Tri-State Championship

The Shark retains

 

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

Squash

 

Amber Allen vs. Golden Delicious

Guess, don't know much bout either

[Tiberious]

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Des Davids vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

Unless Black Hat Bailey is surprise retiring on us I don't see it. Especially not to Des.

Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

I like Frank, but I think Flash needs the win to move on to challenging Bailey.

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey

Whistler has never let me down.

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

Danny needs a win to really establish himself as a top guy.

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark © vs. Philippe LaGrenier

I don't think Sammy is ready to move up to the main event, so I don't see a real reason for him to drop the title here.

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

Seems like a pretty one sided match

NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE TOURNAMENT PLAY-OFF

Amber Allen vs. Golden Delicious

Golden Delicious just has too silly of a name for me to see her as women's champion in a fed like NYCW.

[Regis]

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Des Davids vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

Nope, sorry. No switch 'til NYSOM.

 

Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

Push the contender.

 

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey

Cammy needs to be strong - I predict Flash over Frank at NYSOM, then Cammy to challenge afterwards.

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

He really does need to win.

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark © vs. Philippe LaGrenier

No shock debut switch.

 

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

JOBBERS!

 

NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE TOURNAMENT PLAY-OFF

Amber Allen vs. Golden Delicious

Why not?

[Midnightnick]

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Des Davids vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

 

Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

 

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark © vs. Philippe LaGrenier

 

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

 

NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE TOURNAMENT PLAY-OFF

Amber Allen vs. Golden Delicious

[1PWfan]

I like the backstage stuff you've got rolling here, probably because PPPW was one of my favourite diaries, well... ever. I might not predict very much but I'm definitely reading along.

 

My only objection is to describing 40 psychology as terrible. Of course it's largely a matter of opinion and I love Amber *looks at avatar*, but for a 22 year old, 40 psychology isn't shabby at all, and I certainly wouldn't associate it with throwing in spots left and right. It's not great, but it's at least a decent grasp of working through a match. Your average spot monkey has sub-30 psychology.

 

Thanks for the kind words, now go update your NOTBPW dynasty! Seriously, though, it's nice to have readers.

 

Show should be up tomorrow or Wednesday depending on workload, but consider this the 24 hour warning, complete with fan question! This one's from Hashasheen

 

Question to Honest Frank: How do you feel, as a man who could once be safely described as the Tri-State King, to have fallen so low in NYCW?

 

Honest Frank: Who says I've fallen low? I'm still the best this company has. Okay, so maybe not every match went the way I'd want it to, but believe you me that won't last forever. I'll train hard, study my opponents matches and avoid all shortcuts or foul play.

 

After all...you know the rest.

[jesseewiak]

Card for NYCW Hudson River Hoedown

 

Couple of wacky predictions, but gotta' pick the zags over the zigs every so often.

 

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Des Davids vs. Black Hat Bailey © - DQ

 

Steve Flash vs. Honest Frank

 

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey - Whistler's OLDDDDDDDDD

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Sammy the Shark © vs. Philippe LaGrenier - Not likely, but wth.

 

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

 

NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE TOURNAMENT PLAY-OFF

Amber Allen vs. Golden Delicious

[1PWfan]

NYCW Hudson River Hoedown

Live to DVD from The Ministry

Saturday, Week 4, July 2010

Audience: 995

 

Pre-Show/DVD Extras

 

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Ant-Man

Dave’s stamina’s improved since the last show, so this was a warm-up match ahead of his big push post-NYSOM. It was actually pretty good, considering that Ant-Man’s still got room for improvement and Dave’s rather variable win-loss record. To be honest, he’s still one of our hottest acts despite losing as often as he wins, and I’m inclined to see if we can’t move him up the card once he’s done feuding over the Tri-State title- certainly he’s the kind of fiery brawler that New York crowds take to. As for Ant-Man, his power spots always spice up his matches even if the rest of his offence is kind of blah (tonight’s big spot: catching Dave as he came off the top rope and hitting a belly-to-belly suplex without ever letting Diamond’s feet touch the floor). In the end, though, Dave got the win, taking Ant-Man down with the Dazzle Driver

