JackKnifed72 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 It's Friday night in late January 1998... West Los Angeles, California... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/TitanArena.jpg Just over 4,800 raucous wrestling fans have packed in to an abanoned wharehouse that's been remodeled and renamed the Titan Arena to watch another episode of RPW Rebellion! shown live on MTV. That's RPW as in Revolution Pro Wrestling... Vince McMahon's Revolution Pro Wrestling! RPW World Champion "Mr. Friday Night" Rob Van Dam is in the ring with his real life and kayfabe rock star girlfriend Shirley Manson, riling up the fans again... RVD: "You'd think with all the money Vince McMahon is making off us...pro wrestling's glamour couple...he'd be able to remodel this old building he calls an arena...'course then most of you unemployed thumbsuckers couldn't afford tickets..." Manson: "Ack, Robbie...theese guys are worse than tha losers at a Green Day concert...." RVD: "Let's get out of this dump...champagne and caviar on me babes!" ....And...cut to commercial... As he usually is when not on commentary or on-screen argueing with his (kayfabe) business partner Jim Cornette, Vince is backstage...just a few feet away from the Gorilla position barking orders at the production crew. "When do I get the title Vince?" McMahon looks up at one of his hottest new stars...one of the hottest new stars in all of pro wrestling...a former NFL linebacker known only by his last name... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/Goldberg18_1.jpg ...Goldberg! Goldberg: "When do I get the title Vince?" McMahon sometimes wonders if Goldberg knows wrestling is a work... Goldberg: "I can squash that little punk...." McMahon: "Your time's coming Bill...but you've got other business first..." Goldberg glances over his shoulder; standing amongst a small crowd of wrestlers gathering at the Gorilla postion preparing for tonight's main event is Goldberg's biggest rival, "The Human Submission Machine" Taz! For nearly 6 months, Goldberg and Taz have been locked in maybe the most intense rivalry in wrestling. Yet to face off in a 1 on 1 match, they been involved in a countless number of backstage brawls, tag and 6 man tag matches, run ins and every other conceivable type of confrontation. Taz has promised that, when the time is right, he will be the one to break Goldberg's much publicized undefeated streak, now approaching 50 straight wins since his debut. Goldberg storms off, visibly annoyed. The main event of tonight's RPW Rebellion features an over the top 4-team ladder match for the RPW tag team titles featuring: The North-South Connection, Kendall Windham & Stevie Richards vs The pin-up boys for teenage girls everywhere, Matt & Jeff Hardy vs Two members of manager Rick Rude's Rude Agency, Taz & Bradshaw vs The reigning RPW tag team champions...Big Bubba and Big Devon, aka Team 3D The finish of the match sees Taz about to climb the ladder until Goldberg charges the ring and nearly Spears him out of his boots. Big Devon rolls into the ring and scampers up the ladder to pull down the belts and succesfully defend their titles for the 30th straight time! From the announce desk... Vince McMahon: "Alright folks, join us next Wednesday night live for Showdown on Showtime and a huge 6-man tag main event...Goldberg & the Hardys vs Taz and Team 3D!" But we wouln't be joining Vince and RPW for Showdown on Showtime, atleast not yet. Our story doesn't start here. Our story starts nearly 4 years earlier, in the summer of 1994, when WCW fired the first shot in the "Great Wrestling Wars" by signing longtime WWF mega-star Hulk Hogan! Our story starts there...our story is... A Different Kind of Attitude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 (Required OOC Post) So it's been quite sometime since I last attempted a diary here. This one will be somewhat different. For starters, I will be picking up in the middle of game that is now almost 4 years old (game time). I am using Hive's excellent Clash of the Titans mod that begins in July 1994 with a few minor edits. As I usually do, I have actually played as several different avatars over the course of 4 game years, at various times guiding the fortunes of WCW, WWF, NWA and currently Vince McMahon's Revolution Pro Wrestling. As you would expect, much has changed in this "alternante" universe from what we know as history in the "real world", most obviously, Vince McMahon has left the WWF and started a rival wrestling company! I will start the diary by posting a recap of the history of the game from 1994 to 1998, major events, title changes, injuries etc, a few months per post and a post or two a day (hopefully, time permitting). I've already started typing up the recaps, but I don't want to post too many at once as it just then becomes a rambling wall of text. I am still playing the game as well and when I catch up to the current (in game) date, I will switch to a more traditional format of posting weekly shows and news and notes. Will I still be guiding RPW? Probably, but I may decide to switch to another federation sometime down the line. The first post was meant only to be a tease of things to come, and a snapshot of what the wrestling world looks like as of early 1998 (I am actually on into March 1998). As always, I appreciate any and all comments, suggestions, feedback and questions, so feel free to jump in as we move forward. I will post the first recap, recalling the summer of 1994, sometime tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Nection Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Wow my mind is blown! Shirley Manson and RVD?!?! Goldberg dumb as a stump....well that is not far fetched! Vince leaving his own