Welcome to New York... Again

TCP1 · June 11, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where we welcome you, to New York…

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to New York 40: A Mythical Night

Thursday, Week 1, October, 2020

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE FOURWAY MATCH: The Marvelous Ones defeated The Prophecy ©, Legacy and Nigel Svensson and Richard Faber in 9:55; the order of elimination was Nigel Svensson and Richard Faber first, then Legacy, and finally The Prophecy. The Marvelous Ones win the NYCW World Tag Team titles. (D+)

Hot shot tag team title switch. But why? What’s going on?

SINGLES MATCH: Kozue Kawashima defeated Rust Dillon in 7:39 by pinfall with a Kawashima Driver 2005. (C-)

Good match from the newcomer as he’s found a good mid-level foil to destroy for the time being.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Texas Rough Riders defeated Boone Perry and Scorpius in 8:05 when Bradley Blaze defeated Scorpius by pinfall with a Dallas Drop. (D+)

Got to build up the Texas Rough Riders. They’re reliable main event players after all.

FOURWAY MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated Perren Cloutier, PRIDE Koiso and Elemental IV in 9:47 when Ralph Liotta defeated Perren Cloutier by pinfall with a Flash of Brilliance Super Kick. (D)

Poor match, and still no explanation of Liotta’s actions at The King of New York…

NYCW US TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Garry Walker © defeated Chuck Vessey and Miyamoto in 9:37 when Garry Walker defeated Chuck Vessey by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. ©

Good first defense for our new champion and good to see Vessey elevating himself into the equation for our mid-level singles title. It would look good around his waste…

TAG TEAM MATCH: The All Stars defeated Doctor O'Haire and Hugh de Aske in 13:04 when Eddie Howard defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall with a Crash And Burn. (C-)

This is the Moor/Howard version of the team and despite their poor chemistry as a team, they get the win and put on a decent show too. Still no sign of Ross Henry though and the crowd are anxious, wondering what the Hell was going on…

ANGLE: Casey Valentine cuts a promo saying he’s recovered from his injury and that he’s happy Henry isn’t here tonight, so let’s give the Mexican jumping bean; The Mythical One, a shot at glory. (B)

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: The Mythical One defeated Casey Valentine © in 27:35 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex. The Mythical One wins the NYCW Empire World title. (B)

What… is… going… on????

ANGLE: Casey Valentine is celebrating his victory in the ring. The Mythical One runs in and attacks, beating Valentine down into the mat. (C-)

OVERALL: C+

Around the world SAW closed its doors having made basically no impact and following The King of New York, we’d made $55,254 profit, which was nice.

Next time on Welcome to New York… The night the wheels fell off…

TCP1 · June 11, 2018

Evanovich Riverside Arena. Trenton. New Jersey… The night before The King of New York…

The backstage area was quiet as Larry, Chuck and myself wandered through the halls of the arena. It was going to be our biggest night. The crowning glory in the latest wave of popularity and momentum that NYCW was experiencing. I felt proud. Larry did too, not that you could tell. He was his normal, gruff self, while his smiling nephew seemed relaxed and calm.

“Everything set for tomorrow?” Larry said.

“Yup, Henry vs. Howard in the finals. Henry wins, the chase for Valentine’s belt continues. The message boards are fired up about this one Larry. We’re onto our biggest, most successful feud. Empire City Showdown V is going to a blast,” I said.

“How’s Chuck going to fare?” Larry asked.

“First round loss to Mythical, but don’t worry Chuck, you’ll be in the mix next year properly,” I reassured the young star.

“Whatever you need boss man,” grinned the youngster.

“So you’re set on Henry and Valentine then?” said Larry.

“They’re our biggest stars and the story is hot, why wouldn’t we?”

Larry sighed. Without another word we entered the conference room and sat at a big table, not dissimilar to the old COTT meeting table, was Casey Valentine, with two crutches propped up next to him.

“Hey boss,” he said cheerily.

“Have a seat,” Larry said to me. “We need to talk.”

***

I took a long, deep breath of the cold New Jersey air and stared out over the river. It was a grim day, which perfectly matched my mood. Larry was wrapped in an impossibly big jacket.

“It’s the price we pay,” he said. “No point worrying about, we’ve been here before.”

“Feels different this time,” I said. “This story is so hot. And now he’s leaving. Our champion is injured and he’s leaving.”

“USPW are the big time for these guys, he was always going to leave if the offer came up. Packer has seen the stuff we’ve been putting out, of course he’s going to try and get our champion.”

“You knew this was coming didn’t you?”

“I had an inkling,” he said.

“No,” I snapped. “You know. You always know. Be honest with me Larry, are you being paid by Packer? Was this your idea?”

Larry didn’t respond. He never did answer questions about the nature of his relationship with Allen Packer and USPW. Was it shame?

“So I guess we get the title back on Henry and run an All Stars Explode type deal at Showdown then?”

“What about the Mexican kid? Mitico’s son?”

“The Mythical One?”

“Yeah, he looks good. He’s got the following, he shifts loads of merchandise too. He could be a good choice.”

“He’s no Henry,” I said. “Henry outsells the next nearest five to one. And he boosts our attendances by 20%. He’s the only logical choice.”

“I’m just saying, it’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket.”

“Larry, what’s going on? Do you know something I don’t know?”

“Kid the things I know that you don’t could fill the Grand Canyon,” the old man said. Then he sighed again. “Just take a look at the Mexican kid, OK?”

With that he walked away.

***

On the night of the show, I was running through the plans with Ross in the meeting room.

“Then, Ralphy will interfere but accidentally hit Eddie and you’ll get the pin,” I said. “I would say you’d go on to face Valentine at Showdown, but he’s off to USPW, so Mythical might be the champion going into the event.”

Ross Henry, the normally cheerful ex-NFL player shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“Everything alright?” I asked.

“I think I should lose,” he said. It was the first time he’d ever uttered those words before, this man was a natural winner who prided himself on his ability to compete. “It’s the right thing to do.”

“What are you talking about Ross?”

He reached into the backpack by his feet and slid a piece of paper across the table. The header read ‘Office of Allen Packer.’

“USPW have offered me a huge guaranteed contract to work for them.”

“And you’re going to take it?”

“I dunno,” he said.

I could tell he knew he should take it, but he and I had built NYCW together. One helping the other. A team. Of all the scumbags and lunatics who’d been through the company in the last four years, he was the one who had always done what was asked of him. No complaints. A company man through-and-through.

“You should take the offer,” I said. “You deserve it.”

I meant it too.

“I appreciate that boss,” he said with a weak smile. “It’s not that simple though.”

“What do you mean?”

He reached into his backpack and pulled out similar offers from SWF, TCW, BHOTWG, SOTBPW and NOTBPW.

“Jesus!” I said.

“Everyone saw my match against Valentine and have been lining up offers. USPW were first, but the others came through in the last few days. I don’t know what to do. I could do with your help.”

I couldn’t believe it. My top star and one of the true gentlemen in wrestling was asking me to help him screw my company over. What’s worse is, I felt I owed it to him personally to help. I pushed down my disappointment and set about reading the contracts.

***

The night after Welcome to New York 40, I walked Valentine and Henry to their cars. Across the way was The Mythical One, excitedly talking to his family who’d come to see his big win. They were so delighted it warmed my heart.

“Well, this is it boss,” said Valentine. “Listen, I just wanted to say thank you. You really helped me get my career back on track. I owe you.”

“Do me a favour and send me tickets to a show where you’re going to win a title or something,” I said.

“You got it,” grinned Valentine and with a wink he got into his car and drove off.

Ross Henry and myself stood together in the car park.

“I don’t really know what to say,” he said and I laughed.

“Nothing to say my man,” I replied. “Other than, thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

“I appreciate that,” he said.

“And hey, do me a favour, come by and see us every once in a while.”

“I will boss,” he replied. “As often as I can. And who knows, this might not be goodbye. Maybe it’s more a ‘see you soon.’”

“You’re damn right it is,” I lied. “All the best Ross, and I really mean that.”

“So you soon Boss man,” he grinned.

We shook hands and with that, he left.

Next time on Welcome to New York… What the actual f*ck do I do now…

TCP1 · June 11, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where it’s panic stations…

OK so we’ve lost Ross Henry and Casey Valentine. That’s not so bad right? I mean, sure, our momentum has dropped from A* to C+ overnight. Oh and we’ve lost our figurehead. And our big feud. And our main event for Empire City Showdown.

Suddenly realising we were losing our top two main event talents meant getting all the other main eventers free and ready to muck in. Hence The Marvelous Ones claiming the tag gold again from The Prophecy.

Now we needed to reshape our main event, make sure everyone was the right disposition and hope to the Gods (normal, not Dark) that we’d be able to limp through until the end of the year and then figure out how to approach 2021.

<div style="text-align:center;">Traditional Tour

Thursday, Week 2, October, 2020

The Den, Boston, New England

Attendance: 2,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

TAG TEAM MATCH: Texas Rough Riders defeated Casey Valentine and Kozue Kawashima in 8:02 when Bradley Blaze defeated Casey Valentine by pinfall with a Dallas Drop. (D+)

Sure it says Casey Valentine, but it was actually a midget dressed as him. Kozue was not impressed with having to team in a comedy match.

NYCW US TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Garry Walker © defeated The Architect and Austin Smooth in 13:21 when Garry Walker defeated The Architect by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. (D+)

That’s right, let’s job out both tag team champions to a man with a monkey. Decent match though.

SINGLES MATCH: Julius Moor defeated Ralph Liotta in 10:14 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. (D+)

Start building up stars again. Moor needed to win to stay relevant. Liotta is always golden whatever is going on with him.

