NYCW: A New York State of Mind

1PWfan · May 4, 2016

Radio Free Wrestling

“You’re listening to Radio Free Wrestling, I’m Michael Spillane, and joining me for our first segment tonight we have manager, commentator and booker ‘The Halifax Hobgoblin’ Hugh Dansigny. Hugh, glad to have you with us.”

“Good to be here Mike, big fan of the show.”

“Now, it’s fair to say that to most people you’re known for two things- your late 90’s run with NOTBPW and the eleven years and counting you’ve spent with NYCW- but you’ve worked for something half a dozen notable companies over the years. Four years with MAW, Five with AAA across two separate stints, and of course you were one of the founding members of the USPW roster. Do you ever resent that, the way that people overlook so much of your career?”

“Y’know, it doesn’t really bother me. It might, in fact it probably would if people were focussing on, say, the MAW stuff or my USPW run and overlooking other work, but North of the Border and NYCW, they’re probably my two favourite companies to work for, I’ve certainly done my best work for them, so if you’re going to focus on two jobs focus on the ones I’m proudest of, eh?”

“Fair enough. I find it interesting that you’re not as proud of your USPW stint, being a founder member of the top wrestling promotion in the world…”

“Yeah well, USPW might be top dog now, but back when it opened it was a joke run by a clown. Danny Jillefski’s a terrific announcer but he was the lousiest businessman- I honestly didn’t expect USPW to last as long as it did, by the time I left I was gagging for a chance to get out.”

“You didn’t enjoy working there?”

“Not really- you wouldn’t either if you had to deal with Giant Redwood every god-d@mn day, eh? No, NYCW’s my home promotion, has been since virtually day one I signed there, you want to talk pride, that’s what I’m proudest of.”

“It’s no surprise- you’ve been a colour commentator, a manager, even briefly an authority figure…”

“For like four shows, and that was only to set up a storyline.”

“…Point is, you look at New York City Wrestling, you’re one of a handful of names who’s become a fixture with the company. Indie promotions aren’t generally noted for having real long servers, but New York, you’ve got what? Half a dozen guys with this long history in the company and you’re definitely one of them.”

“It’s one of the strong points of the company- I don’t need to tell you what it means to present Traditional Old-School wrestling, and having guys with that kind of long history in the company, that level of backstory if you want to put it that way, it makes booking a lot easier.”

“Speaking of booking, would now be a good time to talk about your new role?”

“Aw yeah, I was wondering when this was coming up…”

“It was recently announced that you’ve taken over from Steve Flash as NYCW’s booker, starting with Rush Hour in a couple of weeks’ time. What can we expect from the new-look NYCW?”

“For a start we’ll look almost identical to the old-look NYCW. But seriously, NYCW’s firm at base- we’ve got good talent up and down the card- but a lot of chaff’s crept into the company just recently, guys that weren’t worth what we were paying them or weren’t bringing enough to the table. We need to offload them, bring in some new guys who can contribute.”

“I’m guessing that thinking is behind the departure of Man Mountain Cahill, Brutus Milano and Devastating Don earlier this month”

“Exactly- Cahill’s a good enough guy and monster heels will always have a role in NYCW, but the guys we had in were either pathetic wrestlers like Don and Milano or overpaid for what we could use them for, like Cahill- we’re paying you that much, I expect you to wrestle every show.”

“I’m guessing we can expect some new names to arrive as well.”

“What I’m really looking at is singles guys in the midcard- our tag division is probably the best on the indy scene right now, but we could do with a few more guys that focus exclusively on the Tri-State title. Throw in a secondary heel at the top, someone to come in behind Frank, and really that’s all we need to start with.”

“Any word on your plans for Rush Hour? What can we expect to see?”

“Heck, even I don’t know what’s going to be happening at Rush Hour yet, eh? But what I can tell you is we’re investing pretty heavily in our production values and you’ll see the results of that at Rush Hour. Plus, we’ve got local bands playing our entrance music, and all our live events now have an event manager to coordinate our volunteer team- hopefully that’ll go to improve our live experience for the fans at the shows and on DVD.”

“And on that note, it’s time to say farewell to Hugh Dansigny. Hugh, thanks for your time, it’s been a pleasure.”

“Thanks Michael, same here.”

“Moving on now, it’s time to take a look at what’s happening in the UK, and you won’t believe what Mark Carnie’s been up to…”

Coming up Next: Hugh takes a look at the NYCW Roster

jesseewiak · May 5, 2016

Woohoo! One of my favorite dynasties are yours when they show up since you're always fantastic with smaller feds.

Jaded · May 6, 2016

Woohoo! One of my favorite dynasties are yours when they show up since you're always fantastic with smaller feds.

Seconding this; really excited about this one!

Voeltzwagon · May 6, 2016

Glad to see you doing NYCW again. It just feels all too right.

Tiberious · May 6, 2016

Good intro. I've enjoyed your previous work, and wanted to make a post in the thread since seeing the icon that I've posted in a thread helps remind me that I'm following the diary and should pay attention when it's updated.

