NYCW: Hail To The King

[BriFidelity]

The Red Room is, as one would probably guess, red.

 

There are cleaner bars, there are bars with a better selection of drinks, there are places that serve better food (I.e. any bar that serves food) but The Red Room has a certain feel to it, a raging spirit somehow still alive and bobbing in a sea of gentrification.

 

In addition to red walls, a red bar top, and attractive bartenders in, you guessed it, red shorts and tops, one of my favorite aspects of the place is the Rouge Lounge - a space in the back lined with red couches and easy chairs, many of them facing others as to facilitate conversation. I've taken up residence in one of the more intimate settings in the lounge: a red plush chair facing another red plush chair in a dark, secluded area of the bar away from heavy foot traffic.

 

It's nearly impossible to see this setup of two chairs aligned face-to-face, eerily reminiscent to me of the bonus round on the old "$25,000 Pyramid" game show, and not picture it as a prime spot for hook-ups. However, it wasn't a beautiful woman across from me on this cold winter's night in that frenzied week between Christmas and New Year's, but a 21-year old self professed redneck taking in the various sights, smells, and sounds of New York City for the first time.

 

Kevin Glenn, though only nine years my junior, is sort of like the son I've never had. I've shown him the ropes over the past few years - both literally via a wrestling education and figuratively in lessons regarding travel, locker room etiquette (which many would accuse me of needing a lesson on, but screw them), and the rest of the stuff that happens outside of the ring. Kevin has allowed me to give back to a sport that has been very generous to me. He's also become a true and treasured friend.

 

Like most of my friends, he has probably questioned my sanity over the past few months.

 

"So, are you in?" I ask, sort of knowing the answer already.

 

"Yeah," Kevin said, wincing through a sip of the Red Death - the signature drink of the bar, which consisted of a few ounces of Johnnie Walker Red mixed with a can of Red Bull. Kevin, only a few weeks into legal drinking age, struggled with the strange concoction.

 

"Good. You might be the only person I know who doesn't think I've lost my mind."

 

Kevin shook his head. "No, I think you've lost your mind, but I'm coming along on the ride with ya boss.," he stated with a smile.

 

I laughed and took another pull off of my bottle of beer. "Thanks, brother," I said, giving Kevin the respect of addressing him with the traditional wrestling nickname.

 

"One thing though," Kevin stipulated.

 

"What's that?"

 

"You gotta tell me why you're doing this."

 

I sighed. I'd been asked this question dozens of times without ever giving a totally honest answer. Luckily for Kevin, he was the only person in wrestling who would get one.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/brifidelity/TCW_TheateningBehavior.jpg

TCW Threatening Behavior 2011

World Heavyweight Title

Joey Minnesota vs Wolf Hawkins ©

 

"What a test for Wolf Hawkins," Jason Azaria stated, "Joey Minnesota, a former World Champion himself – Don't forget he dethroned Rocky Golden, the very same man who Hawkins took the gold from."

 

"Wolf doesn't want to turn this into a street fight," mused Kyle Rhodes, "If this is a wrestling match, it's anyone's game; if it degenerates into a fight, we're going to have a new heavyweight champion of the world."

 

37 minutes of grueling action followed. the tide swinging back and forth -- and yes, it did become an old fashioned fight a few times, with Hawkins surprisingly holding his own -- I did the honors at the end, clean as a whistle, cementing the fact that the Wolf Hawkins era was in full swing.

 

I got a round of applause on my way back through the curtain, with Wolf being very gracious and professional, promptly thanking me for a great match. With the show over, I stopped and listened to Tommy Cornell's post-game speech, but my mind was elsewhere.

 

It wasn't the first time tonight that my mind had wandered - I was in another place mentally for parts of the match with Wolf as well; I worked the match on instinct and muscle memory, not that it takes an incredible effort to do great things with someone as talented as Hawkins. I knew I was counting the lights, I knew Wolf was getting the proverbial rocket strapped to his backside, and I was fine with it.

 

To a degree.

 

"Guys, a great effort all around - Joey and Wolf, the two of you really brought it to a boil tonight, pat yourselves on the back." Tommy said, drawing a round of applause from an appreciative locker room and making what I was about to do that much harder. "Now all of you get outta here! I'll see you on the house show loop, or at TV on Tuesday. Get home safe!"

 

More applause filled the locker room as I slowly slithered my way toward Tommy, trying not to draw a lot of attention to myself.

 

"Tommy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

 

"Shoot," Tommy said back. Not impolite, mind you, just busy.

 

"In private," I clarified, speaking low enough for Tommy and Tommy alone to hear me. The boss nodded and motioned for me to follow him into his makeshift office set up in a mostly empty room connected to the large locker room. The office had plain white walls and was populated with a card table, a folding chair, and Tommy's laptop.

 

Neither of us made a move to sit in the chair.

 

"This is about your contract, right?" Tommy asked, knowing that my deal with TCW was set to expire in December. "It's no secret we've been in a bit of a money crunch these last few years and I appreciate you hanging tough with us when you could have jumped ship. I'll put together a good deal for you Joey -

 

I can't promise it'll be as lucrative as Eisen's or Sam's, but I'll make a hard, competitive offer, so don't go signing up with them without giving me a chance to match it, okay?"

 

I laughed. I didn't mean to, it happened automatically.

 

"Tommy, I don't want to work for the SWF, and I don't think Strong would hire me unless I invested in some stilts and steroids."

 

The boss laughed. I had a feeling things were about to get a lot less jovial though.

