NextGen Wrestling: Change the CVerse [RtG CVerse97]

DarK_RaideR · March 4, 2019

"When we said we wanted to start our own company, people called us crazy. I'd been called worse..."

Leon Harrison, NGW co-founder

"At the time, we didn't think about starting a revolution or anything, we just wanted a place to work. European World Class Wrestling was already in its final days and neither of us wanted to go to Scotland and try hardcore wrestling with Men of Steel Combat. So we just scraped some money together and put up our own shows."

John Silver, NGW co-founder

From a small time company run by two friends who wanted a stage to showcase their skills back in 1997 to a cult-like phenomenon that dominates the pro wrestling landscape in Europe sixteen years later, NextGen Wrestling's always had some of the finest wrestling on display in the continent. What many may not know however is it also has a fascinating story behind its rise. A story we are here to tell.

Next Gen Wrestling

Author's Note: About time I gave this save a voice. Once I got the hang of TEW16, I set off to do the Road to Glory challenge with John Silver (pictured above) as my user character in the 1997 version of the CVerse. The entire experience has been kept as a live diary elsewhere and because of that, I slowly grew attached to my grassroots promotion and refused to make the jump to a bigger one in order to fast-track my avatar's career. It's been my longest ongoing game to date and sixteen in-game years later, my promotion has grown to Cult size and my user character's hit 34 years of age. With both industry and economy in the gutter, he's probably hitting decline before the promotion grows to National size, so the challenge has probably evolved from a "Road to Glory" to a de facto "Local to Global" one. Instead of cluttering this thread with copy-pasting my shows, I decided to use a documentary format to recap everything, from the promotion's evolution to the evolution of the game world and get readers up to speed. The save itself had gone on indefininite hiatus almost a year ago and I recently picked it up again, so it's also a chance for me to look back on what has transpired while getting readers up to speed as well.

Historian · March 4, 2019

I'm very interesting to see what a game world looks like 16 years in, especially one that started in 1997. With the 05 database (in my mind) being the real official start to the CVerse (forget 04!), it's interesting to see how your world will have developed past the cannon. 'Cause you've got to be in what, 2013/2014 now? Who are the top stars?!? Top companies!?!? Did someone go out of business who is still alive in the cannon? So much I need to know.

DarK_RaideR · March 4, 2019

Chapter 1: Humble beginnings for future superstars <div style="text-align:center;">Chapter 1: Humble beginnings for future superstars</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="VqnREXC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VqnREXC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> John Silver, NGW co-founder</div> "I was in the UK to train and just happened to visit Brighton on a weekend off. Leon was working a local show and then would hit the pubs to party. The exact details of how we met are a bit fuzzy thanks to the booze, but we both shared a passion for pro wrestling. He would never fit in the rough, macho world of MoSC and I knew if I joined EWCW I'd get lost in the shuffle. So, I pitched the idea of starting our own promotion to him."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iyN2viL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iyN2viL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Leon Harrison, NGW co-founder</div> "EWCW was based in Austria and MoSC was north-west of that, so John figured the south east was a virgin market. We started off in Greece with $1.000 in the bank. I had to spend some more to make the move there, so we agreed to make me head of the company as kind of a moral compensation. John was Greek anyway, so he took up creative in order for me to focus on the business part."</div></blockquote> NGW held its first ever show on the last Friday of January 1997 in front of an audience of 8 paying spectators, most of them friends and relatives of Harrison and Silver. With them were wrestlers Tony Mahr and Stevie Stoat, while the matches were refereed by Jacob Bailey. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ozq7xAM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ozq7xAM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="LdHFz7R.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LdHFz7R.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="a7nMpjP.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/a7nMpjP.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Left to right: Tony Mahr, Stevie Stoat, Jacob Bailey</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="VqnREXC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VqnREXC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> "Mahr beat Leon and Stevie beat me, end of show. We knew we'd be losing money for the first God knows how many shows, so we kept everything as bare bones as possible. We did six shows in our first year, held one every other month so we could cut our losses and sell some merch in the meantime. Only had a single title at first, one we simply called the NextGen Championship. Stevie [stoat] was our first champion, won it in our second show by defeating Tony Mahr."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iyN2viL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iyN2viL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> "It was a mess, from day one. First, our ref got caught for reckless driving, resisted arrest and got 3 years of jail time for it, so we brought in a replacement in Neil Fearn. Then Stevie Stoat was involved in a few injuries while wrestling myself and Tony Mahr, so he got real hard to work with. Remember, this was during the time that Steve Flash ended his career due to a spinal injury, so things were tense. And so, he lost the title to Tony [Mahr] and left, meaning we had to bring in some fresh faces."</div></blockquote> These "fresh faces" would be 'Irish Fire' Phil Templeton, the athletic super junior Hugo Lopez from Portugal as well as a young Tom 'Angry' Gilmore. Also debuting on the promotion's first year were Viv "The Violence" Jacobs and Corrine White, a no-nonsense duo of brawlers under the outspoken title of "Lesbians With Attitude" <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="tZRr8Yg.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tZRr8Yg.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="r957Nho.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/r957Nho.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="VdWqW85.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VdWqW85.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="KgdqMk2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KgdqMk2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="raT1cfr.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/raT1cfr.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Left to right: Phil Templeton, Hugo Lopez, Tom "Angry" Gilmore, Viv Jacobs, Corrine White</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="VqnREXC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VqnREXC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> "We were still finding our place as far as the product is concerned, but our general mission statement was to hire young talent, so we had a more traditional/mainstream package than MoSC but also more modern and cutting edge than EWCW. That's how the name came up as well. Our pool of available talent was extremely limited, so we decided to take in female workers as well and promote inter-gender matches, which at the time I think no one else did. This side of the Atlantic, there wasn't even a thing such as a Women's Division or an all-female promotion. It gave women a chance to get in the ring, it made us a hit with young fans looking for something fresh and it also allowed us to have variety in our matchups with as limited a roster as possible."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iyN2viL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iyN2viL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> "Surviving on such limited finances was a constant struggle and it didn't help that all you'd hear at the time was promotions going out of business but no new ones opening their gates. I mean, everyone expected BBW in Japan and AMW in the States to go bust sooner or later, but when BHotWG bought out 5SSW, I remember thinking to myself if we ever get too deep in debt, that might happen to us as well."</div></blockquote> Things would only get harder for the upstart promotion after its first year. Financial turbulence led to shows being held whenever the funding for them could be scraped together, which was every other month. More new faces came in, but things were less than ideal in the NGW locker room. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="8OX0co0.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8OX0co0.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Pn03OJb.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Pn03OJb.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Ivsuqgm.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Ivsuqgm.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Voice of John Silver: "Viv and Corrine where raising all kinds of hell backstage and then Phil Templeton showed up completely hungover for our first show of the year and despite the fine, things didn't get better for him. I gave him a year to get his habit in check and when he didn't, it cost him his job. Meanwhile, I brought in a young Joey Beauchamp from Oxford and Newcastle native K'Lee Hawkins. Imagine my frustration when K'Lee also turned up drunk for his first day on the job! I fired him on the spot and soon replaced him with "the Welsh Warrior" Red Dragon." While the fledgling promotion was struggling to stay afloat amongst financial issues and backstage incidents, the bigger pro wrestling landscape was shifting drastically. Female wrestling legend Chiba Chiba returned to action, following the surpise return of "Pistol" Pete Hall the year prior and his spectacular year in Japan with BHotWG. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="latest?cb=20180725035722" data-src="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/tew/images/0/0a/Steve_Flash.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20180725035722" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="R3zb5jj.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/R3zb5jj.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Steve Flash left the hospital to officially announce his retirement from the ring and later that year John "Nemesis" Campbell would follow after he ruptured his patellar tendon wrestling against Dan Stone Jr at NOTBPW October Obliteration. Several other big names also hung up their boots during 1998, thankfully not due to injury, such as Brute Alexei, Saionji Omura and "the Yokohama Fireball" Yasunari Koga. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="inHRlJp.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/inHRlJp.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="OUphkmR.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/OUphkmR.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Canada's 4C would grow to classify as a "Small" sized promotion that year, only for expenses and competition to lead it to bankruptcy the year after. Piledriver Wrestling would also close within 1998 while EWCW in Europe finally collapse to be replaced soon after by Luis Figo Manico's UCR. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="i68800U.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/i68800U.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="dQ5xJel.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/dQ5xJel.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> That would be just one of six promotions to enter the business that year; Pylea, also known as El Pavo Real, pulled the trigger first to jumpstart Mexican Hardcore Wrestling, an innovative lucha libre promotion that would fold the year after. Australia's Athletic Empire fared somewhat better, making it to November of 2001 before declaring bankruptcy. Not everything was so short-lived though. Three major promotions still active to this day got the start in 1998. Southern Class Championship Wrestling was the first, followed by South of the Border Pro Wrestling in Mexico and Ring of Fire in the UK. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="sgmJBr5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sgmJBr5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="tSXNMot.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tSXNMot.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="xAP54XD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xAP54XD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Voice of John Silver: "As excited as I was to be running NGW at the time, I was also disappointed that we lacked the finances to really pull off what I had in mind. Those first few years were the grind, everything felt generic and repetitive, we were trying to survive and establish ourselves while the industry was going crazy. Best thing we could do was sign young prospects and get the best of them before the bigger promotions caught wind of them. Gilmore was the first such example. He did several tours of Japan, then got some bookings with CZCW and DAVE, by the time his contract came up for renewal he was too big for us. I was on the hunt again and that year we signed a few more big names that are still with us to this day: Petter Eriksson, Nelson Frye and Geena the Warrior Princess." <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="AhotWa7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AhotWa7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="qwZB6cD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qwZB6cD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="KRd8pBF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KRd8pBF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Nelson Frye, Wrestler, Independent Wrestler of the Year 2011</div> "I met [John] Silver in London, he walked up to me after a show I did in early 1999, introduced himself as a fellow wrestler and offered to buy me a beer if I'd give him some time to tell me about his company. I didn't have a steady deal with any promotion at the time and free beer sounded good, but he offered me a job and I liked the way he described NGW. The setup made sense and he had a real passion in his voice when talking about the promotion."</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ozq7xAM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ozq7xAM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> NextGen Wrestling was on the rise, but one of its original roster members was headed in the opposite direction. Former champion Tony Mahr ended his engagement in March of 1999. The emotional toll began to affect his performances and in January 2000, he was fired on the spot after he was caught drinking strong liquor backstage before an NGW show. Six months later, Mahr would be caught in possession of illegal steroids on his way to an independent wrestling show. Mr. Mahr refused to be interviewed for this documentary or make a statement regarding his time with the company or the incidents following his release. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="NMqO9RO.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NMqO9RO.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="pm9wFaC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pm9wFaC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> What made Tony Mahr's steroid arrest even worse for his chances of future employment was the so-called "Holly-weird Substances Scandal" that had seen the light of day in the Easter of 1999. Following the reports of whistleblower Jive Soul Bro about rampant substance abuse in the locker room of Hollyweird Grappling Company, pro wrestling as a whole had been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. As for the manager himself, Jive Soul Bro was reportedly blackballed from all the major promotions since, save for his former Eisen employers who were all to happy about offering a job to the man who had dealt a significant blow to the reputation of their biggest competitors. Voice of Leon Harrison: "I'd won the title from Tony [Mahr] just as he started looking a little off and went on to feud with Joey [beauchamp] throughout 2000. He beat me for it, then I won it back, then he won the title again and kept it until the middle of 2001 before losing it to Nelson [Frye]. I think that would be best described as a restructuring period, or maybe a transitional one. Neil [Fearn] was replaced as our referee once Jacob Bailey got out of jail and assumed his duties again, we'd never terminated his contract all these years. Hugo [Lopez] also was released, his ego couldn't take the role he was expected to play in the company and we finally gave up on Corrine White. Viv [Jacobs] stuck around though, she had gotten her act straight backstage and was getting better all around too. To replenish the roster, we brought in Keith Adams and Golden Scorpion." <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iaAyx6u.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaAyx6u.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Golden Scorpion, Wrestler, NGW Hall of Famer</div> "I was looking to sign with BHotWG and be a part of their spectacular junior division, but once the [Haruki] Hooded Kudo prositute scandal broke out in early 1999 and then Elemental retired, they were in damage control mode. World Level Wrestling wasn't around yet, Youth Energy Pro Wrestling would open around the end of that year, Mexico was full of masked high flyers, so I figured my odds of being different and successful meant I had to make the move to Europe and join NGW."</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="O9boXCy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/O9boXCy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ZES4WG1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ZES4WG1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Australia's YEPW wasn't the only promotion to enter the business in 1999. Eugene Williams also launched his short-lived Los Angeles Wrestling company and Eddie Chandler made the move to promoter of women's wrestling when he brought Canadian Women's Wrestling Federation to the world. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="qwZB6cD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qwZB6cD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Geena the Warrior Princess, Wrestler, CWWF alumna</div> "Eddie [Chandler] had been inspired by the success of AAA in the States and what NOTBPW were doing with their Women's division. I was one of the first people he called and I took the gig since the dates wouldn't clash. Sure, the long flights were an issue but I was working for a bigger company and had the chance to visit home every once in a while so it was worth it while it lasted."</div></blockquote> The turn of the century didn't just witness the birth of promotions but also the death of them. Aside from the aforementioned 4C and MHW, Australia's Adelaide Pro Wrestling also shut its gates, as did New York Championship Wrestling with a shocking announcement to fans of oldschool traditional grappling around the world. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="m81sW3t.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/m81sW3t.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> 1988 - 1999</div> Coming up next: NGW in the 21st century; the promotion's growth and competition, the first ever Ladder match, how the tag team division began and some insight on that time when an unknown promotion in Europe managed to sign "Rough Justice" Tommy Cornell to wrestle for them. All that and much more in our next episode, Road to Regional!