Sons of Kohral · May 7, 2016

Spot on analysis on your tag division. In regard to singles, I noticed this into my game that after a year and a half I had a large gap in my upper midcard. It's easy to get lost with your main eventers and tag guys, next thing you know, Tubbs is still Tri-State champ and hasn't defended in 8 months.

Always look forward to NYCW diaries.

1PWfan · May 8, 2016

<div style="text-align:center;">NYCW: The Roster Rundown</div>

The Main Event

http://i.imgur.com/xFPdzz0.jpg

Roger Cage (Current NYCW Empire Champion)

Age: 33 Billed From: Laguna Beach, California

Entrance Music: Smooth- Santana

Finisher: Cage Rage (Reverse DDT)

Roger’s easily our top guy, so naturally we’re about to lose him to USPW. Not that I can blame Rog- he’s a natural fit for those guys and has all the talent to be one of their top guys- but it’s a h*ll of a thing to be losing him so soon. At least we’ve got him in a storyline that can cover for his exit and get the title off him before he goes though I don’t think he’ll like putting Frank over on the way out.

http://i.imgur.com/LcBAiJ8.jpg

Bulldozer Brandon Smith

Age: 32 Billed From: Robbinsdale, Minnesota

Entrance Music: Walking Blues- Joe Bonamassa

Finishers: Backdrop Driver, Tombstone Piledriver

‘Dozer’s our number two face, and will probably take over from Rog as the top guy if he leaves. Certainly Brandon’s got all the tools- he can cut his own promos, he can go in the ring, calls his own matches- but you’ve got to worry about his BCG work. Admittedly he’s only a touring guy with them, but he’s still basically a regular out there and there’s always a chance someone like Burning Hammer or PGHW will pick him up (and that’s assuming he doesn’t wind up working himself into an injury).

http://i.imgur.com/f5KeJJ2.jpg

The Sensational Singh

Age: 38 Billed From: Mumbai, India

Entrance Music: More More More- Andrea True Connection

Finishers: Cal-Cutter (Twist of Fate), Bombay Duck (Haas of Pain)

One of my new signing, Singh’s a former FCW guy but he fell out with Puerto Rican Power and left. That made him one of the top free agents in our price range, so I snapped him up to slide in behind Honest Frank as one of our top heels. At the moment I’m not precisely sure what I’m going to do with him in terms of feuds or whatever, a lot depends on the Empire title situation and who replaces Roger, but Singh is definitely staying near the top of the card for the foreseeable future.

http://i.imgur.com/zPJTZVK.jpg

Honest Frank

Age: 45 Billed From: Long Island, New York

Entrance Music: Sympathy for the Devil- The Rolling Stones

Finisher: The Best Policy (Piledriver)

Our de facto top heel, Frank’s been around NYCW for well over a decade and has a lot of history built up. That’s really useful, as he’s likely to take the Empire title off Roger if he signs for USPW (which let’s face it he’s going to), but in all honesty I don’t see Frank as anything more than a transitional champ at this stage in his career. He’s got the mic skills to hold the top belt, no doubt about that, but time is against him and he’s not got the workrate to still go at the top level.

http://i.imgur.com/KJgaKKY.jpg

Steve Flash

Age: 49 Billed From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Entrance Music: Spirit in the Sky- Norman Greenbaum

Finisher: Flash Bang (Snap DDT)

How is it that a guy who’s nearly 50 is still probably our best in-ring worker? Seriously, I’ve known Steve Flash since the 1990’s and this guy is a freak of nature. Yes, he’s old and over the hill, yes he’s not the legend he was in his prime, but that was a heck of a high hill and he’s still one of the best we’ve got. Honestly, I could give him the Empire title right now and be certain he’d deliver what was needed, that’s how good he is. And have I mentioned he’s nearly 50? Sheesh, this guy proves that god’s a wrestling fan.

Upper Midcarders

http://i.imgur.com/lqb85Lj.jpg

Animal Harker (1/2 of the current NYCW Tag Team Champions)

Age: 30 Billed From: El Paso, Texas

Entrance Music: Wild Thing- The Troggs

Finisher: Animal Bomb (Sitout Chokebomb), Texas Meat-Grinder (Bear-Hug/Super-Kick combo, Double Team)

Harker’s probably more of a high midcarder than a low main eventer but he’s a key part of our midcard scene and his team with Tennessee William are a core part of our very strong tag division. Like ‘Dozer he also spends a lot of time in Japan with BCG but I’m less worried about Harker than I am Brandon; not that he’s a bad worker, but I can’t see Animal going over there full time the way that ‘Dozer could.

http://i.imgur.com/1Vm4fvT.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/4hItXyt.jpg

Dean Waldorf & Marv Statler- The Ring Generals

Ages: 30 Billed From: Chicago, Illinois

Entrance Music: I want you to want me- Cheap Trick

Finishers: Waldorf Salad Toss (Fisherman Suplex, Waldorf), Backdrop Backbreaker (Belly-to-Back Suplex dropped into a shoulder backbreaker, Statler), Wheelbarrow Bomb (Wheelbarrow Facebuster/Front Facelock Drop, double team)

