[CVerse] Monton's Canadian Crusade

CobheadJake · April 13, 2019

I missed it. There is no thrill for someone like me that feels quite like wrestling. Once upon a time I was a top star in Canada in the DeColt run Canadian Golden Combat (CGC) promotion. A company that, in a modern era, just does not live up to the standards it once held. Canada is Stone country now. I don’t dislike the Stones, and I obviously don’t dislike the DeColts, but I wasn’t getting my fix for wrestling by watching either company. That’s where Ontario Wrestling Association comes in.

It’s a boring name, I know. ‘Wrestling Association’. Truth is, it sounds stupid, but I didn’t want a flashy name. If I was going to start a wrestling promotion, if we were known for anything, I wanted it to be for our product. I’m a fan of old school wrestling. Bad guys vs good guys. Stories. None of this 'sports entertainment' crap that those American companies, or 21CW, or seemingly every other god damn promotion promotes. It’s what I knew when I wrestled, and it’s what I wanted to focus on in my own company. If I were to be critical of myself, I’d admit that maybe I should open my mind up to modern wrestling as it has passed me by, but honestly, I truthfully think that old school wrestling has its place in modern wrestling. I hope to provide that.

Fortunately for myself, being considered a legend in Canadian wrestling, I had amassed a decent sum of money and, despite OWA only being considered a local promotion, it allowed me to invest a nice quantity of money into my promotion straight away, and it allowed me to start my own wrestling dojo, OWA Dojo – yes, I know, another simple and bland name –, to accompany my promotion, as I truthfully wanted our own stars to be at the heart of the promotion, even though they might not always be the champion. I never want someone to walk into our company and just be made ‘the guy’, but if we create a wrestler in our dojo, mould them into someone who can be a valuable contribution to our company and the world of wrestling as a whole, then we can make an identity out of that.

What makes me truly happy is that my friend, and partner from the CGC days, Jon Jetson could join me for this. Is he the nicest guy ever? No, but he’s also not the worst. He knows his place in the history of wrestling and he demands a certain level of respect because of it. He, and I, might not be the most well-known figures across the world, but our names commanded a certain level of respect within Canada. When he finally retired last year, he started to promote some small shows in Canada and, just like myself, produces wrestling matches when our input is needed. Bringing him in though, I wasn’t looking for a road agent. I could do that as long as the company is small. With Jon, I wanted him to be my colour commentator. No matter what though, I just wanted my friend to be a part of what I’m starting here, and I hope he appreciates that. Plus, he’ll be the head trainer at the OWA dojo in the meantime, so I’m sure he’ll be kept busy.

So I, Ed Monton, with my friend Jon Jetson, am seeking a new thrill. I’ve been the wrestler. I’ve been a star. But now I get the chance to see others do that. Create new stars. Promote new wrestlers. Entertain an audience of wrestling fans who, like me, might want some old school wrestling to fit into this new, modern school of thought. Big bad guys. Tough underdogs who rise to the top. Nefarious villains who cheat to win. Simple storytelling but with effective conclusions. All I need is a roster of wrestlers who fit those moulds; those ideals.

First things first, I want to thank smw88 for whipping up a logo for me to use for this diary and in my game!

There will be no particular schedule with this save but I hope to be quite regular. The plan is, for now, to do yearly reviews of our product and what is happening with OWA. After each year review, I may post a few extra pieces that discuss things going on in my save, either in my company or in the entire game, that didn't quite fit within the yearly review.

Once I get weekly television, if I get to that point, I may do different styles of write-ups.

If anyone has any comments, advice or wants to help out in any way, maybe even with some fancy graphics for Ed Monton or some title belts that I so desperately need , then let me know! I am always open to advice and constructive criticism. Though, be warned, my yearly reviews will be quite text heavy.

Thank you everyone, hopefully you enjoy this, and I stick to it!

CobheadJake · April 13, 2019

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Backroom Staff

Owner, Road Agent & User Character

Ed Monton

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Head Dojo Trainer

Lee Bennett

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Assistant Head Dojo Trainer

Bryan Holmes

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'A' Brand

Announcer

Nat Whitehouse

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Colour Commentator

Eve Grunge

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Head Referee

Jez McArthuer

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'B' Brand

Announcer

Rock Downpour

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Colour Commentator

Danny Rushmore

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Head Referee

Matthew White

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Road Agent

R.K. Hayes

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Historian · April 13, 2019

This is a promising start. I like Ed Monton as a UC. He could bring a good prospective to things.