company? Yea I'm curious who is running WWF at the moment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nickman Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Yeah, this looks good. I'm locked in for this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks guys...will be posting the first recap a bit later today. Manson came in as a celebrity guest for McMahon's RPW until I got the message she was dating RVD and yeah, that had to be a storyline. Don't wanna give away how Vince left WWF or who took over, but the current owner of the WWF is NOT a McMahon and was in reality a minor name in wrestling that has become suprisingly important in this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 July 1994 (I started the game using Ted Turner as my avatar and running WCW. I edited WCW down to a high level cult federation before the start of the game) The big news in WCW was of course, the arrival of Hulkamania! WCW pushed Hogan to the moon and hyped Flair vs Hogan at Bash at the Beach more than any match they had ever held, atleast since Turner bought the company. Flair's old friend Arn Anderson took Hogan's side in the feud, telling Flair he had to wrestle and win fair and square to prove he was the best of all-time. Other main storylines included "Stunning" Steve Austin continueing his feud with Ricky Steamboat over the US Heavyweight title...Terry Funk taking Sting to task for "pouting" that Hogan got a shot at Flair's belt instead of him, which led to a brief but violent feud between the two as Funk tried to teach Sting a lesson...Harlem Heat began getting a major push in the tag ranks, and we had the arrival in WCW of a loud-mouthed, wise cracking, young egomaniac named Jericho. Sherri Martel was released from the company, sadly she had horrible chemistry as Flair's manager. Bash at the Beach 1994: Show Rating: 92 Harlem Heat won the tag team titles from Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan Steve Austin defeated Ricky Steamboat cleanly to end their feud, then refused a post match handshake Sting beat Funk in a bloody Street Fight in the semi-main event. Flunk attacked Sting post match to continue the feud Flair vs Hogan was the main event. During the match Flair tried to get himself counted out, but Arn Anderson ran down the ramp and threw him back in the ring. In the end, Flair hit Hogan with a blatant low blow, giving Hogan a DQ victory but keeping the WCW belt around Flair's waist. (match rating: 94) http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/17.jpg Flair would do the unthinkable and kick out of the Hogan Legdrop, but ultimately lose via DQ Over in WWF, not much of note...the company was built around a handfull of top stars and not much else, namely Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, HBK, Diesel and Lex Luger. July's In Your House PPV was a fairly poor show saved by a backstage arguement between Bret and Shawn and "The Hitman" beating Bam Bam Bigelow in a great main event match to retain the WWF World title. Main event rating: 87, backstage skit between Bret & Shawn rating: 80...overall show rating: 79! http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/hartbigelow.jpg Bret Hart locks Bam Bam Bigelow into the Sharpshooter...the only highlight of the WWF In Your House PPV Other News: Danny Davis (not the heel referee of WWF "fame", but former Tenesse based "Nightmare" Danny Davis the longtime tag team partner of Ken Wayne) takes over as owner of the National Wrestling Alliance. The NWA opens as a traditional federation rather than an alliance of related companies as it had been for nearly half a century. Former NWA champion Barry Windham serves as backstage road agent and occasional wrestler. (I actually had added NWA to the mod awhile ago as a low regional fed in the South East and forgot all about it and they ran for sometime guided by the AI) http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/davis.jpg Danny Davis...in his wrestling days @ 1989 Texas based billionaire Mark Cuban takes over as owner of the Global Wrestling Federation and goes on a hiring spree, hiring veterans Don Muraco and John Nord, as well as top indy scene wrestlers Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam and the Sandman Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask, returns to wrestling...as an authority figure in Mexico's CMLL WCW releases a slew of wrestlers including The Nasty Boys, Paul Roma and Scotty Riggs and Sherri Martel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeflonBilly Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Looks cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 Thanks...love the avatar btw...Knights of the Dinner Table...FTW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 (sorry, somehow I deleted the August recap...here it is again) August 1994 WCW News: WCW stayed the course in August, with Hogan vs Flair continuing to dominate the promotion. At the August Clash of Champions, Arn Anderson (predictably) turned on Hogan, costing Hogan and Sting the main event against Flair and Vader. Flair and Double A vow to reform the Four Horsemen! http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/flairanderson.jpg Old friends Ric Flair and Arn Anderson reunite to talk s**t on Hulk Hogan The only other big news...Cactus Jack turns on Kevin Sullivan, returning to his sadistic wild man persona (anyone remember the amnesia storyline? Ugh). Jack would go on to dominate the aging Sullivan in a one-sided feud over the next couple of months. WWF News: Also not much from WWF in August. Randy Savage defeated HBK on the first Raw of August in the best match of the month for WWF (94). WWF Summerslam '94 was headlined by Bret Hart defeating Owen Hart to retain the WWF championship (91). Other News: Former WWF, AWA and WCW wrestler and manager Sherri Martel began dating Hillbilly Jim WCW released Mr. T from his PPA contract after the Hogan vs Flair match at Bash at the Beach, and Marcus "Buff" Bagwell was also released in August, reportedly due to a bad attitude backstage Second generation wrestler Eddie Guerrero debuts in WCW with a win over Bunkhouse Bunk on WCW's B-show, Main Event **************************************************** September 1994 WCW News: Coming off the success of Bash at the Beach and the heel turns of Arn Anderson and Cactus Jack, WCW rises to National status in early September...On the first WCW Saturday night of September, Sting battled Steve Austin in the main event for Austin's U.S. Heavyweight title. The match ended in DQ as Ric Flair and Arn Anderson stormed the ring and attacked Sting. Hogan made the save chasing off the heels but as the show went of the air, Flair, Anderson and Austin stood on the entrance ramp and threw up the 4 finger salute of the Horsemen...Steve Austin is the third member of the 4 Horsemen! http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/andersonandaustin.jpg Double A and the newest Horsemen Steve Austin in tag team action at a house show, September 1994 Roddy Piper debuts as a crazed bitter veteran, interrupting shows at random but the gimmick never really takes off...there is speculation Piper is the 4th Horsemen, but that is dispelled when Piper attacks Hogan and Flair...Pamela Anderson debuts in WCW as a special guest host at the September PPV Fall Brawl where she is interrupted by Cactus Jack who asks her to join him in a Hardcore Dance...Anderson wisely declines..."The Dancing Prussian" Alex Wright debuts his new manager and sometime tag team partner Toca Discatos, a masked wrestler seen hanging out backstage with Hulk Hogan...and why does he carry barber shears to the ring? WCW Fall Brawl (Show rating: 82) An other wise solid PPV is brought down by the main event. Hogan loses his rematch with Flair thanks to interference from Steve Austin. Hogan uses his creative control to demand to be "kept strong", sinking the final match rating (76 vs 94 for their first match in July) WWF News: WWF had another mediocre month, with three of the four RAWs of the month losing the company popularity...Bret Hart was on a roll however, defending the WWF World title successfully against Jerry Lawler on RAW and against Diesel at the In Your House PPV...Johnny Polo and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart win the WWF world tag team titles Other News: Young stars Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero have a backstage falling out and begin a "strong dislike" of one another Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker remain loyal to the WWF and sign multi-year contract renewals with the company http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/austinhorsemen.jpg If there's one thing Stunning Steve hates more than warm beer...it's people calling him "The New Tully Blanchard" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackerjack Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Looks good so far. Color me interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 October 1994 WCW News: WCW fans were in for quite a shock on the first WCW Saturday night of October when Randy "Macho Man" Savage debuted in WCW and interrupted an in-ring promo from Ric Flair to challenge him to a match for the WCW title! Flair declined but was goaded into the bout by Savage and eventually argeed. The match ended in a no contest as Arn, Austin, Hogan and Sting all wound up coming to the ring one by one and the match devolved into a massive brawl all over the ring area... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/fire.gif Sting, Hogan and Savage prepare for six-man tag team action...cocaine dealers across Atlanta rejoice ...Harlem Heat continued their push by defeating the team of Sting and Ricky Steamboat cleanly to retain the WCW Tag title, the biggest win of their careers...While Flair and Anderson focused on Hogan, Sting and Savage, Steve Austin began a feud with his old tag team partner Brian Pillman who was struggling as a mid-card babyface. Halloween Havoc 1994 (Show rating: 92) Dusty Rhodes is revealed as the new WCW Commissioner Sting defeats Terry Funk, post match Sting and Funk embrace and Funk cuts a promo declaring Sting has "earned his respect" ending their feud and effectively turning Terry Funk babyface Randy Savage defeated Steve Austin in the semi-main event thanks to a distraction by Brian Pillman in an excellent match (90) The Flair/Hogan feud comes to an end with Ric Flair beating Hulk Hogan cleanly in a steel cage match in the main event (92) (I actually had this set as a draw, figuring a cheesy, both men escaped at the same time finish as Hogan was still demanding to be kept strong, instead the AI gave the win to Flair - guess you can't have a draw with a cage escape finish...who knew?) WWF News: WWF had a decent start to October with Bret defeating brother Owen on RAW week 1 and a fantastic match on the week 3 RAW with HBK defeating Bret Hart in a non-title match. In a shocking turn of events, Bret Hart loses the WWF World title at the October In Your House PPV to the Barbarian...guess he wouldn't drop the belt to Shawn in Montreal...it would be Bret's final appearance in the WWF. The following RAW featured an awful main event match between Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett, new World champion the Barbarian losing a non-title match to Lex Luger and a final show rating of 70! http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/barbarian.jpg New WWF World champ the Barbarian is just as shocked as you that he won the belt Other News: Not much to report here...ECW continues to gain popularity with Shane Douglas holding the ECW World title and the Tazmaniac winning the ECW Television title in October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 November 1994 WCW News: The biggest news of the month happens on the first WCW Saturday Night of November. After Ric Flair defends the WCW World title against The Great Muta, Bret Hart runs out of the crowd and lays out Flair, posing with the WCW World title belt as the show goes off the air. Hart gets a shot at the title at Clash of the Champions, but Flair outsmarts him...Brian Pillman interferes giving Flair the win and revealing himself as the 4 member of the Horsemen! http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/horsemen.jpg Pillman completes the "New" Four Horsemen along with Flair, Anderson & Steve Austin Cactus Jack teases a big surprise all month long, finally debuting a new tag team partner on the last WCW Saturday Night of November...Jake "The Snake" Roberts! Ric Flair signs a long term extension with WCW...NJPW and WCW trade talent as Flair defends the WCW title in Tokyo, losing via DQ to Wild Pegasus (Chris Benoit) and Keiji Mutoh revives his Great Muta persona in a losing effort against Flair on WCW Saturday Night...WCW announces Monday Nitro! will debut in December, a two hour live show Monday Nights on TBS. http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/nitro.jpg The Monday Night War officially begins December 1994 as Nitro debuts head to head with RAW WWF News: With Bret Hart gone and The Barbarian carrying the WWF World title, the WWF struggled. Every RAW lost the company popularity...Survivor Series was the "highlight" of the month, scoring a rating of 77 and a main event of Diesel and HBK defeating Yokozuna and Tatanka. Other News: Future wrestling superstar Braden Walker debuts under his real name Chris Harris Stan Hansen continues to main event nearly every AJPW show until a Humerus Fracture sidelines him for 2 months With WCW about to debut Nitro!, announcer Eric Bischoff makes a bid to become head booker of the company. He proposes a multi-year storyline where everyone on the roster except Sting, Booker T and the cruiserweights turn heel and join a faction led by an evil Hulk Hogan. When asked by owner Ted Turner how the storyline ended he shrugged and mumbled something about a Sting heel turn and monster trucks on top of Cobo Hall...Turner surprisingly rejected the idea. http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/bischoff.jpg Eric Bischoff...just an announcer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 December 1994 WCW News: Nitro! debuts with an excellent show that features Hulk Hogan defeating Brian Pillman in the main event...Nitro! crushes RAW in the ratings...in fact 3+ years later and Nitro is still the #1 wrestling show in the world...Jake Roberts and Cactus Jack become increasingly more violent, randomly attacking wrestlers, including Jake laying out Hogan with a DDT to the concrete, and hyping that a mysterious third member of their "Flock" was on his way...Bret Hart would step up to try and end their reign of terror, challenging Roberts to a match at Starrcade... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/49.jpg Hogan and Sting in tag team action on Nitro!, December 1994 Starrcade 94 (Show Rating: 95) Jericho pins Terry Funk in the show opener in a huge upset (75) Bret Hart defeats Jake Roberts...the two tear down the house in what would become Match of the Year for 1994 (97) (I actually shoved this in the mid-card thinking Jake's drug issues might kill the rating, turns out they have excellent chemistry) Sting defeats Steve Austin to win the WCW U.S. Heavyweight title (93) The main event features a Mega-Powers reunion as Hogan & Savage take on Flair & Anderson...the Horsemen win thanks to interference from a debuting Ted Dibiase, who takes the J.J. Dillon role of manager for the new Horsemen (96) http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/Bret_Hart_entrance.jpg Bret Hart makes his way to the ring at Starrcade in the Georgia Dome for the 1994 Match of the Year... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/Snake.jpg "The Snake" waits patiently WWF News: The WWF counter the debut of Nitro! with a 74 rated RAW and a main event of Yokozuna and Razor Ramon vs Diesel and HBK tag match... WWF would close out the year with 69 rated RAW again featuring Lex Luger defeating champion the Barbarian in a non-title match...WWF takes another hit, as it's Sunday morning B-show Superstars of Wrestling goes off the air...Ricky Morton defeats Nikolai Volkoff for the WWF European title Other News: Jacqueline Moore aka Miss Texas begins dating Don Harris...if you don't know why this one is weird, look it up "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart is unemployed as his WCW contract expires...he'd eventually return to Memphis for a stint in the USWA ECW's December to Remember scores a 74 rating thanks to a stellar main event of Shane Douglas retaining the ECW World title with a win over Mikey Whipwreck (79) Over in the NWA, Greg Valentine continues to defend the new version of the NWA World Heavyweight title ********** My unofficial end of the year top 5 (US only) 1 - World Championship Wrestling - WCW has all the momentum going into 1995. Nitro is the #1 wrestling show in the world, The New Four Horsemen are packing arenas night in and night out with great matches and over the top interviews. Big stars such as Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Randy Savage and Jake Roberts have joined the company while "young guns" like Jericho, Eddie Guerrero and Booker T are climbing the ranks. Oh, and thanks to Ted Turner and two prime time A-shows, they are the richest company in the world. 2 - World Wrestling Federation - Thanks to the defection of champion Bret Hart and 3 months of poor booking, the WWF is on the ropes. They've been losing popularity and, outside of Shawn Michaels and occasionally Razor Ramon having great matches there is nothing going right for them. Oh, and Ricky Morton is a singles champion...in 1994! 3 - Extreme Championship Wrestling - At this point no one is close to the big two, but ECW stands out from the pack of regional feds running in the US. Running most of their shows in front of a loyal crowd in Hammerstein Ballroom and broadcasting it graveyard on the Sunshine Network in the South East, they look to be the next company to rise to Cult level. They are built around a collection of stars such as Tommy Dreamer, Shane Douglas, Stevie Richards, Sandman, Sabu, the Tazmaniac and of course Paul Heyman. 4 - United States Wrestling Association - The USWA..."Memphis Wrestling"...is still running strong despite being one of the last territories still alive. Built around Jerry Lawler, USWA is still popular locally on Memphis TV. 5 - Global Championship Wrestling - Thanks to Billionaire Mark Cuban, the GWF have made some headway signing guys like Don Muraco and Tommy Dreamer, but running only one show per month hurts. Honorable Mentions: NWA, SMW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 <p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><span style="font-size:14px;">End of the Year Awards for 1994</span></span></em></strong></p><p> </p><p> Wrestler - Ric Flair (8th time) - WOOOO! The Nature Boy dominates WCW!</p><p> </p><p> Tag Team - Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW)</p><p> </p><p> Young Wrestler - Rey Misterio Jr (2) - Will Rey get a shot in the bigtime in 1995?</p><p> </p><p> Veteran Wrestler - Terry Funk (2) - Funk's bloody feud with Sting was a WCW highlight</p><p> </p><p> Female Wrestler - Manami Toyota (4) - One of the best ever in her prime</p><p> </p><p> Independent Wrestler - Kamala</p><p> </p><p> Company - WCW (3) - Was there any doubt?</p><p> </p><p> MOTY - Bret Hart def Jake Roberts @ Starrcade 94</p><p> </p><p> COTY - Starrcade 94 (WCW)</p><p> </p><p> Manager - Arnorld Schwarzenegger - Yep Ahnold is a manager...in CMLL! Hasta La Vista!</p><p> </p><p> Announcer - Good Ol' Jim Ross (7) - One of the few bright spots for WWF</p><p> </p><p> Color Commentator - Jim Cornette - For his work in Smokey Mountain</p><p> </p><p> Referee - Joe Higuchi</p><p> </p><p> WCW dominates the end of the year awards with 5 trophies...WWF collects only 1.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <strong><em><span style="text-decoration:underline;">Power 500 - Top 10</span></em></strong></p><p> </p><p> 1 - Ric Flair (WCW)</p><p> </p><p> 2 - Hulk Hogan (WCW)</p><p> </p><p> 3 - Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW)</p><p> </p><p> 4 - Randy Savage (WWF/WCW)</p><p> </p><p> 5 - Bret Hart (WWF/WCW)</p><p> </p><p> 6 - Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW)</p><p> </p><p> 7 - Kenta Kobashi (AJPW)</p><p> </p><p> 8 - Sting (WCW)</p><p> </p><p> 9 - Steve Austin (WCW)</p><p> </p><p> 10 - Arn Anderson (WCW)</p><p> </p><p> WCW dominates the top ten with 7 of the top ten spending part or all the year in Atlanta...All Japan still trails New Japan but are closing the gap between the two companies</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 January 1995 WCW News: WCW continues to roll through January with Nitro on some nights doubling RAW in the ratings...Randy Savage suffers serious Nerve Neck Damage in a match at Clash of Champions, while still able to wrestle the injury would affect him for the next year and Savage considers retiring from wrestling...Reportedly due to a bad attitude and mediocre in-ring performances, Jean-Paul Levesque is released... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/chatting.jpg Cactus Jack and Jake Roberts discuss politics, baseball and the finer points of interpretive dance...oh and breaking people's bones Hulk Hogan signs a 3-year deal with WCW but loses his creative control clause...The Hollywood Blonds defeat Harlem Heat to capture the WCW Tag Team titles...veteran Terry Funk challenges Ric Flair for the WCW title on Nitro!, Funk comes up short but the two have a MOTY canidate, 97 rating...The big news of the month, however is the debut of Cactus Jack and Jake Robert's mysterious "third member of the Flock", an Edgar Allen Poe quoting tortured soul who bears a resemblance to former WWF mid-carder Johnny Polo... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/Raven.jpg Raven makes his presence felt in WCW The first of 3 family feuds to take place in early 1995 kicks off in WCW as brothers Brian and Brad Armstrong feud over the WCW Television title...Raven upsets Bret Hart at Clash of the Champions (thanks to interference from Jack & Roberts) WWF News: WWF continues to struggle, with the high point of the month being a Monday Night RAW that scores a 76 rating...Jerry "The King" Lawler puts on several top quality matches...Lex Luger AGAIN defeats WWF World champion Barbarian in a non-title match...Jeff Jarret wins the Royal Rumble http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/kingscourt.jpg This is about the best thing WWF has to offer at this point Other News: Mikey Whipwreck suffers a Shattered Knee in a 6-man tag match on ECW Hardcore TV...the injury would keep him sidelined for a year Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson tells an ESPN reporter he is, "a huge wrestlin' fan" and would consider working for WCW or WWF Sherri Martel walks out on ECW, reportedly after a falling out with Paul Heyman Rob Van Dam, John Tenta and John "Blackjack" Bradshaw all sign on to tour with NJPW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 February 1995 WCW News: Jericho challenges Sting for the US Heavyweight title sparking a brief feud between the two...Jericho doesn't fair well in the ring, but his backstage promos and in-ring taunting get him over with the fans...Raven adds a 7' foot enforcer named Boris to the Flock (Kurrgan)...Randy Savage challenges Ric Flair to an I Quit match at Superbrawl...Title vs Career! http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/savageflair.jpg Two of the all-time greats battle at Superbrawl V Chris and Tammy Lee (Candido and Sunny) debut with a bizarre gimmick...they are brother and sister right? They eventually form a 3-person stable with Jericho called the Three Hot Blondes...The 2nd of 3 family feuds in WCW begins as Dustin Rhodes becomes one of the most hated men in WCW when he turns on his father Dusty and beats him into a bloody mess on Nitro!...The war between The Flock and Bret Hart continues with Raven promising a "surprise" is coming for Bret http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/traitor.jpg Dustin is tired of living in his father's shadow Superbrawl V (Show rating: 92) Dustin Rhodes defeats his father Dusty in a Texas Bull Rope match Vader loses to Hulk Hogan via DQ then destroys Hogan in a ringside brawl Jake Roberts defeats Bret Hart for a second time (90) Ric Flair defeats Randy Savage (92) Savage gives a tearful retirement speech (100) http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/retired.jpg Savage fights back the tears while announcing his retirement from the ring WWF News: Lex Luger AGAIN defeats the Barbarian in a non-title match...the third RAW of the month actually hits an 80 rating, the first time in months WWF has broke out of the 70's...5 days later the In Your House PPV scores a 66...Barbarian retains the WWF title over Undertaker at In Your House (69) and The Smoking Gunns defeat Well Dunn (55) in the co-main event...Bob Backlund & Crush hold the WWF Tag Team titles...Ricky Morton is still European champ...Jerry Lawler goads Jeff Jarrett into a match on RAW, Lawler wins the match and Jarrett's WrestleMania title shot! http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/lawlerjarrett.jpg Lawler challenges Jarrett to put his WrestleMania title shot on the line...Double J agrees and loses his title match! Other News: In a shocking twist, Ultimo Dragon leaves FMW, AJPW & WAR in Japan and signs a long term written deal to compete Mexico's AAA promotion Rey Misterio Jr. signs on to tour with AJPW Shane Douglas continues to turn heads in ECW, pulling an 81 rating in a win over Stevie Richards...despite failed runs in both promotions, WWF and WCW are both showing interest Stevie Richards and Tommy Dreamer team up to win the NWA tag team titles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nickman Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I'm really enjoying this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 I'm really enjoying this! thanks...a blast to play so far...also, now sorting through the news archives and doing the recaps like this, I'm realizing how cool it is to see an "alternate universe" play out over time in TEW The further time moves on, the more things begin to change...DX & the NWO never form...no Montreal Screwjob...so many other things happen, don't want to give away any spoilers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 March 1995 WCW News: Vader goes on a rampage demanding a title shot and attacking everyone in sight until he gets it...Vader interrupts an in-ring interview by guest host Pamela Anderson and threatens to "break her face" if Ric Flair doesn't grant him a title shot as WCW Uncensored...Flair makes his way out and refuses but commissioner Dusty Rhodes intervenes and adds Vader to the title match at Uncensored, making it a 3-way match also including Sting...Flair's nearly year long run with the WCW title comes to an end when botched interference from Steve Austin costs Flair the match at Uncensored...WCW begins looking to the future signing youngsters Adam Impact (Edge), Tank Richards (Rhino) and Wayne King (Brian Lawler)...Off the success of the Uncensored PPV (the eventual COTY), WCW rise to become the first International promotion WCW Uncensored (Rating: 93) Nikita Koloff makes a rare return to the ring to reunite the Super Powers tag team with Dusty Rhodes and scores a win over Dustin Rhodes and Diamond Dallas Page The Hollywood Blondes defeat Hogan & Brad Armstrong to retain the WCW tag titles Bret Hart defeats Cactus Jack in a disappointing semi-main event (81) Sting defeats Ric Flair and Vader to win the WCW World title...Sting pins Flair after botched interference from Steve Austin (96) http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/sting-ric-flair.jpg Sting and Flair face off at Uncensored '95 http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/flairvader.jpg http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/stingvader.jpg Action from the Triple Threat World title match http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/sting.jpg Sting returns to the top of the mountain by winning the most coveted prize in professional wrestling WWF News: More of the same from WWF for the early part of the month with the second RAW of the month scoring only a 69...Perhaps in desperation, Vince McMahon reaches out to a former face painted star to try and help ratings as The Ultimate Warrior returns to the WWF and immediately begins feuding with Jeff Jarrett...Warrior wouldn't wrestle a televised match until the first week of April however, a loss to Razor Ramon...Jerry Lawler has the biggest highlight of his storied career, winning the WWF title in the main event of WrestleMania XI from the Barbarian...all told, during his 5 month title run, the Barbarian lost 3 times to Razor Ramon and 5 times to Lex Luger http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/warrior.jpg The Ultimate Warrior returns...but is it enough for the WWF to compete with WCW? Other News: One of the top stars in Mexico, Blue Demon Jr. suffer an O'Donoghue's Triad of the Knee in a match defending the CMLL tag team title...the injury ended his career, although he would return as a colour commentator for CMLL British referee Billy Finlay passes away at age 47 Former NFL star Steve "Mongo" McMichael joins wrestling and signs with Mark Cuban's GWF Pioneering "Shoot-Style" wrestling promotion UWFi closes it's doors in Japan due to financial troubles Mexico's AAA falls to cult size, leaving CMLL as the undisputed kings of Lucha Libre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 April 1995 WCW News: April would be the busiest, and some would say the best, month for WCW with the lowest show grade an 85 and 6 shows (TV and PV) graded 90 or above...Jericho wins the newly introduced WCW Cruiserweight title...Sting and Cactus Jack tear down the house on the first Nitro! of April with Sting making his first title defense in a match that pulled a 98 grade...The show also features a backstage brawl between Harlem Heat & the Hollywood Blonds as well as an epic Four Horsemen promo (100)...the show pulled a 96 show grade and overshadowed The Ultimate Warrior's return to the ring over on RAW...Sting vacates the WCW US Heavyweight title and Ricky Steamboat wins the vacant belt...The war between Bret Hart and the Flock continues with Raven asking Bret, "Do you hear the Tell Tale Hart?"...WCW debuts it's women's division and Japanese standout Manami Toyota wins the inaugural championship... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/manamitoyota.jpg Japanese mega-star Manami Toyota joins WCW...but can she raise women's wrestling in the US to the levels of popularity it holds in Japan? Alex Wright's manager unmasks, it's Brutus Beefcake!...Brutus and Hulk Hogan team up as the Super Mega Best Friends to rule the mid card...tensions rise between Ric Flair and Steve Austin after Austin cost Flair the title at Uncensored...Raven finally reveals his secret weapon in the war verses Bret Hart...Bret's brother Owen debuts at Spring Stampede kicking off the third family feud in WCW... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/owen.jpg Owen Hart joins WCW to make brother Bret's life a living h*ll...and also to kick his leg out of his leg Also at Spring Stampede, Austin quits the Four Horsemen and the following night the remaining Horsemen beat him badly in the ring and shave him bald... http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/flairaustin.jpg Flair turns on Stunning Steve on Nitro! ...Sting defeats Flair cleanly in the main event of Spring Stampede to retain the WCW title WWF News: The Ultimate Warrior wrestles only once in April, a loss on RAW to Razor Ramon, instead he spends most of April in backstage brawls with Jeff Jarrett...WWF champion Jerry Lawler skips the April In Your House PPV to appear in USWA...Every show but the first RAW of April loses the WWF popularity...WWF hold it's poorest RAW in over a year in week 3, scoring a 65 grade...on the bright side Kona Crush defeats Ricky Morton for the WWF European title on the show...Razor Ramon and the Undertaker trade wins in the only real highlights of the month http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/razortaker.jpg Razor Ramon vs Undertaker II at In Your House...literally the only thing worth watching in the WWF right now Other News: Coming dangerously close to "breaking kayfabe", new WCW champion Sting admits in an interview with USA Today that over coming his behind the scenes addiction issues earlier in the year was a big ingredient in his recent success Former NWA World champion Gene Kiniski passes away at 66 years old of natural causes Japanese newspapers let the cat out of the bag, running articles stating joshi star Manami Toyota has signed a deal to join WCW two weeks before her actual debut With little fanfare, WCW releases veteran wrestlers Kevin Sullivan and Meng as well as manager Robert Fuller Shane Douglas retains the ECW World title at Barely Legal '95 with a win over Sabu, but loses the belt in a shocker on Hardcore TV the next week to 54 year old Dory Funk Jr....The Tazmaniac and Rocco Rock win the ECW tag team titles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 I will be posting the May recap either late tonight or tomorrow. May was the month I switched over to Vince McMahon as my avatar, in an attempt to guide the WWF back to the top spot in the wrestling world. With RAW getting it's a** handed to it by Nitro, an aging Jerry Lawler as World champ, barely breaking even financially and virtually every big name except the Undertaker either an addict or an a**hole...or both...(Nash, Hall, HBK) it would be a big challenge. Stay Tuned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeflonBilly Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Very cool so far, with one error. Uncensored is supposed to blow, and you accidentally made it interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nickman Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Man, I'm tuned in to see what happens when you take over as WWF!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Very cool so far, with one error. Uncensored is supposed to blow, and you accidentally made it interesting. Maybe I should have stuck with WCW until "Souled Out"...who am I kidding...nothing coulda saved that one Man, I'm tuned in to see what happens when you take over as WWF!! Surprisingly WWF wasn't as fun as I had hoped...still several surprises...a couple of WCW defections and a new faction are on the horizon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackKnifed72 Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 Interlude... ...Tuesday May 2nd 1995...a non-descript boardroom in Titan Towers...the headquarters of the World Wrestling Federation... The previous night the World Wrestling Federation held it's flagship wrestling show Monday Night RAW live from the Philadelphia Spectrum...nearly 2,000 seats were empty in the Spectrum...and while by all accounts it was one of the better episodes of RAWs of the last few months, even the most hardcore WWF loyalists probably flipped over to WCW Nitro! to watch an amazing show headlined by Sting defeating Raven to retain the WCW world title. It's late morning and WWF Owner and CEO Vince McMahon has called his creative team into an "emergency" meeting...something no one present can remember ever happening before. Seated around an immense board room table was nearly everyone involved in the behind the scenes operations of the WWF...writers such as Vince "Vic Venom" Russo...on-screen "kayfabe" president and close McMahon confidant Gorilla Monsoon...lead announcer and talent scout Jim Ross...road agents like Jay Strongbow, Sgt. Slaughter, Tony Garea, Pat Patterson, JJ Dillon and Renee Goulet...manager and "creative advisor" Jim Cornette...executive producer of RAW Kevin Dunn...and of course Vince's wife Linda and son Shane... Vince: "...and another thing...didn't that guy Raven used to work here?" Cornette: "Yeah...Dunn named him Johnny Polo..." Kevin Dunn: "No way man...he came that way outta Memphis..." Vince: "And we just left him like that?" Dunn: "Well, actua---" Vince: "That was a rhetorical question...and what are we gonna do with Hellwig..." Dunn: "Warrior....he uh changed his name remember..." Vince: "Whatever...I'm paying that space cadet a lot of money and it for d*mn sure ain't to feud with Jerry Jarrett's snot nosed little brat..." Cornette: "Well...Shawn could probably draw some decent matches out of him...let's put them together." Vince: "I think you just want to watch them fight backstage over who does the job." Cornette: "Yeah, that too..." Dunn: "What about Warrior vs Taker?" Vic Venom: "Yeah like a Last Rites Straight to H*ll Buried Alive Match or something..." Vince: "Didn't we already do Warrior vs Taker?" Dunn: "Yeah...back in '91." Vince: "That was a rhetorical question, Dunn! And we gotta get the belt off Lawler...he just ain't cutting it" Vic Venom: "We could put the belt on Warrior...I could totally work with that..." Vince: "Didn't we already do that too?" Dunn: "Yeah...at WrestleMania VI." Vince: "That was a rhetorical question...that means DON'T F****** ANSWER IT!" Dunn: "Oh...right." Dunn slinks back in his chair, the late morning sun beaming through the windows reflecting off of his bucky beaver teeth and momentarily blinding Vince McMahon. Just then the door to the boardroom opens. McMahon looks up in anger at being interrupted until he realizes it's his 19 year old daughter Stephanie, who has taken a semester off from Boston U. to come work for the struggling family business as an executive assistant. Stephanie hurries over to Vince, lays a folder down in front of him, whispers something in his ear then scurries back out of the room. Vince opens the folder and looks down in horror...Jim Cornette "rubber necks" to sneak a peek at the memo inside... Cornette: "Oh s***...it's the Neilsen ratings from last night." Attn: Vince McMahon Subject: Ratings released Neilsen primetime ratings for Monday May 1st, 1995 Monday Night RAW, USA Network, 1.78 average rating Monday Nitro, TBS, 3.68 average rating Vince: "Get out...all of you..." Monsoon: "What is it Vince?" Vince: "I said...out...everyone but my family get out..." Dunn: "Come on Vince, we're a team we----" Vince: "If your last name isn't McMahon then get the H*** out of this office...get the H*** out of this building....In fact, if you were smart you would all GET THE H*** OUT OF THIS STATE!!!!" After the entire creative team fled from the boardroom, Shane McMahon watched as Linda confronted Vince...Shane noted that he had never seen his father lose control like that before... Linda: "There wasn't any reason to treat them like that Vince." Vince: "They doubled us...WCW doubled us in the ratings last night." Linda: "Still Vince, they're trying...we all are trying to right the ship..." Vince: "Well it hasn't worked now has it Linda?" A hurt Linda McMahon storms out of the boardroom, leaving Vince and Shane alone... Vince: "This is a tough business Shane. I took over this company from my father...and I plan on making sure it's still here when your ready to take over!" Over the next two months Vince McMahon, already a notorious control freak, would take an even greater hand in the day to day operations of the WWF. Most of the creative and backstage staff would eventually be purged...Kevin Dunn, Vic Venom, Jay Strongbow, JJ Dillon, Jim Cornette and Tony Garea all fired. It was the only way Vince McMahon knew to save his struggling company. http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/genius.jpg Vince McMahon...evil genius h*ll bent on saving the WWF http://i1129.photobucket.com/albums/m507/JackKnifed72/NKOA/kevin-dunn.jpg Kevin Dunn...unemployed Up next...will it be The Empire Strikes Back...or Vince McMahon's Swan Song? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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