Currently the COTT World Tag Team Champions, Statler and Waldorf are huge stars for us, and it’s kind of nice to have the top tag team in the Confederation of the Territories regularly appearing for NYCW. Admittedly those titles do mean a lot of extra visibility that opens up the possibility of one of the big buys snapping them up, but I don’t think we’d lose as much as we could if the Generals go. Of course they’d be a loss but our tag division’s a lot stronger now than it was in the past and there are options out there to replace them.

http://i.imgur.com/DR45gyQ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/3yQg8pB.jpg

Rick Sanders & The Masked Mauler- Old School Principals

Ages: 46 & 43 Billed From: Dallas, Texas & Parts Unknown

Entrance Music: Fortunate Son- Creedence Clearwater Revival

Finishers: Figure Four Leglock (Sanders), Iron Claw (Mauler), Old School Rules (Drop Toe Hold/Knee Strike combo, Double Team)

Two of our key veterans, neither Sanders nor Mauler really have the gas left to handle a main event run but they bring a lot to the tag division and probably have another couple of title reigns left in them. They could maybe do with a manager to beef up their promo work, and Mauler in particular can’t afford to decline too much workrate-wise, but for now they’ve got enough left in the tank to contribute to the tag ranks, and maybe work the odd singles bout provided they’ve got the right opponents. I don’t know if they’ll get another run with the tag titles in the future, but to be honest I wouldn’t be opposed to it in the right situation.

Midcarders

http://i.imgur.com/b9s23FG.jpg

Andrew Harper

Age: 26 Billed From: Staten Island, New York City

Entrance Music: Psycho Killer- Talking Heads

Finisher: Spike Slam (Scoop Brainbuster)

I doubt Andrew Harper will ever be more than a midcarder for us but he’s a solid worker with some potential for improvement and that does count for a lot. Plus, as a heavyweight in a midcard loaded with smaller men he stands out from the crowd and offers a different kind of story, which is always a plus in a story-driven fed like ours.

http://i.imgur.com/D8sieST.jpg

Conner Threepwood

Age: 29 Billed From: Indianapolis, Indiana

Entrance Music: Light My Fire- The Doors

Finisher: Stretch Plum

Conner’s one of my new signings, and is probably one of the key guys in terms of beefing up the Tri-State title scene. Okay, he’s a one-dimensional technician (seriously, NEVER ask this man to throw fists) but we can work with that, and he’s got that North of the Border pedigree that makes him an easy sell to the smarter end of our fanbase. Plus, as the current champs’ former tag partner there’s an easy feud to write right there.

http://i.imgur.com/fvJATHj.jpg

Geoff Borne

Age: 29 Billed From: Rockaway Beach, New York City

Entrance Music: Rockaway Beach- The Ramones

Finisher: Borne Again (Diving Moonsault), Total Anarchy (Legsweep/Jumping European uppercut, Double Team)

I’ve never been totally convinced by Geoff Borne- he’s a high flier in a company that doesn’t suit that style- but he’s fundamentally sound in a very useful way, and his tag team with the New York Doll gives us a lot of extra options in the tag division. I’m still not all the way convinced that he’s a good fit for our product, but he’s got the talent to be worth keeping around and could make for a solid midcard anchor-man if everything works out for him.

http://i.imgur.com/x8xIsrK.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/XcdZZFa.jpg

Howlin’ Mad Mort and Whitehorse Whittaker- ‘The Boys from the Yukon’

Ages: 29 & 28 Billed From: The Yukon

Entrance Music: Taking Care of Business- Bachman Turner Overdrive

Finishers: Tree-Feller (Double Axe-Handle to the Opponent’s chest, Mort), Canadian Stun Gun (Stun Gun, Whittaker), Tiiimber! (Double Team Alabama Slam, Double Team)

Nobody is ever going to call Mort or Whittaker great wrestlers, but individually they’re basically okay and as a team they’ve got the experience to compensate for their individual weaknesses. Plus, they have yours truly as a manager, which shouldn’t hurt and keep them near the top spots in the tag division. They’re currently locked in a feud with The Southern Stars over the titles, but I’m not sure how I’ll end that one just yet- I don’t know if they’re strong enough for another reign, and with The Ring Generals busy on the COTT circuit and Brooklyn’s Finest still coming through there’s a shortage of really great face challengers.

http://i.imgur.com/t8uQolU.jpg

Tennessee William (1/2 of the current NYCW Tag Team Champions)

Age: 26 Billed From: Memphis, Tennessee

Entrance Music: Blue Suede Shoes- Elvis Presley

Finisher: Devil’s Crossroad (Discus Lariat), Texas Meat-Grinder (Bear-Hug/Super-Kick combo, Double Team)