 

"Well if you're offering me a hometown discount Joey, I greatly appreciate that, it may allow us to open up the purse strings and advance a bit - I have feelers out to Tom Gil..."

 

"Tommy, I'm quitting," I blurted out.

 

To Be Continued.....

[Dragonmack]

Looks like the King is finally returning to NYCW! ( Oh, and it seems Joey Minnesota is as well )

[foolinc]

Looks like the King is finally returning to NYCW! ( Oh, and it seems Joey Minnesota is as well )

 

This.

 

Can't wait to see what you have planned for NYCW.

[BriFidelity]

"The hell does this come from Joey?" Tommy Cornell asked, sounding totally baffled. I thought I might be in the middle of a locker room fight, but quickly reasoned that Tommy was too much of a pro for that.

 

"I have an eye on the future Tommy."

 

"I don't think you do," the boss shot back, shaking his head. “You're what, twenty-eight, twenty-nine years old right now?"

 

"Thirty," I corrected him. The distinction was an important one to me - thirty isn't old, not by a long shot, but it's definitely the age when you start to realize the clock is ticking.

 

"You're thirty years old Joey. You're a former World goddamn Champion, you've got a good eight, nine, ten years before you hit the downside of your career."

 

'Not working the kind of matches we work in TCW,' I thought, my head, back and knee all throbbing now that the adrenaline that comes with being in the ring had worn off.

 

"If you ask me, you're the next Ricky Dale Johnson," Tommy said, delivering it as the most sincere of compliments - and most people would take it that way. However, with all due respect to Ricky Dale, I'm not most people. I don't want to be the next RDJ, I don't want to be the next Tommy Cornell - I want to be the first Joey Minnesota.

 

I didn't answer back immediately. I thought long and hard about what I was going to say, no matter how awkward the silence in between Tommy's words and mine.

 

"Tommy, can I ask you a question?"

 

"Of course."

 

"And be honest here, okay?"

 

"Have I ever been anything but?" Cornell responded. I shook my head, he'd always been totally straightforward.

 

"What's next for me."

 

For the first time since my bombshell, the boss smiled. "I was meaning to talk to you about that before the TV taping," he said, "You'll be working with me for a while. We're turning Troy (Tornado) soon for a program with Wolf, and I was going to do a rematch between you and Wolf on Total Wrestling in two weeks - I come in and screw you, Troy comes in for the save."

 

I understand the man grabbed the bull by the horns and made himself a star, but being Troy Tornado's lackey didn't seem like too much fun - I pulled that duty for Ricky Dale for three years.

 

"You're programmed with me for a while, we do some tags, it should be a big piece of business for all involved."

 

I nodded. Even though I've worked for the man for over five years, you still get a chill up your spine when you're told you're working with Tommy Cornell.

 

"Any ideas how that ends?"

 

Tommy Cornell flinched for a split second - you don't get as far as he has gotten in the business side of wrestling without having an amazing poker face, but he broke for a split second and I noticed it.

 

"Well, I'd have to talk it over with Joel (Bryant, TCW Booker), but the general idea is I'll be going over in the end, only to have Wolf turn on me, and it'll be me and him on top at Total Mayhem. I don't know what we'll do with you after that. A heel turn's on the table, for sure."

 

That'd be the best scenario - if they turned Tommy face, I'd be #4 on the totem pole on that side of things at best, behind RDJ, Tommy, and Rocky Golden. Most likely, I'd be the #2 heel behind Wolf, but I'd be his second banana forever – if it even happened.

 

"Tommy, I don't want to come off as an ingrate, but the pecking order is pretty set here. It's you and Wolf, I'll slide into Ricky Dale's place when he retires, Rocky's going to be your Sam Strong, and you'll probably bring your cousin Edward at some point and groom him for a spot at the top."

Now it was Tommy leaving a long silence.

 

"You have a good mind for the business Joey," he finally said. "You know, 99.9% of the world would love to have Ricky's spot."

 

I nodded.

 

"I'm the other .1."

 

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

 

"And it was that easy?" Kevin Glenn asked, buzzed from half a Red Death.

 

"Nothing easy about it," I responded. "I threw away my dream job - hardest decision I've ever made."

 

"And you bought NYCW!" Kevin said.

 

"That wasn't the plan at the time," I explained. "I was going to start my own company, something new. When I started losing to everyone and their mother on TV, people started to talk. Everyone thought I was in the dog house, but it started to trickle out that I was leaving to start my own company."

 

"Yeah," Kevin said, "I figured something was up when Texas Pete beat you clean in five minutes. You would've burned the dog house to the ground before doing that." He was right – the only way I would have allowed myself to be dragged through the mud with the slugs I lost to – from Pete all the way down to some rookie named Killer Shark in my last show for the company – was it being the honorable thing to do on the way out.

 

"You weren't the only guy who figured it out. Sam Keith realized something was up – he also knew Larry Vessey was losing his shirt with NYCW. He got Bryan to reach out to me, and he brokered the deal – NYCW was saved, and he got a nice chess piece for his alliance."

 

"Woah," Kevin said, amazed at the miracle of backstage politics.

 

"And here we are," I said.

 

Here we are indeed, but the real question is more complex.

 

Where do we go from here?

 

 

 

 

 

Obligatory OOC Section

 

-We'll get into the actual meat of the diary once the retail version is out.

 

-Obviously, Joey Minnesota is my user avatar and I'm starting as owner. This makes things considerably easier than your average NYCW diary, but it's about fun and it highlights the vast possibilities the ability to pick anyone as your avatar opens to the game. Joey's popularity has been taken down considerably, as TCW jobbed him mercilessly on the way out, but the other stats remain the same. His booker stats (most notably rock bottom diplomacy) reflect his in-game persona.

 

-In the likely event that you weren't around for my TEW2005 NYCW diary, know that I'm not big on writing long match descriptions - I feel my strengths are characterization and storytelling.

 

However, expect things to be more fleshed out than that diary - a bunch of my contemporaries and the writers who came after me - some of whom I influenced, only to have them do stuff light years ahead of what I did - have seriously raised the bar.

 

And thanks for the warm welcome back. I'm surprised and flattered that even a handful of people remember a six year old diary, especially considering the amazing stuff that's been put out since then.

 

Anyway,

 

Here's a list of announced matches for the first show, NYCW Rush Hour:

 

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

 

Of course, that's assuming Roger doesn't get signed by the SWF before then.

 

CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE!

 

Enjoy.

[Jaded]

I missed the first one, but this is awesome - can't wait to see your first show!

 

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars© - If I don't have a clue, I pick the champs.

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith - Two of my favourite young stars - I'll go with the more established one.

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler© - Sammy's great, but can't see more than one belt changing hands in the first show.

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash - Flash is maybe the only guy who Minnesota should be putting over at the moment.

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage© - I'm not quite convinced Sanders is Empire-title material, but Cage seems a lock to be stolen sooner rather than later, so why leave the belt on him?

[1PWfan]

Looking forward to this- NYCW's a very fun promotion to run in 2013

 

 

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

Let's think about this- actually, y'know what? Let's not. The Southern Stars are awesome

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

Gotta be honest, I don't get why KC Glenn is even here

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

Mauler's a solid bet for champion at the start

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

This depends on where you're going at the top- obviously whoever wins this should be positioned as your top challenger. Operating on the assumption that Rog stays, I'm going to give this to Joey

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

If Roger stays, he should take this, and I'm going to be optimistic and say he hasn't been stolen away yet

[3rdStringPG]

KC is Joey Minnesota's protege, thus his playing a key role in the diary.

 

Anyway...

 

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

[MaxxHexx]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

[ohiodevil]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

[foolinc]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

I love Mauler, but why does he have the title?

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

I love Flash, but there is no chance in hell of you wasting Minnesota's overness by losing to him. As someone who runs NYCW regularly, I'd also recommend making this match the main event. Joey Minnesota's return match would warrant being placed over the Empire Title if it was against Steve Flash.

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

Cage might get stolen, but I don't know if Sanders is the guy to carry the title. Something tells me that you are going to let Cage vacate the title and run a tournament to decide a new winner.

[Dragonmack]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

even lowered, your popularity is going to be higher than Flash's and really,you left because you didn't want to be #2 in TCW. You certainly aren't going to settle for that in your own company!

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

Cage will be gone. Worst scenario is SWF makes the offer after the show, in which case you are stuck with no clean title change if you don't move it. Not the guy I would have chosen, but Sanders can be a transitional champion for a couple months.

[BriFidelity]

Don't worry, I had every intention of running Joey vs Flash last. To say any more than that would be spoileriffic, so I'll remain tight lipped about that and let fervent (or not so fervent) speculation reign!

 

If the newcomers want to check out the old diary, it's here: http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5605

 

It's pretty primitive by today's diary standards and I wasn't the best proofreader in the world back then, something I think/hope I've improved upon since. If you want to see some fun takes on Scout, Mean Jean Cattley, and Nevada Nuclear (probably my personal favorite) amongst many others, give it a whirl - it'll also make the title of this diary a little more clear, as the first big defection was "The King of New York" Joey Minnesota, who was scooped up by the SWF very early in my game.

 

Perhaps most importantly, you'll find a few dozen reasons why Rip Chord is Better Than You.

[angeldelayette]

Bri, you are a legend on these boards for a reason. Welcome back! Everything is looking great so far. Keep up the good work.

 

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

The Southern Stars don't lose the belts here.

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

Both of them are up and coming wrestlers. I happen to like the Bulldozer better than KC Glenn.

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

Perhaps a slight upset but Sammy The Shark walks away with the title.

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

A definite match of the night right here. Minnesota barely eeks out the Remarkable one.

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

Sanders is not the ideal choice to become the next Empire champion. However, he makes a good transitional champion as the title moves toward Joey Minnesota.

[Midnightnick]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

[Tigerkinney]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

This will only be the stars second title defence, so I don't see them losing the belts this early in their run.

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

A little surprised to see someone as talented as Glenn not to actually be employed with someone at the start of the game (would have thought he'd either be in CZCW or with one of the Japanese promotions). As for this match, though he should have a bright future ahead, Smith is the more established talent.

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Of all the title matches, this is the one where's it's most likely to change hands...so that's what I'm tipping here.

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

 

For the exact same reasons as what Dragonmack said

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

 

The only way the title changes hands is if the SWF or USPW come calling for Cage, and I think if you thought that might happen you'd throw a stronger challenger in than Rick Sanders- because Sanders is a solid midcard hand but not someone you put your top title on.

[BYU 14]

Read through your 2005 diary earlier, great stuff. Looking forward to this as welcome back.

 

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars© - Neither team is ideal long term, but the Yukons are still very green

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith - Can't see one of your future top of the card guys going down to Glenn, who still has a ways to go.

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler© - Also see this as the likely change and it sets up a good feud with Sanders and Cage involved as well.

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash - It is your company afterall, Flash may go over at some point, but not yet.

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage© - I am a big NYCW guy too and in my tests smaller companies come after Cage first, so you may get 2-3 months out of him, before he puts Joey over

[James Casey]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars© Not on the first show

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith Glenn is there to learn

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler© I could see this happening to kick things off with a significant moment

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash Minnesota exists on a level far, far removed from anyone else in the company, and while Flash is probably the closest you won't throw a Minnesota loss away on day one. Probably.

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage© A difficult one, as Cage is a surefire steal for one of the big boys - most likely the SWF. Let's call it a disputed finish, then, which lets him leave in protest when you hold the belt up.

[Oregano Jensen]

NYCW Tag Team Titles

Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

You'd better script the hell out of this one, because nobody here has even the slightest grasp of psychology...

 

KC Glenn vs Bulldozer Brandon Smith

 

Both are young. Both are good. Glenn is better. With any luck, this is the start of a historic feud...

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

Both of these guys seem to be at about the right level to be competing for this belt... I wouldn't be shocked if Sammy took it, but I'm going to err on the side of caution.

 

Joey Minnesota vs Steve Flash

 

Can't go wrong with either of these guys. But Flash is 46, and I see no reason to believe Joey has any issue with carrying the promotion on his own shoulders. I don't blame him either.

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger Cage©

Does Cage always get poached in this one too? I'm going to gamble on him not getting poached.

[BriFidelity]

NOTE: THIS IS A NON-RUSH HOUR UPDATE/NON-CANON POST

 

Rush Hour will be up later tonight/early tomorrow – this is more of a single post standalone mini-watcher diary. Whenever a new TEW is fully released, I like to sim a year and see what happens. I did so, and here's what I found:

 

Deaths/Major Injuries

Hirokazu Yamanoue died a Kenny Death, while Mephisto died at 71.

 

ACPW wrestler Dagger broke his neck on one of the few shows they ran this year (more on that later).

 

Lee Bennett suffered two separate injuries – one for 28 days, the other 6 months.

 

PGHW's Ryoma Muruyama tore his rotator cuff and will miss a year.

 

Working against Fro Sure in GSW, Hollywood Bret Starr suffered a semi-severed spinal column and will miss over a year, and likely will never be the same again.

 

Openings/Closings/Size Changes

Pro Wrestling Max and Phoenix Wrestling Company opened, founded by Findlay O'Farraday and Steve Flash, respectively.

 

PWMAX opened in May and drew crowds lower than 300 with high priced talent like Carl Batch, Acid, Donnie J, & Teddy Powell and was out of business by September. Acid was their only champion.

 

PW Max's closure would pale in comparison to Black November, when UEW, MAW, and ZEN all went out of business. Earlier in the year, ACPW and DIW both went under.

 

SWF and our own NYCW are yo-yo companies – NYCW went regional in August, back to small 2 weeks later, up to Regional in October, down to small again a week later, and then rose and fell from Regional to Small in the span of 3 days. SWF went international almost immediately, fell to national in late Feburary, and bounced back and forth through the year.

 

USPW and BHOTWG fell to cult and stayed there, while the Modern Japan Alliance seemed to fair better than C.O.T.T. As WLW and GCG both went Cult. GSW is firmly Small and a slew of promotions are solidly regional: 5SSW, EMLL, FCW, Hinote Dojo,

 

Enforcer Roberts left SWF in January 2014 to start up Lethal Ring. They're still looking for wrestlers and a booker.

 

Ownership/Booking Changes

Seiji Jimbo took over PGHW, while Sam Strong left wrestling and sold USPW to Dean Daniels, who is now also head booker.

 

Masayuki Shiga left BCG to take the book at SAISHO after Hirokazu Yamanoue's death.

 

Kuniyoshi Chishu is the booker of WEXXV

 

Cueball Lynch was the booker for the ill-fated PWMax.

 

Grandmaster Phunk is the booker of Phoenix Wrestling Company. He is also the company's champion.

 

Tasuku Iesada took the brunt of BHOTWG's fall, being fired as booker and replaced by Dark Eagle.

 

Notable Champions

• John Anderson & Ricky Dale Johnson (TCW World Tag Champs as a heel duo. RDJ has slid to upper midcard.)
  
• Koshiro Ino (TCW World Champion)
  
• Nicky Champion hasn't lost the USPW World Title
  
• SWF didn't have a single title change all year – Frehley is still World Champ, Gilmore still NA, Davids/Machine still tag.
  
• Electrico defeated Champagne Lover for the SOTBPW Campeon de Mundo, and still holds the title.
  
• Kikkawa is still Burning World Champion. BHOTWG's only title change was American Optimus & Red Panther winning the Jr. Tag Titles.
  
• Phillip Cooper is the 21CW Champion
  

 

Power 500 Top Ten

10.Koshiro Ino

 

9.Champagne Lover

 

8.Pablo Rodriguez

 

7.Tommy Cornell

 

6.El Leon

 

5.Duane Stone

 

4.Johnny Bloodstone

 

3. Dan Stone Jr.

 

2. Sean McFly

 

1. Steve Decolt

 

So yeah, it was a good year for ______ of The Border Pro Wrestling.

 

Awards

• Wrestler: Steve Decolt
  
• Team: Cornell & Hawkins
  
• Young Wrestler: Jay Chord
  
• Veteran: Eisaku Kunomasu
  
• Female: Shiori Jippensha
  
• Indy Wrestler: Fumihiro Ota
  
• Company: NOTBPW (with the entire top 5 of the Power 500, I'd say so)
  
• Most Improved: Hinote Dojo
  
• Match: Steve DeColt d. Duane Stone, NOTBPW September Scramble
  
• Card: NOTBPW Summer Smash
  
• Manager: Floyd Goldworthy
  
• Announcer: Duane Fry
  
• Color: Emma Chase
  
• Ref: Ric Young
  

 

NYCW Stuff

Note: This is for the watcher thing, and has nothing to do with the NYCW Dynasty proper.

 

Arrivals

Kashmir Singh

Akima Brave

The Silencer

Handsome Stranger

KC Glenn (hey!)

Jack Griffith

Casey Valentine

Nelson Callum

Wilson Carlisle (referee)

 

Departures

Roger Cage (left for the SWF in January of 2013, so in my NYCW dynasty, the question of 'When is Roger Cage leaving' is really a matter of when SWF goes International.)

Steve Flash (April 2013 – didn't agree to terms, he left before starting PWC, wrestled Ota on an indy show, and then retired from actively wrestling)

Michael Bull (November 2013)

Whitehorse Whitaker (released, November 2013)

 

Empire Champion: Bulldozer Brandon Smith - def. Black Hat Bailey, who won the title after it was vacated by Roger Cage. Bailey was champ most of the year.

 

Tri-State Champion: The Masked Mauler – held the belt all of 2013. Don't know if you can expect to see that happen in this dynasty. (note: I do like Mauler though, he's a good hand and great for the locker room, which is more important than ever in TEW13).

 

Tag Champions: Collateral Damage (Rick Sanders & The New York Doll) – Defeated the Southern Stars in February. They are now the only two active tag teams in NYCW, with Whitaker being fired and Marv Statler turning heel.

 

That's about it. Rush Hour will be posted later today or early tomorrow.

[BriFidelity]

Before The Show...

 

FIRINGS

Whistler (mutual hatred with Joey Minnesota)

Fern Hathaway

Rock Downpour

Geoff Borne

 

HIRINGS

KC Glenn

Greg Gauge

Samuel Curran

Boss Man Brayfield

 

 

All right, let's get to it!

 

New York City Wrestling Proudly Presents

Rush Hour

Live! From The Ministry in Bronx, NY

Crowd: 975

Gate: $11,700

 

The lights dimmed to start the show....

 

"You come at the king, you best not miss."

 

Omar Little's memorable quote from The Wire led into With Great Power by Immediate Music, bringing out Joey Minnesota, the former TCW World Champion and perhaps the most celebrated wrestler to ever call New York City Wrestling home.

 

Impeccably dressed in a custom made suit, Minnesota initially got cheers coming to the ring. Playing into the crowd's trend, Joey raised a hand in the air while standing on the apron before heading into the ring and grabbing a microphone.

 

"New York City, it's been a while!"

 

The cheers picked up.

 

"And while you can go on to far bigger and far better things. While you can visit cleaner cities where you can walk three blocks without having someone try to mug you or ask you for fifty cents, it's always good to come home! Even if home is an uninhabitable tundra from November to April!"

 

Minnesota's cadence made the promo - his diction is that of the hailed hero back from a successful conquest, but the words succeed in turning the crowd.

 

"And I have returned! I have foregone warm winters in temperate climates, television stardom, and all the other trappings of success to come back here. Now, anyone in their right mind has to wonder one thing: why?"

 

Boos rained down, heavy boos. 'please go back!' chants as well.

 

"Because you people NEED me. New York City Wrestling NEEDS me. It's been six years since I last stepped through these ropes and NYCW is exactly the same: stagnant, old, and in need of a savior - a king to lead them to the promised land."

 

Minnesota smiled, taking pause to let the boos really build.

 

"And NYCW, your king is here. I've brought my very own squire as well - KC

Glenn: the future of this sport, led by the king himself. Everyone's so scared of this big, bad bulldozer - mark my words, loyal subjects: the Bulldozer will the one who gets flattened later on!"

 

"And tonight, I face the very embodiment of the stagnation I'm talking about - Steve Flash: a man, who despite his immense talent has never been able to rise above his standing and grab the brass ring like I did. Steve Flash may be the foundation of NYCW, but I am the palatial monument to greatness that will be built upon that foundation - I am a king, Steve Flash is but a highly productive peasant."

 

The crowd started a loud 'we want Flash!" chant.

 

"And thanks to the language of my new contract, you'll see me and Steve Flash in the main event! Sorry Roger," Joey said with an arrogant smile, "but we have a real star now, and when I get done with him, I'll be taking that championship belt of yours too - that is, if someone doesn't beat me to it."

 

With that, Minnesota gave the mic to new ring announcer/play-by-play man and confidently sauntered to the back, raising his hand in the air again right before going through the curtain, only to be met with boos this time.

 

Rating: C+

 

Black Hat Bailey vs Greg Keith

 

Making a rare appearance in the Western Hemisphere, Greg Keith entered the ring first, utilizing the family stage name in lieu of his alliterative given surname. Bailey was out second, accompanied by a large, gray haired man in a sterling white suit. Color commentator Ernie Turner was quick to identify this man as Boss Man Brayfield, a wealthy businessman from Texas who has been a fixture in the wrestling world in the Lone Star State for decades.

 

Keith and Bailey locked up, with the bigger Black Hat bullying him into the corner and crushing his chest with some forearms. The shots took the wind out of the youngster and Bailey continued to pound on him using a slow, methodical approach: nothing fancy, but a steady stream of ruthlessly efficient strikes, slams, and suplexes.

 

With things looking bad, Keith was able to use his advantage in athleticism to slide out the back door of an attempted bodyslam, falling behind Bailey and running him into the ropes and back with a roll-up for a two. Bailey popped up, still shocked, and took a dropkick from Gauge, then an arm drag - the kid was a house of fire! Gauge maintained the advantage for a while, but was caught coming off the second rope with a High Cross Body, which Bailey turned into a Powerslam and a three count.

 

Winner: Black Hat Bailey

Rating: D

 

Honest Frank & The New York Doll vs The Ring Generals

 

Waldorf and Statler had the edge in team experience here, while Frank and The Doll (more specifically Frank) are the more successful group as far as individual stardom. Statler and The Doll squared off with a lockup, which Doll won with an eye gouge, after which he worked a headlock, keeping control every now and then with a clandestine pull of the hair.

 

After a while, Statler was able to shoot the Doll into the ropes and floor him off the rebound with a shoulder tackle. The Generals lived up to their name and used their vast experience as a team to cut the ring in half and keep Honest Frank on the apron until Waldorf made the mistake of going for a backdrop and ate a kneelift from the Doll, who tagged out to Frank. The honest one got the better of his reeling opponent, scoring a near fall with a sidewalk slam.

 

The Generals found the momentum swinging back their way when Waldorf was

able to maneuver out of an abdominal stretch with a hiptoss and make a tag to the much fresher Marvelous Marv, who peppered Frank with quick lefts and rights before sending him over the top rope with a clothesline.

 

Statler went outside to press the issue and the men standing on the apron joined in on the fun. Michael Bull reached the ten count as the brawl raged on and was forced to call the match.

 

Result: Double Countout

Rating: D-

 

The Crowd's Attention Turned To A Projection On The Wall Of the Ministry...

 

Boss Man Brayfield stood, looking at two large, bearded men sitting on a locker room bench in front of him: Howlin' Mad Mort and Whitehorse Whitaker - The Boys From The Yukon.

 

"Now boys, I've made a big investment in you, and I expect it to pay off for me tonight. I might've made my money in black gold, but I want you to find some real gold tonight! Understand what I'm saying?"

 

"No," Whitaker said.

 

"I THOUGHT GOLD WAS GOLD, NOT BLACK!" Mort howled, not a fan of the inside voice.

 

"Black gold, Texas Tea, I'm talkin' commodities boy - didn't you ever see The Beverly Hillbillies?"

 

"I never had a TV," Whitaker said.

 

"No TV?" Brayfield said, "what'd you do for fun?"

 

"Wrestled bears, chopped down trees, made other kids cry by decapitating their snowmen with running lariats."

 

"WHO IS BILLY?" Mort interjected, "AND WHY DOES HE LIVE ON A HILL?"

 

"Forget it!" Brayfield relented. "Harker and William, they're a tree and a snowman, and I want you to go out there and chop them down and clothesline their daddgum heads off, okay?"

 

"That's all you had to say," Whitaker answered.

 

"WILLIAM BETTER MOVE AWAY FROM TENNESSEE! IT'S VERY WARM THERE, HE WILL MELT!"

 

Rating: E-

NYCW Tag Team Titles

 

The Boys From The Yukon vs The Southern Stars©

 

Tennessee William and Whitehorse Whitaker started things off for their respective teams, the bluesman from Memphis getting the better of a collar and elbow tieup and sending Whitaker down with an armdrag. Very basic, proficient wrestling (well, some wrestling, mostly brawling) followed, the action eventually finding its way into the challengers corner, where Howlin Mad Mort grabbed a handful of hair, giving Whitaker a perfect opening to sock William in the jaw - the chicanery was missed by Michael Bull, who was being distracted by Boss Man Brayfield.

 

Following the cheap shot, Mort tagged in and overpowered William for a while, Brayfield's lumberjacks doing a good job of isolating the legal man and preventing Animal Harker from becoming a factor in the match until Tennessee William ducked under a double clothesline, shot off the ropes, and took out both Boys From the Yukon with a high cross body. William crawled across the mat, his foot barely eluding Whitaker's grasp long enough to make the hot tag to Harker.

 

Animal was a house of fire, wailing on both challengers and sending them out of the ring for a strategy session with Brayfield, which Harker interrupted by delivering a double noggin knocker to Mort and Whitaker as Brayfield threw a fit.

 

While everyone, referee Michael Bull included, was paying attention to Brayfield's antics, Mort produced a chain from his pants, wrapped it around his hand, and knocked Animal Harker silly. Mort tossed the chain aside and went for the pin. However, he didn't toss the chain far enough, and as it rested on the mat by the ring apron. Tennessee William was able to kick the chain toward Michael Bull, getting close enough that even a pro wrestling referee was able to see the evidence.

 

Winners by DQ, and still NYCW Tag Team Champions: The Southern Stars

Rating: D-

 

Despite Being Caught, The Boys From The Yukon Were Not Done

 

With Animal still out from the chain shot, Mort and Whitaker swarmed Tennessee William, pounding him with punches and kicks while Boss Man Brayfield directed traffic (laying a few boots into the fallen champions himself). Whitaker found the chain on the mat, which he promptly used to begin choking Animal Harker, who was just coming to.

 

Things were going from bad to worse for the champions, with Mort ready to deliver the "Howl Of Pain" running powerslam to Tennessee William... and ONTO Harker. Thankfully, The Ring Generals arrived in time to run off the opposition before someone could be seriously hurt.

 

Rating: E-

 

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs KC Glenn

 

As advertised, Smith tried to bulldoze through his smaller competition at the opening bell, but Glenn was ready for the charge and hit a dropkick to the knee to send his larger opponent to the mat. The psychology was set by then, as Glenn went to work on the knee and Smith played the role of the wounded animal.

 

Glenn found out first hand how dangerous a wounded animal could be when he

got too close to Smith, who send him spinning with a lunging clothesline, which KC took a pretty looking twisting bump for. Smith limped around, working the kinks out of his leg before whipping Glenn into the corner, with the Bulldozer hobbling over and driving shoulders into his opposition's gut.

 

Glenn got the advantage back when Smith went for his trademark (not Thomas Morgan, that's another diary) Dozer Driver, only for his knee to give out. Smith tried to get back to his feet, but ate a basement dropkick to the face, resulting in a two count for Glenn.

 

The cat and mouse game continued for a while until the cat caught the mouse, gave him a Dozer Driver (the knee holding up this time) and scored the pin.

 

Winner: Bulldozer Brandon Smith

Rating: D+

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Sammy The Shark vs The Masked Mauler©

 

The second of our three scheduled title matches got off to a hot start, with Sammy smelling blood (Get it?) and attacking the Mauler with an up tempo pace, knowing the methodical Mauler likely wouldn't be able to match it. The strategy worked early, but came back to bite Sammy (I'll be here all night) when he whipped the Mauler into the ropes, went for a Thesz Press, but wound up jumping into the air and falling flat on his face when Mauler held on to the ropes.

 

The crafty champion didn't hesitate to resume the attack, coming in with a driving elbow into the small of Sammy's back, which he then followed up with a few knee strikes to the same area, rounding out the psychologically sound sequence by clasping on a Camel Clutch, though Sammy was able to shimmy to the ropes and work an arm free to grab the ropes.

 

The damage had been done, though, and Sammy favored his back through the rest of the match, showing remarkable resolve and maintaining an upper hand most of the way through. A sequence of near falls toward the end saw the title hanging perilously in the balance, with things looking to go Sammy's way when he overcame his ailing back to climb to the top rope and catch the Mauler square in the chest with a flying dropkick.

 

Unfortunately for Sammy, the force of the blow knocked the champion clear across the ring. the veteran, knowing what's good for him, rolled the short distance to the edge of the apron and slid out of the ring for a breather. Once outside, the Mauler loaded something into his mask, and when Sammy came to pull him into the ring, delivered a headbutt. Sammy went down for the three count and Michael Bull fell to 1 for 2 for the night as far as foreign object detection - still an admirable percentage for a wrestling referee.

 

Winner, and still NYCW Tri-State Champion: The Masked Mauler

Rating: D-

 

NYCW Empire Title

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs Roger "Smooth" Cage

 

Cage wasn't his usual, jovial self here, but instead wore a grimace as he came out to face Sanders, the challenger being greeted by the same "Tricky Dick!" chant he got from the New York faithful every month. Cage was aggressive from the bell and went at Sanders with all manner of offense - punches, kicks, biting, and almost found himself disqualified by Michael Bull on more than one occasion.

 

Sanders bought himself time by taking a Roger Cage charge and tossing him through the top and middle ropes (over the top rope being a DQ in New York City Wrestling). Tricky Di... er, Rick took a breath before going out to meet the champion, dropping off the apron with a double axe handle. Sanders proceeded to ram Roger's head into the apron before throwing Cage back into the ring, where Sanders procured a headlock, regularly dropping his arm under Roger's chin, making the hold an illegal choke.

 

Cage fought out of the hold, but Sanders quickly put him back down with a hair pull to the mat, leading to a stern admonishment from Michael Bull. Sanders hit a gut wrench suplex for two, then slapped on a Boston Crab. Once it became clear that Cage would reach the ropes, Sanders let go and stomped on the champions outstretched hand. After maintaining the advantage for a while, Tricky Rick went for his finish, the classic Piledriver, but Cage was able to get his legs back down to the mat and backdrop out of it.

 

Cage stayed down while Sanders got back up. Sensing the champ used his last bit of strength to pull off the backdrop, Tricky Rick went for another piledriver, but the champ was playing opossum and took Sanders's legs out from under him and flipped forward into a bridging pin for the victory.

 

Winner, and Still NYCW Empire Champion: Roger Cage

Rating: D-

 

After the match, a surly looking Roger Cage grabbed the mic

 

"I'm sure our so-called 'king' is back there listening right now, and that's good, I have something to say to him," Cage barked, stopping to strap the Empire title around his waist.

 

"Welcome back to New York City Wrestling Joey," Cage said condescendingly,

"and my apologies if the good people of the Big Apple didn't exactly hail you as a conquering hero. Let me apologize further, because I'm not going to either."

 

The crowd cheered, which Roger would normally eat up, but he was totally focused here.

 

"Yeah, you left this place high and dry and became a big television star. You beat some musclebound blockhead named Rocky, you won a title. Good for you Joey, good for you."

 

Showing a bit of his trademark swagger for the first time, Roger gave Joey a mocking golf clap.

 

"We'd expect nothing less here. This is New York City Joseph - the Big Apple, the city so nice they named it twice, the capital of the world, and as the great chairman of the board, Frank Sinatra himself once said, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. All you've done since you walked out the door is prove him right."

 

"And Joey, now that you're back, you're going to learn a tough lesson - the toughest, most talented wrestlers in the world call New York City Wrestling home, and it's only a matter of time before someone knocks your proverbial crown off your literal head. If Steve doesn't do it tonight, you enter yourself into the New York Knockout qualifiers next month, and if you can make it through there, I'll see you at Kings of New York!"

 

"If you make it there - and that's an 'if' the size of your ego, Joey, you'll find out that when you face Roger Cage, the taste of defeat is smooth!"

 

Big cheers for the champ as he threw down the mic and strutted to the back, apparently feeling better.

 

Rating: C

 

Main Event

"Remarkable" Steve Flash vs "The King of New York" Joey Minnesota

 

Flash was out first, getting a reception fitting for NYCW's very own home grown legend. The King followed, sporting a regal looking cape, but not going all the way with a crown (at least not on his head, he was sporting dark blue trunks with a crown on the back).

 

The action was... pretty nonexistent to start, as Minnesota used a manner of stall tactics to delay physical contact for a few minutes - a wise move to further ensure he wasn't cheered - by begging off, taking a breather only to return to the ring at an eight or nine count, and otherwise jawing with Flash or the crowd. When the match started, it was all Flash, as the NYCW Icon got the better of a test of strength by turning a stalemate into a Monkey Flip by jumping onto Minnesota's thighs and dominated from there.

 

After being bested, Minnesota took another trip to ringside, but Flash followed this time, catching Minnesota in a hammerlock and throwing him back into the ring. Minnesota, a savvy veteran in his own right, caught Flash coming back into the ring and dropped a knee on the back of his head. With two men so evenly matched, so incredibly talented, the advantage seesawed back and forth, with incredible moves giving way to awesome counters.

 

The first near fall of the match belonged to The King of New York, who caught a superkick attempt from Flash and turned the move into a wheelbarrow suplex for two. It wouldn't be the last close two count of the night, not by a long shot. Both men emptied their arsenals - Joey kicking out of the Flash Bang, Steve kicking out of the Empire Spiral, neither man willing to relent to the other.

 

With both men’s tanks approaching empty, Steve Flash went to the top rope to try to finish off a grounded Minnesota. Joey found enough energy in reserve to make it to his feet though, and crotched Flash on the top rope. Minnesota went for, and delivered a superplex, but while both men's legs were in the air after impact, Flash grapevined his with Joey's, turning it into a cradle, which resulted the one, two, three.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost.

 

Minnesota kicked out at the last possible second. Both men struggled to their feet. Steve Flash went for the Flash Bang, but his exhaustion led him to hesitate for a split second, giving Minnesota a moment to elbow out, deliver the Empire Spiral, and score the victory.

 

Winner: Joey Minnesota

Rating: C+ (Match)

Overall Rating: C

[Dragonmack]

Nice show, and pretty much what I would have expected you to get out of Flash and Joey, given you probably lowered him to the C range in popularity.

 

Cage and Sanders was a bit of a disappointment. I would have figured they could pull at least a D, D+ especially with the title on the line. Good thing that wasn't your main event.

[MrOnu]

Great first show, even the little jabs to the poor wrestling referees were a nice touch. I hope Cage can stay long enough in NY, this feud with the returning king should be gold for the company.

[Jaded]

While everyone, referee Michael Bull included, was paying attention to Brayfield's antics, Mort produced a chain from his pants, wrapped it around his hand, and knocked Animal Harker silly. Mort tossed the chain aside and went for the pin. However, he didn't toss the chain far enough, and as it rested on the mat by the ring apron. Tennessee William was able to kick the chain toward Michael Bull, getting close enough that even a pro wrestling referee was able to see the evidence.

 

Winners by DQ, and still NYCW Tag Team Champions: The Southern Stars

Rating: D-

 

Who actually got DQ'd here? From the match write-up I assumed the Stars had lost it...

 

Other than that (which may just be me being easily confused!) awesome first show! Looking forward to seeing where you go from here.

[BriFidelity]

I could have done a better job making that clear - the idea was that Tennessee William would have kicked the chain back toward the center of the ring before Michael Bull turned around, leading Bull to see Harker knocked out and putting two and two together.

 

Again, my fault for not being more clear in the write up.

 

Moving on, the next card, February's Big Apple Brawl will be up later this week, possibly the weekend. BAB sets up the March card, New York Knockout, which nicely dovetails into the big one: Kings of New York.

 

BAB has four singles matches, with the winners meeting in the New York Knockout match in March - that match being a four man elimination match with the winner going on to face the Empire Champion at KoNY.

 

Here's the card for Big Apple Brawl:

 

New York Knockout Qualifiers

KC Glenn vs Matthew Keith (debuting in NYCW)

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs "Marvelous" Marv Statler

Steve Flash vs Honest Frank

Joey Minnesota vs Sammy The Shark

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs The Masked Mauler ©

 

NYCW Empire Title

Black Hat Bailey vs Roger Cage ©

 

Also - Roger Cage gets a job offer.

(cue suspenseful music)

[Dragonmack]

New York Knockout Qualifiers

KC Glenn vs Matthew Keith (debuting in NYCW)

"Tricky" Rick Sanders vs "Marvelous" Marv Statler

Steve Flash vs Honest Frank

Joey Minnesota vs Sammy The Shark

 

I see the finals being Minnesota vs Flash, as that is your guaranteed best matchup

 

NYCW Tri-State Title

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs The Masked Mauler ©

Mauler is actually decent in the last couple of versions but his greatest value is in tag ranks. Smith will make for a strong midcard holder

 

NYCW Empire Title

Black Hat Bailey vs Roger Cage ©

unless the offer is SWF, then it really doesn't matter. If its SWF, then hes gone