ANGLE: Aldous Blackfriar cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with The Mythical One. (C+)

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: The Mythical One © defeated Aldous Blackfriar and Eddie Howard in 28:15 when The Mythical One defeated Aldous Blackfriar by pinfall after using a foreign object. (C+)

Good first title defence for the champion as I desperately try and find some kind of chemistry or match combination to replace Henry/Valentine.

OVERALL: C

After the show Bradley Blaze needed a new contract and his timing was impeccable, so we signed him up immediately and perhaps paid over the odds.

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to Boston 15: Mythical vs. Liotta

Thursday, Week 3, October, 2020

The Den, Boston, New England

Attendance: 2,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE FOURWAY MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Legacy, Perren Cloutier and Richard Faber and Nigel Svensson and PRIDE Koiso in 10:11; the order of elimination was Perren Cloutier and Richard Faber first, then Nigel Svensson and PRIDE Koiso, and finally Legacy. (D)

When in doubt, do what you know. Like a multi-team opener to give the champs more kudos.

SINGLES MATCH: Rust Dillon defeated Boone Perry in 8:14 by pinfall after using a foreign object. (E+)

I have a sudden urge to start building up stars from the lower midcard in desperate hopes to find something which works.

SINGLES MATCH: Elemental IV defeated Scorpius in 5:45 by pinfall with a handful of tights. (D-)

Speaking of which, it’s time to move Elemental IV up. I’m not sure why, but if he’s as good as road agent Steve Flash says, he deserves a sustained push into the midcard proper.

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Vessey defeated Kozue Kawashima in 21:36 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (D+)

For some reason I also had an urge to push the young Vessey harder too. I suppose it made sense seeing as he’s unlikely to leave me for the big boys, so I can trust him.

SINGLES MATCH: Julius Moor defeated Doctor O'Haire in 9:49 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. (D+)

Not a great match considering. I think I’ve been spoilt with Doc O’Haire as a jobber. He normally puts on a better show than this in defeat.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Garry Walker © defeated Miyamoto in 9:57 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. (D+)

Speaking of disappointing results. I know Miyamoto is still becoming acclimatised to the US, but I really did expect more from these two.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Texas Rough Riders drew with The Prophecy in 25:14 following a double disqualification. ©

Sometimes you just want a good match in there to help bolster your roster as a whole and remind you that the world isn’t actually ending. This served the purpose beautifully.

SINGLES MATCH: Eddie Howard defeated Hugh de Aske in 10:13 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. ©

Great little matchup between our King of New York and our upper-midcard jobber. Perhaps Howard was the guy we’d build the promotion around in the absence of Valentine and Henry. He was already in the main event of Empire City Showdown after all.

ANGLE: Ralph Liotta cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with The Mythical One. ©

The kid continues to deliver a little more each and every week. Perhaps I should’ve stuck the title on him instead? But I wanted his coronation to be a big deal. Not just a ‘we’ve got no-one else’ kind of thing.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: The Mythical One © defeated Ralph Liotta in 25:15 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. ©

Decent main event as what Mythical lacks in character he more than makes up for in the ring. I already feel his title reign lacks the gravitas of others, but he’s better than Aldous was at least.

OVERALL: C

Slightly disappointing event, which isn’t entirely surprising. Then we discovered that Kozue had signed for BHOTWG. Of course he had. Why don’t we all sign for someone else? Our momentum then fell to C-, but we did make $53, 236 profit.

I decided to cancel Old School Wrestling to give myself a second to breath. And to think.

Next time on Welcome to New York… We miss the days of B- shows…

TCP1 · June 11, 2018

Welcome to New York… What is the point of anything…

So it would seem the loss of two of our favourite workers had more impact than we’d imagined it would. Without a Henry or a Valentine, we were spinning our wheels, simply putting shows on because that’s what wrestling companies did.

We had no focus. No direction. No passion and it was showing.

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to New York 41: Pointless Existence

Thursday, Week 1, November, 2020

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

TEN MAN BATTLE ROYAL: Chuck Vessey won a battle royal in 10:05. The other members of the 'final four' were Boone Perry, Elemental IV and PRIDE Koiso, with Boone Perry being the final elimination. Elemental IV got the most eliminations over the course of the match. (D)

Vessey was a fun prospect, but we knew from bitter experience, if we pushed him too soon, he’d become unbearable backstage, so the slow build continued unabated.

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Legacy in 9:57 when The Architect defeated Bret Heartbreak by submission with a Blueprint after blatantly cheating. (C-)

When in doubt run another match in the longest-running feud in company history. I liked both these teams, with Marvelous being a slight favourite. Was it perhaps worth splitting them up and giving them another shot at singles glory?

NYCW US TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Garry Walker © defeated Miyamoto and Bradley Blaze in 12:57 when Garry Walker defeated Bradley Blaze by pinfall with a Pants Pull Sunset Flip following interference from Aldous Blackfriar. During the match we also had Austin Smooth run in and attack Garry. ©

Disappointed with the previous matchup, we threw in Blaze to boost the rating and that’s exactly what he delivered.

SINGLES MATCH: Julius Moor defeated Hugh de Aske in 10:04 by pinfall with a Charging Tackle. (C-)

Once again de Aske proves himself a worthy upper midcard gatekeeper to the face stars we were building up.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: The Mythical One © defeated William Jetterson in 12:50 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex following interference from The Hangman. (C+)

We move the champ down into the third main event slot and he delivers a home run matchup against Jetterson. Perhaps this was the best spot for him until we figured out a way to get the belt off of him and onto another. Was it wrong that Howard was our best other option, but we just couldn’t bring ourselves to pull the trigger. Still mourning perhaps?

ANGLE: Ralph Liotta says that he is going to introduce his opponent and brings out The Hangman for a verbal rubdown. (B-)

SINGLES MATCH: Ralph Liotta drew with The Hangman in 11:55 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. During the match we also saw Aldous Blackfriar run in and attack Hangman, and The Mythical One also attack Liotta. (C-)

Ooo, look at the champ making moves. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered anymore.

ANGLE: Aldous Blackfriar cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Eddie Howard. (C+)

The Dark Prince is a great all-round worker. Perhaps he could be the new face of NYCW? He’s already been Empire Champion? Although he was an unbearable douche backstage. Decisions, decisions…

SINGLES MATCH: Eddie Howard defeated Aldous Blackfriar in 27:42 by pinfall with a Crash And Burn. During the match we also saw Bradley Blaze run in and attack Blackfriar, and Ralph Liotta also attack Howard. ©

Decent, if unspectacular match in the main event as both men stumble in their audition for top dog. I don’t know what it is that’s holding me back, but something is.

OVERALL: C

Disappointing event really, made all the worse for Aldous mocking PRIDE Koiso’s lack of push. I think it’s the fact he’s always telling the truth which makes it so galling. We fined him, he got annoyed and told us he strongly disliked us.

Whatever Aldous, WHATEVER!

That was it, we were going to throw a load of top-quality matchups into the next show to try and make something wonderful appear out of the ether.

<div style="text-align:center;">Traditional Tour

Thursday, Week 2, November, 2020

The Den, Boston, New England

Attendance: 2,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Texas Rough Riders in 9:54 when Austin Smooth defeated Bradley Blaze by submission with a Smooth Hold after blatantly cheating. ©

Fantastic start to the show. Our tag division is so strong, it’s really over-shadowing our appalling main event scene. Still, Thank God for small mercies.

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Vessey defeated Miyamoto in 9:56 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (D)

Decent singles victory for the rookie here, although Miyamoto resented putting him over clean. Still, he’d have to suck it up. Life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows after all.

TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Eddie Howard defeated Ralph Liotta and Julius Moor in 13:14 when Eddie Howard defeated Julius Moor by pinfall with a Crash And Burn. (C+)

Great match right there as there might just be life in the old company yet. Now it was a case of elevating one of these boys permanently. Howard seemed the obvious choice, but perhaps there was another way?

ANGLE: The Prophecy cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with Texas Rough Riders. (C-)

Just because I wanted to squeeze the last juice out of this feud heading into Empire City Showdown.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: The Mythical One © defeated Aldous Blackfriar in 27:45 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex. ©

Disappointing main event between two of our ‘elevated too quickly champions.’ Dammit, should’ve had the non-champions in the main event. That’s never a good sign is it?

OVERALL: C

With two shows to go until Empire City Showdown V, we needed a bonafide main event, so in desperation, we looked at the list of free agent wrestlers to see if there was a diamond in the rough who could be slotted into the main event.

We weren’t hopeful.

Next time on Welcome to New York… We have no matches announced for our biggest show of the year…

TCP1 · June 11, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where a chance meeting in a bar could be just the answer we’ve been looking for…

Let’s get the two shows between now and Empire City Showdown done and see what’s what.

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to Boston 16: The Ticking Clock Counts Down to Oblivion

Thursday, Week 3, October, 2020

The Den, Boston, New England

Attendance: 2,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE FOURWAY MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Legacy, Elemental IV and Perren Cloutier and PRIDE Koiso and Richard Faber in 9:42; the order of elimination was PRIDE Koiso and Richard Faber first, then Elemental IV and Perren Cloutier, and finally Legacy. (D)

Back to basics. Solid opener for our newly-crowned tag team champions.

SINGLES MATCH: William Jetterson defeated Rust Dillon in 7:54 by submission with a Viper Vice after blatantly cheating. (D+)

Back to the idea of elevating the younger stars. It was time to get Jetterson back in the mix as he always delivers good matches when pushed.