William’s definitely weaker than his partner Animal Harker but not by as much as you’d think. They’re equally solid in the brawl and Harker’s fundamentals are a little stronger but Tennessee has the edge in technique and is definitely the stronger of the two on the mic; really William’s only weakness is a lack of really strong singles opportunities. Admittedly that won’t change any time soon (tag champs work tag matches, especially when they’re feuding with Mort and Whittaker), but I figure it’s a possibility down the line if Harker goes to Japan full-time.

http://i.imgur.com/nMbi0nT.jpg

The New York Doll

Age: 29 Billed From: The Bronx, New York City

Entrance Music: Blitzkrieg Bop- The Ramones

Finisher: Beat on the Brat (Snapmare Driver), Total Anarchy (Legsweep/Jumping European uppercut, Double Team)

The Doll’s been around for, what? Ten, eleven years now? However long it is, he’s gradually become a key player in the midcard, moving between the Tri-State and Tag Team title scenes as required without achieving all that much success (I think he won the Tri-State title back in 2010 but we weren’t doing great back then and he only defended it the once). His team with Geoff Borne gives us more options, though, and whilst they’ve yet to get close to winning the titles they’ve got enough credibility to at least challenge for them on a regular basis.

Lower Midcarders

http://i.imgur.com/DvokFCe.jpg

Bradley Blaze

Age: 22 Billed From: Dallas, Texas

Entrance Music: Ghost Riders in the Sky- The Outlaws

Finisher: Dallas Drop (Sky High)

I got Brad from MAW, always a good source of talent for an old-school fed like ours. Brad in particular looks like a great fit for our roster; he’s a wild brawler, his fundamentals are solid and his entertainment skills are, if not good, not embarrassingly awful. What’s more, he’s a very positive presence backstage, always a plus even for guys this low down the pecking order.

http://i.imgur.com/T7IgOoR.jpg

Crockett Tubbs (Current NYCW Tri-State Champion)

Age: 32 Billed From: Manhattan, New York City

Entrance Music: Last Nite- The Strokes

Finisher: Subway STF (Regal Stretch)

It’s a proven fact that nobody has ever regretted signing an ex-NOTBPW star (though to be fair nobody’s tried to sign Mammoth yet). Crockett’s very much cut from that standard Stone-approved mould; good technical skills, sound fundamentals, very little charisma to speak of. That makes him a perfect fit for our midcard, and whilst he’s likely to feud with Conner Threepwood at first it’s not impossible that we might stage a Fighting Irish reunion down the road to beef up the tag division.

http://i.imgur.com/3oKndU5.jpg

Dermot O’Logical

Age: 33 Billed From: Jersey City, New Jersey

Entrance Music: Dirt- Alice in Chains

Finisher: Deep Clean (Stunner)

Dermot’s not one of our best wrestlers but his far-out characters gives us something different to offer fans and ensures that he’ll likely always have a place in NYCW. Right now the major issue is his age; although 33 isn’t that old it’s certainly an age at which you can expect someone to be as good as they’ll ever be, and Dermot’s fundamentals aren’t strong enough to push him far up the card. He’s useful, but this is far as I see him ever getting.

http://i.imgur.com/wgMjpni.jpg

Freedom Eagle

Age: 23 Billed From: Brooklyn, New York

Entrance Music: R.O.C.K. in the USA- John Mellencamp

Finisher: Freedom Slam (Side Effect), Brooklyn Bridger (Pendulum Backbreaker/Knee Lift Combo, Double Team)

One of Larry’s finds, Freedom Eagle’s promising but hardly exceptional. He’s good in the brawl and his fundamentals are alright given his age, but he’s one-dimensional and doesn’t have the mic skills to handle his own promo work. He’s currently teaming with Hawkeye Calhoun as Brooklyn’s Finest, which will hopefully help the pair of them improve quicker.

http://i.imgur.com/elT5WkI.jpg

Remmy Honeyman

Age: 28 Billed From: Buffalo, New York

Entrance Music: Iris- The Goo Goo Dolls

Finisher: Honeyman Special (Unprettier)

Apparently Remmy could be a potentially huge star for us- he’s listed as our Next Big Thing, though I don’t see how that’s gonna happen with his terror of all things mic-based. Still, he’s a talented young all-rounder, his fundamentals are solid enough and his presence backstage is entirely positive so I’m less hesitant than I might be about pushing him. He’ll need a manager or a charismatic enemy to feud with if Remmy’s ever actually going to be as big as he apparently can be, but there are options there and with his general style he’s unlikely to appeal to any of the big leagues.

Openers

http://i.imgur.com/uxhGHuC.jpg

Hawkeye Calhoun

Age: 21 Billed From: Yankee Stadium

Entrance Music: Glory Days- Bruce Springsteen

Finisher: Home Run (Baseball Slide after touching all four turnbuckles), Brooklyn Bridger (Pendulum Backbreaker/Knee Lift Combo, Double Team)

Freedom Eagle’s partner in Brooklyn’s Finest, Hawkeye’s green as grass but likeable enough. He’s not a great wrestler, mind you, but he’s willing to learn and has enough potential to maybe be worth keeping around. In any case his team with Freedom Eagle provides useful opposition in the tag ranks, and whilst there’s probably better jobbers out there Calhoun’s the one we’ve got now.

http://i.imgur.com/EJk8z6x.jpg

Seth Whitehead

Age: 22 Billed From: Hartford, Connecticut

Entrance Music: Goodbye Horses- Q Lazzarus

Finisher: Connecticut Clutch (Lotus Lock)

A promising young technician, Seth’s easily a stronger competitor that Hawkeye but is otherwise in basically the same position; promising but in need of development, likely to be a jobber for the foreseeable future.