Herrbear · April 13, 2019

Like the simple start. Good Luck.

CobheadJake · April 13, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Historian" data-cite="Historian" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>This is a promising start. I like Ed Monton as a UC. He could bring a good prospective to things.</div></blockquote> <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Herrbear" data-cite="Herrbear" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Like the simple start. Good Luck.</div></blockquote> Thank you very much for the comments. Hopefully I can flesh out Monton's character a bit throughout the diary.

Theheel · April 14, 2019

I like it Monton he has been a guy I have been looking at as well to lead a story. Look forward to seeing where you take this

CobheadJake · April 14, 2019

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iz1isE3.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iz1isE3.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> OWA 2016 - A Year In Review</div> Roster <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="nKzkCqH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nKzkCqH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The roster is the most important thing for a wrestling promotion. You need a bunch of guys, from top to bottom, who know their role and know where their place on the card is. There is room for movement but in the moment, at that time, they need to understand their purpose and play their part. When recruiting, I looked at what I wanted and who is available that would fill those roles. Before I list my roster, I will acknowledge the elephant in the room. Look, I did sign my son and yes, he will have an important role in this company, but if you ask me, he isn’t just being handed it. Of course, I would sign him in my own promotion, as many promoters have before me, but he’s a talented performer in his own right and has a place in an old school promotion. I will get into that more some other time though. So, in time for our first event, this was the roster I signed: Cal Sanders; Conner Threepwood; George Wolfe; Jebediah; Jerry Martin; K-Squared; Lobo Blanco; Philippe LeGrenier; Raphael; Ray Snow; Remmy Honeyman; Ricochet Ramone; Riley McManus & Sterling Whitlock. I also signed Katie Cameron and Lisa Bowen on as managers. Cameron has been managing Riley McManus, and later K-Squared, whereas Bowen managed LaGrenier for the first show. However, they didn’t have much chemistry and I instead chose to put her with Raphael instead. Into The Fire With this roster, and the one-off additions of Stan Manna and Mammoth, our first show, Into The Fire, was ready. My aim for this event was to crown our inaugural Heavyweight Champion. I didn’t just want to build a normal card with two, three or four of our top guys immediately facing each other for the title though. They had to earn it. I set up four fatal four-ways, with the winner of each qualifying for the main event fatal four-way match for the title. The men to win their matches were: Conner Threepwood, the experienced and talented technician trained by Acid and likely our best in-ring worker; George Wolfe, my son and talented big-man who would provide an impressive presence in the main event; Cal Sanders, another technically-gifted wrestler who has never been given a big break; and Philippe LaGrenier, an arrogant and brash heel whose chance was wasted in CGC. Wolfe and LaGrenier were the bad guys, Threepwood and Sanders were the good guys. Ultimately, Threepwood came away with the win and created an opportunity for there to be top quality matches in the main event of each event going forward. Heavyweight Title <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="IOP5m7R.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/IOP5m7R.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Into The Fire was a great start, in my opinion. It crowned our first champion and gave the fans someone to route for in Threepwood. He was absolutely our best wrestler, and continued to be throughout the year, and I knew that would be the case going into the night, so decided he would be a quality first champion. Threepwood held the title until July. In this time, he defended the belt multiple times in matches that were usually the best of the night. He defended it against top heels such as Raphael, Sterling Whitlock, Philippe LaGrenier and Jerry Martin. His matches against Whitlock and LaGrenier were very, very impressive and are amongst the best matches of our first year as a promotion. In the meantime, two heels were being built up as the main threats to Threepwood. The first, my son George Wolfe, was on a tear. He didn’t get pinned, despite losing at Into The Fire, and had won every match since in dominant fashion. He was going to be our monster heel. But, for a few reasons, I didn’t want him to take it from Threepwood. I feared that people would claim nepotism if I gave him the belt so soon. Plus, it just didn’t fit the story I wanted to be told. With him, or the belt. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="uvs4z3B.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uvs4z3B.