NYCW US TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Garry Walker © defeated Boone Perry and Scorpius in 8:07 when Garry Walker defeated Scorpius by pinfall with a Pants Pull Sunset Flip. (D)

Garry is good, but not good enough to elevate the games of two of our most hoss-like performers.

GANG WARS MATCH: Julius Moor and Texas Rough Riders defeated Doctor O'Haire, Miyamoto and Nigel Svensson in 9:59 when Bradley Blaze defeated Nigel Svensson by pinfall with a Dallas Drop. (C-)

A match simply used to give momentum and a win to three stars who will likely play a big part of the upcoming Showdown.

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Vessey defeated Ralph Liotta in 9:34 by disqualification. (C-)

Vessey’s biggest win to date. Obviously we weren’t about to let him beat Liotta clean, but a DQ win is still a win.

SINGLES MATCH: Eddie Howard defeated Hugh de Aske in 12:50 by pinfall with a Crash And Burn. (C+)

Eddie Howard’s claim for the new figurehead gets stronger each week that passes. But I wasn’t sure. He just didn’t scream ‘I’m the star of NYCW’ to me.

ANGLE: Aldous Blackfriar cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with The Mythical One. ©

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: The Mythical One © defeated Aldous Blackfriar in 27:51 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex. ©

If in doubt, run exactly the same main event just to keep the champion strong. A clean win finally puts a full stop on his title reign, although I’m not sure how much longer I can realistically keep the title on him.

OVERALL: C

Backstage we discovered Robin DaLay and Perren Cloutier were now friends over a shared love of the music of Cole Porter.

Ok then.

It was the go-home show and it wouldn’t be us if one of our wrestlers wasn’t negotiating with a bigger company.

<div style="text-align:center;">Old School Wrestling

Thursday, Week 4, November, 2020

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © drew with Texas Rough Riders in 10:15 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. ©

Arguably one of the Marvelous Ones’ biggest results to date. Blaze and Hangman are big-time stars, but the young lads held their own.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Aldous Blackfriar. (B-)

I wanted to test the youngster’s skills at promo. They were waaaay better than I expected. Good for him.

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Vessey defeated Aldous Blackfriar in 9:32 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (C-)

A clean win for the rookie over a former-Empire Champion. That’s how you announce yourself to the world as a player. Aldous was predictably furious, but our patience with him was wearing mightily thin.

GANG WARS MATCH: The Mythical One and The All Stars defeated Ralph Liotta, Hugh de Aske and William Jetterson in 28:23 when Eddie Howard defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. ©

And once again, the main event is underwhelming. I know a C-rating is better than it used to be, but I’m used to Ross Henry getting B- out of everyone.

OVERALL: C

So it seems Miyamoto has left us to join GCG in a move which is both surprising and lacking in impact. He never quite got to grips with our style and was a terrible backstage influence, so frankly, good riddance. On the other side of the Japanese invasion, PRIDE Koiso moved to New York, which made me like him even more.

We had sent out a bunch of contracts to potential new workers ready for the year-end churn and eyed up the more expensive of our mid-level workers, when Larry sent us a message. He’d been in contact with a star name to bring in for the big show.

A real star name too. Sure he was old, but if we could sign him, he could be the new face of the company. Easily in fact. But could we get him before the big show. We’d advertise a mystery in our main event, cross our fingers and hope for the best. We had a backup for that slot if all else failed.

NYCW Empire City Showdown V:

Empire World Fatal Fourway: Mythical One © vs. Ralph Liotta vs. Eddie Howard vs. A Mystery Opponent

US Title: Garry Walker © vs. Chuck Vessey

World Tag Team Titles: The Marvelous Ones © vs. Texas Rough Riders

Bret Heartbreak vs. Aldous Blackfriar

Julius Moor vs. William Jetterson

Next time on Welcome to New York… Can we complete the signing in time for Empire City Showdown V…

Hashasheen · June 11, 2018

Well that was a string of shows right out of WCW 1999.

TCP1 · June 11, 2018

Well that was a string of shows right out of WCW 1999.

To be honest, that might be being too complimentary about them.

Theheel · June 11, 2018

You were flying so high, but I know you’ll re-group and find a few more diamonds out there.

NYCW Empire City Showdown V:

Empire World Fatal Fourway: Mythical One © vs. Ralph Liotta vs. Eddie Howard vs. A Mystery Opponent

The dreaded mystery opponent makes this tough. You have a tweener, a heel and a babyface in there and now an older mystery? Will this mystery be like the American Buffalo experiment or something else? I figure you’ll go with Howard to change it up while you decide if Mystery Man still has the goods

US Title: Garry Walker © vs. Chuck Vessey

I know you don’t want to pull the trigger but the Walker and his Monkey isn’t more than a midcard act.

World Tag Team Titles: The Marvelous Ones © vs. Texas Rough Riders

I kind of keep expecting Hangman to be the breakout star someday

Bret Heartbreak vs. Aldous Blackfriar

Bret hasn’t done much singles wise but Aldous is constantly in the Bookers dog house. But the dark lord is still pretty good in the ring and still really young

Julius Moor vs. William Jetterson

Moor needs a big win on the big stage

John Lions · June 11, 2018

Empire World Fatal Fourway: Mythical One © vs. Ralph Liotta vs. Eddie Howard vs. A Mystery Opponent

US Title: Garry Walker © vs. Chuck Vessey

World Tag Team Titles: The Marvelous Ones © vs. Texas Rough Riders

Bret Heartbreak vs. Aldous Blackfriar

Julius Moor vs. William Jetterson

BigJay2003 · June 11, 2018

Sometimes your the pigeon, and sometimes your the statue. I probably don't need to tell you where you sit right now...

NYCW Empire City Showdown V:

Empire World Fatal Fourway: Mythical One © vs. Ralph Liotta vs. Eddie Howard vs. A Mystery Opponent

I love Mitico, but he isn't ready to carry the top strap yet. Give Howard the belt, let him feud with the newcomer (who eventually gets the belt), and build Mitico to be his top challenger then.

US Title: Garry Walker © vs. Chuck Vessey

You said a slow burn, but you can't have him dropping to "Walker, Monkey Wrangler." Wait, did I just give him a much cooler Chuck Norris-inspired character?!?!

World Tag Team Titles: The Marvelous Ones © vs. Texas Rough Riders

I think the Rough Riders may be better suited back in singles action for a while, so keep the strap off them and let Blaze carry a few shows as the plucky underdog.

Bret Heartbreak vs. Aldous Blackfriar

Don't do it.

Julius Moor vs. William Jetterson

Moor could be a top 3 face for you, challenging Mitico if his mic work pays off. Can he be a poor man's Ross Henry?

a0161613 · June 11, 2018

NYCW Empire City Showdown V:

Empire World Fatal Fourway: Mythical One © vs. Ralph Liotta vs. Eddie Howard vs. A Mystery Opponent

US Title: Garry Walker © vs. Chuck Vessey

World Tag Team Titles: The Marvelous Ones © vs. Texas Rough Riders

Bret Heartbreak vs. Aldous Blackfriar

Julius Moor vs. William Jetterson

Fairly certain on the non title matches, but the remaining three are a toss up.

HRTVAndrew · June 12, 2018

I've been out all day, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what you've got planned. Brutal luck with Henry and Valentine BOTH leaving, but you'll bounce back.

Hashasheen · June 12, 2018

I'm actually quite curious as to who is available on the circuit at the moment. Is there are list of ex-Big 3 names that you could provide us with for guessing purposes?

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Home of the Fifth Empire City Showdown…

<div style="text-align:center;">NYCW Empire City Showdown V

Thursday, Week 4, November, 2020

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

TEN MAN BATTLE ROYAL: We kick off the main show with a battle royal to give all our boys a pay day. Surprisingly Boone Perry got the win and immediately announced that from this point on, you could call him Azreal.

Boone Perry won a battle royal in 10:18. The other members of the 'final four' were Robin DaLay, Elemental IV and Hugh de Aske, with Robin DaLay being the final elimination. Elemental IV got the most eliminations over the course of the match. (D-)

Poor start.

ANGLE: A flashing light show takes over the arena, it seems the Mystery Man has arrived and will be in the main event. The video screen just shows clips of the Statue of Liberty, which get a cheer. (A)

He, has, arrived!

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: In a fantastic match, which showcases the talent in our tag ranks, the former champions The Texas Rough Riders defeated the multi-time champions The Marvelous Ones. Unfortunately despite the win it was interference from Julius Moor which gave them a DQ win and thus the loud-mouthed youngsters keep the straps heading into the new year.

Texas Rough Riders defeated The Marvelous Ones © in 13:30 when The Architect was disqualified when Julius Moor ran in and attacked The Hangman. (C+)

Hell of a match, which keeps the titles on the young team, but continue Hangman’s ‘streak’ at Showdown alive.

SINGLES MATCH: William Jetterson defeated Julius Moor in 9:48 when Julius Moor was counted out fighting Bradley Blaze at ringside. During the match we also had The Hangman run in and attack Moor. (C-)

Revenge from the wannabe tag team champions and a monster upset for one half of The Prophecy. It might be his biggest singles victory to date, as the man with the legendary gimmick starts to come into his own.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Garry Walker. Apparently being a Vessey comes with responsibility to the family name. He’s not a hero, he’s just a man who works hard for everything he wants. And what he wants, is a title. (C+)

Solid stuff from the rookie (although as of next month he won’t be a rookie anymore.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey defeated Garry Walker © in 13:27 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. Chuck Vessey wins the NYCW United States title. (C-)

And one year after his debut, the man who would be king celebrates his first title win. A decent affair against an ‘on fire’ Garry Walker cements his place as future megastar in the company.

SINGLES MATCH: In a truly underwhelming singles matchup, Aldous Blackfriar, the Dark Prince, lost clean as a whistle to Bret Heartbreak. The fans were shocked to see such a defeat, with Blackfriar having a terribly miserable face throughout. This could be the Launchpad for the young second-generation star to truly make a name for himself.

Bret Heartbreak defeated Aldous Blackfriar in 10:03 by pinfall with a Heart Attack. (D)

Damn you Aldous, you did that on purpose I’m sure of it. Bad match considering.

ANGLE: Aldous Blackfriar is complaining about his loss in the ring, so Bret Heartbreak runs in and attacks, beating Blackfriar down into the mat. (E+)

So long Dark Prince. You’ve been great, but a pain in the ass throughout.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE FATAL FOURWAY MATCH: The Mythical One, Eddie Howard and Ralph Liotta make their way to the ring and wait, like the crowd, for the arrival of the mystery fourth man. The lights go out and the video of the Statue of Liberty is shown again, along with the national anthem. As the song comes to an end, a wicked guitar riff wails throughout the arena and the word ‘LIBERTY’ appears on the screen and then morphs into ‘James Justice.’ The MAN has arrived in NYCW. The crowd go ballistic.

The match itself is simply a backdrop to the arrival of the man they used to call Liberty and every time he’s in the ring, the crowd cheer wildly. With Eddie Howard and Ralph Liotta outside the ring brawling, Justice loads up the Liberation Slam and three seconds later, he’s the Empire World Champion.

James Justice defeated The Mythical One, Eddie Howard and Ralph Liotta in 13:11 when James Justice defeated The Mythical One by pinfall with a Liberation Slam. James Justice wins the NYCW Empire World title. ©

Disappointing debut as it goes as Justice, being old, was utterly exhausted, even with a short match. Having been really excited by the signing, I was now worried I’d made a terrible mistake.

ANGLE: Having picked up the victory, James Justice celebrates in the ring. (A)

OVERALL: C+

We ended the year with a new figurehead, a new Empire Champion and having made $53,635 profit.

Why did I feel uneasy?

Next time on Welcome to New York… A brief Year in Review and straight on with the march towards Cult…

Results:

Theheel – 2/5

A0161613 – 2/5

John Lions – 2/5

BigJay2003 – 1/5

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where a New Year dawns, but some familiar problems come with it…

So following the departure of our top two stars, our titles have taken a hit and now have the following prestige:

NYCW Empire World Title: B (down from A*)

NYCW US Title: C (down from B-)

NYCW World Tag Team: B- (the same)

Francis Peppercorn gave us the following details from Year End Awards:

<div style="text-align:center;">Wrestler of the Year: Champagne Lover

Company of the Year: GCW

Team of the Year: Captain Wrestling II and Loxley Robbins

MOTY: Fuerza and Lover vs. Raven and Alborotador (SOTBPW)

SHOW OF THE YEAR: GCG The Lion’s Den 2020

Young Wrestler of the Year: David Stone

Veteran of the Year: Axxis Jr.

Female Wrestler of the Year: Amber Allen

Most Improved: BCW

Independent Wrestler of the Year: Lobo Blanco</div>

Power 10:

1. Champagne Lover

2. Remo Richardson

3. Axxis Jr.

4. Blood Raven

5. El Fuerza

6. El Leon

7. El Alborotador Confiado

8. Xtinction

9. Soul Taker

10. SUKI

In RIPW, The Masked Mauler VII graduates to a developmental contract, which was cool and a little depressing seeing as he didn’t even consider us. And we decide that we’re sick of Aldous Blackfriar and his endless demands, so he release him to cover some of the exorbitant costs of Justice.

So long Dark Prince.

As for Justice: You know when you sign a guy based on his name without doing your due diligence, because you’re panicking that your company is going to be bought out, because you’re not building fast enough and all your top stars keep leaving? Yeah, that.

Still, this was the way the cards had fallen, so it was on us to do turn these lemons into LEMONADE.

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to New York 42: Justice for All

Thursday, Week 1, January, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

ANGLE: James Justice cuts a promo saying he’s delighted to be back in the business and for the hottest company in the world. He’s fought all the best wrestlers and now he’s ready to teach the next generation a thing or two. So watch out New York City… It’s time for some TOUGH… JUSTICE. (B)

He insisted on writing his own promo. It was fine. Catchphrase needs some work though.

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Legacy in 9:39 when The Architect defeated Robin DaLay by submission with a Blueprint after blatantly cheating. (C-)

No matter whose on top, or whose the King of New York; The Marvelous Ones and Legacy will always, always be fighting. The matches are getting better and better too.

ANGLE: Robin DaLay is in the ring. Out of nowhere, Azrael hits the ring and attacks. The assault is quick and brutal, and leaves DaLay completely destroyed. (E+)

That’s right. It’s time to cultivate a new hero. One built in-house, from scratch. Behold… Azrael. Not a strong start.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated Richard Faber in 5:43 by pinfall with an Autumn Flattener. (E+)

Aaaaand not a good continuation either. Have I picked the wrong guy? Maybe? Should’ve called him Glacier and been done with it.

FATAL FOURWAY MATCH: Perren Cloutier defeated Doctor O'Haire, Nigel Svensson and PRIDE Koiso in 9:49 when Perren Cloutier defeated Doctor O'Haire by pinfall with a Shark Dropper after Steve Flash interfered. (E+)

And so we attempt to build-up another young star. One day we’d let them fight. But we’re worried if we do it too soon, it’ll kill them both out of the gate.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Rust Dillon in 13:09 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. (C-)

Good first title defense from one of the few men we still trusted to deliver. Rust Dillon is carving out a good career for himself in Canada, although he still struggling in New York.

SINGLES MATCH: Garry Walker defeated Scorpius in 4:32 by pinfall after using a foreign object. (D-)

The former US champion gets back to his winning ways over one of our most incompetent jobbers. Match was actually passable, which is a worry.

SINGLES MATCH: Hugh de Aske defeated Elemental IV in 8:17 by pinfall with a Cut-Throat Driver. (D)

Speaking of building new stars, I feel now is the time for the midcard to break through the glass ceiling and present themselves as viable alternatives to the old man on top.

SINGLES MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated William Jetterson in 9:39 by pinfall with a Flash of Brilliance Super Kick. (C-)

And the Jetterson mini-push is killed out the gate by everyone’s favourite douchebag, Ralph Liotta. I’m amazed I haven’t pulled the trigger on him just yet. But he’s the one guy I really don’t want to rush. He’s a personal favourite.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Texas Rough Riders drew with Eddie Howard and Julius Moor in 12:50 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. ©

Forgot that Moor and Howard have bad chemistry, which really ruined the match. Both men were furious with having to draw. Like, I can understand it if I’d have you both lose, but a draw. You can’t be a tag team in NYC without getting used to drawing all the time.

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (A*)

Just like old times, only he’s no Ross Henry.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: James Justice © defeated The Mythical One in 27:46 by pinfall with a Liberation Slam. (C-)

Wow. This was NOT good.

ANGLE: James Justice is celebrating his victory in the ring. Texas Rough Riders run in and attack, beating Justice down into the mat. (C+)

I actually found myself cheering for the Rough Riders as they officially turn heel to give our new champion something to do.

OVERALL: C

So let’s be clear here. Our new champion faces the best worker in the company, in a ‘slow build’ story-driven match which protects his deficiencies and the best we can get is what would pass as a disappointing tag team opener? Good stuff. We’ve made a terrible mistake.

Nigel Svensson and Scorpius both complained following the show regarding their booking. That’s fair enough, but then again, their characters sucked.

<div style="text-align:center;">Traditional Tour

Thursday, Week 2, January, 2021

The Den, Boston, New England

Attendance: 2,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Elemental IV and Rust Dillon in 7:52 when Austin Smooth defeated Rust Dillon by submission with a Smooth Hold after blatantly cheating. (C-)

Hey look, it’s a tag team opener with a thrown-together team and it’s as good as our world champion against our best wrestler.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated Bret Heartbreak in 4:38 by pinfall with an Autumn Flattener. (E+)

The push continues. And continues to be underwhelming. Should’ve repackaged Svensson methinks.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Perren Cloutier in 6:16 by pinfall with a handful of tights. (D)

Wow, even this match is sucking. Could it be the crowd are so dead from previous matchups and the general direction of the company that they’re just crapping on everything we’re doing? I mean, seriously. These guys are talented workers. Why did it suck so badly?

GANG WARS MATCH: Eddie Howard, Julius Moor and The Mythical One defeated Ralph Liotta, The Hangman and William Jetterson in 12:39 when William Jetterson was counted out while fighting Eddie Howard. ©

Better, but still ultimately disappointing. Eventually I’d have to stop putting all my top workers into a single Gang Wars match to try and spread their talents across the whole show.

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (A)

And even this is starting to flag.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: James Justice © defeated Bradley Blaze in 26:45 by count out. (C-)

So, once again, one of our top in-ring talents, a man who was involved in our best match EVER, can’t get more than a C- out of Justice? Oh God!

OVERALL: C

This was getting worse, not better.

Next time on Welcome to New York… Seriously, what are we doing? It’s like everything is falling apart…

Hashasheen · June 12, 2018

Oof, James Justice? Not sure that was the best idea in the long run. Guess you couldn't bring him in on a one-off to drop some pop?

Edit: Yeah, definitely start jobbing him out. Go back to the Mythical One and have James job to every heel on the roster. Or heck, push the Vessey kid to the moon and see where it goes.