Non-Wrestlers

http://i.imgur.com/vbRN0Ik.jpg

Rock Downpour

Rock’s been NYCW’s lead announcer for years and I don’t see any need to get rid of him. I mean, sure, if Tommy London or Peter Michaels were interested I’d snap them up, but they aren’t and Rock’s better than any of the competition so he gets the gig.

http://i.imgur.com/VCCQQz1.jpg

Ernie Turner

Currently serving as NYCW’s colour commentator, Ernie’s a little unusual in that we’re pushing him as a face commentator, rather than the usual heel role. To be honest I prefer it that way- heel commentators have had their day- and whilst Ernie’s not a great details guy he plays well of Rock in terms of providing a dash of humour to counterbalance his partner’s storytelling.

http://i.imgur.com/BGLPWhi.jpg

Michael Bull

Michael’s worked for New York for nearly 16 years and is a dead lock at referee. For one thing, he’s a legit police officer and carries the kind of authority you’d expect from the Boys in Blue, which makes for a great quality in a senior official. I might bring in somebody a bit younger, though, to provide a goof that can make mistakes and get knocked around.

http://i.imgur.com/LrfIn3S.jpg

Larry Vessey

The Boss, and also unfortunately the biggest @sshole in the company. Larry pulls road agent duty when he’s not making people’s lives difficult, and he’s good enough at it that I won’t be looking for a replacement. Not that I could even if I wanted to, but you know what I mean.

http://i.imgur.com/BrvPxeV.jpg

Cheerleader Nicki

The archetypal valet, Nicki’s almost entirely pointless for a company like ours; sure, if we were Supreme or USPW then she’d have a role but we’re a little more old-school and pretty girls who just stand around aren’t that much use. I won’t get rid of her straight away- she’s cheap and not a problem, so there’s no need- but I don’t see her as a long-term prospect.

http://i.imgur.com/Y4EZSEb.jpg

Hugh Dansigny

That would be me, manager extraordinaire and sometime colour man. Right now I’m managing the Boys from the Yukon exclusively and I don’t see that changing, they’re not a natural fit for any kind of stable I could build up.

***

Card for NYCW Rush Hour:

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals © vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

tryker2710 · May 8, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals ©vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

Hitman74 · May 8, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals © vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

Tiberious · May 8, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals © vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

shawn_waters · May 8, 2016

Card for NYCW Rush Hour:

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals © vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

Scotsman381 · May 9, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals © vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

March · May 9, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

Enjoy USPW, Roger

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals ©vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

w4lru5 · May 10, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Roger Cage © vs. Honest Frank

FOR THE COTT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Ring Generals © vs. The Boys from the Yukon

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

FOR THE NYCW TAG TEAM TITLES

The Southern Stars (Tennessee William & Animal Harker) © vs. Borne to Riot (Geoff Borne & New York Doll)

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Crockett Tubbs © vs. Andrew Harper

Steve Flash vs. Seth Whitehead

Brooklyn’s Finest (Freedom Eagle & Hawkeye Calhoun) vs. Old School Principals

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

1PWfan · May 10, 2016

NYCW Rush Hour

Live from The Ministry

Sunday, Week 1, January

Audience: 1,000 (SOLD OUT!)

The Show

Seth Whitehead vs. Steve Flash

We opened things up with a technical masterclass to exhibit one of the new guys. To be honest, I’m not convinced it was a good idea- Seth has the right skillset, and obviously Steve does, but running a 15-minute match with a green boy and an aging veteran didn’t really work out as well as I’d hoped. Seth didn’t have the psychology to handle that long a match, and Steve’s no longer at an age where he can keep going for that long without starting to struggle. Still, this was pretty good, and whilst Seth definitely wasn’t that great (certainly not a patch on Steve) he still showed a bit of improvement in his performance skills. You can guess who won here, but in case you’re really thick I’ll give you a clue- his name rhymes with ‘Grieve Bash’

Winner: Steve Flash Match Rating: D-

*

It’s time for our first promo of the night, as we hear from Honest Frank ahead of the main event

“So this is it Roger, your last night in New York. After this, you’re headed to the big time, all the way to Florida, to USPW, a company that has never so much as looked at anybody else in this company, including your truly. Now, some people, some people might be angry, might be frustrated or jealous but not me. No, I can promise you now, Roger, you got nothing to fear from me- no dirty tricks, no brass knuckles, no cheating, just straight-up sportsmanship. You can trust me Rog, I ain’t bitter over you getting your big shot, a shot I never got, no, that’s not me. Me? I’m a nice guy, and all I gotta say to Roger Cage is this: Good Luck.