smw88 · March 4, 2019

looks really interesting, how do you have the time to run so many diaries! I am lucky if between work and family I get a few hours a week to do anything gaming wise (of which TEW is I'm afraid to say only 1 thread drawing on my time)

Historian · March 4, 2019

FLASH RETIRED IN 1998!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! THE GAWD STEVE FLASH!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!<img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

<img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/mad.png.69834f23b9a8bf290d98375f56f1c794.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

<img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/mad.png.69834f23b9a8bf290d98375f56f1c794.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

<img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

DarK_RaideR · March 4, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="smw88" data-cite="smw88" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>looks really interesting, how do you have the time to run so many diaries! I am lucky if between work and family I get a few hours a week to do anything gaming wise (of which TEW is I'm afraid to say only 1 thread drawing on my time)</div></blockquote> I admit I had quite the slow desk job when I first ran this save <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> TEW is one of the few games I can bear to play these days though, my system is pretty old and I just lack the free time and focus in chunks big enough to justify bothering with another game, so it's usually snippets of TEW in my frequent moments of free time. The creative part is a different process, I get to think of stuff when I'm bored or before I fall asleep. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Historian" data-cite="Historian" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>FLASH RETIRED IN 1998!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! THE GAWD STEVE FLASH!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!<img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />:eek:<img alt=":eek:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/eek.png.0e09df00fa222c85760b9bc1700b5405.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt=":mad:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/mad.png.69834f23b9a8bf290d98375f56f1c794.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />:mad:<img alt=":mad:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/mad.png.69834f23b9a8bf290d98375f56f1c794.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />:(<img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />:(</div></blockquote> He totally ruptured his upper lumbar spinal cord, while wrestling Dan Stone Jr of all people! Silver lining, Steve just took a bump the wrong way and Dan didn't have to live out the rest of his days as the man who botched to cripple Steve Flash. I'm no medical professional and I'm too scared to google what an injury like that could even be like, but I just can't shake the mental image of a wheelchair-bound Steve Flash ever since.

Historian · March 4, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DarK_RaideR" data-cite="DarK_RaideR" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I admit I had quite the slow desk job when I first ran this save <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> TEW is one of the few games I can bear to play these days though, my system is pretty old and I just lack the free time and focus in chunks big enough to justify bothering with another game, so it's usually snippets of TEW in my frequent moments of free time. The creative part is a different process, I get to think of stuff when I'm bored or before I fall asleep. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote> I can definitely relate to the creative process portion. My mind never stops working so I can be thinking of things throughout the day. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DARK_RaideR" data-cite="DARK_RaideR" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div> He totally ruptured his upper lumbar spinal cord, while wrestling Dan Stone Jr of all people! Silver lining, Steve just took a bump the wrong way and Dan didn't have to live out the rest of his days as the man who botched to cripple Steve Flash. I'm no medical professional and I'm too scared to google what an injury like that could even be like, but I just can't shake the mental image of a wheelchair-bound Steve Flash ever since.</div></blockquote> I'm glad Dan didn't have to live out his life as the man who crippled Steve Flash. I love me some DSJR. I'd hate for him to have to wear that around his neck.

smw88 · March 4, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="DarK_RaideR" data-cite="DarK_RaideR" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I admit I had quite the slow desk job when I first ran this save <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> TEW is one of the few games I can bear to play these days though, my system is pretty old and I just lack the free time and focus in chunks big enough to justify bothering with another game, so it's usually snippets of TEW in my frequent moments of free time. The creative part is a different process, I get to think of stuff when I'm bored or before I fall asleep. <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> </div></blockquote> Well having done some of those jobs in the past I know how you feel. Unfortunately these days i barely get time to think at work some days. On the thinking side i agree fully, spent my whole commute this morning considering write up for my next two events</div></blockquote>

ElSheriffo · March 4, 2019

Always love reading long term saves just to see where they go, especially alternative future, as I like seeing surprise success stories. Sucks about Steve Flash though, especially as he was an MVP for me in my foray into a RtG CV97 game <img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />. I'm no expert either but at least if its lumbar he should still be able to use his arms, if that helps <img alt="

" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/confused.png.d4a8e6b6eab0c67698b911fb041c0ed1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

DarK_RaideR · March 4, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="ElSheriffo" data-cite="ElSheriffo" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Always love reading long term saves just to see where they go, especially alternative future, as I like seeing surprise success stories. Sucks about Steve Flash though, especially as he was an MVP for me in my foray into a RtG CV97 game <img alt=":(" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/frown.png.e6b571745a30fe6a6f2e918994141a47.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />. I'm no expert either but at least if its lumbar he should still be able to use his arms, if that helps <img alt=":confused:" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/confused.png.d4a8e6b6eab0c67698b911fb041c0ed1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote> I was going to mention colours on the Physical tab paper doll, but decided to check the Editor instead so I could deliver the exact numbers for you. Here's what Steve Flash looks like after the injury Head Condition: 79,7% Body Condition: 77,7% Arms Condition: 80,9% Legs Condition: 0,0% So I kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinda assume he can't walk? Edit: I re-checked my narrative above and it's actually Nemesis who was sidelined by wrestling against Dan Stone Jr. Steve Flash wrestled DSJR as his next-to-last match (coincidence?) and picked up his career terminating injury in a match for Rapid Pro Wrestling where he teamed with Silver Shark to take on Brent Hill and Alex Braun.

Historian · March 4, 2019

Are Nemesis and Steve Flash still doing something in the business?? I'd love for wheel-chair bound Steve Flash to be a premier road agent (not that I love him being wheel chair bound).

The Lloyd · March 4, 2019

This is great. Haven't read it all word for word yet, but getting there and just wanted to jump in and comment. Hope you pushed Joey Beauchamp. Always had a soft spot for him!!

DarK_RaideR · March 5, 2019

First of all, a big thank you to all readers and commenters.

Are Nemesis and Steve Flash still doing something in the business?? I'd love for wheel-chair bound Steve Flash to be a premier road agent (not that I love him being wheel chair bound).

Steve Flash is still with NOTBPW but they're not pushing him as anything. Guess they're keeping him around as a locker room leader and all around good personality. Nemesis switched to being a manager for both NOTBPW and DAVE; the former cut him loose in 2005 while the latter still do employ him (which means DAVE is alive and well in 2013!)

This is great. Haven't read it all word for word yet, but getting there and just wanted to jump in and comment. Hope you pushed Joey Beauchamp. Always had a soft spot for him!!

Short answer: yes. Don't wanna give away too much yet, once I'm caught up and done with the documentary, I think I'll take a look at the rest of the world and provide an overview of what it looks like beyond NGW, then do an extensive presentation of NGW's roster, title history, Hall of Fame etc so I'm saving the exact info on Beauchamp and the others for that.

I'm working on the second episode and it's hard to keep track of everything (and present it all) while keeping up the documentary narrative instead of just going "this is what happened in 2001, this is what happened in 2002.." etc" but I do enjoy the format. Make sure you pay attention to everything, there's snippets of game world evolution all around.

DarK_RaideR · March 5, 2019

Chapter 2: Road to Regional

Chapter 2: Road to Regional

At the start of the new century, NextGen Wrestling had been through a lot already but the future was looking bright. Meanwhile, the arrival of the new millenium had been anything but kind to some major promotions.

The East Coast War claimed its first victim in Xtreme Federation of Wrestling, who were bought out by the Supreme Wrestling Federation. More shockingly, the Eisen expansionism also led to the dismantling of California’s Coastal Zone Championship Wrestling while things were no different in Japan, where Burning Hammer of the Wrestling Gods took over Pride Glory Honor Wrestling and were lying in wait for new promotion World Level Wrestling to take a wrong step so they could move in and buy them out too.

“After four years in the business, we were finally breaking even for the first time, maybe turned in some profit too. I remember it was the first time I felt somewhat excited keeping the money books. 2001 was the first year we did a show each month, twelve shows throughout the year. June’s show sold 97 tickets and the next one in July made it to 106, taking us to triple-digit attendance for the first time ever. That’s how we told shows apart at the time, based on the month they were held, we hadn’t come up with names for each yet.”

“In 2001 I decided to take a break from all the hirings and firings and focus on the show content itself, which is how our first ever Ladder match came to be, among other stuff. I think that mentality of trying to put on the best show possible slowly spread throughout the locker room too, everyone was coming up with ideas and we didn’t get a single backstage incident all year."

Joey “The Breeze” Beauchamp, Wrestler
“Me and Leon [Harrison] had been feuding over the title for almost a year and a half, so it was time to try something different. Golden Scorpion was the best in-ring worker on the roster at the time, but we were both heels and he was still getting established with the fans. Nelson [Frye] was the runner up; he was a babyface and he’d been with the company for a good three years already. I was 25 and he was 22 back then. Our Ladder match really encapsulated the spirit of NGW at the time so I guess making it the first one ever with any kind of stipulation only made it all the more unique.”

“I wasn’t very keen on the idea of a Ladder match when John [silver] first told me. It felt too crazy and I didn’t want to expose two of our best talent to such high risk of injury. That year alone, Dark Angel, Barry Kingman and Danger Kumasaka had all announced their retirement due to injuries. I remember telling him ‘that stuff belongs to the McPetersons’ but he told me MoSC were about beer and brawling, not daredevil stunts. This was something new for European wrestling at the time, so it fit the profile we were building for the company.”

Nelson Frye, Wrestler, Independent Wrestler of the Year 2011
“I remember talking with John [silver] about his booking plans. We did that kind of stuff a lot, we're friends but I have to say he never gave me preferrential treatment because of that. He wanted to put the belt on Scorpion but didn’t know how and the roster was too thin to support a three way match, so I offered to be his transitional champion. The rest of it was us tossing ideas back and forth, really. He wanted to give me a big match to compensate for my short reign so I was like ‘make me go through hell for it, make the fans really want to see me win, then make Scorpion beat me clean in a regular match’. Winning that Ladder match established me as the number one babyface in NGW, so when Scorpion beat me next month like it was no big deal it instantly made him the top heel. It would be a full year later before I would defeat him to reclaim the title.”

NGW and UCR were, at the time, the only two promotions in Europe but due to their massive difference in size, importance and popularity, were never really considered to be competitors. When 21st Century Wrestling was founded in 2000, their presence was barely felt outside of the UK but in early 2001 things changed when ALPHA opened shop in the Scandinavian peninsula. Promoting loud and beefy giants, ALPHA put together an interesting roster than included, among others, NGW alumna Corrine White and Petter Eriksson, who began to appear for both companies.

Petter Eriksson, Wrestler
“At 6’4” and 300lbs, I was a natural fit for ALPHA. I was open to all the bookings I could get and since they held shows up north, I could combine it with a trip to visit my family in Oslo.”

ALPHA was one of two promotions to go live that year and not make it far, as they went bankrupt in November of the following year. The other one was Pro Wrestling SAISHO in Japan, essentially offering graduates of the PGHW dojo a stage after the promotion’s dismantling until it too went bankrupt in 2003.

Referee Eugene Williams gave women’s wrestling another go after Los Angeles Wrestling was shot down by its own media owners when he launched the all-female World Wrestling Association in September of 2001. To this day, WWA are still producing shows as does another company that began its journey in 2001, Giant Redwood’s United States Pro Wrestling. Counter-culture promotion Parental Advisory Wrestling was still around, established in 2000 but wouldn’t go bankrupt until 2002. Before that, women’s wrestling took a heavy blow when CWFF went out of business

Fusae Etsuko, Wrestler
“When Canadian Women’s Wrestling Federation went bankrupt in early February of 2001, I was devastated. Western talent had places to go in Canada and the U.S. but joshi wrestling was dead after Burning Hammer bought out 5SSW in ‘97. I was lucky in my misfortune, because CWWF had booked me a nude photoshoot a month before going out of business. It was a smashing success and I got a call to do another one in the summer. The money got me through until Burning Hammer launched their own all-female promotion in 2003. Those two photoshoots kept food on my table for two and a half years while I was away from the ring.”

NGW had made it to the next level of a Small sized company, well past being simply just a Local promotion. With profits coming on a regular basis and even growing with each month, the people in charge went out on a spree to sign up several new workers.

Silver: “I signed Karen Bilous and Ai Okasawa, the latter of which had trained in the 5SSW dojo but had no place in Japan to ply her trade so she came to Europe. Ai was good, but too small for ALPHA. UCR gave her a chance, but she got lost in the shuffle. By the time I signed her, fans in Europe knew her well enough and she had a chance to shine in our ring. I also got Dark Falcon and Super Falcon, hoping for a feud between them since they’re friends and fellow high flyers tailor made to fight each other. It’s a good idea on paper, but they were so awkward in the ring I had to cut them loose after their first match; it just wasn’t going to happen.”

“The Louisiana Pitbull” Robert Howard, Wrestler
“I was a part of the first round of 2002 signings, alongside [Ai] Okasawa, the Falcons, “Mile High” Adam Matravers and Frank Van Heer, who was called Frank De Pain at the time. Back then I was more of a Psychopath when it came to my antics and my in-ring style. My trainers at the Golden Dojo saw a 6’4” three hundred pound Westerner with a heavy cajun accent and made a monster heel gaijin out of me. When I teamed up with Adam [Matravers] in June, we just clicked instantly. Lesbians with Attitude may have been the first ever tag team in NGW, but me and Adam were the first team to be forged in NGW. From that point on, we would team up on a regular basis and I’d gradually tone down my style to a more classic brawling approach that complements his slick high flying.”