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where the only publicity we’re getting is bad publicity…

In his first ever match, The Masked Mauler VII won the RIPW Championship from some bodybuilder called Atlas. Good for him. Aldous Blackfriar, the Dark Prince we released has only gone and shot a shoot video on NYCW. Despite his HATRED of me, he apparently singled out Ralph Liotta as the source of all our problems. That is NOT how I remembered it.

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to Boston 17: Rumble in Boston

Thursday, Week 3, January, 2020

The Den, Boston, New England

Attendance: 2,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TITLE FOURWAY MATCH: Nigel Svensson and Scorpius defeated The Marvelous Ones ©, Legacy and Richard Faber and Perren Cloutier in 9:43; the order of elimination was Richard Faber and Perren Cloutier first, then Legacy, and finally The Marvelous Ones. (D)

There you go, you whinging nobodies. You’ve got a win. Don’t worry though, it’s a DQ win, so the belts stay with the talented team with the future.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated Rust Dillon in 6:19 by pinfall with a Demon Slam. (E+)

Oh wow, I really was expecting better here. Not to mention, the thing dragging the matches down is the youngster on a mission. I was regretting this plan already.

ANGLE: Rust Dillon is in the ring. Out of nowhere, Azrael hits the ring and attacks. The assault is quick and brutal, and leaves Dillon completely destroyed. (E)

Eurgh. The crowd just DO NOT care about Azrael. I can’t really blame them. Or can I… No, no I can’t.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Garry Walker in 10:13 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (C-)

It’s a rematch from Empire City Showdown and the result is the same. Good match too as Walker does everything in his power to make Vessey look like a world-beater. It’s the one bright spot in an otherwise poor roster right now.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo praising his opponent, but letting the world know that the sky is the limit and the Vessey name will be rewritten because of him, so forget all other Vessey’s. (C-)

Is that a little dig at cousin Cameron by any chance? No doubt Larry has been in his ear.

SINGLES MATCH: Elemental IV defeated Doctor O'Haire in 7:45 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. (D-)

As I look at the booking sheet, I have to question what the point is of the majority of my matches. Take this one for instance. Who cares? I’m fairly sure I don’t

ANGLE: Mr. Morrisette is out to say he’s taken a shine to young Ralph Liotta and would like to manage him. Ralph, ever the opportunist, happily accepts. (B-)

Now that’s a team set for super-stardom.

SINGLES MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated PRIDE Koiso in 7:58 by pinfall with a Super Kick after Mr. Morrisette interfered. (D-)

And he starts by only getting a D- match out of one of the top 100 workers on the planet. Oh dear. When it rains, it pours.

SINGLES MATCH: Hugh de Aske defeated William Jetterson in 10:20 by count out. (D+)

A modicum of revenge for de Aske as Jetterson’s push disappears in the rear-view mirror. Not a bad little match though.

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (B+)

The crowd are now clearly aware of what I knew from the moment he threw a punch. Justice has LOST IT.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: James Justice © defeated Eddie Howard in 27:31 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. (C-)

Wow. So once again, a C- match out of our top other face and physical specimen. The wheels have fallen off and the Empire World Title now has a prestige of C+, meaning fans actually prefer our tag titles.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Texas Rough Riders defeated Julius Moor and The Mythical One in 12:40 when The Mythical One was disqualified while fighting The Hangman. ©

And because we know that Justice is done, we actually remove him from the main event in favour of this matchup, which then itself under-delivers. Like, seriously, what the HELL is going around here?

OVERALL: C

Like he was voicing my own frustrations, Rust Dillon complained about the booking. Yeah, I know Rust, I’m trying my best here.

Let’s just get this awful month out of the way shall we?

<div style="text-align:center;">Old School Wrestling

Thursday, Week 4, January, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Rust Dillon and Perren Cloutier defeated The Marvelous Ones © in 10:10 when Austin Smooth was counted out while fighting Rust Dillon. (D)

Sod it, why not? Let’s have the tag team champions lose every week to a team made up of whichever stars moan the loudest. Match sucked too.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated Garry Walker in 4:31 by pinfall with a Demon Slam. (D)

I increase the quality of his opponents and the match quality improves too. I’m still not convinced, but since Henry and Valentine left, I’m not convinced about anything.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Julius Moor. (C+)

Speaking of increasing the quality of the opponents, Chuck is onto main eventers already. Good for him.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Julius Moor in 12:51 by pinfall after using the ropes for leverage. (C-)

Decent match, although Moor remained furious about losing to the former rookie. I don’t know what to tell you Julius, I know you’ll be jumping ship at the first semi-decent offer, so I’m sorry I want you to put over younger talent.

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (B)

GANG WARS MATCH: Ralph Liotta and Texas Rough Riders drew with Eddie Howard, James Justice and The Mythical One in 27:45 following a double disqualification. (C+)

That’s a bit better. I suppose if I can bury Justice in a massive multi-man match, his broken down body won’t look so awful in comparison. Hey, I’ll take what I can get.

OVERALL: C+

Over in MAW, The Architect won The Rip Chord Invitational XVI, which makes me think I’m wasting his talents currently. We actually made a loss this month, which is probably down to Justice’s MONSTER WAGES. I’m so glad I made him our figurehead.

That’s the lesson here kids. Never panic-push an old star.

Next time on Welcome to New York… We continue to panic-push old stars…

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where our top champion is in the third match from the top of the card…

Right new plan as we build towards Rush Hour. James Justice sucks, so let’s move him into a more comfortable midcard role (as our figurehead and world champion) and see if we can get better results with better workers at the top of the card.

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to New York 43: The Mythical Blaze

Thursday, Week 1, February, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

TEN MAN BATTLE ROYAL: Azrael won a battle royal in 10:17. The other members of the 'final four' were Rust Dillon, Elemental IV and Garry Walker, with Rust Dillon being the final elimination. Elemental IV got the most eliminations over the course of the match. (D)

If we keep Azrael in battle royals, he might just get over. The problem I’ve got then is; do I actually want him to get over?

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Legacy defeated The Marvelous Ones © in 12:54 when The Architect was counted out while fighting Bret Heartbreak. (C-)

Another matchup between these two teams and another loss for the champs with another retain. The Architect and Austin Smooth argued throughout the match to boot. Was there dissension in the ranks?

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Hugh de Aske in 12:45 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (D+)

Just keep putting the kid over clean and hope he somehow jumps up to a bonafide, big-time player. He’s certainly got ALL the skills necessary and is only lacking popularity from higher and more impressive grades.

SINGLES MATCH: Julius Moor defeated The Hangman in 8:15 by count out. (D+)

Big win for Moor here to make up for his terrible loss last week. The Hangman continues to spin his wheels in the midcard.

ANGLE: James Justice cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with William Jetterson. (B-)

He came across as a bit drunk in this segment, which is absolutely NOT the sort of heroic behaviour we’d expect from our figurehead.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: James Justice © defeated William Jetterson in 10:08 by pinfall with a Liberation Slam. (C-)

Will he ever break C- with anyone, regardless of notes and position on the card? What have I done to my main event scene? Why did I hire an overpriced, broken down nobody and put him over everyone in a desperate attempt to make him appear like a winner.

ANGLE: Ralph Liotta, along with his manager Mr. Morrisette, cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Eddie Howard. Mr. Morrisette claims he’s going to guide the fastest rising star in NYCW history all the way to the top. (C+)

At least the kid is increasing his performances on the mic and with Mr. Morrisette, his upside is enormous. He feels like the lone bright spot.

SINGLES MATCH: Eddie Howard defeated Ralph Liotta in 13:14 by count out. (C-)

A good win, but a protective one as I need all my main eventers in good shape in case Justice decides he’s had enough and just walks away, or drops dead.

ANGLE: Bradley Blaze cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with The Mythical One. It’s time the Mexican Jumping Bean suffered at the hands of the cowboy. ©

SINGLES MATCH: Bradley Blaze defeated The Mythical One in 27:49 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. ©

In a desperate attempt to top-load the card with the best possible match, I’ve actually found myself in a corner with my booking.

OVERALL: C

Everything was falling apart. My shows were now only gaining me popularity in New England and I was haemorrhaging money. At least I wasn’t SWF World Heavyweight Champion Remmy Skye though, who was recently caught in possession of something naughty.

<div style="text-align:center;">Traditional Tour

Thursday, Week 2, February, 2021

The Laurent Ballroom, Burlington, Vermont

Attendance: 3,329</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Julius Moor and Robin DaLay in 10:25 when Austin Smooth defeated Julius Moor by submission with a Smooth Hold. (C-)

My word; a good match and a win for the champions. Not only that, they beat main event talent Julius Moor, clean as a whistle. Was I self-destructing on purpose?

ANGLE: Julius Moor cuts a promo, saying he’s angry at such a loss. He’s had it with being overlooked and he wants a title shot… right now. Chuck Vessey is on hand to accept. (D+)

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Julius Moor in 5:16 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (D-)

Disappointing matchup, but another huge win for Vessey on his unstoppable march. Moor looks like an absolute chump after the last two performances.

SINGLES MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated Garry Walker in 8:06 by pinfall with a Flash of Brilliance Super Kick after Chris Morrisette interfered. (C-)

Nice win for Liotta as I decide to properly get behind him in the short term and focus on the long build towards his eventually coronation. I wasn’t sure when it would come, but when it did, it would be a huge moment.

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (B)

GANG WARS MATCH: James Justice, Eddie Howard and The Mythical One defeated William Jetterson and Texas Rough Riders in 27:55 when William Jetterson was disqualified while fighting The Mythical One. (C+)

There we go. Stick with the formula; Put Justice in with five other, talented guys and let them carry his useless ass to a good match.