After all…Would I Lie To You?”

Frank was a troll before trolling even existed, so I switched his gimmick to playing up that kind of provocative @ssholery. I probably switched too soon, but it still came off basically okay (dead-on average, in fact). The promo came off pretty good too- Frank basically just makes the sarcasm more blatant.

Rating: D+

*

Brooklyn’s Finest vs. Old School Principals

I hadn’t expected this one to turn out so good, but it did a great job of maintaining the opener’s momentum. Okay, so Hawkeye was an obvious weak link, but he’s the rookiest rookie there ever was and there’s a reason he’s at the bottom of the card. It’s also worth pointing out that he and Eagle actually have great chemistry as partners, so Brooklyn’s Finest suddenly look like a much more credible proposition in the tag division. As for the Principals, Sanders was the real star here; Mauler was okay but Sanders gave the best performance of the whole show so far and it really showed. In the end the team not comprised of rookie jobbers took the win here, with Sanders forcing Calhoun to submit to the Figure Four Leglock.

Winners: Old School Principals Match Rating: E+

*

Remmy Honeyman vs. Conner Threepwood vs. Dermot O’Logical vs. Bradley Blaze

Four-way matches will probably become something of a fixture here in NYCW; we’ve got a big roster and this is the best way of getting them all on the card. Throwing this many people into one match also helps them improve- more opponents equals more adjustment equals more learning, all concentrated into one easy package. That definitely worked out here, as all three of the new guys showed some improvement and held their respective corners of the match up admirably (Dermot not only failed to improve but was also the weakest competitor- I don’t think that was a coincidence). Victory in this one went to Connor (not only the most plot-relevant competitor but probably the strongest as well), who put Dermot away with the Stretch Plum at 10:27.

Winner: Conner Threepwood Match Rating: D

*

Crockett Tubbs vs. Andrew Harper

This was a classic case of the whole exceeding the sum of its parts. Individually Crockett and Harper were okay but nothing special, but something else came in and turned this one into a pretty good midcard bout. I’d guess it was the way this one was booked; we aimed at pure story-telling, big man vs. little man stuff, and it seemed to really enhance the match. Admittedly the individual performances weren’t as good- Crockett and Harper seemed to be holding back some, probably so the action didn’t muddle the storytelling- but Andy Harper definitely improved his technical skills a bit, so that’s always good. Still, Crockett’s only just won the belt so he took the win here, locking in the Subway Stretch to force a submission.

Winner: Crockett Tubbs Match Rating: D-

*

Crockett is celebrating his win when he’s joined in the ring by Conner Threepwood, his old tag partner (as Ernie is quick to remind everyone on commentary). Naturally enough Crockett’s pleased to see him, but pleasure soon turns to pain as Threepwood nails him with a vicious kick to the gut before tossing him over the top rope. Crockett attempts to get back to his feet and fight back, but Conner cuts him off with an ax handle off the apron before ramming Crockett into the ringposts head first, leaving the Tri-State champ laid out on the floor.

This was basically just to kick off Crockett and Threepwood’s feud, since neither of them can cut a promo worth a d@mn. The reception wasn’t great but I can take it for one midcard angle.

Rating: E-

*

Borne to Riot vs. The Southern Stars

This was a great match for our midcard, which just goes to show how great our tag division is. Okay, so Geoff and the Doll definitely weren’t on the level of the champs, but there weren’t miles behind and Doll showed a bit of improvement so I can accept that. As for the Stars, not only are they strong individually but their chemistry as a team is way up there, always nice to see in the team charged with anchoring the division (especially so when the Ring Generals are much less available due to COTT commitments). With all that in mind, and given that the heel opposition is probably slightly stronger, I gave this one to the Stars; they took the win at 10:25 when Harker pinned the Doll after a Texas-Meat Grinder.

Winners: The Southern Stars Match Rating: D

*

It’s time for another promo, as I head out on hype duty for the COTT Tag Title match.

“Everyone talks about the Ring Generals like they’re real hot stuff, the greatest tag team the world’s ever seen, which let’s face it is horse-sh*t- I mean, hello, have you never heard of the Calgary Wolverines? Or The Texas Outlaws? You’re up there, boys, but you ain’t top of the mountain yet!

“No, to get to the top you need to get past these two men right here, Howlin’ Mad Mort and Whitehorse Whittaker, the most god-d@mn dangerous tag team in New York. Now I know you boys are pretty hot sh*t right now, and maybe you deserve some’a that praise, but we grow ‘em pretty tough up in the Yukon, and these two guys, they got just two objectives tonight. Kick your @sses, and take those Confederation titles off’a you. So shine those belts up real nice boys, you won’t be getting ‘em back in a hurry.”

I’m a d@mn good talker, and the Boys are terrifically menacing, so this angle worked out real nice.