Winner: Dazzling Dave Diamond Match Rating: D

 

 

The Show

 

Whistler vs. Cameron Vessey

This was another good match from Whistler- clearly he’s putting everything he has into his last few matches. Admittedly he’s had some strong opposition in the last few matches- Danny’s a heck of a brawler, and whilst Cam’s not the best we’ve got he punches way above his weight talent-wise, and with Larry as a father and Bailey as a mentor he’s set up to really take off down the line- but whatever the situation, I ain’t looking a gift-horse in the mouth. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t a classic in terms of workrate- Whistler’s a one-dimensional brawler and Cammy’s still developing as a worker- but the crowd love Whistler and his charisma always covers for the fact that his average match features about five moves (punch, kick, lariat, shoulder tackle, Rebel Yell). As for story, this one was all cocky youngster vs. battling veteran, with Whistler fighting from behind for most of the match, only to fire up and make his big comeback as we went into the final stretch. Unfortunately for the big guy Jenny got between him and his opponent, and Whistler was too much of a gentleman to hit a woman (no matter how much the fans wanted him to- nice guys, but tough on heels). Cameron, meanwhile, snuck round behind Whistler and caught him with a roll-up, grabbing a handful of tights to secure the victory.

Winner: Cameron Vessey Match Rating: C-

 

*

 

After the bell has rung Honest Frank hits the ring, Brass Knucks in hand and murder in mind. Whistler tries to fight back but after Frank gets in the first blow he’s knocked for six, leaving Frank with the simple task of wailing on him with the knuckles before dropping him with The Best Policy on the unprotected floor. The reaction was actually kinda tepid, considering how popular these guys are.

Rating: D-

 

*

 

Golden Delicious vs. Amber Allen

This was a big step-up from Goldie’s last match- depending on what it does for her momentum, I may keep her around after all. A big part of that was probably down to working with Amber, who’s probably our strongest rookie talent (heck, improve her psych and selling and she’d be one of our best period) but as I said last month, Goldie’s not actually as bad a worker as she can sometimes look. Sure, she’s a fairly bland high flier with a little technique, but her fundamentals are solid enough and whilst her technique’s not exactly great she’s her chain wrestling is no worse than anybody else’s on the roster. So yeah, she’s okay, just lacking a fully developed game (and at 30, that’s probably never going to come together). In any case, she was able to hold up her end of the bargain here, eventually taking Amber out with the Melbourne Surprise (Springboard Crossbody) for the win.

Winner: Golden Delicious Match Rating: D+

 

*

 

From there we’re headed to the Promo Position, to hear from Jennifer Williams ahead of the main event

 

"We’ve all seen what you can do Des Davids- your run with MAW, your battles in USPW, all of it. But you know what that means? It means we know exactly how to beat you. Tonight, you can do whatever you like, you can bring you’re A-game, it still won’t get you the win. In fact, I am begging you- bring everything you’ve got, ‘cos when Black Hat Bailey beats you down, it’ll just make it that much sweeter"

 

Jen always gets a good reaction, but this wasn’t one of the best promo’s she’s ever done and the crowd picked up on that.

Rating: D

 

*

 

The Atlantic Connection vs. Old School Principals

This was a repeat of their last match- pretty poor and with precious little upside. The Connection have started to show signs of improvement, but I’m inclined to think it’s a case of too little too late- if they want to actually make another main card appearance in the foreseeable future they need to pick up their game in just about every area. As for The Principals, they’re our most experienced team and a pretty solid pair of workers, but I’m not sure what their shelf life is going to be like: Rick’s a very strong singles worker, and depending on what happens down the line I may have to look at giving him a singles run at the top of the card. That leaves Mauler on his own, and to be honest he’s not quite singles material. Okay, so maybe I could team him up with somebody else, but it’d take time to build the team into something credible and that’s not something Mauler has a lot of (at 37 he’s starting to reach that age when guys can really start to slow down in the ring, and it’s not like he has a lot in the tank to begin with). Still, at the moment Old School Principals are our top heel team, and they cemented that here with an easy victory.