OVERALL: C+

Well, my booking was shot to pieces. My Empire Champion was a joke. I’d systematically destroyed most contenders in the course of a month and two of my stars were on the verge of leaving. I was losing money and after a brief meeting with Larry, I’d accidentally broken one of his goals.

Things were great.

Next time on Welcome to New York… I need to make changes…

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where it’s time to right the sinking ship before everything goes completely wrong…

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to Boston 18: Liberty and the Snake

Thursday, Week 2, February, 2021

The Laurent Ballroom, Burlington, Vermont

Attendance: 3,393</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM FOURWAY TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Legacy, Doctor O'Haire and Nigel Svensson and Perren Cloutier and Richard Faber in 9:44; the order of elimination was Doctor O'Haire and Nigel Svensson first, then Perren Cloutier and Richard Faber, and finally Legacy. (D+)

Step 1: Make sure the tag team titles remain important and the champions seem strong. Check.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated Julius Moor in 4:58 by pinfall with a Demon Slam. (E)

Step 2: Crush the soon-to-be-departing Julius Moor and give the boost to our rising star. Check.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Eddie Howard in 7:51 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (D)

Step 3: Bury the other departing star in favour of our heir-apparent. Check

ANGLE: Eddie Howard is celebrating his victory in the ring. Chuck Vessey runs in and attacks, beating Howard down into the mat. (D+)

As above.

FATAL FOURWAY MATCH: Garry Walker defeated Elemental IV, Hugh de Aske and Scorpius in 6:19 when Garry Walker defeated Elemental IV by pinfall with a Pants Pull Sunset Flip. (D+)

Step 4: Begin to build up our talented midcarders, ready for a sustained push to reward them for their patience and loyalty. Check.

ANGLE: Ralph Liotta w/ Mr. Morrisette cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with PRIDE Koiso. ©

SINGLES MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated PRIDE Koiso in 10:28 by disqualification. (D)

Step 5: Focus on a singular main eventer, ready for a major push into a storyline at the top of the card. Check.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Texas Rough Riders defeated Rust Dillon and The Mythical One in 13:28 when Bradley Blaze defeated The Mythical One by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. (C+)

Step 6: Re-establish our most talented tag team ready for the new-look main event and bemoan the fact we’ve turned them heel at completely the wrong time. Again. Check

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (A*)

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: James Justice © defeated William Jetterson in 10:14 by pinfall with a Liberation Slam. (C-)

Step 7: Accept that our main events are going to suck until we can find the right time to move the strap off of the champion without completely ruining the prestige AND destroying our most expensive ‘asset.’ Check

OVERALL: C

Bad show there really, but the seeds had been planted for the future. Julius Moor, the man who never quite made enough of an impact has signed a written contract to join TCW. Fair play, we wished him well. Eddie Howard was in discussions to join him, as I regret giving him the King of New York tournament win.

<div style="text-align:center;">Old School Wrestling

Thursday, Week 4, February, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Legacy and Richard Faber and Doctor O'Haire in 10:28; the order of elimination was Richard Faber and Doctor O'Haire first, and then Legacy. (D)

Let’s focus on the tag team we like the best (actually we love the Rough Riders too). Just a nice simple win.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated Hugh de Aske in 5:28 by pinfall with a Demon Slam. (E+)

His quality of opponents is increasing and the results are… underwhelming. Had we officially destroyed de Aske’s value with constant jobs? Probably.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Eddie Howard in 4:47 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (D)

Now THAT, is a burial. Vessey, having murdered both Howard and Moor in recent weeks looks like an absolute killer. He is consistently outperforming these guys too.

SINGLES MATCH: Garry Walker defeated William Jetterson in 7:53 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. (C-)

Following his defeat to Justice the week before, Jetterson has enough left in his tank to lose to Garry Walker, main eventer-in-the-waiting. It was time to push the Monkey Man properly, because he’s wasted where he currently is.

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (B+)

GANG WARS MATCH: James Justice, The Mythical One and Rust Dillon defeated Ralph Liotta and Texas Rough Riders in 26:44 when Rust Dillon defeated Bradley Blaze by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. ©

Rust Dillon is looking more and more at home in the main event every week that goes by. What I like about him is, he’s getting more popular despite rarely winning. So when he does, like here, the crowd love it.

OVERALL: C

So Eddie Howard officially left to join TCW and he has a strong dislike relationship with me now. But I don’t care, he’s unlikely ever to return. Again, we lost money as James Justice bleeds us slowly dry. Still that should change next month, with a singular show and no Howard or Moor and their inflated wages to worry about.

It’s time to go back to the barebones.

Next time on Welcome to New York… Rush Hour 2021…

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where Rush Hour officially signals the beginning of the storylines which will see us through the rest of the year… Except this year…

<div style="text-align:center;">NYCW Rush Hour 2021

Thursday, Week 4, February, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Nigel Svensson and Richard Faber in 8:27 when Austin Smooth defeated Richard Faber by submission with a Smooth Hold after blatantly cheating. (D)

Disappointing opener, but a nice win for the tag champs.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated Elemental IV in 6:30 by pinfall with a Demon Slam. (E+)

Is it too much to ask for Azrael to actually have a decent match? Just once? Even against good opponents he sucks.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Scorpius and Doctor O'Haire defeated Legacy in 7:52 when Doctor O'Haire defeated Robin DaLay by submission with a Mandible Claw after blatantly cheating. (D)

That’s right folks. We know what Legacy are all about, so it’s time to semi-push some more of our apparently talented workers and see if we can’t strike gold. Scorpius is still pretty awful though.

SINGLES MATCH: Perren Cloutier defeated William Jetterson in 8:06 by pinfall with a Shark Dropper after Steve Flash interfered. (D+)

I forgot that Flash was still set as Cloutier’s manager. And he wins so little, I’d completely missed it for… a year? 18 months? But hey, it works for me. Look at the youngster go.

SINGLES MATCH: Rust Dillon defeated Hugh de Aske in 8:06 by count out. (D)

I didn’t want to completely bury The Dread Pirate, but I’ve decided Dillon is going to move up from midcarder to upper-midcard gatekeeper. With that in mind, he needs to appear to be dangerous. This is the perfect way to do that.

ANGLE: Ralph Liotta comes out with Mr. Morrisette and says that tonight he finally fulfils his destiny by defeating James Justice and winning the Empire World Title. (C+)

Good stuff kid, just keep going.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Texas Rough Riders defeated Garry Walker and PRIDE Koiso in 7:59 when Bradley Blaze defeated PRIDE Koiso by pinfall after using a foreign object. (C-)

The Texas Rough Riders, the secondary heel team now, have little to do other than defeating some of our better faces. Garry avoids taking the pin though because we want to keep him strong.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey comes out and says that he will take the open challenge from anyone, from anywhere. Strange pan pipe music plays. ©

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: The Mythical One defeated Chuck Vessey © in 28:22 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. The Mythical One wins the NYCW United States title. (C+)

Fantastic match between two of our top 5 ring generals. They both let it all hang out, and while the US title might be a step down for The Mythical One, it’s absolutely the best spot for him right now.

ANGLE: James Justice makes an elaborate entrance. (A)

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated James Justice © in 10:17 by disqualification. (D)

Wow! Just wow. I know it was a screwy finish, but come on!!!!! Surely Justice can get a passable match out Liotta. Or the other way around.

OVERALL: D+

Just when I thought I had a handle on things, that main event absolutely crushes my momentum. That is the worst show since the Flash Farewell, which at least told an awesome story.

Following the event, our failing Empire World Champion James Justice had the cheek to request a pay rise of, no less than 40%. Ok then James, that’s enough of that.

Next time on Welcome to New York… Ring in the changes…

Ah y’now what, I can’t wait. Time for an impromptu episode of Traditional Tour…

<div style="text-align:center;">Traditional Tour

Thursday, Week 4, March, 2021

The Laurent Ballroom, Burlington, Vermont

Attendance: 3,329</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © drew with Texas Rough Riders in 26:43 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. ©

Good match between our two heel teams. Crowd seemed to like it regardless of not technically having anyone to cheer for.

SINGLES MATCH: Azrael defeated PRIDE Koiso in 6:10 by pinfall with a Demon Slam. (E)

Are his matches actually getting worse now? I think it might be time to call the Azrael push a failure, like so many things right now, and move on from him.

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: The Mythical One © defeated Ralph Liotta in 12:37 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. (C-)

From potential Empire Title, to failed US Title bid. Poor Liotta is floundering a bit, and it’s entirely my fault. I’d find a way to make it up to him somewhere down the line.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo saying he’s had enough of overweight, bloated, old stars running NYCW. Tonight he’s going to send James Justice to the hospital, unless he puts up too much of fight, in which case, he’s off to the morgue. (C+)

Decidely heelish interview with Vessey right tere.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey defeated James Justice © in 5:02 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. Chuck Vessey wins the NYCW Empire World title. (C+)

That is a domination, a burial and a decisive (and forced) passing of the torch moment. It’s time to go all-in on Vessey and see if he can right this sinking ship.

ANGLE: Following the match, the stunned crowd watch an angry Justice tear up the ringside area. Chuck Vessey returns and destroys his opponent, before slinging him into the audience. (C-)

And that, is a full stop.

OVERALL: C-

We wanted to fire Justice, we really did. But we’ve decided to bury the greedy, lazy no-good loser and force him to quit. We had the opportunity to offer new contracts to some of our young stars, so we did: Austin Smooth, The Architect, The Mythical One and Rust Dillon all signed long-term deals with hefty pay rises.

Over in Japan, the legendary Optimus retired. Having dealt with his American version, we wished we’d had the real thing.

Next time on Welcome to New York… It’s Vessey Time…

Hashasheen · June 12, 2018

Oof, yeah. Vessey, Howard, Mythical One need to beat everyone else. Not sure how good Liotta actually is, tbh. Any reason why you're not pushing PRIDE more up the roster?

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Hashasheen" data-cite="Hashasheen" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="45361" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Oof, yeah. Vessey, Howard, Mythical One need to beat everyone else. Not sure how good Liotta actually is, tbh. Any reason why you're not pushing PRIDE more up the roster?</div></blockquote> He suffered a terrible injury before we signed him and is broken down and in decline. Otherwise he'd be a stick-on main event guy.

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where nepotism is cool…

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to New York 44: The Vessey Era Begins

Thursday, Week 1, April, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated War Piece and Richard Faber in 10:16 when The Architect defeated War Piece by submission with a Blueprint after blatantly cheating. (D+)

War Piece was a new masked wrestler who looked pretty good on paper. As is tradition with most new workers, he’s introduced to the crowd as a loser. But that’s fine, he’d get more chances I’m sure. I really needed a proper feud for the Marvelous Ones.

TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Azrael defeated Scorpius and PRIDE Koiso in 5:54 when Azrael defeated PRIDE Koiso by pinfall with a Demon Slam. (E+)

I just can’t quite let go of the push. I’d crushed so many more talented workers to get this guy over, it seemed such a waste to give up.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Doctor O'Haire and Nigel Svensson drew with Perren Cloutier and Elemental IV in 8:27 following a double count out. (D-)

Back to classic NYCW booking, where we stick two teams against each other and have no one lose.

SINGLES MATCH: Garry Walker defeated William Jetterson in 10:10 by pinfall after using a foreign object. (C-)

The unfortunate and not-intended Jetterson destruction continues. At the end of the day, I’m overloaded with top-level heels and need to build up face challengers. Especially with Vessey channelling his inner douchbag at champion.

SINGLES MATCH: Hugh de Aske defeated Robin DaLay in 7:31 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. (D)

My word, it’s a de Aske win. Just something to make him seem relevant. I need to feed some top heels to my up-and-coming faces. So the circle of wrestling popularity continues.

SINGLES MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated Bret Heartbreak in 8:03 by pinfall with a Flash of Brilliance Super Kick after Chris Morrisette interfered. (D+)

Legacy aren’t really needed right now, so I’m happy to job them out in favour of someone like Liotta. Unlike The Dread Pirate though, I had BIG plans for him.

SINGLES MATCH: Bradley Blaze defeated Rust Dillon in 7:53 by disqualification. (C-)

Good match as Dillon looked dominant throughout, but Blaze got the win. It’s the perfect booking scenario.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with James Justice. He can’t believe the has-been wants seconds. But for those expecting a return to the Justice Era, prepare to be disappointed. (C+)

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated James Justice in 4:33 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (D+)

Another burial and domination for the champion as we try and make life as unpleasant as possible for Justice. Don’t mess with the bosses nephew, it’ll never end well.

ANGLE: Bradley Blaze says that he has already won tonight, now it’s time for his boy ‘The Hangman’ to step up and start fulfilling his destiny. First step; Destroy The Mythical One. (C+)

NYCW US TITLE MATCH: The Hangman defeated The Mythical One © in 28:05 by pinfall with a Choke Slam. The Hangman wins the NYCW United States title. (C+)

That’s right folks, he hotshot the title onto a top heel with bags of momentum. Hangman has been on the periphery for too long. It’s time to see what he can do in dominant singles action. Good first match to boot.

OVERALL: C

While the show was a disappointment, it really felt like I had a handle of all our major stories going forward. James Justice, predictably walked out on the company. And annoyingly, USPW came calling and stole Mr. Morrisette. It wasn’t ideal, but I was happy Liotta wouldn’t need him for much longer anyway.

Our new Empire Champion, Chuck Vessey requested a pay raise from £300 to $1,630. We accepted happily, because he’s such a Hell of a worker.

<div style="text-align:center;">Traditional Tour

Thursday, Week 2, April, 2021

The Laurent Ballroom, Burlington, Vermont

Attendance: 3,369</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM FOURWAY MATCH: The Marvelous Ones © defeated Legacy, Nigel Svensson and PRIDE Koiso and Scorpius and Doctor O'Haire in 9:56; the order of elimination was Legacy first, then Nigel Svensson and PRIDE Koiso, and finally Scorpius and Doctor O'Haire. (D)

Still not a lot for our tag champs to do as we didn’t have a workable face team to challenge them (other than Legacy). So we’d keep them winning and wait until somebody stepped up.

SINGLES MATCH: James Wolfsbaine defeated Azrael in 6:07 by pinfall with an Smash Hammer. (E+)

Welcome back to the company James Diaz. We’ve repackaged him as a monster worker and renamed him so that people don’t remember him from his first run with us. In his debut, he destroys Azrael in impressive fashion. The crowd responded really well to it too. Good start.

NYCW US TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: The Hangman © defeated Elemental IV and War Piece in 7:48 when The Hangman defeated War Piece by pinfall with a Choke Slam. (D)

The Hangman, another dominant worker looks impressive in his first title defense against two workers with no direction. Match was a bit Meh, but the popularity just wasn’t there.

SINGLES MATCH: Hugh de Aske defeated Richard Faber in 7:39 by pinfall with a handful of tights. (D)

Another win for de Aske as we happily job out our jobbers to help rebuild our still-damaged roster.

SINGLES MATCH: Perren Cloutier defeated William Jetterson in 8:06 by pinfall after using a foreign object. (D)

Sorry Cobra, but like I’ve said, a company with no effective faces is destined to struggle. Cloutier, Dillon and Walker were the future and potential foes for the now-heel Vessey on top. I was hopeful of some great matches.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with The Mythical One. (C+)

Why not run with a rematch between two of our best? Finally; Direction.

GANG WARS MATCH: Garry Walker, Rust Dillon and The Mythical One defeated Bradley Blaze, Chuck Vessey and Ralph Liotta in 12:33 when Chuck Vessey was disqualified while fighting The Mythical One. (C+)

And we kick things off with a big win for the faces, specifically including building the story between Vessey and Mythical.

ANGLE: The Mythical One is celebrating his victory in the ring. Chuck Vessey runs in and attacks, beating Mythical down into the mat. (D+)

OVERALL: C

It was time to stop focusing on old, workers and push, push, push the new generation. There’d no doubt be teething problems, but all my champions could at least put on a show in various matches.

Over in SWF, convicted drug-taker and law-breaker Remmy Skye won the SWF World Title from Brandon James to start his second reign. That can’t be good thinking?

Next time on Welcome to New York… We start a new storyline involving some very talented workers, and SWF under Eric Eisen begin signing up any worker available…

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where a Brotherhood only works if everyone is on the same page…

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to Boston 19: A Brotherhood in Trouble

Thursday, Week 3, April, 2021

The Laurent Ballroom, Burlington, Vermont

Attendance: 3,242</div>

TRIPLE THREAT TAG TEAM MATCH: Legacy defeated Azrael and Doctor O'Haire and Scorpius and Richard Faber in 7:52; the order of elimination was Scorpius and Richard Faber first, and then Azrael and Doctor O'Haire. (D-)

The Azrael push is officially dead and it’s time to rebuild Legacy so that they can challenge The Marvelous Ones. Poor match in all honesty.

SINGLES MATCH: James Wolfsbaine defeated Nigel Svensson in 8:20 by pinfall with a Smash Hammer. (D-)

Already Wolfsbaine is proving a better prospect than Azrael for the mega-push. His short matches where he dominates should move him up the card quickly enough.

SINGLES MATCH: Ralph Liotta defeated War Piece in 7:47 by pinfall with a Swinging Neckbreaker following interference from The Architect. (D)

Liotta breaking out his old finisher right there, but he wasn’t happy about Architect interfering.

ANGLE: Ralph Liotta is backstage arguing with The Architect. Apperently he didn’t ask for help beating the masked nobody and he doesn’t want help going forward. He’s a man dammit. It gets heated, and the shouting catches the attention of Austin Smooth who is passing by. He walks in and tries to calm them down. Apparently The Brotherhood are better when they’re on the same page. Liotta and Architect agree. ©

NYCW US TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: The Hangman © defeated Perren Cloutier and William Jetterson in 7:55 when The Hangman defeated Perren Cloutier by pinfall with a Choke Slam. (D+)

Cloutier is at last at home challenging for a title. Sure he ate the pinfall, but he looked good in defeat.

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Rust Dillon and Garry Walker defeated The Marvelous Ones © in 7:45 when The Architect was counted out fighting Ralph Liotta at ringside. (C-)

Oh dear, oh dear. Liotta tried to interfere and accidentally his Architect, leading to the two men brawling. Good match actually, and we give a win (albeit a cheap one) to two upcoming faces.

ANGLE: The Architect is angry backstage and Austin Smooth tries to calm him down. But The Architect is furious and the two almost come to blows. (C-)

My God what is this? Actual story-telling in NYCW. What on Earth will happen going forward?

ANGLE: Bradley Blaze cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Elemental IV. ©

SINGLES MATCH: Bradley Blaze defeated Elemental IV in 10:10 by pinfall with a handful of tights. ©

Great match and a great win for one half of the Texas Rough Riders. With Hangman busy going forward, it’s time to give Blaze a chance in singles competition again.

ANGLE: The Mythical One cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Chuck Vessey. ©

Hey look at that, we’re actually giving mic time to our top face. He did ok actually, as I always assumed he’d suck at it.