Rating: D+

*

The Ring Generals vs. The Boys from the Yukon

This one wasn’t bad, but I figure it could’ve gone better. The issue was in the booking, really; like with the Tri-State match I wanted this one to be pure story-telling and I don’t think it worked. The Generals were probably up to the challenge- there’s a reason they’re the top tag team in the Confederation right now- but the Boys are probably better off in straightforward matches for now until they’ve improved some. Mort in particular could do with some major improvement, he was the weakest performer in this match by a fair ways, and that’s even with me on hand to help out. Whittaker wasn’t much better, mind you, but he at least showed improvement, and me and him have great chemistry so it all works out. Naturally this one went to the Generals- I’m not even sure what kind of politics go into deciding the COTT Champs but I’m not fighting that battle for the Boys- who put Whittaker away with a Wheelbarrow Bomb.

Winners: The Ring Generals Match Rating: D-

*

Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh

This will probably turn out to be our best match of the night (Frank’s too old to expect much from), and serves as a valuable lesson as to how I should book our matches from now on. Specifically, I need to get out of the way more; no special aims here, nothing complicated, just a straight-ahead regular match that worked really well. That’s pretty much all Dozer, to be honest; Singh definitely contributed but the stronger performance was clearly Smith’s. Admittedly his stamina isn’t built for 20-minute slogs like this one (at least, not while he’s still working Japan) but Dozer’s got the charisma to cover for when his gas runs out, even if Singh was basically giving himself the Backdrop Driver at the end. Victory here went to the face- with Rog leaving in a couple of days we need a strong top babyface in case I can’t find a strong candidate to replace Cage.

Winner: Bulldozer Brandon Smith Match Rating: D+

*

Honest Frank vs. Roger Cage

This wasn’t bad- in fact it wasn’t much worse than Smith/Singh- but it does serve to indicate how problematic our main event is at the moment. Rog was fantastic, easily the best performer of the night, but Frank was right down there as one of the weakest; clearly his age is really catching up to him. Admittedly I had this one booked to aim for spectacle and high-drama, to give Rog a proper send-off, so maybe that hit Frank harder than I’d expected, but even so it doesn’t bode well for the future when my top heel isn’t any better than half my midcard. Still, Frank does have the advantage that he won’t be going to USPW anytime soon, so he took the win and the Empire title here in his trademark style, distracting Michael Bull by unfastening the turnbuckle before nailing Rog with the brass knuckles right between the eyes. One quick pinfall later (with the knucks tossed from the ring) and badda-bing badda-bang (as Rock persists in saying for some reason) we had a new Empire Champion.

Winner: Honest Frank Match Rating: D+

Overall Rating: D-, a touch disappointing given our strong headliners but still good enough for our level.

maljjin · May 11, 2016

Really like that promo by Frank, I think we can all love to hate to kind of heel. He's probably the surest bet to put the title on at the moment, I can't fault you for that. At least, Smith is okay on the mic, so this feud could play well.

dstephe4 · May 11, 2016

Good show, will keep reading with interest

1PWfan · May 14, 2016

Good show, will keep reading with interest

Thanks for the kind words- hopefully I'll be able to keep on top of the update schedule but this is going to be a crazy couple of months for me so expect a lot of updates at weird times of day.

Really like that promo by Frank, I think we can all love to hate to kind of heel. He's probably the surest bet to put the title on at the moment, I can't fault you for that. At least, Smith is okay on the mic, so this feud could play well.

As we'll see going forward Frank brings his own problems as champ, and it'll be a few months before his feud with 'Dozer gets going, but certainly in January it's hard to justify putting anyone else in that spot.

So, let's take a look at how the predictions went, shall we?

tryker2710: 5/8

Hitman74: 5/8

Tiberious4: 8/8, and check out this guy's Exodus 2010 dynasty, it's really good.

shawn_waters: 7/8

Scotsman381: 8/8

March: 8/8, and there was me thinking I'd been really unpredictable this time...

w4lru5: 8/8

So, March, Tiberious4, w4lru5 and Scotsman381 all top the board this month and have the option to ask an (in-character) question of any member of the NYCW roster they want.

Hashasheen · May 14, 2016

I'm kinda surprised you didn't do a New Japan, vacate title, book that match between Smith & Frank while putting Singh over Cage as the next challenger in the line up.

Tiberious · May 14, 2016

Thanks for the diary plug, and I've got a question here for Animal Harker:

"Mr. Harker, you were a virtual unknown when you joined New York City Wrestling, but over the course of the last six years you have become one of the cornerstones of the company and have begun to make a name in Japan in recent months as well. What do you credit for such rapid improvement?"

Regis · May 17, 2016

Good to see you back, bro. You know I'm reading!

1PWfan · May 19, 2016

When it came to thinking of things he’d rather be doing than meetings, Hugh had never struggled to think of options. Currently leading the pack was home, where Tammy was probably either looking after the twins (Shauna and Horton, named for her mother and his favourite hockey player and about as new-born as it was possible to be) or marathoning old Game of Thrones episodes (she’d watched it right through the pregnancy and it turned out that showing the red wedding to a hormonal timebomb was only amusing if you weren’t married to her). Second on the list was…well, literally anywhere in the known universe that served really good coffee, to be honest.

“Am I boring you Hugh?”

If NYCW had been Game of Thrones (and d@mn Tammy for making him watch that show), Larry was definitely the Stannis Baratheon of the company. He was good at his job but a stern old b@stard and nobody really liked him.

“Most of the time yeah you are, Larry, but this specific time I just wasn’t listening.”

Hugh, on the other hand, was just an @sshole.

“Hmph. So, what’s the plan for replacing Rog?”

“Already on it Larry, put in an offer to Jimmy Cox.”

“The Immortal Driver guy?”

“Yeah- he’s a little pricier than the rest of our guys but with the added name value I figure he’s worth it.”

“That’s one way of putting it- we put the Empire title on that guy it won’t do anybody any harm, kid. Still, you gotta figure on his age being an issue.”

“Kind of, but I agreed that he wouldn’t work any TV if we get a deal- which I can’t see us getting in the next three years. Besides, Steve’s nearly 50 and he’s still going strong so I don’t see Coxy having a problem with our product.”

“Alright. There’s just one more thing, then…our profits, or specifically the lack of them.”

Ah. Yeah, Hugh should’ve known this would come up

“Kid, we lost 7 and half thousand dollars last month, we can’t afford to take that kind of loss on a regular basis. How’re you going to turn this around, huh? I need to start seeing profits and soon.”

“Okay, first of all nobody should be called ‘kid’ when they’re the north side of 30. Secondly, you were the one who wanted me to up the production so don’t go blaming me if it costs more than you’d like, eh? As for profits, the best way to get them is to put on better shows so more people actually buy them- shocking I know, but then I’m a maverick that way.”

“Hmph. Get outta here then kid, and I want to see some improvement on the money next time, alright?”

Okay, seriously, Hugh was 41. How was that even vaguely kidlike?

***

From the diary of Hugh Dansigny:

- RIPW has joined the Confederation of the Territories- yeah, if we want to go outside the Tri-State it’s pretty much just the Great Lakes now, isn’t it?

- On the home front, Whittaker and Harker have hit it off, which really helps our backstage environment. Marv and Nicki are also now a thing, which is weird (also very clever on Nicki’s part, as there’s no way I’m getting rid of her now).

- Supreme have let American Machine go. If we could afford him I’d totally bring him in- he’s ex-NYCW, and one of the good ones too- but with our financials as they are we could never afford a guy with his level of popularity.

- Virtually everyone has invested more in their production values, with IPW the latest to up their standards to Professional. That put them up with GSW, QAW and RIPW; only MAW and FCW aren’t ahead of us on that one. On the plus side, we now have an in-house musician to put together our entrance music, so we’re ahead on that.

- Our production costs currently stand at 6500 per month, which is maybe more than we can afford right now. I’ll have to look into that down the line if we continue to run at a loss, dropping a few of those costs could really bring our expenses down.

New Wrestler Profiles

http://i.imgur.com/48zNivM.jpg

Jimmy Cox

Age: 43 Billed From: Newark, Delaware

Entrance Music: Livin’ on the Edge- Aerosmith

Finisher: Immortal Driver (Cradle Piledriver)

***

Card for NYCW Big Apple Breakdown:

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Steve Flash, Jimmy Cox & Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh & Old School Principals

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Tennessee William vs. Geoff Borne

Animal Harker vs. Remmy Honeyman vs. The New York Doll vs. Bradley Blaze

Dermot O’Logical vs. Andrew Harper

The Boys from the Yukon vs. Brooklyn’s Finest

Dean Waldorf vs. Seth Whitehead

Tiberious · May 19, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Steve Flash, Jimmy Cox & Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh & Old School Principals

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Tennessee William vs. Geoff Borne

Animal Harker vs. Remmy Honeyman vs. The New York Doll vs. Bradley Blaze

Dermot O’Logical vs. Andrew Harper

The Boys from the Yukon vs. Brooklyn’s Finest

Dean Waldorf vs. Seth Whitehead

March · May 19, 2016

Card for NYCW Big Apple Breakdown:

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Steve Flash, Jimmy Cox & Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh & Old School Principals

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Tennessee William vs. Geoff Borne

Animal Harker vs. Remmy Honeyman vs. The New York Doll vs. Bradley Blaze

Dermot O’Logical vs. Andrew Harper

The Boys from the Yukon vs. Brooklyn’s Finest

Dean Waldorf vs. Seth Whitehead

I'll get back to you on the question...

packerman120 · May 19, 2016

FOR THE NYCW EMPIRE TITLE

Frank needs the title off him ASAP, as I've learned, but old Marv ain't the guy.

Steve Flash, Jimmy Cox & Bulldozer Brandon Smith vs. The Sensational Singh & Old School Principals

FOR THE NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE

Tennessee William vs. Geoff Borne

Animal Harker vs. Remmy Honeyman vs. The New York Doll vs. Bradley Blaze

Dermot O’Logical vs. Andrew Harper

The Boys from the Yukon vs. Brooklyn’s Finest

Dean Waldorf vs. Seth Whitehead

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