Winners: Old School Principals Match Rating: D-

 

*

 

It’s time to head back to the Promo Position, where Sammy’s on hype duty for the Tri-State Title match

 

“Welcome to NYCW, Phil LaGrenier, and I gotta say, I’m impressed. You know how many guys came into this company and challenged for a title on their debut? Not many, I’ll tell you that. So it really says a lot about how good you are that this is happening. You’re DeColt trained too, and those boys really know their stuff. Here’s the thing, though, Phil: this ain’t DeColt Country, this is New York, and New York is my town. So congratulations on getting this shot straight off, and I’m glad to have the chance to wrestle you, but you ain’t getting past me without a fight. You got that?”

 

This was the start of Sammy’s repackaging- as a gimmick the whole ‘Vegas Card Sharp/Laidback dude’ thing is a little too gimmicky for where we want to push him (as a midcard gimmick it’s fine but our main event requires a little more fire), so we’re moving towards rebranding him. This was the start of that, and got a great reaction to boot.

Rating: D+

 

*

 

Sammy the Shark vs. Philippe LaGrenier

This wasn’t a great match, but when you compare it to Sammy/Frank it’s really not that bad. For one thing, this got a comparable rating despite Phil’s obvious weaknesses is comparison to Frank (weaker fundamentals and less name value, both of which can and have made a big difference). For another thing, there was a chemistry issue here- Sammy and Phil aren’t so great together, so the fact that this was as good as it was is actually quite a result. Not that I’m all that surprised though- Phil’s a little rough as a worker but his intangibles are great. In fact, Phil’s probably our most charismatic worker right now, and he has that x-factor that really marks out a true star. Up against a worker like Sammy, who’s not quite on that level as a star but has the solid all-round ability to cover for Phil’s weaknesses that made for a solid match, even with timing issues and the occasional botched spot in there (nothing major, just transitions that went awry or messy-looking counters, that kind of thing). Story-wise this one turned into a brawl, as both guys increasingly abandoned technique in favour of throwing fists in order to claim the victory. That gave the larger LaGrenier the advantage, but Sammy’s sheer guts and experience edge kept him in the game, and when Phil mistimed an avalanche and collided with the turnbuckle Sammy was well placed to take control. Unfortunately it was at that point that Danny Rushmore made his presence felt, coming down to ringside and pulling Sammy out of the ring. He followed that up with an Atomic Boot on the floor before rolling Sammy back into the ring and the waiting arms of Phil LaGrenier. One Grenier Bomb (Straightjacket Powerbomb) later and Phil had won the Tri-State Title in his debut.

Winner: Philippe LaGrenier Match Rating: D

 

*

 

Once again we’re headed to the Promo Position, this time to hear from The Sensational Singh

 

“Danny Danny Danny…I bet you think you’re really scary, don’t you? Well, I’ve got news for you. Sure you’re big, sure you’re nasty, heck, you may be the most dangerous man I’ve ever wrestled. But I’m not called Sensational because of my dazzling good looks, phenomenal dress sense or perfect hair. I’m the highlight of the night, the master of magnificence…you know what? I’m the greatest man you’ll ever see! So tonight, after I beat you- and make no mistake, I’m more than capable of kicking your @ss- I’m throwing the party of a lifetime and you’re all invited!”

 

We need to work on conveying Singh’s character a little better in his promos, but this got a solid reaction.