SINGLES MATCH: The Mythical One defeated Hugh de Aske in 13:17 by pinfall after using a foreign object. ©

Another good upper-midcard match as Mythical gets a tainted win over the resurgent de Aske. Exactly the sort of booking to build momentum for a challenger which was been completely absent for months in NYCW.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey is in the ring with a microphone. He claims that he is so good that he cannot be defeated by anyone, and so he is making an open challenge for any wrestler on the roster to face him in a singles match. Generic Japanese music plays. (B-)

Oooo, I am liking Bad Ass Chuck Vessey. He’s got moxey.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE: Chuck Vessey © defeated PRIDE Koiso in 27:38 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm. (C-)

Actually a disappointing match considering the undoubted talents of both men. Still a win is a win and Chuck continues to establish himself as THE MAN in New York. He’s infinitely better than James Justice already.

OVERALL: C

Backstage Svensson had some words with us about his recent booking, which we’d take under consideration. Meanwhile our new jobber, Richard Faber has become friends with PRIDE Koiso. So that’s nice. Harmony breeds harmony.

<div style="text-align:center;">Old School Wrestling

Thursday, Week 4, April, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES: Garry Walker and PRIDE Koiso defeated The Marvelous Ones © in 9:34 when The Architect was counted out while fighting PRIDE Koiso. (C-)

Another title defense and loss for the cahmpions. Another good match as the storyline about The Brotherhood continues.

ANGLE: After the match Austin Smooth is angry with The Architect for his stupid mistake, but The Architect won’t back down. Liotta now arrives, seemingly to calm the situation down, but he only makes it worse and the three men end up brawling. ©

SINGLES MATCH: James Wolfsbaine defeated William Jetterson in 7:59 by pinfall with a Smash Hammer. (D)

Already moving onto midcarders as we continue to feed anyone and everyone to our new unstoppable monster face. The crowd are responding well and there’s even a small ‘Wolfs-Baine!’ chant throughout.

ANGLE: The Mythical One cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Chuck Vessey. But he’s happy to prove his worth tonight, in a Gang Wars match. ©

GANG WARS MATCH: Chuck Vessey and Texas Rough Riders defeated The Mythical One, Ralph Liotta and Hugh de Aske in 27:41 when The Marvelous Ones ‘accidentally’ knocked out Liotta, allowing The Hangman to pin him. ©

Not a bad match, although full of heels, but this is what happens when you prematurely plan for a face champion, only to have him walk out.

OVERALL: C

So with one month to go before Gang Wars, we actually had some stories bubbling away, we had champions we liked and things seemed to have settled down following the departure of Henry and Valentine.

In Mexico, El Critico started a new promotion called Mexican Hardcore Wrestling, while Eric Eisen, following in his father’s early footsteps signed up a load of talent: Mimic, Frantic Ali, Gargantuan and unbelievably… Doctor O’Haire. Apparently losing for years on the independent scene is enough to get a big contract. We wished him well, having never really found a proper use for him.

Next time on Welcome to New York… The Marvelous Ones explode…

TCP1 · June 12, 2018

Welcome to New York… Where our hottest storyline involves two loud-mouthed legends in the making…

Let’s get straight to it.

<div style="text-align:center;">Welcome to New York 45: Smooth Loses his Grove

Thursday, Week 1, May, 2021

McGaw Arena, Brooklyn, New York City, New York

Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT!)</div>

FOURWAY TAG TEAM MATCH: Nigel Svensson and Richard Trewman defeated Legacy, Garlan Fournier and Perren Cloutier and Scorpius and War Piece in 9:54; the order of elimination was Garlan Fournier and Perren Cloutier first, then Scorpius and War Piece, and finally Legacy. (E+)

We’ve signed some young rookie talents to contracts and look, one of them got a win. Trewman reminds me of a young Brent Hill, while Garlan Fournier definitely resembles a young Steve Flash. I felt confident they’d become excellent jobbers for us. Plus we gave Svensson some love.

SINGLES MATCH: James Wolfsbaine defeated Doctor O'Haire in 4:46 by pinfall with a Smash Hammer. (E+)

It’s the official goodbye to Doc, as he does what he does best. Lay on his back and lose.

SINGLES MATCH: Rust Dillon defeated Azrael in 7:34 by pinfall with a Tempest Blast. (D+)

Well look at that. The moment we put Azrael in a fair match-up he actually delivers. This might be more to Dillon in fairness, but whatever. Good match.

NYCW US TITLE TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: The Hangman © defeated Richard Faber and PRIDE Koiso in 7:34 when The Hangman defeated PRIDE Koiso by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. (D+)

Speaking of good matches. Apparently the crowd love it when The Hangman throws around two smaller guys before pinning one of them.

GRUDGE MATCH: The Architect defeated Ralph Liotta in 8:05 by submission with a Blueprint after interference from Chuck Vessey. (C-)

What on Earth is the Empire World champion doing interfering in this match? Whatever the reason, it was solid and Liotta looked most put out at his loss.

ANGLE: Following the match, Chuck Vessey and Ralph Liotta are in the ring and are squaring off, unhappy about something. The argument soon turns physical, and they are joined by Austin Smooth and Bradley Blaze for a wild brawl, with the chaos spilling out all around ringside. Eventually a number of officials and other wrestlers have to hit the ring and pull them apart before they kill each other. (C-)

That’s right folks, simply by holding his own against such a bad ass, Liotta looks every bit the main eventer we envisioned him to be all those years ago.

TAG TEAM MATCH: Garry Walker and Elemental IV defeated William Jetterson and Hugh de Aske in 10:26 when Elemental IV defeated Hugh de Aske by pinfall with a handful of tights. (C-)

The good matches continue to roll as we’ve accidentally found ourselves with a deep and talented midcard. My word, it’s amazing how a small amount of luck can change an entire promotion. I call it the trickle down effect. While you have a good top champion, everything else falls into place beneath it.

ANGLE: Austin Smooth cuts a promo saying he doesn’t know what Vessey is doing interfering in his business, but tonight he’s going to take his shot at the Champion and walk out with all the gold. (D)

Not a great promo from Smooth, which is a shame.

SINGLES MATCH: Bradley Blaze drew with The Mythical One in 27:36 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. (C+)

And these two push each other to new heights again. This time there is no winner, except the crowd.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Austin Smooth. When you’re used to playing with little boys (easy there Chuck), it can be scary to play with men (this promo is going to be shown a million times online), but Smooth shouldn’t be worried, Vessey will go easy on him. (B-)

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Austin Smooth in 27:44 by pinfall with a Stampede Forearm following interference from The Architect. (C+)

Fantastic match between these two as Smooth holds his own and in fact only loses because of a jealous tag team partner. Good storytelling.

ANGLE: Smooth is surrounded in the ring by Chuck Vessey, Bradley Blaze, The Hangman and The Architect. Ralph Liotta runs out to try and even the odds, but the two men are beaten to a pulp. The four victors raise their hands together. (D+)

Is this the beginning of a new alliance? If it was, has there been a more dominant one in NYCW history? Tune in next week for more.

OVERALL: C+

That’s our best show for a while and we’re building some great storylines. Elemental IV and Scorpius’ contracts came up for renewal. We decided only one of them was staying. Can you guess which?

Meanwhile SWF’s spending spree continued as they got: Kentucky Bill, Diablo Duvak, Mario da Silva, Ekuma, High Flyin Hawaiian and Jake Idol. Was their plan to own ALL THE WRESTLERS IN THE WORLD?

It seems strange that the only impact we had was to lose Doc.

<div style="text-align:center;">Traditional Tour

Thursday, Week 2, May, 2021

The Laurent Ballroom, Burlington, Vermont

Attendance: 3,310</div>

NYCW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Garry Walker and Elemental IV defeated The Marvelous Ones © in 8:24 when The Architect was counted out fighting Ralph Liotta at ringside. (C-)

They might not be getting on, but The Marvelous Ones are still tag team champs. You can sense real tension between them though. The ending of the match didn’t help.

SINGLES MATCH: James Wolfsbaine defeated Hugh de Aske in 7:58 by pinfall with a Smash Hammer. (D-)

WOLFS-BAINE! WOLFS-BAINE!

GANG WARS MATCH: Ralph Liotta and Texas Rough Riders defeated PRIDE Koiso and Legacy in 8:27 when Bradley Blaze defeated Robin DaLay by pinfall with a handful of tights. (D+)

It seems that despite last week, Liotta knows which side to be on in a fight. Although he spent most of the match warily watching his tag team partners, before almost single-handedly getting the win.

ANGLE: The Mythical One cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with William Jetterson. ©

SINGLES MATCH: The Mythical One defeated William Jetterson in 8:02 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex. ©

Clean win and a good showing from the number one contender to the Empire World Title. I have HIGH hopes for their matchup at Gang Wars. Hopefully they didn’t let me down.

ANGLE: Chuck Vessey cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with The Mythical One. (C+)

Vessey is such a natural heel and a great mouthpiece for the promotion as a whole. I love Mythical too, but he’s not quite the foil for Vessey I need. Although he’ll do for now until I can find one.

NYCW EMPIRE WORLD TITLE MATCH: Chuck Vessey © defeated Rust Dillon in 13:18 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. (B-)

Way to go Dillon! What a great matchup which simultaneously raises the stock in Dillon AND makes Vessey look like a good old-fashioned, fighting champion. That’s our best main event in AGES!

OVERALL: C+

In sad news, Al the Hillbilly died after a car accident. And in potentially the biggest news in ages, Champagne Lover’s contract was up and had led to a bidding war.

Next time on Welcome to New York… The final build to Gang Wars and Champagne signs for someone new…

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