Frank Van Heer/Frank De Pain, Wrestler
“I joined NGW as a singles wrestler at the start of 2002. Richard Blood and Viper McKenna came in a few months later. McKenna was “Miss Information” at the time, a fitness enthusiast who’d also be the mouthpiece for big bad Petter Eriksson. That’s when shows started having the first tag matches on a regular basis, so we could all get some time in the ring. Then [Robert] Howard and [Adam] Matravers became a team, Petter [Eriksson] and McKenna also started teaming and call themselves Fitness Fury and it kinda snowballed from there. The Elimination Agents were signed on November and I also managed to get my buddy Henrick [Van Bon/Ruud Van Anger] signed to form up Double Dutch. All of a sudden, NGW had a tag team division and in the final show of 2002, me and Henrick [Van Bon/Ruud Van Anger] beat the Elimination Agents to become the first ever NGW Tag Team champions.”

After the first year as a Small-sized promotion, NGW dared to dream big. Rivals 21CW and ALPHA had gone bankrupt and High Impact Wrestling in the UK Midlands barely registered as competition. Things were hot in Japan though, with WLW going out of business and Burning Hammer launching their own joshi promotion that signed Ai Okasawa and Karen Bilous away from NGW. Still, the promotion went for bigger and better, adding three huge names to its roster.

British Samurai, Wrestler
“I heard about NGW from Laura [Viper McKenna], who was working there as Miss Information at the time. She and Petter Eriksson won the tag titles off Double Dutch and she called me on the phone full of joy to break the news to her mentor. Woke me up too, because I was living in Japan at the time to accomodate my regular tours with PGHW and BHotWG. I’d given up on the West after a brief stint with 21st Century Wrestling, but she convinced me to give her employers a chance. I decided to try, because it felt like I had hit a glass ceiling in Japan. In hindsight, I was right because BHotWG would wait until 2013 before they offered me a full-time job. Signing with NGW and moving back to Europe was the right thing to do and I’m glad I did it.”

Marat Khoklov, Wrestler
“I made the jump from bodybuilding to wrestling in May of 2003 with a lot of hype surrounding my name, but had to wait until October of that year before I got any offers. NGW offered me a good pay alongside a plan to protect and develop me. At the time, I had zero wrestling experience but I still had to be the big menacing giant regardless, or it would ruin my future. For the first couple of years, I was working short squashes as I learned my way around a pro wrestling ring. Big Cat Brandon had retired that year due to a spinal injury while on tour with BHotWG and there was this sense that no one, no matter how big or strong or tough or experienced, is immune.”

Tommy Cornell, Wrestler, NGW Hall of Famer

Silver: "Tommy [Cornell] was working for SWF when he picked up a Femoral Stress Fracture in late ‘99 and in typical Eisen fashion, they fired him while he was sidelined. We were just lucky to find him available, about to return to action and sign him before anyone else did. Remember, he was nothing more than a bright prospect at the time, one going through a very rough patch indeed. Injured and out of a job, he also went through a divorce with pregnant-still Jennifer Moran, who gave birth to their son a few months later. It was the talk of the wrestling community for a while and while all the buzz and mystery surrounded him, Tommy resurfaced at NGW's November 2003 show and beat Nelson Frye on his first night to become NGW Champion. He would go on an undefeated streak while regularly touring Japan with Hinote Dojo and BHotWG, before the Eisens called to apologize and offer him a contract in 2005."

Steroid issues would once again plague the wrestling world when luchador Mexican Beast was caught in possession late in 2003. This wasn’t the only sad news for the community that year though. Sam Strong, Sebastian Krause and the Idaho Punisher were among the big names who announced their retirement after sustaining serious injuries.

Sebastian Krause, NGW Commissioner
“After the Berin Wall fell, SWF spotted me, signed me up and teamed me with Tommy Cornell as The Shadow Alliance. All it took was a miscalculation on my part during a televised match against the Outbackers; I landed on my butt the wrong way and hurt my lower spine. I could almost hear my career end as the vertebrae cracked. Unlike Tommy [Cornell], SWF kept me on board until my recovery and the expiry of my contract in 2005. I went through a long downward spiral and it wouldn’t be until 2012 when NGW called that I even considered involving myself in any way with the pro wrestling industry again.”

NGW had survived and thrived while other promotions left and right rose to usually fall within a few years. The roster had expanded to include a budding tag team division, complete with tag team titles for the top duo. Harrison and Silver proved they had an eye for talent, signing several names who would be future superstars. They were about to grow into a Regional promotion and make the step to gradually expand beyond the South East of Europe as the industry experienced a boom and the 2004 Summer Olympics were to be hosted in Greece. Join us next episode to learn more!

Historian · March 5, 2019

Wait wait wait. You had Cornell!?!?!?! PGHW...WLW... CZCW... All casualties? That makes me so sad.

But Cornell!?!?!?! Man y'all had a roster!

DarK_RaideR · March 5, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Historian" data-cite="Historian" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Wait wait wait. You had Cornell!?!?!?! PGHW...WLW... CZCW... All casualties? That makes me so sad. But Cornell!?!?!?! Man y'all had a roster!</div></blockquote> PGHW rose to National size twice in 1999 and immediately fell back to Cult, presumably due to losing the National Wars. All this bump and grind messed up the AI with hirings, firings, broadcaster deals and financial policy, leading to the BHotWG buyout. WLW start as a touring company and they couldn't survive the expenses while being Small or Regional, leading to bankruptcy. CZCW seemed to be doing fine, I really don't know how it came to be. As for Cornell, he was young, unknown and far from the star we know since TEW05. At the time, he was also injured and unemployed, so of course I signed him. If I had Beauchamp, Cornell, Golden Scorpion, British Samurai and Khoklov before even hitting Regional size, damn right I had a roster!

moafnsteel · March 5, 2019

So far has been a great read. Really fun way to get caught up in your long-term game. Can't wait to hear more about it!

Herrbear · March 6, 2019

I have really enjoyed the recap.