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The other main challenger was Philippe LaGrenier. I knew he was talented; I just didn’t know how talented. After LaGrenier, he was our second best, most consistent, performer. His match against Threepwood in April was our best up to that point and he came the closest to beating Threepwood. In fact, he lost by count out. Therefore, he decided he deserved a rematch, and rightfully so. Sure, the guy is arrogant and brash but, in my opinion, the best heels in wrestling are the ones who may be right in what they are saying, but the way they go about doing it is the wrong way. Therefore, after some attacks and some help from Raphael, including a tag team match against Threepwood and K-Squared, LaGrenier eventually beat Threepwood for the title in August. Unfortunately, their match wasn’t as good as their first and in fact, to this day, there is some simmering tension between the two following some botches. These things happy in wrestling and, fortunately for us, both men are professional enough that they aren't making things difficult for me. Threepwood wasn’t intended to be a lengthy champion. He knew his role. Something I have already stated I find important. His role was to give us a foothold for the first half a year and let us see what else we have and where we would go. We knew what he had in him and I thought he was the safest option early on. LaGrenier was also not intended to be a lengthy champion. He held it until December at our Wrestle Showdown show, the show we hope will become our marquee, year-ending event each year. Before I get to that, it is important to discuss other things within the first half a year of our existence. Announce Desk, Dojo & Signings First, to accompany Jon Jetson at the desk, we had signed Dane O’Hara to work alongside him as the lead announcer. No, we weren’t on PPV yet, but I think it’s important to let them get experience together, nonetheless. Additionally, Jez McArthuer was signed to be our referee, whilst I handled road agent duties. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="89gnwFM.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/89gnwFM.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> In April, we were proud to promote Plat Martin from our dojo. Sure, he had only been there for a few months, but me and Jon really considered it important to get him some experience early. He would continue attending the OWA Dojo in the meantime, but we wanted to get him out there, basically to be a fall guy, get beaten quickly and learn the ropes with hands-on experience. He had the basics down brilliantly and already came in as one of our best brawlers in the company, despite being a lightweight. He is incredibly effective at playing his extremist role and has earned the nickname ‘The Extreme Dream’. He already has some good matches under his belt, including a match against the man I am about to discuss that is actually one of our best matches so far. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="gaWe9c1.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/gaWe9c1.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> That man being Cali Slick. Slick signed with us at the beginning of May. He’s a guy I think has a lot of potential, despite not being well known in Canada, and he has proven that quickly as, alongside Threepwood and LaGrenier, he has been on MVP form for us in 2016, the three of them consistently being our best performers. If Cali Slick doesn’t end up being a top guy for us, it’s because a bigger company will have signed him. Following our April event, which saw the first match between Threepwood and LaGrenier, we were no longer considered a local company. Our name had gotten around enough that more people started to attend our shows. We had grown into a small company with a decent reputation, enough to sell out shows by the end of the year with 300 attendees. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="m0acAWb.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/m0acAWb.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="VhdPSus.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/VhdPSus.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> After LaGrenier’s title win, we promoted two more wrestlers from our dojo. The first is Fitz Simon, who now goes by the name Steampunk Simon. The second is Gaylord Vincent, who was put a mask on and simply called Generico. I’m not sure either man will ever amount to much. Unfortunately, neither have great attitudes. Unlike Plat Martin, both men are very egotistical and really are not afraid to throw their young, inexperienced weight around. Simon has no real significant in-ring ability. He is more of an entertainer as he can hold his own on the mic, hence why he plays quite a weird character. Vincent is more of a technician, though still has a lot of work to do. His basics and fundamentals aren’t as good as Simon or Martin, but he is a better technical wrestler. Unfortunately, we didn’t think many people would take his name well, and he is quite bland, so we decided to put a mask on him until we think he is ready to develop a new character. By the end of the year, we made a couple more signings in Skip Beau and Kirk Drury. Beau was let go by CGC in May. He is young and has a good size but seemingly wasn’t getting anywhere with them. Fortunately, I think he has a real place with us and already has a bit of name value because of his time with CGC. Drury is a decent but unspectacular wrestler. He previously spent some time with ACPW but hasn’t been there for a while. Fortunately for us, in the last show of the year we teamed him with Ricochet Ramone, and they had amazing chemistry with each other and will be teaming going forward. Wrestle Showdown Build Leading up to Wrestle Showdown, our big end of year show, we had multiple stories to tell. First, I knew I wanted to end the year by introducing tag team titles. Throughout the year, K-Squared had partnered with multiple different wrestlers, with varying degrees of success, in order to find someone, he had chemistry with. He was one of our more popular guys, but I don’t think I see him as a main event talent for us, but I do see him as a leading light in our tag division. Come the end of the year, he revealed Riley McManus to be his permanent partner going forward, and they became known as MC Squared. Our other key tag team was Ray Snow and Sterling Whitlock. The two men are probably our most hard-hitting guys and are very influenced by Japanese puroresu. Naturally, I thought they would be a good pair and I really saw a lot of value in both men. They teamed multiple times throughout the year and would end up facing MC Squared for the titles at Wrestle Showdown. We also needed to build a couple more guys up. We already had Threepwood and LaGrenier who people recognised as our main event talent. With the signing of Cali Slick, we gave him multiple wins and he put on such great performances, that he has organically gotten over with our regular fans and is clearly a developing star for us. George Wolfe has been dominant. He has beaten everyone he came across. I wanted to make it clear that he will be a top guy, but I kept him away from the title. The one man who has managed to pin him though, was Jebediah. Since that loss, Wolfe has resorted to attacking some of our faces post-match, eventually attacking Threepwood and setting up a match at Wrestle Showdown. Jebediah, being the one person to pin Wolfe, has found his way up the card. I like Jebediah. He does have an ego on him, but he’s been respectful with me. I gave him the rub of being the one to pin Wolfe because I see something in him. In November, I gave him a match against Raphael to decide the number one contender. He won and cut a promo on LaGrenier before LaGrenier beat Slick in the main event and set up their match to end the year. Wrestle Showdown <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="fg3ToEn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/fg3ToEn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="37lWOMT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/37lWOMT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> To open the night, I decided to have the Tag Team title match between MC Squared, K-Squared and McManus, and American Muscle, Snow and Whitlock. MC Squared picked up the win, becoming our first Tag Team champions. I was always going to go this way. I love the team of Snow and Whitlock and they will have their time, but I told a story of K-Squared finding a tag team partner throughout the year and he and McManus provide the company with a solid duo to be chased by heel tag teams. Fortunately, Drury and Ramone, despite losing, had excellent chemistry, giving us another heel tag team to focus on. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="7ZX7eFn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7ZX7eFn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Threepwood and Wolfe faced off towards the end of the night. Wolfe was dominant in their match and, despite Threepwood’s best efforts, clearly had his opponent’s number. Threepwood may not be our champion any more, but it doesn’t mean I don’t see his importance. Despite Wolfe’s dominance, I didn’t want to give him the win. I wanted him to get angry, but to get carried away. In a moment of weakness, he would attack the referee and cause a DQ finish. Jebediah, though, remains the only man to pin him. Fortunately, they told the story the way we planned and managed to have the best OWA match of the year. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="JTBD65O.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/JTBD65O.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The co-main saw Raphael beat Slick in a match only slightly worse than Wolfe Vs Threepwood. The main event was not quite as good as either match but Jebediah used his size to his advantage to beat LaGrenier and become our third champion. I wanted to make sure to show that, throughout the match, Jebediah never succumbed to the weakness that Wolfe showed and that lead to him picking up the win. I really want to build to a big match between Jebediah and Wolfe, our two most dominant wrestlers. Jebediah might not provide the workrate and technical ability of Threepwood or LaGrenier as champion but he is a trusted sword and, hopefully, he will repay my faith in him. I’m sure he will. 2017 should be an interesting year for OWA. More dojo graduates should begin to find their way onto the card and there are a lot of interesting talents available that I think I could find some use for. Hopefully we can build the tag team division up to the point that we can have them main event from time to time too. It will be a challenge but one that I am willing to face. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Again, apologies that it is so lengthy and basically a wall of text. Will try and make it more concise and a bit shorter in the future.</div></blockquote>

CobheadJake · April 15, 2019

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OWA 2016 – The Good, the Bad & the Dane O'Hara

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Some things just do not work out like you hope. I know Jon, my good friend, hasn’t always had the best attitude but I truly believed that, when I gave him the opportunity to join me on this venture, he would be able to be a good role model for the guys in the locker room. Unfortunately, throughout 2016, he has been one of the two biggest pain in my arses. Seemingly every month I have had reports about him upsetting a wrestler, pulling tasteless ribs and getting under people’s skin. The sort of crap I expect from our dojo graduates just learning the tools of the trade, not a 52-year old man who should know better.

It has made me rethink things going into 2017. I haven’t spoken to him about it yet, but I am going to take him off the commentary booth. I’m not sure who will replace him just yet but, for now, I am going to let him work alongside me as a road agent. This way, I can keep a closer eye on him and make sure he is acting as he should be. I’ve decided he will continue to trainer the dojo guys though. They seem to like him there. Whenever I go there and teach some classes, they have good things to say about him. I think he enjoys that role more than commentary anyway. He gets to be a hard ass, and no one can complain. Still, he may be my friend but if he continues to cause us problems, I may have to let him go.

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Frustratingly, 2017 will start with a completely new commentary team. Jetson will be moving to a different role and the other pain in my ass that I previously mentioned was Dana O’Hara, our announcer. What a jack ass. Apparently, his time in FCW and CZCW gave him an ego. Made him think he could through his scrawny weight around. He doesn’t have the privilege of being my friend like Jetson. He isn’t a legend in Canadian wrestling. He is a solid, yet unspectacular, announcer who I can find a replacement for. If anything, I am excited to find a new commentary team for the year. Fortunately, he managed to bother Cali Slick and it gave me an excuse to sack him. Slick is more valued here than O’Hara. Upsetting Slick managed to get him on the wrong side of a lot of our guys anyway.

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It’s not all doom and gloom though. Fortunately, there have been some solid friendships sparked backstage. Philip LaGrenier and Remmy Honeyman have been our two most positive influences backstage. LaGrenier, despite his tension with Conner Threepwood, has struck up a friendship with Cal Sanders. Honeyman has become good friends with Plat Martin. I’m especially happy with that one. Martin needs that. He needs a guy to befriend him. Someone he can go to for help and for advice. He has that in Honeyman. Honeyman will likely never be a top guy for us but he is another guy who has his place on the undercard. I’ve even considered pairing him and Martin together a few times, see if we can find something there in-ring too.

The trouble is, we don’t have a locker room leader. A guy who can sort these issues out when I’m not there. Sure, Honeyman and LaGrenier are good to have around but we need a veteran who commands respect from the locker room and makes sure that everyone keeps their egos in check. Add that to my list of goals for 2017, finding a locker room leader.

CobheadJake · April 19, 2019

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OWA 2017 - A Year in Review

Backstage & Staff changes

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2017 has been a great year for us. In-ring, it has been an improvement on 2016, which is saying something as I thought we really overdelivered last year too. There have been a few changes and additions to the roster that have played an integral part in our system and I will get more into that shortly. There is still a lot of improvements to be made but judging off of the year we had, the only way is up for OWA.

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With Jetson moving in to a road agent role, more on that shortly, and the firing of Dane O’Hara, we needed to fill in the announce table with a completely new team. In steps Nat Whitehouse and the recently retired Eve Grunge. Whitehouse comes in as our lead announcer, a role which I think he brings a much better attitude to than O’Hara and provides a level of gravitas we were previously missing. Grunge announced that she would become a colour commentator now that her in-ring career is over, and I decided to give her a chance. Jetson actually recommended her to me as he felt he should have some say in who replaces him. Fortunately for me, the two have very good chemistry with each other and they really benefit the matches they call. They have been a big help in getting the importance of our matches over.

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Regarding Jetson, early into the new year he let me know that he had received an off from NOTBPW to sign for them on a written deal, mostly to do some agent work. Obviously, this was a big opportunity for my friend, and I was not going to step in his way, though the problems he caused last year helped convince me. Two big things came from this though.

It’s no secret that we haven’t been doing well financially. We are at a loss each month and will likely be that way until we get bigger. Jetson, though, decided to throw us a bone. Perhaps he was feeling guilty about the problems he has caused me, but when he left, he told me he was going to invest some money into OWA in order to help us financially. There was one caveat, and that was that if NOTBPW decided to let him go, there would be a place for him at OWA. I am sure that will be manageable if it comes to it.

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The other thing of importance to come from him leaving was that it left us without a head trainer for our dojo. This is where the hiring of veteran Lee Bennett comes in. If I’m honest, Bennett is probably an improvement over Jetson. Simply because he is still wrestling and can provide experience of modern wrestling to our graduates. His experience has already worked to our advantage with our new graduates in 2017, of which there were four.

OWA Dojo

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Whilst OWA does not -yet- have a women’s division, we do still allow women’s wrestlers to attend our dojo and therefore it is likely we will have a few graduates. The first female graduate was Nancey Leclerc. She was, of course, not offered a contract with the company and has yet to find work elsewhere but I am sure she will eventually. She is a solid brawler, something our dojo has specialised in so far. The same day as she graduated, so did Thierry Leclerc. Despite the last names, they are in no way related. He is the first wrestler to graduate bigger than a lightweight and has excellent basics. He is a competent brawler and technical wrestler but isn’t yet overly impressive in any field. I decided to pair him up with Plat Martin as a couple of extremists and they have been doing well in their role as a tag team.

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Searlas Gagne was next to graduate. He is a great person to have backstage, a very positive influence. He is, again, not particularly great in any field but shows plenty of potential to be something. Finally, perhaps our most promising youngster yet, is Steven Fly. Steven has a solid base of brawling ability and has some great potential to work his way up the card one day. Fortunately for him, probably because of his great attitude, Lee Bennett has taken a particular liking to him and has taken him on as his protégé. I’ve considered, going into 2018, to use this as a story and pair them together as a tag team. That way, Bennett can teach Fly plenty in the ring with live experience as much as he teaches him out of it.

Signings

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In addition to the dojo graduates, we also made some signings from around the world of wrestling. I’ll be honest, when I heard that NOTBPW were releasing Sonny Wildside, I was quite surprised. He is a kid with plenty of potential and I’ll be surprised if they don’t come sniffing again one day, but at the beginning of the year he signed with us and has had a solid year following that. At the end of the year, I decided to pair him up with Remmy Honeyman and the two will try their hand as a tag team.

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Sky King and Vincente Romero were signed to provide us with a new tag team of grizzled veterans to boost our tag division. However, it was clear after their first match together that they lacked the chemistry to do that. Unfortunately, I tried them both out with other pairings throughout the year, but they just did not fit in and Romero left at the end of the year, whilst Sky King’s contract expires soon into 2018.

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Another man to sign and then leave was Rolling Johnny Stones. I signed him because I decided I wanted to add some foreign flavour to our card and showcase some talents from abroad and 21CW had recently released him. He did begin a tag team with Cal Sanders that had some good matches throughout the year but when his contract came up, he decided he was too big for us and let his contract expire. Perhaps he thinks he can get back to 21CW before it’s too late. It is a shame as he was a locker room leader that we craved, but Lee Bennett is too so we aren’t going without.

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One more person to have left us in 2017 was OWA original Jerry Martin. Jerry just never found his place in our roster. He didn’t fit in with anyone else to form a tag team, but also wasn’t proving himself in the ring enough to warrant a push. It is unfortunate but when his contract was coming up, we mutually agreed to let him move on and find work elsewhere.

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Other foreign signings were made though, with greater success. Perhaps the European Crusher Von Stienberg wasn’t a signing we were expected to make, but I decided I wanted a new monster heel and his availability worked perfect for us. He has been built up, with the odd loss, fairly solidly and slowly throughout the year and I expect 2018 to be a good year for him. He may not be a standout performer, but I have been quietly impressed with his performances so far and it has reaffirmed my confidence in signing him. He has been paired with Lisa Bowen to help him out further, as I don’t think she was working well with Raphael.

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Additionally, Avalanche Takano was signed. I see a lot of potential in Takano. I am sure that soon enough he will return to Japan, but I am hoping that he will be convinced to stick around here too as I can see him reaching the top of our card. I decided to sign Kristabel Plum to work as his manager as she recently retired and comes in as our best mic worker, though Takano is a solid mic worker himself, he just needs to learn the language. As I didn’t see an immediate place for him in the singles division, I decided to sign Angel Of Mercy too, and paired them up. Fortunately, it was clear early that they had excellent chemistry together and I expect them to have a huge year in 2018, providing both stick around.

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Sometimes, a company like OWA searches for the best in-ring wrestlers and builds them up to become stars. Sometimes, a company like OWA is afforded the opportunity to sign stars and turn them into great in-ring wrestlers. When I heard Ekuma was being released from SWF/RIPW, I decided to take a gamble. He is a huge heavyweight with plenty of star quality and a great look but his in-ring skills are left to be desired. He is a decent brawler but past that, is not too impressive. Hopefully, we can change that. He has shown a good desire to learn and succeed here at OWA so far and, assuming he stays around, will be a long term project for us.

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Before I discuss the most important signing OWA made, there are two more younger guys to discuss. Princeton Royce came in for an event to work a dark match as a trial and I was impressed with what I saw. I really think he has a lot of talent and potential and I decided to pair him with Raphael at the end of the year to give both men something to do. Also, once Rolling Johnny Stones left, I wanted a British man to replace him in his team with Cal Sanders, as they formed a team called The Brit-Can Connection that I always want to exist in some form in OWA. Phelan now teams with Sanders despite them not having great chemistry, though hopefully that is something we can get over with time.

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Finally, Antonio Del Veccio was signed at the beginning of the year. Because of his time with 4C and now CGC, he fit right in at the top of the card and along with Cali Slick has been putting in the best, most consistent in-ring performances of anyone in the company. Del Veccio is someone that absolutely has a big future with us if he sticks around and I consider us to be fortunate to have him.

Heavyweight & Tag Team Titles

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In 2016, we had two good Heavyweight titles reigns from Conner Threepwood and Philippe LaGrenier but neither last that long. When Jebediah won the title at Wrestle Showdown, the idea there was that he would hold the title for a year, losing it at the following Wrestle Showdown. Unfortunately, his reign didn’t go as planned. It would have been unfair of me to expect Jebediah to have matches as good as the ones the previous champions were having but there was a drop-in quality. He is meant to be a big man, not a technically proficient wrestler. I wanted to stick with him, give him a chance, but the fans just weren’t buying in. They like the guy, but they just didn’t want our events closing with him defending in lacklustre matches.

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So, the decision was made to push plans forward and, after 5 successful defences -the same amount managed by Threepwood- he lost the belt to George Wolfe in July. Wolfe was always going to be the next champion. I wanted to play off the fact that Jebediah had been the only man to pin and defeat Wolfe in OWA so far. Wolfe bided his time, never once had a title shot until the night, he won it. The plan worked. The matches have improved as a result and, whilst he isn’t an outstanding wrestler himself, he has proven himself as a champion.

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MC Squared, K-Squared and Riley McManus, were exactly what they were meant to be as tag team champions. They had solid matches and held the belts whilst we built up other tag teams and figured the division out. It was clear though that the men they beat to become the inaugural champions, American Muscle, Ray Snow and Sterling Whitlock, were the tag team standouts. By the end of the year they had been putting on the best performances of anyone in the company not name Del Veccio or Slick, and in June they beat MC Squared in a rematch to win the belts. Their performances have allowed them to successfully main event shows on multiple occasions too, as we had hoped. Additionally, it has earned both men a big opportunity as they both joined PGHW for a tour at the end of the year. Both belts were a big part of our end of year show Wrestle Showdown 2, but more on that soon.

Top Matches & The Wrestling Classic

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Before discussing the Wrestle showdown 2017 show, there are a couple of matches and an event to talk about first. As already stated, Cali Slick has been one of our two most consistent performers of the year and that has shown as he has been a part of some of the best matches of our company’s short existence. The first of these saw him face Plat Martin in a rematch from the previous year, where they had put on a surprisingly compelling match considering Martin’s rookie status. Up to that point, July 2017, it was the best match we had had.

However, in September, we introduced a new event that I hope will become a staple of the company each year from now, the Wrestling Classic. The Wrestling Classic will be a yearly tournament, with the winner going on to face the champion in the main event of our crowning event, Wrestle Showdown. The eight wrestlers to take part in our inaugural tournament were, Jebediah, who had just lost his belt two months prior; Raphael, who has struggled to find wins in OWA; Sterling Whitlock, who was wrestling in the tournament whilst Ray Snow had a slight injury; Ekuma, the giant strongman who could take out anyone; Cali Slick, a MVP performer and star in the making; Crusher Von Steinberg, a hulking monster who has dominated in OWA; Philippe LaGrenier, an ex-champion who has struggled to find his way since losing the belt and Sonny Wildside, a NOTBPW reject who has potential but hasn’t been turning that into wins.

Slick managed to upset Von Steinberg in a great opening round match before meeting LaGrenier in the semi-finals, losing in what is still the best match we have put on as a company, a testament to the ability of both men. Ultimately, the finals came down to the two ex-champions, Jebediah and the man he defeated for the belt, LaGrenier. It was Jebediah who managed to pick up the win again and would go on to meet Wolfe in the final show of the year.

Wrestle Showdown lead-in and event

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Leading in to Wrestle Showdown, there were two important turns. First, Raphael had been showing signs that he was realising his attitude was not helping him. He lost his manager in Lisa Bowen, who had decided to manage Von Steinberg instead due to his success, and he was losing every match, culminating in a crushing defeat to Jebediah in the Wrestle Classic. One man who had shown him sympathy was the fresh face of Princeton Pryce. So, when Pryce was attacked by Sky King after defeating him in a match, Raphael came to the save and set up a match against Sky King at Wrestling Classic in King’s final match with OWA. Raphael would go on to win and announce that he and Pryce would be teaming going forward, challenging Von Steinberg to find a partner and face them at the first show of the year, OWA Road To Redemption.

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The other turn was one that had much bigger implications. Conner Threepwood had taken some time off earlier in the year as, outside of the ring he had been upset at having to put someone over. He has never caused major issues for us, but his attitude is amongst the worst in the company. We decided that when he returned, he would come back with some edge. Following a DQ victory over the Champion George Wolfe, he felt slighted at going back to the opening match of the card the following month and then lost to LaGrenier, making matters worse. Unfortunately, Cali Slick was in the match straight after, facing Del Veccio in a great match but Threepwood came out and cost him the win, turning heel in the process and setting up for what turned out to be a fantastic match at Wrestle Showdown, picking up the win over Slick in a match almost as good as Slick’s match with LaGrenier.

The Tag Team title match at Wrestle Showdown saw MC Squared and American Muscle face off once again in a rematch from the first Wrestle Showdown. American Muscle came away with the cheap win in their best match against each other yet, whilst later in the night their next challengers were decided as The Tecnicos, Generico and Lobo Blanco, and Extreme Dream, Plat Martin and Thierry Leclerc, went to a no contest and will both face American Muscle in the new year.

Finally, the main event was perhaps our biggest match yet. As it was the important rubber match between George Wolfe and Jebediah, Jebediah laid the challenge out that it should be a cage match, as Jebediah wanted to prevent any of the occasional help Wolfe has employed in the past. This resulted in a slugger of a fight between the two big men, a match I was proud to watch as, whilst it isn’t one of our best matches, it was a damn fine one that showcased the heart of our company. Wolfe came away with the win in their best match together yet and continued his impressive reign into the new year.

Reflection

For me, Wrestle Showdown put a bow on what was a great year for the company. It was our best event up to that point and showcased multiple talents that we would like to focus on going forward. For guys like Threepwood, LaGrenier and Jebediah, who were all ex-champions, it showed that they weren’t done at the top and could hold their own against the outsiders coming in such as Del Veccio and Wildside. LaGrenier himself managed to put on a great performance against Lug Phelan, in a match that I didn’t think had any right to be as good as it was.

With talents such as Threepwood, LaGrenier, Slick and Del Veccio, as well as the performances put on by American Muscle, there should be a clear emphasis on great in-ring wrestlers going forward, something that I feel we need to showcase a little more in the future. Though, the way Wolfe is performing, he has earned his right to be champion over those men, and being my son has nothing to do with it. Though, it does make me proud of him. This company makes me proud of everyone.

CobheadJake · April 19, 2019

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OWA - