[C-Verse 97] [HGC/DaVE] Everybody Knows

Phantom Stranger · May 22, 2013

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded

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"Nemesis had a lot of backing behind him," Black Hat Bailey remarks. "I think that was it. I think it was just that he figured he could get away with it."

Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed

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"What I always wondered," Barry Kingman offers, "was - Nemesis was toast after that match. He was the veteran. He called the shot. The argument afterward was formality. But - Tommy. He was eighteen. If he hadn't gotten into that argument with Dick Eisen as hard as Nemesis did, he'd have probably had to pay his dues a couple years. But after that, he could've come back from it. He'd be World Champion at SWF by now."

Everybody knows the war is over

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"When I heard Mr. C was coming in, I was surprised," the man now known as Tyson Baine confesses frankly. "Sure, he was hot sh*t as far as the fans were concerned. But he'd also just spelled it out; he was a f***ing liability as far as booking plans were concerned. What do you do, put the guy up against Rip? The champ? Me? What if he takes liberties again? You understand what I'm saying - what if he makes Sam Strong look bad?" He nods significantly. "What I didn't get was, Stallings was adamant. Nerd-boner the size of New Mexico."

Everybody knows the good guys lost.

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"You're damn right I took advantage," Phil Vibert exclaims. "Show me a man who says he wouldn't and I'll show you a liar. He asked for a lot, sure. Not just money. He wanted to make sure he didn't get trampled."

Everybody knows the fight is fixed.

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"I'd say, yeah, you wanted to get ahead in HGC, you had to be Sam Strong's buddy," Dread concedes, with a slight smirk. "Or someone he knew he could make money off. You wanted to stay on top, you had to be someone he knew he'd always make money off. That was me and Rip. He brought Rahn in just for someone else to beat." The smirk broadens. "Then Mr. C came in, and things changed. Not just him - but it showed that Stallings might just overrule Sammy boy if he had a good enough reason."

The poor stay poor and the rich get rich

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"I was already figuring on my time with DaVE coming to an end," JD Morgan confesses. "My style wasn't the same as what was making Phil money, and Phil needed to go with what his big moneymakers could handle. With the boss-man coming in, I decided to give it a bit longer. He wasn't the boss-man then - not by a long chalk - but we could all smell the money coming."

That's how it goes...

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"I knew it was going to be rough," Nemesis confesses. "I was an SWF guy. I was a little guy. And I was clearly a problem. Worst, I was big enough off the match to be a political threat. And my only real backing was the owner."

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"I knew it was going to be rough," Tommy Cornell confesses. "I was an SWF guy. I was a kid. And I was clearly a problem. Worst, I was big enough off the match to be a political threat. And my only real backing was the owner."

Yeah, everybody knows.

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"Said it before, say it again," Baine says. "If it hadn't been for Mr Campbell coming in, I've gotta think I'd've been fed to Sam Strong, then out on my a** looking for work and needing to rebuild."

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"Tommy Cornell was a good kid who just hadn't put in enough time to be able to cope with the book," Eric Tyler offers. A smile spreads across his face. "But he knew which side his bread was buttered, and I found he was really willing to listen. And without him, I don't think DaVE could have won the war."

Phantom Stranger · May 22, 2013

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Todd Cusson's once-golden hair is heavily flecked with silver. Sat at an outside table in the California sun, the man formerly known as the Hype takes his time lighting his Marlboro before settling back, scratching idly at the back of his hand. He lets the silence run out for a little while he considers the question.

“Tommy and me, we overlapped at NEW. We didn't much get on... maybe we would have later. But I was... yeah, I was one of the guys who heard the story early on. We'd known the same people, and the way I see it, we got cut for the same kind of reason. Ricky Eisen wasn't at all ready for what was coming, just a couple years later.

“You have to put it in context, though. I'm not saying... NOW... that I didn't have it coming. But that was what wrestling was becoming, and the Eisens were all jumpy as hell. And they were jumpy as hell because Hollyweird was happening...

“We know how that all went, now, with Mr C moving in and how it actually went. But at the time, SWF had been totally unchallenged for ages. And along comes the biggest money mark it is possible to imagine in our industry, and he manages to pull Sam Strong, Rip Chord, and Dread all out of retirement. It's a credit to Ricky Eisen's poker face that we don't KNOW he was brown pantsing it, but he's too smart not to have been.

“December... December was the month I screwed up and bombed out. But nobody did anything in December, not really. December we were watching Stallings and Strong to see what they'd do with the book, with their talent, and figure it out. January, it was make plans time. February, they were getting behind Nemesis, and then... by February end, game over. And everything went to hell.”

He shrugs, tapping out some ash from his cigarette. “And that led to career rebirth for me. Well... let's say a shot at career rebirth.”

He looks out across the street, squinting against the light.

“But then you know that,” he says. “Boss – I'll take your money, sure. But is there a point to this?”

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“Why... is a question I hear a lot. But to my mind, I asked it first.”

JK Stallings, Jr, shifts slightly in his chair. He takes a sip from a coffee cup, in what looks like a well-practiced stall for time, a self-created means by which to buy himself thinking time.

“I'm thirty-two now. I was sixteen when I made my first business decision, buying a professional wrestling company. That was the first time I was asked why. But, as I say, I asked it first. I asked my father why he thought what I'd coded should be sold, and he didn't answer me, really. He just smiled and took care of things.

“When I looked around a few months later and realised I was the ultimate flavour of the month, that StallCorp had changed everything – taken us from well-off to well-off-for-life, what I called in college f**k you money,” and he grins broadly, enjoying the imagined discomfiture of the viewer on the other side of the YouTube channel – I made the decision to create HGC.

“I invested a lot of money in a company which has, give or take a takeover, a rebranding, and a couple of stock market flotations, stood the test of time. Been profitable for most of that time, even. And, I hope, one that's given a lot of people entertainment, the same way I hope StallCorp has made a lot of people's lives a lot easier.

“Not that I was thinking about that, then... and not that it's uppermost on my mind here and now, in creating this channel. Let's admit some things ahead of time.

“First, I still have a few shares in what HGC has become. And the more of you who pay a subscription fee to watch classic episodes, the happier I'll be.

“I didn't write my first piece of software to benefit anyone else. I didn't start HGC for anyone's benefit but mine. I wanted a wrestling company I could steer, and I had the money, and I bought one.

“I couldn't steer it, but that's another story. I was a fan with more money than I knew what to do with. I made more wrestling happen. If you liked what we did, I'm glad.

“Back to being asked why. Like I say, I hear it a lot. I hear it way too often. Why wrestling? Why review the code to StallCorp products when I almost never catch anything our QA people don't? Why still code? Why, for the love of everything sacred, put together a YouTube channel which is going to be mostly wrestlers laughing about how much money they made from me, doing impressions of me, and half of which will probably end up being about what happened to Phil Vibert and Tommy Cornell and the profit they made off one match I didn't buy and a lot of stuff the people I hired did with my money?

“Because I can.” His eyes twinkle. “I'm thirty-two. I can admit my mistakes. And it was fun – and I'm a nerd – and I want to be able to go somewhere and hear all this stuff. And if I do it this way, I can make some money off it.”

His expression sobers. “The views your heroes and the men and women you love to hate are about to put forward are DEFINITELY not to be confused with mine. I won't weigh in much; I've got other things to do.

“The channel is open, boys. If you were a talent for either, send in your clips talking about HGC and DaVE. I'll host them. If anyone wants to sue, I'll pay for the lawyers. It's been too long since I stirred the pot in pro wrestling, and you know what?” He grins. “Last time I did it it was way too much fun, and I honestly think we got some really good wrestling out of it. Tommy, John, and if you're watching, Richard – you're probably not going to like all of this. And you know what?

“Neither am I.”

ClassDunce · May 22, 2013

I've been looking forward to this for awhile. I love how you're framing it.

The Celt · May 22, 2013

>Phantom Stranger booking DAVE

http://i.imgur.com/SHGgYKl.gif

Phantom Stranger · May 23, 2013

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="ClassDunce" data-cite="ClassDunce" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="36122" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I've been looking forward to this for awhile. I love how you're framing it.</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="The Celt" data-cite="The Celt" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="36122" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>>Phantom Stranger booking DAVE http://i.imgur.com/SHGgYKl.gif</div></blockquote> Thanks, guys. I'm hoping this one will continue to interest past the 'oooh, what's this?' stage.

Phantom Stranger · May 23, 2013

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Eric Tyler shrugs. “I've never exactly had problems with finding a good place any place I worked,” he says. “Put the time in. Paid my respects. Delivered in the ring – as much as I could, whatever that happened to be. Delivered on the stick once they trusted me with one.

“That gives a man the ear of the booker, or maybe the owner, and people call all sorts of bullsh*t all of a sudden like he's playing favourites. He's not. He's keeping the moneymakers happy, he's keeping the moneymakers there.

“That's fine. So when Tommy came in, and he came in with all this buzz – all this talk about how his contract guaranteed him certain things, like a say in how he was booked – I was interested. He'd been white-meat babyface in the SWF, but that's not how things work in DaVE. Not then, not now. I wanted to make a connection. Feud him, mentor him, whatever. But this kid had done enough to tell us he'd be big. He'd shown willing.

“People act like I wanted to lock him up or something, but that wasn't it. He was going to be gold when he came in. He'd make a fortune – on his first couple shows.

“But he needed the right showcase to keep that going, and his style was not the kind of style of Freddie Datsun. He wouldn't feud so good with the Wolverine.

“Back then, people like me and Tommy who just wrestled a good match, didn't go in for weapons unless it made sense – we were heels by default.

“No, this one needed some careful management. I actually passed up a program with Johnny Martin to work with Tommy, because if we could KEEP him hot, everyone stood to profit. Not just me, him and Phil.

“Everyone.”

–

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Eddie Chandler, in a room familiar from his irregular YouTube series, glowers directly into his webcam feed.

“Eric Tyler is already going to have gone on record saying the same thing he already says,” he begins. “Let me just say once again that it's a load of crap. Eric Tyler has always been out for Eric Tyler. And sure, you can get yourself dragged along on that if you're lucky, but that's what it is.

“And the claims he was set to go up against Johnny Martin are BS, too. You know what he did at Back In Black that year, while Freddie Datsun was throwing Vengeance out of DaVE and Martin defended against Derek Barnes?

“He had the worst tag team start in DaVE history. And, you know, that's something I ought to be grateful for.

“Back then, see, the School of Tradition was new to DaVE. Eric had been building it up in Canada and he persuaded Phil to bring in his 'student', make a team of it. And it bombed. The two of them just didn't work as a tag.”

He grins.

“Which is, down the line, how big Dan left the School and became Elite, like me.”

Phantom Stranger · May 23, 2013

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Demon Anger grins. “So f**k it, I'm retired,” he begins. “Made my money, got out, still ticking over pretty well. No skin off my nose if someone takes this the wrong way, but when HGC started up, me and Spite were the only guys who were happy.

“Secret is we've never wanted to be anything other than a tag team. I pull my weight, so did Spite. But tag was where we were good, and we couldn't do you one on one as better than “good enough”. Nobody'd pay to see that.

“Bryan Vessey wanted singles work, he figured that was where the money was. The Flames both wanted to break out, feud, then win a title before they retired. Grunt and Stink figured they wouldn't be together forever. Same with Savage Whatsis – Java and the Warrior, I can't even remember what they called themselves – and the throwaway teams we started with. Most people want to prove they can hack it solo and have the cheers to themselves.”

He smiles apologetically. “For some of us, buddy, that's not on the cards. Nothing to be ashamed of. I'm no Sam Strong, I'm no Tommy Cornell. But the Demons of Rage made ourselves a name the size of theirs by sticking to what we did well and keeping right on doing it well, no matter what.

“Everyone else wants their solo run, and when HGC kicked off, they were all watching Sam Strong like a hawk panicking he wouldn't be willing to push 'em.”

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“Sam nearly put me in a tag team, you know,” Todd says thoughtfully. “I got hired not that long after Ricky Eisen booted me. That was you, right, boss?” He glances beyond the camera at where J.K. Stallings presumably sits.

“Anyway, what I heard later was... after Ricky gave me the boot I got to be a pretty hot name in the dirtsheets. And I think you must've been reading 'em then, must've wanted to find something you could do 'better' than Ricky Eisen.

“Which, no fooling, is a tall order. I know, either way, that Sam got orders to push me hard – that's why I got a valet, right?” He grins. “That was the push, in the end. Here's a porn star to stand near your matches, an actual honest-to-Vivid porn star. Big whoop.” He makes jazz fingers for a second, rolling his eyes. “Not that I was the only one got ribbed like that. What happened to the Peaks was a goddamn travesty.

“Anyway, what I heard later, before Sam decided that keeping this young face who might sink or swim near two big flotation devices was good enough, he'd figured on sticking me in a tag team. Keep him from having to push me until... I don't know, probably until whenever every other face in the company already turned heel on him.”

3rdStringPG · May 23, 2013

Also looking forward to this one. Was a bit late in discovering TCW: A Quiet Retirement and I can't wait to see what you've got planned for the Stallings era of HGC... <img alt="

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Dragonmack · May 23, 2013

This looks really interesting, even if there is no actual wrestling being booked

. The interviews alone, with all the slanted background peeks at an alternate Cornellverse are more than entertaining enough, especially for me.

Phantom Stranger · May 23, 2013

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="3rdStringPG" data-cite="3rdStringPG" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="36122" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Also looking forward to this one. Was a bit late in discovering TCW: A Quiet Retirement and I can't wait to see what you've got planned for the Stallings era of HGC... <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Dragonmack" data-cite="Dragonmack" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="36122" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>This looks really interesting, even if there is no actual wrestling being booked <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> . The interviews alone, with all the slanted background peeks at an alternate Cornellverse are more than entertaining enough, especially for me.</div></blockquote> Thanks, guys. There'll be a few more posts before we get to the actual wrestling, just so that everyone has a good idea how differently this C-Verse is going to start out - and what's going on in February, as the mod only runs to January.

Teh_Showtime · May 23, 2013

This has my interest for sure. Really loving the interview bits

Bigpapa42 · May 24, 2013

I will never miss out on a PS project. Will most definitely be reading. Cannot wait to see where you take us on this ride.

SuperOwens · May 24, 2013

Very interesting concept - loved all of the back story so far. For me, its the back story, the backstage stuff, the explanation of booking that makes a great diary. So will be following with interest.

Phantom Stranger · May 24, 2013

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“The thing was, ninety-six had been pretty good,” Freddie Datsun concedes. He's leaning against a cream-painted brick wall near a set of double doors that have been cracked open just a touch. The sound of a wrestling crowd settling in with beer can just be heard.

“I'd got Bliss with me, I wasn't holding the title but I had the thing with Roy to tide me over, and the net result was I was technically DaVE's big face stable.

“People said in the next few years that I should've politicked harder, shored up my long-term, and then I'd probably still be there, not main eventing maybe, but...”

He shrugs. “Johnny Martin and me were both special in that we could work well with Tyler and with the Wolverine.

“In comes this teenage Brit, and suddenly I'm meant to politic hard? I'd gotten where I was through ninety-six because I could deliver. Roy had come up with me because maybe he wasn't so good but the hero-worship act was starting to get the kid over.

“And I have to hand it to Bliss, but the fans loved the way we worked. They loved her taking a beating for me as often as I took one for her.

“Tommy meant everything was about to change, but I really don't understand how we were supposed to see that coming, even when he showed up to the beer 'n' booking sessions just like Phil, Chris, Tyler and me. And at the time it looked like profit.”

–

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Halfway across the country and Roy Stephens picks up his old 'hero's' thread seamlessly. He's left the plaid behind – he's left wrestling behind, for that matter, and he's chosen a recording site to show it, with the fire engine he helps crew strategically in shot.

“The crowd took a while to warm up to me in DaVE,” he says. “I'm not saying that was wrong, mind you. Whatever I was, I wasn't... great. But I took a beating well, you know? And I could do underdog.

“I think I'd've bombed out mid-ninety-six except Phil came up with the hero-worshipping Freddie idea. That got the crowd to cheer, even if they were mostly laughing at me.

“But we'd been working the whole thing with Vengeance, and then in January Stallings signed him away, called him Ares. So we were a fairly hot babyface act, and we were free, and there were two of us, just as Tommy came in.

“We were a natural choice for him to have a problem with.” He grins. “To this day I can say I have a victory over Tommy Cornell. You'd be surprised how much beer that's worth.”

arwink · May 25, 2013

Awesome.

*grabs a bag of popcorn and settles in for the ride*

I've been waiting for this ever since you posted in the preview thread.

Phantom Stranger · May 26, 2013

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“So when I got the offer,” the giant known to millions as BLZ Bubb begins, “it was, I think, October ninety-six? Might even have been earlier. Might've been September. Nobody knew much about any of it – Sam Strong had the book and the owner was some kid billionaire.” He briefly allows himself the luxury of a small grin at the camera. “We mostly focused on Sam Strong, back in the USA.

“So he's got the book, and, you know, Sam Strong works a certain kind of match a certain kind of way. And here's me, six nine legit, billed seven one, around three hundred pounds, billed whichever way the owner wants to slide that, and I get the offer and I'm thinking great, you know? Out of the minors and into this and I can maybe be the next big guy Strong works a multi-year feud with. The next Bruce or the next Dread.

“I sign fast enough to contravene safety guidelines, fax it back to them, sit back and start dreaming, and a couple days later, the dirtsheets let us all know Dread's on board. Sam doesn't need a new long-term dance partner, he's got one he can trust.

“Me and Rahn – because he signed up too – we got on the phone and we got worried about our futures. Rahn was even more worried – he wasn't just not going to be the wild brawly new rival for Sam Strong, but they already had Charlie Homicide on side, with Killer managing him, and that made Genghis second fiddle heel, hardcore. Which is way low down the totem pole.

“I believe to this day that I would've gotten one PPV against Sam, probably in the summer, and that would've been me sitting there until my contract ran out. I believe that was the plan – some variation against Dread, and me rolling through Whistler and “Cowboy Ricky Dale” and the other not-yet-somebodies to build me up for it. And then Mr C came into the picture, and politics happened in the weirdest way.”

–

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Rip Chord nods, smiling somewhat fondly at the memory. A big man, he is, nonetheless, almost entirely sunken into the giant leather armchair in which he sits. “Sam and me, we always got on well when we worked together,” he says. “We partied with the same people, we trusted each other, and we made good money together. I never had an issue with it, but I knew it was there. It'd been there with Prof Nero, too, and Mark Krogan, and me and John-Boy Tucker came up learning the ropes because those two wanted us with them.

“So, yeah, sure, I'd call Sam a political kind of guy, but I think you could get around him. By and large. In HGC he built himself a squad of friends, people he could trust – Dread, me, Peter, Dickie the Coach – and built out from there. We had young knockoffs of the top tier, basically, all round the place, for any time we couldn't go.

“Then in comes Nemesis, and suddenly there's a factor Sammy can't control right off. JK saw him and had to have him, and just like that, JK's Diane, Sammy's Sammy, Nemesis is Frasier, and me and Dread are sat there with our beers watching the three of 'em not actually clash because they're too busy worrying about clashing like Cliff and Norm.” Chord shrugs; his choice of metaphor has always met with mixed responses. “Eventually someone spoke up with the compromise. Let's call it me, but it might've been Liberty or even Charlie H.

“They settled on the idea that Sam would book the singles guys and Nemesis would find a partner and keep to the tag teams, and we'd try and promote the two belts as being on the same level.

“So that was fine and they were both happy and nothing could ever ever ever be a problem ever again, and then two minutes later Nemesis said he'd team up with Bubb and Sam looked like Alicia had decided to date Jimmy Power.”

Phantom Stranger · May 26, 2013

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Johnny Martin squints against the Texas sun, two tall bottles of beer on the steel table in front of him. This isn't his first shoot interview, and his delivery has been characteristic across all of them; he's far from the motormouth his provocative heel character tends to seem, soft-spoken, choosing his words very carefully.

“The beauty of what Eric Tyler does, how he works, is that you don't even notice what he's doing, just what he wants you to see. And that's inside the ring as well as out. Eric tells a story in a match as well as anyone, but he also makes it look perfectly natural. Everything seems like it comes out of the moment.

“So I don't mean this as a criticism, but that's his secret, that's how he avoids the reputation for backstage dirt of a Sam Keith or a Chris Rockwell. We all know Eric plays politics. But we all kind of like him anyway.

“DaVE has always been kind of a violent place, and a lot of it's detractors and fans alike make out like the blood and the hardcore is all there is to us, but it's just not true. You look at where we were when Cornell came in. He wasn't even our only English mat technician.

“Now, admittedly, JD's gimmick had a bit of a problem. He was switching off between feuding with me and feuding with Chris, and in either case – well, he's got Phil in his corner. He is the Anointed Future Of DaVE chosen by Its Most Holy Owner, and he doesn't do this hardcore crap, he just breaks you down. That's fun, but you need something to stop the Philly fans cheering you if that's what you do, because you – in this case, you meaning JD Morgan – you are a hell of a wrestler and our fans respect that.

“Against me, it was fine; I made sure they kept heat by feeding myself to Phil, by upping the ante, whatever. But JD's the chosen future, and that's a gimmick that can't stick around longterm. We didn't know what was going to become of him until Tommy came in, because that changed everything.

“The two are a good comparison case, though. JD versus Chris – a feud we were pretty high on at the time, a feud selling tickets, especially when the Wolverine got involved – worked because Chris could take more of a beating than JD, and did it, and that was the story. Can JD wear Chris down enough? Can Chris actually goddamn pin JD?

“But you couldn't do that with Tommy- you couldn't face Tommy across from Chris because they're both about enduring intense violence, at least Tommy was when he came to us, based off that match.

“Eric locked down the future, and that took up a chunk of our midcard. And in the months to come, as the future got over, me and JD and Chris and Wolvie had to stretch our feuds thin...”

Phantom Stranger · May 27, 2013

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Sherie Guthrie, still wrestling as Cherry Bomb, sighs.

“HGC could've had the best womens' division out there. Seemed like Stallings was torn between his hormones and being a smark; the sixteen-year-old wanted us all in skimpy outfits and we had two porn girls on the roster as managers. But he hired me and Fish the Dish, as she was back then, and he hired Grace Harper and even snagged the jewel in NOTBPW's crown.

“As much as we got no respect, as much as the booking was horrible, as much as we probably set people's perception of women's wrestling back to the mid-eighties at best – having Marilyn Stardust on hand while I wrestled Victoria Stone made me a much better wrestler.

“Learning the ropes from that kind of talent can't help but bring your game up, even if all you get for matches is crap. It is a miracle, considering the booking, that we never fought a panties-on-a-pole match.”

She shrugs. “Here's the thing. You're either in trip-A or QAW, or you're in 5-Star in Japan, or you're a sideshow. But when you factor in TV, the sideshows pay better.

“I've gotten used to being a political pawn now, but I wasn't then. And when I realised why we were taking booking instruction from our own booker, I wasn't happy at all. And that was the ninety-eight Rebellion in a nutshell.

“See, Sam was realising that Stallings wanted to be involved with the Nemesis thing. And he pretty much went from there to going, OK, how do I keep him out of my hair? So Stallings had the book for the women, and they gave one of the guys the go-ahead to 'help out', because J.K. knew pretty well nothing about the business.”

<div style="text-align:center;">–

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“I have never in my life wished I was Peter Valentine, except that one time he could tell a bunch of hotties what to do.”

arwink · May 27, 2013

So, yeah, I just snorted coffee out my nose.

Really hot coffee.

Phantom Stranger · May 27, 2013

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="arwink" data-cite="arwink" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="36122" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>So, yeah, I just snorted coffee out my nose. Really hot coffee. </div></blockquote> My work here is done.

Big Roguey · May 27, 2013

Peter Valentine in charge of the women in HGC. This is totally going to end well.

Totally.

The Celt · May 27, 2013

Upon seeing Big Smack Scott, I realised where the title of this dynasty actually comes from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJYNaj005ws

Phantom Stranger · May 28, 2013

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm75/trenchcoatbrigand/Everybody%20Knows/HGC%20Guys/HGC_zps9a894c88.jpg

For only the third historic time, HGC wraps up a month with a PPV to remember!

We start off as ever with a fantastic display by the HollyWeird Girls to the event theme, Who Do You Think You Are? by a group almost as beautiful and talented, the Spice Girls. And then it's straight into the Battle Royale to open the show, with a mix of veterans and hopefuls. Will Rip Chord eliminate over half the field, as Liberty has challenged him to? Can Cowboy Ricky Dale finally get even with Peter Valentine despite Valentine's silent ally, Charlie Thatcher? Will the Hype live up to the Hype? Does the Human Arsenal know the weapon to win this? "New School" Jason Jackson is old school now - but class may be in session, particularly for Paul Steadyfast and Robert Oxford, two of the Untouchables who've been harrying him. And the Night Rider is riding alone - but he's no less dangerous for that.

Following that, an issue we couldn't decide last month, at Malice in Wonderland, will be settled at The War To Settle The Score. The Cruiserweight Championship was held up after shenanigans last time - but either Mr Lucha or Romeo Heartthrob WILL be the first to claim it. But can even victory end their vicious rivalry?

Tag team action to follow as last month's championship contenders the Demons of Rage look to return to winning ways, facing the super junior stylings of the Spirit Warriors. It's zen mastery versus the primal scream. Forget therapy - HollyWeird has you covered.

They're icons. Their opponents, looking for names, looking to take scalps. The Blazing Flames have lit up your screens for decades. Are the Nation of Filth a sign that grunge is here to stay, or are they just another pair of challengers to the Flames' uncrowned legacy?

The International Championship was first awarded last month to Monty 'The Python' Walker. He's an all-time great - but so is Jimmy Power, and Jimmy didn't take his defeat very well. Could the Walk trip and fall at the very first hurdle?

Karen Killer and Coach Dick Pangrazzio have ringside seats for a bloodletting - which is sure to please Killer more. Her 'dark Master', Charlie Homicide, is HollyWeird's king of hardcore and reigning champ, but Richie Pangrazzio Jr has spent all of February going through hardcore pretenders to prove his mettle - but will it be enough when the two are chained together at the neck?

There's no certainty to the tag team titles this month. Defending inaugural champs the Vessey Brothers know nothing of their rivals save that it will be a new team, with one member who's new to HollyWeird. In a match made at the eleventh hour, will brotherly teamwork or the element of surprise win out?

Finally, in our main event, the Man You Paid To See, World Heavyweight Champion Sam Strong, has the Shadow of Fear across the ring from him. Dread himself is looking to unseat Strong - can even the heart of the ultimate hero banish fear?

Prediction Key:

Battle Royal - Charlie Thatcher, Cowboy Ricky Dale, Human Arsenal, Jason Jackson, Paul Steadyfast, Peter Valentine, Rip Chord, Robert Oxford, The Hype (w/ Lady Melissa), and The Night Rider

Cruiserweight Championship - Vacant

Mr Lucha vs. Romeo Heartthrob

Demons of Rage (Demon Anger & Demon Spite) vs. Spirit Warriors (Golden Fox & Dark EAGLE)

Blazing Flames (Joey Flame & Teddy Flame) vs. Nation of Filth (Grunt & Stink)

International Championship

Hardcore Championship - Dog Collar Match

Tag Team Championships

World Heavyweight Championship

Midnightnick · May 29, 2013

Battle Royal - Charlie Thatcher, Cowboy Ricky Dale, Human Arsenal, Jason Jackson, Paul Steadyfast, Peter Valentine, Rip Chord, Robert Oxford, The Hype (w/ Lady Melissa), and The Night Rider

Cruiserweight Championship - Vacant

Mr Lucha vs. Romeo Heartthrob

Demons of Rage (Demon Anger & Demon Spite) vs. Spirit Warriors (Golden Fox & Dark EAGLE)

Blazing Flames (Joey Flame & Teddy Flame) vs. Nation of Filth (Grunt & Stink)

International Championship

Hardcore Championship - Dog Collar Match

Tag Team Championships

World Heavyweight Championship

smwilliams · May 29, 2013

Battle Royal - Charlie Thatcher, Cowboy Ricky Dale, Human Arsenal, Jason Jackson, Paul Steadyfast, Peter Valentine, Rip Chord, Robert Oxford, The Hype (w/ Lady Melissa), and The Night Rider

Cruiserweight Championship - Vacant

Mr Lucha vs. Romeo Heartthrob

Demons of Rage (Demon Anger & Demon Spite) vs. Spirit Warriors (Golden Fox & Dark EAGLE)

Blazing Flames (Joey Flame & Teddy Flame) vs. Nation of Filth (Grunt & Stink)

International Championship

Hardcore Championship - Dog Collar Match

Tag Team Championships

World Heavyweight Championship

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[C-Verse 97] [HGC/DaVE] Everybody Knows

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