DarK_RaideR · March 6, 2019

Chapter 3: Growth and Expansion <div style="text-align:center;">Chapter 3: Growth and Expansion</div> After a full three years of classifying as a “Small” sized promotion, NGW was about to make the jump to a full blown Regional company by the end of 2004. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iyN2viL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iyN2viL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> “We grew faster than expected, thanks to a boom in both industry and economy. Just as we began to think about expanding towards Central Europe, Ultimate Combat Ring folded after the summer of 2004 and that really left the way open for us.”</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="i68800U.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/i68800U.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Just like EWCW before it, UCR tried to cater to too many tastes at the same time, leading to a massive roster and a product that felt lacking in identity. Others also sought to exploit the gap in the market, with Moscow’s Eastern European World Wrestling opening its gates in early 2004. They would survive until October of the next year. NGW was once again the sole player in the European scene. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="CEJazV9.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CEJazV9.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Silver: "With the collapse of High Impact Wrestling and especially UCR, the market was flooded with talent who already had the exposure and experience of working for a larger promotion. I knew we’d need to expand the roster as we got ready to penetrate the mainland market, so I went on another signing spree. Eddie Chandler, the late Akio Koruba, Golden Delicious a.k.a. Melanie Flyman, Travis Cool, Beast Bantom, Giovanni Bruno, Griffin, Marihito Masuko a.k.a. Shiro Akuma, Petey Barnes, Ripper LeStat, Toby Juan Kanobi a.k.a. Christopher Lister, The Evil Henchmen, Herschel the Hammer, Inky the Squid Boy, Jeri Behr, Kalu Owusu, The Juicer, and Captain Hero/Stig Svensson all got signed that year. I’d turn the tables and start trimming the fat a year later when I cut the Juicer, Griffin, Herschel the Hammer, the Elimination Agents, Petey Barnes and Ripper LeStat from the roster by the end of 2005.” <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="EgqYnDk.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/EgqYnDk.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Stig Svensson/Captain Hero</div>“I began my career in 1990 and wrestled for EWCW, ALPHA and UCR but not NGW until 2004. Up to that point, they were probably too small to afford me and I was in high demand so I had no reason to back down on my requests. After UCR folded though, I had no alternative for employment and NGW had gotten profitable enough to approach me for negotiations. I signed with them and in September of 2004, I main evented that month’s show to get a DQ victory over ‘Rough Justice’ Tommy Cornell. Everyone else had lost clean to Cornell by that point, so this was a pretty big deal and it set up our rematch in February of 2005, when I beat him for the title before he left to wrestle for SWF.”</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="ISWyN1q.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ISWyN1q.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="XUP0GnO.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/XUP0GnO.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Christopher Lister/Toby Juan Kanobi</div>“I wrestled for UCR as Toby Juan Kanobi, a sci-fi geek character obsessed with Star Wars. The gimmick wasn’t copyrighted and it was already a success, but NGW still chose to have me drop it and wrestle under my real name instead. This let fans focus on my in-ring skill and got me over through my matches, as I wouldn’t get much time for angles just yet. Meanwhile, Nelson Frye had gotten a bit outshined by the influx of big names so he was used in the tag team matches at the time. When we first worked a match together in December of ‘04, it was as if we had been teaming for years so we decided to build on that and by March of the next year we won the Tag Team titles. It wouldn’t be until a full year after that we finally came up with a team name, Cream of the Crop.”</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="MGCPelQ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/MGCPelQ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Melanie Flyman/Golden Delicious</div>“I’m Australian and there’s barely any wrestling down under, let alone anyone to employ female wrestlers, so I took the job with NGW and moved to Europe but was still open to offers from around the world. One of those came in August of 2004 from Power Slam Wrestling Forever. That promotion was run by a man called Ken Flanagan. Ken was a shady man from Wales, rumored to have connections with the Cardiff mafia, but I’d never heard of a thing such as any mafia in Wales so I signed without giving it much thought. After my first ever PSWF match, I got back to the showers and caught a red blip from up high. Turns out there was a hidden camera in the showers. I was so shocked and angry, I quit on the spot. From what I heard, other women had similar issues working for PSWF and eventually things went to court, with 17 of us, Viper McKenna and Megumi Nakajima among them, accusing Flanagan for all sorts of cringe-worthy workplace crimes. The courtroom was where I first heard he had a prior criminal record regarding underage girls, too. He got convicted, of course, and PSWF went down in a whirlwind of debt, bad publicity and no workers willing to work for them. It was a rough experience, but it made me appreciate the working conditions in NGW. After that, I was extremely alarmed and did my research before taking any bookings."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="N1zhldv.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/N1zhldv.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Shiro Akuma/Marihito Masuko</div>"I entered the business in 2000 and went on a 2 year excursion to the United States but no one would sign me. Said I was too small. After I returned to Japan, the song remained the same. No one was interested. I spent 2 more years at home, a total of 4 years as a professional with zero matches on my resume. NGW took a wild gamble on me and it paid off for the both of us. Within a year, I got a tour offer from Hinote Dojo. In the next couple of years, BHotWG would also call me for their tours. I found myself covering much lost ground for those 4 years, but I was determined to show everyone how wrong they were to overlook me all this time."</div></blockquote> For all the joy of a growing fanbase, consistent profits, good shows and a talented roster, not everything was sunshine and rainbows in NGW. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="OaZjc1B.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/OaZjc1B.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Harrison: “Inky the Squid Boy got into an incident with the police in December of 2004. Not as bad as [Jacob] Bailey, he wasn’t imprisoned, but now he had a track record. I’d told John [silver] since day one, I wanted to keep NGW clean of people who have trouble with the law, no exceptions, so when Inky’s contract came up for renewal the year after, we had to let him go alongside the Juicer, Griffin, Herschel the Hammer, the Elimination Agents, Petey Barnes and Ripper LeStat." <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="TBw7j7K.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/TBw7j7K.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="TCz02hB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/TCz02hB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="04N0aQ1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/04N0aQ1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Silver: "The only people I brought in after Inky and the others were let go were Tara Green and Mark Stanford, our first ever team of announcers. Oh, and Wael Hossam, he’d worked several one-night deals with us before and could really go in the ring, so I offered him a permanent deal. I also came up with a point system, two for a win and one for a draw, that would determine top contenders in this new, shifting and crowded landscape. It was a way to make wins and losses matter so we didn’t have to go into sports entertainment territory. People on the top spots could challenge for the championship, the tag titles or the newly introduced Young Lion title if they were eligible for it." <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="6idJQCy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6idJQCy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The NGW Young Lion title was inspired by similar prizes used by Japanese promotions to reward top rookies who cannot yet compete for any other title. In NGW, it was used as a midcard title that wrestlers under 30 years of age could compete for. Despite the hype surrounding it though, the new belt would soon be forever linked to one of the promotion’s most tragic moments. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="vFsWrO5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vFsWrO5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Silver: "I wanted the Young Lion title to emphasize how the company was about young exciting wrestlers, so it was meant to put a spotlight on that. I beat Travis Cool to become the first ever NGW Young Lion champion in March of 2005 and my first defense was against Akio Koruba, who I defeated by countout. That was in order to make him look strong for our eventual rematch, but in December of that year he got bitten by an infected rabid badger and never saw the next year. It was a shock for everyone, he was only 24 at the time. That’s when I came up with the idea of an NGW Hall of Fame, I was looking for a way to honor his memory and he became the first person to be inducted. Ever since, until the title’s retirement in 2012, every time the belt was on the line, his presence hung heavy in our souls. He became synonymous with the belt, even if he never actually held it.” <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="GIymxZ1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GIymxZ1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="M35hCSK.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/M35hCSK.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="iUnbZKz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iUnbZKz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="9lCj2xT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/9lCj2xT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="M2IqTK8.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/M2IqTK8.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="6r6RUDz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6r6RUDz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="TNYBEzh.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/TNYBEzh.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Koruba’s tragic death was not the only sad moment in store for the pro wrestling community. Several major stars were forced to retire between 2004 and 2005 due to severe injuries. Bruce the Giant retired just as he was hitting his peak after completely tearing his lateral collateral ligament in a match against Robert Oxford. Christian Faith ruptured his patellar tendon in a Hollyweird Grappling Company ring. 20 year old Rick Law ruptured his upper thoracic spinal cord wrestling for DAVE. Also at 20 years of age, Remo Richardson retired after rupturing his C6 cervical spinal cord. Japanese hardcore and high flying legends Ruy Kajahara and Optimus respectively retired at the age of 45 both. A year younger, Larry Vessey also hung up his boots. Living legends Whipper Spencer Marks and Fray Valiente left the industry completely. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="mjjkYUF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mjjkYUF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Perhaps the saddest of all retirements has to be that of 54 year old Rip Chord. After finding himself involved in a prostitution scandal, Chord saw his career go downhill and Hollyweird Grappling Company refusing to extend his contract. With no in-ring job offers, Chord announced he will be retiring from active competition and it would be a full three years before HGC would bring him back on board as their color commentator. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="mJqiti5.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/mJqiti5.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Supreme Wrestling Federation had their fair share of problems as well and that didn’t just involve competition or losing talent to injury. In May of 2005, a federal investigation revealed the company’s accounting department had embezzled an estimated $119.789.000. The first half of the decade had seen NGW grow into a proper Regional promotion and with the collapse of its competitors, it was now starting to expand towards mainland Europe as it held its first shows outside its home base in 2005, eventually selling out Germany's Bremen Hall by December of that year. After its explosive start however, things would slow down and it wouldn't be until 2012 actually that they were big enough to classify as a "Cult" sized company. Those seven years have their own story to tell; join us next episode for a look into that period!

Historian · March 6, 2019

1. Poor Rip Chord. An alcoholic, shell of his former self AND he got caught with prostitutes? What a tough life!

2. SWF lost almost 120 million!?!?! (if I'm reading correctly) . How did they stay afloat?

DarK_RaideR · March 6, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Historian" data-cite="Historian" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>1. Poor Rip Chord. An alcoholic, shell of his former self AND he got caught with prostitutes? What a tough life! 2. SWF lost almost 120 million!?!?! (if I'm reading correctly) . How did they stay afloat?</div></blockquote> It was a terrible year and a sad end for Rip Chord, but HGC hit International size in 2008 and have been the #1 promotion worldwide since, so bringing him back that exact year as color commentator isn't actually that bad, even if he never got to run the Mid Atlantic Boot camp or set up MAW. As for SWF, well... they're SWF. Run by Richard Eisen and booked by Sam Keith. Sure, they're #3 in the world behind NOTBPW and keep bouncing between Cult and National, but they're profitable, put on well-rated shows and still pack quite the roster!

DarK_RaideR · March 7, 2019

Chapter 4: From a Group of Characters to a Group with Character <div style="text-align:center;">Chapter 4: From a Group of Characters to a Group with Character</div> Τhe three years from 2006 to 2009 saw NextGen Wrestling go through several changes as they slowly established a fanbase beyond their South East Europe headquarters while also rebuilding their roster to reflect their new multinational profile. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iyN2viL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iyN2viL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> “By 2006, we would split our show locations in half; we’d hold a show in South East Europe, the next one in Central Europe and repeat the pattern until the end of the year. This helped us penetrate the mainland market while also keeping in touch with our core audience and making enough of a profit to sustain the losses we’d take doing shows for 300 people in Germany every other month.”</div></blockquote> Through a smart mix of press releases and promos, NGW made sure to keep fans in each location up to speed with what had transpired elsewhere the month prior. This helped contain the discord of running shows in two separate regions without TV coverage yet, but it didn’t completely eliminate the problem. In November of 2006, a change in the point system to define title contenders was announced: pre-show matches would no longer count. Until then, wrestlers could earn points while working “dark” matches. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="IWKjKhC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IWKjKhC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div>Silver: “I could keep fans to date as far as storylines and feuds went, but the point system began feeling weird, especially as the roster size grew. People would rack up points beating jobbers in dark matches and so some challenges felt out of the blue, didn’t have any build up leading to the title match. This was but one of the many small changes made during that time. We also hired Garry Garret as our head referee, [Jacob] Bailey’s original ten year contract was about to expire and after his jail sentence, the rules me and Leon [Harrison] had put up for ourselves prevented us from keeping people with any kind of criminal record around.” <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iZdfJvS.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iZdfJvS.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="gtAXlbR.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/gtAXlbR.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="yWLqNGq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/yWLqNGq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="UPg1dYS.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/UPg1dYS.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="RONM5E6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RONM5E6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="cCPsTjD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/cCPsTjD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="lWDkCJs.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lWDkCJs.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="nQjGF52.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nQjGF52.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> NextGen Wrestling wasn’t just about minor tweaks but also a revolving door policy when it came to hiring and firing people, tag teams especially. The Evil Henchmen, Nigerian Hit Squad, Fashionistas and French Foreign Legion all came and went in this time period, while some of the promotion’s long standing teams also got caught in the crossfire. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="sbFUnpv.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sbFUnpv.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Laura “Viper” McKenna, Wrestler and Manager</div>"Henrick [Van Bon/Ruud Van Anger]’s contract ran out and wasn’t renewed. I was dating Frank [Van Heer/De Pain] at the time and that probably contributed to him getting an extension, but Double Dutch were no more. I was managing Petter Eriksson and we’d also wrestle in tag team matches as Fitness Fury, winning our first tag gold in 2003. When British Samurai first joined the company, he was a singles wrestler but never wrestled Petter [Eriksson]. Me and him were kept from interacting with each other, until May of 2006. That’s when NGW acknowledged him as being my mentor and trainer, leading to the formation of the company’s first ever stable, the Terrific Three."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="eHOPOA2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eHOPOA2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> British Samurai, Wrestler</div>"The Terrific Three were really based on my real-life link to Laura [McKenna] and her long-standing on-screen connection to Petter Eriksson. Other than being the first ever stable in NGW, we also produced the first ever long running storyline in the promotion’s history. A month after our group came together, me and Stig [svensson] headlined the show in a submission match and I failed to beat him for the title, when my entire character was supposed to be a technical wrestling wizard in the first place. That set the tone going forward, I’d always make it to a title shot and come up short whereas Fitness Fury would get win after win and go on to become two time tag team champions in April of 2008, causing me to snap and attack them."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="AhotWa7.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AhotWa7.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Petter Eriksson, Wrestler</div>"After the Terrific Three broke up, Samurai would feud with McKenna in a master versus apprentice feud. This lasted for the rest of the year and all of 2009, he beat her three times before McKenna finally made him tap out in a submission match at the final show of ‘09."</div></blockquote> The rise and fall of the Terrific Three was NGW’s main storyline between 2006-2009, but it wasn’t the only one, just like the Terrific Three were the first but not only group to be formed in that time period. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="EgqYnDk.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/EgqYnDk.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Stig Svensson, 2009 Independent Wrestler of the Year</div>“I’d won the main title in February of 2005 and kept it until May of 2007. Still got the record for most title defenses in a single reign to this day, a total of 25 successful title defenses before losing the belt to Marat Kholov. His rise to the top brought in a bunch of talent from Eastern Europe to form a group called The Eastern Block. Those people were Cub Balowitz, Aleksander Knyazev, the Ivanoff brothers and ‘Big Bad’ Jakub Krawcyzk.”</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="XUP0GnO.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/XUP0GnO.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Christopher Lister/Toby Juan Kanobi, Wrestler</div>"I think many of the stables formed in that first phase were the seeds for the groups you see today. The Terrific Three evolved into Rock and Roll and then the Outcasts. The Eastern Block would later morph into the Czars. And our alliance out of necessity would later become the League of Heroes."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="KRd8pBF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KRd8pBF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Nelson Frye, Wrestler</div>"Me and Christopher [Lister] had outgrown the tag team division, so we amicably put our team on hiatus to focus on being singles wrestlers. With Marat [Khoklov] as champion, there was a big need for babyface challengers to his title, people who felt like they actually had a chance of beating the giant from Moscow. He got on the chase first while I took a break to put on some muscle mass. We were both gunning for the title while Stig [svensson] put on a mask and brought back his Captain Hero character. He claimed it would take a superhero to defeat [Marat] Khoklov and it did; Captain Hero defeated Marat Khoklov for the title in January of 2009. Meanwhile, various Slavic characters had formed the Eastern Block around Marat [Khoklov] so to rival them, Captain Hero put together the League of Heroes, with me and Robert [Howard] as the tag team to fight against the Ivanoffs and Adam [Matravers] with Akuma to fend off the younger members of that group."</div></blockquote> Adam Matravers and Marihito Masuko would not only fight against the young lions of the Eastern Block, but also against a wide array of prospects over the NGW Young Lion title. One of those prospects would later become Masuko’s nemesis, a young Mexican by the name of Champagne Lover. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="wuo51A1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wuo51A1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Champagne Lover, Wrestler</div>"My first match with Akuma, who was still Marihito Masuko back then, was in February 2008. I was the NGW Young Lion champion and successfully defended the title, but the match was so good it stole the show. We both use a very flashy high flying style and we instantly clicked, both in the ring and as friends backstage. That’s when the first thought of a feud between us was made. At first we fought over the NGW Young Lion title, then when The Fashionistas joined the company we teamed up to form the Beautiful People. They’d run interference in my matches if needed and they also gave me some backup to take on Akuma and his League of Heroes allies. Later on, Richard Blood would turn heel and join us too. I’d hold the title until the end of 2009 when he finally beat me, but the next year I won it back from him and Marat [Khoklov] unmasked Captain Hero, leading to Masuko’s transformation into Shiro Akuma."</div></blockquote> Silver: "In the first couple of years, I’d book the shows individually, month after month. I didn’t know if we’d be around in six months or a year, I didn’t know what the roster would be like, so I couldn’t make any long term plans. As NGW grew, I started convening with Leon [Harrison] at the start of each year to hammer out feuds and storylines for the entire year. This meant things would wrap up every December and that slowly made our final show of the year into a de facto season finale. It was the end of the year and the end of the storylines, so I thought it was fitting to call it End of the World. After that was agreed with Leon [Harrison] it only made sense to finally name the rest of our monthly shows as well and 2009 was the first year we promoted NGW shows that would bear an event-specific name each month." <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iaAyx6u.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaAyx6u.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="KgdqMk2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KgdqMk2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="qwZB6cD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qwZB6cD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Not everything would work out as Silver and Harrison had planned it at the start of each year though. Tour calls from Japan would cause several booking clashes keeping several stars out of the spotlight, most notably Golden Scorpion who was out of the main event for most of those years as he toured with Hinote Dojo and BHotWG. The creation of an all-female promotion from Burning Hammer expanded the issue to the women of the roster. Things would get worse when Viv “The Violence” Jacobs was offered an exclusive deal that would drive her out of NGW. Geena the Warrior Princess would be next when NotBPW called, looking to bank on her skill and the name she had built for herself in Canada while working for CWWF. Silver: "When Viv [Jacobs] got the call from Burning Hammer of the Wrestling Goddesses, she was the reigning NGW Young Lion champion, so I barely had a chance to have her drop the title to Golden Delicious [Melanie Flyman]. It was worse with Geena though; she’d held that title back in 2005 and was doing great but she’d hit 30 and was no longer eligible to compete for it. I had plans to have her beat Marat [Khoklov] and become the first ever woman to hold our main title, but she left for Canada just before her big title match. She was a big deal and Viv had been a cornerstone of NGW, so it made sense to induct them both to the Hall of Fame. When Burning Hammer of the Wrestling Godesses was dismantled in 2008, Viv returned as a Hall of Famer, the only one to be still active so it kind of became her new gimmick. About that time we also signed Edward Cornell, Tommy’s younger cousin and I was like ‘wait, shouldn’t Tommy also been in the Hall of Fame already?" <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="SoeMY3z.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SoeMY3z.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Edward Cornell, Wrestler</div>"I joined NGW immediately upon turning pro and Tommy [Cornell] had already gone on a tear during his stint with the company. SWF had re-signed him and was pushing him hard, so there was a lot of pressure on me to be the next ‘Rough Justice’. I think my arrival served as a reminder to induct Tommy to the Hall of Fame, but we also made something out of it when I turned it into my first storyline, trying to live up to the expectation. I’d be jealous and furious of big Tom and try to prove myself. It was a long chase and it wouldn’t be until a full four years later that I finally got my first taste of gold when I won the NGW Young Lion title."</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="DTAxGxv.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DTAxGxv.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Standing at 6’9” and weighing a muscular 370 pounds, Menace lives up to his ring name and was thus given a run with the company from March 2007 to October of 2008. Despite his monstrous aura, Menace is one of the few openly gay professional wrestlers and apparently his openness about it was a factor in Leon Harrison also opening up to the public about his own homosexuality. Harrison: "Having Menace around was inspiring; not only was he unapologetically gay, he somehow managed to not let that take anything away from his monster heel character. We had fans and critics saying we were using the whole occasion to try and present NGW as ‘edgy’ and ‘cool’ but that had nothing to do with it, nor should it. I’ve been a Brighton barfly and party animal since my teenage years, anyone who knew anything about me wasn’t really surprised." <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="xAP54XD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/xAP54XD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> 2008 was the year NGW also reached out to strike a talent trade deal with British Strong Style promotion Ring of Fire. Facilitated by NGW former employee Keith Adams, who was now working for ROF, the deal allowed each promotion access to new talent and further reaching exposure for their existing talent while also offering up the potential of fresh new matchups. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="YsFPRIU.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/YsFPRIU.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="GJoepta.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GJoepta.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Not every wrestling promotion was doing as well as NGW and ROF, of course. 2006 saw the end of Manuel Prieto’s Federation Femenil de Lucha Libre, Mexico’s first ever all-female promotion founded a year earlier. The downfall of the Mexican scene continued in 2007 when lucha libre giants Mexico Premier Wrestling Federation admitted defeat and went bankrupt. Further up north, Supreme Wrestling Federation bought out the second victim of the East Coast Wars in Rapid Pro Wrestling. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="VR99xLd.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VR99xLd.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The three years between 2006 and 2008 also saw several new promotions start their respective journeys and with all of them still being around, it is safe to say they have all learned from the mistakes of their predecessors. Melbourne Wrestling Federation in Australia and Lucha Libre Mexican Wrestling opened up shop in 2006, followed by the Guru’s Insane Pain Wrestling Federation in Manitoba Canada and ZEN in New Zealand the year after. 2008 would see Powerbomb Championship Wrestling hold its first show in Mexico while The Juicer would provide some competition to his former NGW employers when he opened the hardcore Attack Championship of Wrestling in Scandinavia. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="AEh08bv.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/AEh08bv.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="1fvkIAZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1fvkIAZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="4seADDT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/4seADDT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="utcgiyA.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/utcgiyA.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="uCwk57E.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uCwk57E.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="iU2qZQL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iU2qZQL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="hu5Fxq3.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hu5Fxq3.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="EG7wMeC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/EG7wMeC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="bnP2GL6.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bnP2GL6.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="lDgr2PS.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lDgr2PS.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> <img alt="3zMgsNw.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/3zMgsNw.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="9hU2Jie.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/9hU2Jie.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Wrestling companies weren’t the only ones to go out of business in that time period. Tribal Warrior, BLZ Bubb (a.k.a. Tyson Baine), Reese Paige and Thunder Hike all added their names to the ever-growing list of wrestlers whose careers were cut short due to injury. Meanwhile, tag team specialist Robert Oxford, gaijin legend Pistol Pete Hall, big man Dread, the golden bull El Toro de Oro as well as female competitors Lioness Musashibo and Vixxen all hung up their boots when they retired from active competition, while Mexico wept for the loss of its beloved heroes Fray Valiente and Extraordinario who passed away at the age of 68 and 62 respectively.

DarK_RaideR · March 12, 2019

Chapter 5: A decade-old Pro Wrestling Cult <div style="text-align:center;">Chapter 5: A decade-old Pro Wrestling Cult</div> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iyN2viL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iyN2viL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Leon Harrison, Wrestler and NGW co-founder</div>"In April of 2009, we landed our first ever broadcaster deal with Continental Sports X1 to show our monthly events. The exposure helped us reach a wider audience and eventually we also launched a weekly TV show in October of 2010 titled 'Back to the Future'. This helped us build up and promote big show matches, while also giving everyone on our already huge roster a chance to be on TV. Still, it wouldn't be until three full years after our first ever broadcaster deal that we'd grow into anything bigger than a Regional promotion."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="DrItBAr.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DrItBAr.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Lawrence Young, Colour Commentator</div>"I'd worked for 21CW until they went under, then Ken Flanagan's Power Slam Wrestling Forever until that too went bankrupt after the lawsuit went to court. NGW brought me and Joan Evans in to do the announcing alongside Mark Stanford after they got some broadcasting deals. Tara Green was moved to the on-screen role of heavily biased Commissioner with a Champagne Lover obsession. At the time, he was being build up as a womanizer heel and many females like Liz Sweetheart and Jasmine Perolt were brought in for that, in turn sending Tara [Green] into fits of jealous rage and punitive booking. Vita was also brought in for a while and she managed Shiro Akuma in order to maintain his aura of oriental mysticism. That's when they also started dating each other, but on-screen you'd see a big mess between Vita, Akuma, Tara Green and Champagne Lover."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="VqnREXC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VqnREXC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> John Silver, Wrestler and NGW co-founder</div>"The Continental Sports X1 deal and especially the launch of Back to the Future brought a lot of change. Having an on-screen authority figure was one and after Tara Green, we had Signe Lythjohan for a while until Travis Cool could return. Travis [Cool] suffered a terrible spinal injury in '09 wrestling for Ring of Fire and I knew it was bad enough to end his career, so I was saving him a spot as a manager or authority figure upon his return. He was the on-screen Commissioner from 2010 until 2012; at first he had this air of sympathy about him after his accident, but he was still in his late 20s and after a while he couldn't be taken seriously as someone who'd impose his will on the wrestlers, so me and Leon [Harrison] also stepped in to make it a three man power group."</div></blockquote> Crippling young prospect Travis Cool wasn't the only problem Ring of Fire had to deal at the time. In 2009, they too lost a total of $2.388.000 due to some creative accounting and for a while, relationships between ROF and NGW would be cautious at best until 2012, when NGW's March show "Ultimate Challenge" first featured a cross-promotional match card with matches such as Edward Cornell versus Wade Orson and Marat Khoklov versus Danny Patterson. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="sbFUnpv.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/sbFUnpv.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Laura "Viper" McKenna, Wrestler and Manager</div>"There was a lot of TV air to fill in when Back to the Future launched and after a while I think it became apparent we were burning up matchups that could be saved for the big shows, so the solution was to introduce talk show segments. Champagne Lover would host 'Lover's Lounge' and interview people while chilling on red velvet recliners, whereas I'd do 'Vipers Moshpit' from the roughest, dirtiest spot I could find in the arena. It was a bit like Headbangers' Ball and felt very rebellious counter-culture, especially in comparison to Lover's Lounge and it also helped form Rock and Roll with me, Petter [Eriksson] and [sebastian] Koller. This was kind of the next stage after the Terrific Three and in a way, the prequel to today's Outcasts."</div></blockquote> Also created because of the new broadcaster deals and TV show was the NGW TV title belt. Meant to be contested only in episodes of Back to the Future in order to make the episodic show feel special as well, the title lasted from September 2011 up to its retirement in May of 2012 with only Shiro Akuma, Edward Cornell and Joey Beauchamp holding it within that time period. The NGW Open Collective titles fared better in comparison, existing to date as the promotion's only six man titles. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="eHOPOA2.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/eHOPOA2.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> British Samurai, Wrestler</div>"The Open Collective titles were essentially created to get my new group over as part of NGW's main storyline for 2011, the next chapter after my betrayal of the Terrific Three. The idea was that while [Viper] McKenna was trying to defeat me, [Christopher] Lister would offer her advice but of course, she was distrustful of any mentor wannabe. After she beat me, I feuded with [Christopher] Lister over who'd get to be her mentor going forward, the joke being no one ever asked her if she wanted a new mentor in the first place. This led to a casket match between us at End of the World 2010, which I lost after [Viper] McKenna interfered, so I returned later under a demon mask as 'Kasai Ronin', implying I was haunting her 'post mortem' for what she did. My first move was to lure the Evil Henchmen as my lackeys with promises of power, turning them into the masked team of The Grapple Goblins. [John] Silver and [Leon] Harrison were next as I corrupted the powers that be; at the time they would team up sporadically so they went under the masks of The Daredemons. At the same time, the Johansson brothers were working pre-show and undercard matches when Bam Bam got sidelined for a year or so with an injury, so his brother was also put under a demon masked to become 'Posessed' Hercules Johansson. We called ourselves 'The Hellfire Club' but I was the only veteran in the group so to help us look like a credible threat, the six man Open Collective titles came to be and we'd hold them until the group's dismantling. We lost, but it took Shiro Akuma giving in to the dark power he'd made a pact with years ago to make it happen, so in our demise, Akuma turned heel and it all tied into storylines from several years back."</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="LFcPDbz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/LFcPDbz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="KRd8pBF.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KRd8pBF.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="iaAyx6u.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iaAyx6u.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The promotion was changing and it was doing so fast, introducing several new concepts at a rapid pace. One of them was the first ever Starmageddon match in 2009, a 10 man Battle Royal with four men starting in the ring and eliminations happening by pinfall or submission to allow the next person in. Robert Howard became the inaugural 'King of the Ring' and at the time only got bragging rights for it, but the next year Nelson Frye's win got him a guaranteed title match 365 days later. By the time that match happened in 2011, the Starmageddon participants had risen to 15 and in 2012, the match itself was moved to June's show that was renamed Starmageddon. Before that, the company's Hall of Fame saw Golden Scorpion introduced after his departure for Mexico. After several booking clashes due to his frequent touring of Japan, Scorpion returned to defeat Stig Svensson for the top title, before dropping it to Nelson Frye in June of 2010 and a chance to work for OLLIE in Mexico, wrapping up his NGW career with a grand total of 3 title reigns. It wasn't just the top of the card that was exciting though. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="SoeMY3z.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SoeMY3z.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Edward Cornell, Wrestler</div>"I was still pretty young as NGW expanded, still chasing the Young Lion or TV titles while they were around. My main opponent at the time was Beast Bantom, with who we really click in the ring. He was a monster heel and I was out to prove myself, so all our matches were extremely physical. We feuded throughout 2010, leading to a big Last Man Standing match at that year's End of the World that I won. The next year we had a Stretcher match at the same show and pulled off a double turn; I beat him so bad I was certainly the villain now and he returned as the brain-damaged comedy babyface 'Beast Force' complete with Jim Force facepaint and all. This breathed a new life into our feud and carried us to End of the World 2011, where I beat him for the third time, this time in an I quit match and he left NGW for several years."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="PFb9alT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/PFb9alT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Frank Van Heer/Frank De Pain, Wrestler</div>"Double Dutch was no more after Henrick [Van Bon, Ruud Van Anger] was released and I was the plucky underdog. When that went stale, the decision was made to turn me heel. By that point I'd broken up with Laura [McKenna] and was pretty bitter about it, so I worked that into my character and became an all out misogynist. I'd wrestle against women only and bully them around, until Fusae Etsuko joined the promotion to end my streak."</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="yNQekBM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/yNQekBM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Fusae Etsuko had been unemployed for quite some time and with both 5SSW and Burning Hammer of the Wrestling Godesses dismantled, had nowhere to ply her trade in her native Japan. NGW hired her in March of 2011 and Etsuko went on a tear, eventually beating Stig Svensson for the NextGen Championship in September's 'Back to School' show in that year. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="GEWZpSe.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GEWZpSe.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> While Etsuko positioned herself as the new top star of the company, NGW also made leaps behind the scenes. NextGen Arena opened its gates in 2011 with a capacity of 7.000 and in the same year, Silver's long time dream came true when he announced the launch of the NGW Dojo with Louis Figo Manico as its head trainer. Manico would soon be replaced by British Samurai once the UK native wrapped up his Hellfire Club storyline and after his departure for Japan and BHotWG, Marat Khoklov would take over. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="53FnEYf.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/53FnEYf.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The next big step was made in mid-2012, when NGW announced the creation of its child promotion, European Wrestling Academy. Hiring Sweden's legendary grappler and NGW alumni Griffin to run it, EWA saw plenty of former NGW stars return for a second chance and when the likes of Petter Eriksson, Landon Mallory and Beast Bantom found their way back to the main roster, they would go on to form The Outcasts, a group of disgruntled employees with an axe to grind against a company that, in their mind, had mistreated them. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="KBU74Hx.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KBU74Hx.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Sebastian Krause, NGW Commissioner</div>"NGW had gone through a lot of on-screen authority figures, but 2012 was a year of earth shaking changes for them and they needed a new face to usher in that change, so they contacted me to take over and be the one who'd 'shake things up' upon arrival. They already had the NextGen Arena and NGW dojo, so they had me announce the launch of EWA on the first episode of Back to the Future in May. I also announced the new weight and gender divisions which, for many fans, were the biggest change ever. It was a full facelift."</div></blockquote> Much like promotions in Japan, NGW announced the roster's split into two weight categories, using the more western 'Cruiserweight' term instead of 'Junior Heavyweight' for the smaller competitors. This change meant there would now be two singles and two tag team titles, one for each weight class, so to prevent a title overload, the Young Lion and Television titles were retired. The most dramatic implication however was the introduction of a separate Women's division, meaning the promotion would no longer book intergender matches. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="VqnREXC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VqnREXC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> John Silver, Wrestler and NGW co-founder</div>"The roster was large enough to support all the different divisions and frankly, it was a cop-out from having booked ourselves into a corner as NGW grew. [Fusae] Etsuko was too important to lose, but I couldn't quite sell her beating Marat Khoklov. Likewise, [shiro] Akuma had gotten over to be a main eventer, but he was smaller than many of our female wrestlers, so he against [Marat] Khoklov should be more than a squash match but I don't think fans could ever buy such a tiny guy beating the giant. This was me slipping out of a tight spot but also giving the roster more chances to shine in one of many divisions. Besides, we had several home grown veteran stars we weren't giving up on, so we were no longer just the promotion of young and unproven talent of the future. That year was also when we added an extra 30 minutes to End of the World, September's Back to School, Ultimate Challenge in March, which became kind of a 'ROF vs NGW' deal and Starmageddon in June that became all about that big multi man match to set up the main event for End of the World in December."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="NLbxzlW.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/NLbxzlW.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Melanie Flyman/Golden Delicious, Wrestler</div>"I wrestled for NGW as Golden Delicious until 2009 and then silently left when there was nothing more for me to do there. Carl Batch called me to work for his World Wrestling Association in Canada and I had a good three years there until NGW called to bring me back by Spring of 2012. Fusae Etsuko was champion, but had to vacate the title after the women were put in a whole division of their own. She won the brand new NGW Women's title and I was brought back as a mysterious hooded ninja who'd appear out of nowhere to choke her out. This set up our title feud and despite me losing, she still wanted to see who's under the mask so we went on until a title vs mask match, where I lost my mask and from that point on wrestled under my real name."</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46461" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="qwZB6cD.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/qwZB6cD.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> Geena the Warrior Princess, Wrestler, NGW Hall of Famer</div>"My contract with NotBPW ran out in early 2013 and I was contacted about returning to NGW. I think I was one of the few people they could realistically have take the title off [Fusae] Etsuko, but before our match could happen, she got sidelined with an injury. I made my return and won the vacant title, so when [Fusae] Etsuko got back, she still had her streak intact and claim on the title she was never actually defeated for."</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="BqKZC54.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BqKZC54.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="HFjppTO.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/HFjppTO.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="wHfq2w0.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wHfq2w0.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="CbzFodY.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CbzFodY.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="pm9wFaC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pm9wFaC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> NextGen Wrestling wasn't the only promotion to flourish in that time period. Queens of American Wrestling in Texas, Grimm SoCal Wrestling in California, EXODUS2010 in Japan, Desert Trios in Australia as well as Canadian promotions Future Shock Wrestling Inc and Due North Championship Wrestling came to be, while ACPW and Battle Girls of Vegas went under while Hollyweird Grappling Company once again found themselves in the spotlight, once after figurehead Christian Faith got caught up in a prostitution scandal in 2010 and once after referee Michael Bull went public in 2012 with stories about substance abuse in the HGC locker room. <div style="text-align:center;">Instead of a finale, the creators of this documentary would like to wrap things up with a list of people the industry has lost in these last few years 2009 Domino (retired from the ring at age 47) Kit Hatoyama (retired from the ring at age 36) Dark EAGLE (retired due to injury at age 45) Petey Barnes (retired due to injury at age 26) John "Hell Monkey" Reaver (retired due to injury at age 30) George DeColt (retired from the industry at age 65) Preston Holt (retired from the industry at age 65) Whipper Spencer Marks (died of natural causes at age 70) 2010 Travis Century (retired from the ring at age 45) Peter Valentine (retired from the ring at age 45) Dick the Devastator (retired from the ring at age 64) Travis/Luke Cool (retired due to injury at age 24) Gonzalo Rubio/Dark Magic (retired due to injury at age 41) Koki Ishibashi (retired due to injury at age 39) 2011 Land Mass (retired from the ring at age 45) Crusher Ichihara (retired from the ring at age 41) Black Widow (retired from the ring at age 36) Randall Hopkirk (retired from the ring at age 44) Elemental II (retired from the ring at age 46) Eric Tyler (retired due to injury at age 49) Motty Kuroda (retired due to injury at age 22) Steven Parker (retired due to injury at age 24) Chris Caulfield (retired due to injury at age 35) Chiba Chiba (retired from the industry at age 63) Chief Two Eagles (died of natural causes at age 61) Mayhem Midden (died of natural causes at age 64) Carlos Arroyo (died in a car accident at age 54 just three months after retiring from in-ring action) 2012 Yoshifusa Maeda (retired from the ring at age 58) Cathrine Quine (retired from the ring at age 39) Corrine White (retired from the ring at age 36) Speedy Marie (retired from the ring at age 36) Luis Montero (retired from the ring at age 54) Black Hat Bailey (retired from the ring at age 50) Nicolas Lopez (retired due to injury at age 37) Eisaku Kunomasu (retired due to injury at age 41) Sam Strong (retired from the industry at age 65) Joaquin Soler (died of natural causes at age 58)</div>

Historian · March 12, 2019

Love the documentary series. Really great stuff.

Voeltzwagon · March 12, 2019

Man, damn shame to see some of those careers cut so short due to injury.

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NextGen Wrestling: Change the CVerse [RtG CVerse97]

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