Rating: D

 

*

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Danny Rushmore

There are more reliable guys in this company than these two- Steve springs to mind immediately- but as a combo this is one you can always rely on to deliver the goods. Danny’s age is starting to show- he’s definitely slowing down in the ring, and he needs a little more help getting people up for those slams than he used to- but his fundamentals and brawling ability are still good, and his star quality and menace cover for whatever weaknesses are still on show. As for Singh, he’s one of our strongest workers and a future Empire Champion provided we can keep hold of him (which is by no means guaranteed; with TCW and the SWF raiding the indy scene at will he’s got to make their shortlists at some point). In any case, this was a good match that made our top 5, creeping in at number four thanks to strong participants and a pretty strong narrative built around playing Danny’s brute viciousness off against Singh’s more cerebral approach. The Sensei of Sensational was his usual flamboyant self, winding Danny up with his apparently casual approach to the match and playing to the crowd every chance he got. Rushmore, meanwhile, was all business, doing his utmost to wear Singh down and set him up for the Atomic Boot. Every time he looked close to hitting the move, though, Singh unleashed a big suplex or a flurry of chain wrestling and re-took command. Eventually, though, Danny brought a chair into the ring, and whilst Michael Bull was quick to get it away from him that gave Cameron Vessey an opening to hit the ring and take Singh down with a clothesline to the back of the head and the Vessey Driver. One Atomic Boot from The Mountain later and badda bing badda boom, Danny was the winner.

Winner: Danny Rushmore Match Rating: C-

 

*

 

From there we’re headed to the Promo Position, where Frank’s on hype duty for his match against Steve Flash

 

“Well done Steve, well done for getting the next Empire title shot. I’m happy for, I honestly am, and I genuinely wish you all the best for your match next month. I mean, what kind of guy would I be if I, say, deliberately tried to injure you tonight in order to try and get your title shot next month? Relax, though, that’s the last thing on my mind, honestly. Tonight is going to be a safe, sporting contest with no foul play or underhanded attempts to take your title shot.

 

“After all…Would I Lie To You?”

 

This was an attempt to get back to Frank’s classic, outright liar character- he’s wandered away from that a bit over the last few months (in what was basically a stupid attempt to ‘grow the character’ on my part), so we’re trying to get back to that.

Rating: C-

 

*

 

Honest Frank vs. Steve Flash

Compared to the last time these two faced off this was a little disappointing, but I’d made this one a little longer than our usual main events to pad out the show and I think that was a mistake- these guys are good but their stamina isn’t what it used to be and they were struggling to keep the speed up for the full length of the match. With that in mind, the match was kind of a failure- part of the point of it was to double-check whether or not Frank was able to take over as the next top heel, and this was an unusual set-up that didn’t really show him at his best. Bearing in mind that it was still pretty good, though, and given Frank’s charisma and momentum I’m inclined to give him the go-ahead anyway; if nothing else his smug hypocrisy is a big change from Bailey’s more upfront bad guy. As for Steve, he’s one of the best in the world, especially when you considered that he’s thus far managed to avoid the worst ravages of age (he’s a good 7 years past his prime by his own reckoning, but you wouldn’t know it) and there’s a good chance that he’ll be our top face going forward-Whistler’s on the verge of retirement and I’m not certain that we’ll stick with Des as a long-term prospect going forward. Anyway, this was a good match, with Frank going through every one of his dirty tricks in an effort to beat Steve, whilst Flash fought back with technical precision and high-speed offence. That kept things basically equal for most of the match- every time Steve locked on a hold Frank could cheat his way free, and for every dirty trick Frank pulled Steve had a dropkick or hold to come back with- but as time went on Steve started to assert a level of control, outmanoeuvring Frank and unleashing a flurry of his trademark dropkicks. Frank was quick to quit the ring and take a breather at ringside, but Steve followed him with a baseball slide, keeping the pressure on Frank and not giving him room to breathe. Unfortunately for the Remarkable One, however, Black Hat Bailey chose that precise moment to come through the crowd with a chair, blasting Steve in the back with it. Frank followed up by rolling his opponent into the ring, and whilst Bailey distracted the ref Frank nailed him with the Brass Knuckles Shot before going for the pinfall, grabbing a handful of tights just to make sure.

Winner: Honest Frank Match Rating: C-

 

*

 

Black Hat Bailey vs. Des Davids

This was another good match, although it missed out on our top 10 list. That’s to be expected, though; Bailey’s good but past his prime, and Des hasn’t really had a chance to establish himself here just yet. He’s a solid worker, mind you, but there’s a lot of room for improvement, particularly in his technique and selling. He’s got a good look, though, and whilst he’s not our best brawler there’s no denying that his rugged, hard-hitting style is one our fans really go for. As for Bailey, he’s a solid hand who’s done a pretty solid job as champion thus far, but I don’t see him staying in that role long-term: with his strong fundamentals and low stamina he’d be a great midcard veteran to work with our younger guys, particularly the likes of CJ and Riley or Animal Harker. There’s a chance he’ll hold the title past next month, mind you, but given the lack of a top-level face to replace Steve in the title chase it probably wouldn’t be something we’d run with for very long. As for this match, we played the obvious story of Des’ power vs. Bailey’s veteran cunning: Des used his strength to claim the advantage, whilst Bailey responded with veteran cunning and liberal usage of managerial advantage. Des did the best he could, and even got a major two count after he was able to hit the Quarterback Sack (Flying Shoulder Tackle), but Jen Williams was quick to get Bailey’s foot on the ropes. A second attempt at the Sack went awry when Jen tripped Des coming off the ropes, and when Bailey locked in the Bailey Breaker it was all over bar the tapping. Des fought hard, and even made it to the ropes, but Jen distracted the ref long enough for Bailey to pull him back into the middle of the ring and Des wasn’t strong enough to get to the ropes twice.

Winner: Black Hat Bailey Match Rating: C-

 

 

Overall Rating: D+, a step down from our last two shows. Still solid, though, and it did break our attendance record

[1PWfan]

So, let's have a look at the predictions, shall we?

 

Hashasheen: 3/7

Occasional_Z: 3/7

Tiberious4: 3/7

Regis: 4/7

Midnightnick: 5/7

jesseewiak: 3/7

 

So, a low-scoring round this, with Midnightnick coming out on top and winning a fan question. I'm also going to offer one to our second-placed contender, Regis.

 

Dunno when the next post will be up, I have a busy few days ahead of me.

[1PWfan]

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SuperSonic_alt2.jpg

 

“Looking back, that first half of the year, it wasn’t my best work. Losing Lee, losing Dozer, Whistler’s retirement, pretty much everything from March onwards was playing catch-up and trying to figure out what we were gonna do next. Okay, so focussing on filling those gaps was excusable, but it did mean that a lot of the other guys had lost a little focus. Frank was the classic one; those first six or eight months we were talking about growing the character, moving him on from the straight-up liar thing he’d been doing, and it was stupid and it was unnecessary. That wasn’t the only example, though; looking back I was screwing half the card over”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/MichaelBull.jpg

 

Michael Bull shrugs

 

“Hugh beats himself up a lot over that first half of the year, but I didn’t think it was that bad. Sure, Frank took off a lot more after New York State of Mind, and it took Singh a while to really connect with his character, but it’s not like Hugh wasn’t making sense. His whole thing was based on a level of realism, the idea that these guys should come off as legit tough guys that could win a fight. That’s hardly a bad idea, right? It makes sense, especially with our fans. Problem was, I think Hugh was so obsessed with replacing Lee and ‘Dozer that he was getting other guys to change their characters into Lee or ‘Dozer clones, y’know? A direct replacement, like-for-like. That was never gonna work, particularly when you look at the guys he was using- Frank is a tough guy and a solid brawler but he’s not Lee Wright, and Sammy’s whole thing was a world away from ‘Dozer’s character. I got where he was coming from with Sammy- the whole Vegas gamble/laid-back dude thing never really worked as a face character- but when he started talking about dropping the whole ‘Shark’ thing, just calling him Sam Ford, we had to talk him down pretty quick.”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SuperSonic_alt2.jpg

 

“My perception was that Sammy needed something extra to get him over that hump, really settle him as a top guy. Up to then he’d really kinda- he’d have some great matches and some really rough ones and you could never tell which you’d be getting. So my thinking was, maybe the problem’s in the character, maybe we need to make him more like our other main event guys and that’ll get him over. Looking back, it was a stupid idea- the last thing Sammy needed was a utility gimmick that made him just the same as everyone else- but like I said, I was so preoccupied with finding my next big tough guy to replace Brandon that I was losing perspective.”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/TheStomper-1.jpg

 

“The way Hugh tells it, going into New York State of Mind the whole company was in trouble, just ‘cos he was going off the boil. Well, that’s complete bullsh*t- the company was on the way up, sponsorship was up, we were getting our name out there, everything was good. And as for his whole booking thing- I’ve been in this business over 40 years, and I can tell you that every booker has things they could’ve done better. Hugh’s such a crazy sumb*tch that he thinks he’s making new mistakes, but trust me, I’ve seen a lot better bookers make a lot worse mistakes than he ever did. Only difference between them and Hugh is they didn’t have someone to knock some sense into ‘em. Hugh had me, Larry and even Mikey Bull to keep him in line when he got too crazy- sh*t, he even brought his wife to work, and Tammy’s too much like her brother to indulge Hugh’s brand of crazy. So you take it from me, anything Hugh says about the state of the company back then, he’s talking out of his @ss. Business was good, and don’t let anyone tell you different”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SteveFlash.jpg

 

Steve Flash looks much the same as he did at the start of his career- the legendary mullet is still very much in evidence, the twinkle in his eye telling of a joking spirit a world away from the no-nonsense technician he is in the ring.

 

“The back end of August, in the run-up to New York State of Mind, that was always an exciting time. It started generally the week before the show, when they got the stage set out of storage and started fixing it up for the show- it was spectacular, the full New York Skyline and everything, looked really cool for an indy show. Then we’d have the creative meetings sorting out everything that happened on the show, right down to the last minute. I wasn’t usually a part of that, it tended to be Hugh, Mikey, Stomper and Rock so he could cover on commentary for whatever went wrong. August 2010, though, me and Larry got cut in on the meetings as well. Larry ‘cos he was pretty senior in the locker room and tended to run the Deacon Position behind the curtain- him and Mikey in the ring would basically run the traffic all through the show- and I was there because, well, they liked me. I know they were talking about bringing someone in to work with Hugh on his own level, not as an assistant or whatever, but nobody ever told me that’s what I was there for, not at that stage.”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SuperSonic_alt2.jpg

 

“That was my idea- I figured, Steve’s in the locker room, he knows the talent a lot more personally than I do, he’s got a lot of good ideas, he’s someone we can count on to counterbalance my crazier side. Sure, we could’ve gone with one of the others guys on the creative team, but there was a lot of politics there that we wouldn’t have been able to control if they’d been more senior. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, liked Steve and he wasn’t the kind of guy to push his own friends over other people, so he was a real safe bet.”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SteveFlash.jpg

 

“After the creative meetings everybody starts getting into town, meeting up and putting together their matches- I know me and Bailey spent something like three days just coming up with ideas we could go with. Some guys would be more intense than others- Cam, for instance, was very rigid in layout, he had every spot in place and a full script for every moment of the match, but he was in Japan on tour and wouldn’t get back until the day before the show. In that kind of situation you don’t want to be worrying about what you’re going to do, you want to be able to just go out and get on with it. The tag title match, on the other hand, all those guys were based outta New York so they didn’t have to worry so much about what they were gonna do- they met up a few times to put together an outline, but they didn’t have a dozen other matches to think about so they didn’t have to be too specific about what was going where.”

 

Steve pauses, listening to a muted question from off-screen

 

“Calling in the ring? Yeah, most of the time that’s what we do, y’know, it’s not hugely scripted or whatever. But New York State of Mind, that was a big deal, right? If nothing else, some of our guys were just too excited about this match to not talk about it in advance. Take me and Bailey- we knew in advance we’d just play it by ear, call it in the ring, but we got together to put together a couple of big spots in advance, just because you were looking forward to getting in the ring that night. It sounds kinda ridiculous when you’re a pair of veterans who’ve been in the business as long as we had- I mean, I’d main evented Pay-Per-Views in my time, and Bailey had worked The Supreme Challenge and you don’t get bigger than that- but you get to our age and you’re still wrestling, it’s not just about the money or size or whatever. We were still in the business because we enjoyed wrestling and working shows, and New York State of Mind was the biggest show on the NYCW calendar.”

 

***

 

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g165/Looneyboyo/NYCW/SuperSonic_alt2.jpg

 

“The day of New York State of Mind is probably the craziest in the NYCW calendar. You’ve got the Set to put up, the ring needs building, we usually have live band playing the theme tune who’re setting up in the afternoon, plus the wrestlers start appearing from about 3 o’clock in the afternoon to make sure everyone’s there before the fans start cueing for the doors opening at 7. In between all that you’ve got to make sure the mics are all working for promo’s and commentary, shoot whatever backstage segments need doing so we can screen them during the show, and go over any last minute details in the running order so everybody knows what’s happening and in what order. Pretty crazy, but it makes for a heck of a show.

 

“Leastways, that’s the theory. You never do know quite know what’s gonna happen that day…”

 

***

 

Card for NYCW New York State of Mind

 

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Steve Flash vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

 

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

 

Sam ‘The Shark’ Ford vs. Danny Rushmore

 

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals © vs. Old School Principals

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Cameron Vessey

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Philippe LaGrenier ©

 

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Golden Delicious

 

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Harker & Honeyman vs. Urban Insects

[Tiberious]

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Steve Flash vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

 

Bailey's had a good run, but it feels like it's time to switch the title and Flash is the obvious choice with your other top face retiring.

 

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

 

Okay so Whistler is retiring and I'm thinking we're going to see a face get the championship so it would make sense for Frank to win, but I'll say Whistler takes one for America.

 

Sam ‘The Shark’ Ford vs. Danny Rushmore

 

I know your pushing Sammy, but I think a win here would be too much too soon.

 

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals © vs. Old School Principals

 

This one could really go either way and I see this feud continuing to some degree since these are your top teams, but I'll take the Generals to retain.

 

The Sensational Sing vs Cameron Vessey

 

Vessey got a big win over Whistler, so I can see him continuing his momentum here.

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Philippe LaGrenier ©

 

He just won the title, so him dropping it right away would be strange.

 

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Golden Delicious

 

I refuse to believe someone with a name like Golden Delcious will be the first ever womens champion in a company like NYCW

 

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Harker & Honeyman vs. Urban Insects

 

Honeyman? A man made out of...Honey? I'm too intrigued not to pick this team.

[Hyde Hill]

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Steve Flash vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

 

It's time, it's Flash time!

 

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

 

Frank has more mileage and is Flash's next opponent.

 

Sam ‘The Shark’ Ford vs. Danny Rushmore

 

Rushmore has really been performing well reward him. Sammy hasn't yet.

 

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals © vs. Old School Principals

 

Best team you got atm.

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Cameron Vessey

 

Singh will be there more for you

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Philippe LaGrenier ©

 

LaGrenier is an underrated talent imho.

 

FOR THE NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Golden Delicious

 

Hugh has been honest about favoritism.

 

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Harker & Honeyman vs. Urban Insects

 

Insects will be all over honey.... after word leaked to PWI that management is high on honey(man) prediction has been changed hehe

 

 

Btw not signing Devine because he wanted a title shot and what not but then signing Des Davis and giving him the exact same stuff? Lol. Even though he is less likely to be pinched, can't predict the future, especially in a diary, imho, and fits the product a bit better.

[Occasional_Z]

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Steve Flash vs. Black Hat Bailey ©

Time to move Bailey out of the title picture

 

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

Frank is the logical next contender for Flash

 

Sam ‘The Shark’ Ford vs. Danny Rushmore

Rushmore could be a good challenger for Flash with a win or two. Sammy is mid card for life.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Ring Generals © vs. Old School Principals

Tough one, but the Generals are the better team and need each other. Sanders will out grow Mauler - he always ends up Main Event in my NYCW games.

 

The Sensational Singh vs. Cameron Vessey

Think Singh has done better, but this pick is pretty much a guess.

 

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE REGIONAL TITLE

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Philippe LaGrenier ©

LaGrenier won't lose it just yet.

 

NYCW WOMEN’S TITLE

Tamara McFly vs. Golden Delicious

Can't go against McFly

 

SPECIAL LIVE BONUS MATCH

Harker & Honeyman vs. Urban Insects

Harker is hopeless and reading into Honeyman's stats/bio, his best quality is jobbing, right?

 

To add to the Devine comments; he was half of my best ever matches in NYCW, took Shane Nelson to B- twice!

[1PWfan]

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Harker is hopeless and reading into Honeyman's stats/bio, his best quality is jobbing, right?

 

Just to let people know, I inserted a narrative into the game that buffed Harker's fundamentals way much so he's actually pretty good now- current statline is D basics, C+ psych, C+ safety, B+ consistency and B- selling. Still only D brawling so he's kinda dull but I consider him a solid hand now.

 

As for Honeyman, I find him a good guy to push as he never gets stolen so you can use him long-term.

[Hashasheen]

Steve Flash vs. Black Hat Bailey

Whistler vs. Honest Frank

Sam ‘The Shark’ Ford vs. Danny Rushmore

The Ring Generals vs. Old School Principals

The Sensational Singh vs. Cameron Vessey

Dazzling Dave Diamond vs. Philippe LaGrenier

Tamara McFly vs. Golden Delicious

Harker & Honeyman vs. Urban Insects

 

I'm surprised you haven't considered getting the Honeyman alt out and teaming him with Ant-Man. I know I plan to do that if I ever split up my Jared Johnson/Johnny Heizenger tag-team. Or maybe just push him as "The Honeyman" as a odd-ball mid-card face with a penchant for fighting bullies.

 

Edit: Harker is a long-term project, IMO. He's like 24 years old and a decent jobber-choice for a few years while he gets his skill set down. He's not worth much to start and his look is hard to take seriously and push, but given enough time (three years on a bi-monthly schedule?) he'll end up a solid hand and mid-card face. Which is something I like. Tangible dividends for concentrated development.

[Occasional_Z]

 

Edit: Harker is a long-term project, IMO. He's like 24 years old and a decent jobber-choice for a few years while he gets his skill set down. He's not worth much to start and his look is hard to take seriously and push, but given enough time (three years on a bi-monthly schedule?) he'll end up a solid hand and mid-card face. Which is something I like. Tangible dividends for concentrated development.

 

Fair enough - I got to admit I'm not that patient with Harker, normally replace him fairly quickly. Regular Joe is my jobber of choice.

[Hashasheen]

Fair enough - I got to admit I'm not that patient with Harker, normally replace him fairly quickly. Regular Joe is my jobber of choice.

 

To start out I usually pair Harker & Diamond together as the Dallas Animals, but around the time I'm going for a bi-monthly/two region push in 2011, I usually split them up, bring in Joe to work with Harker as a jobber tag-team and push Diamond back to the Tri-State scene.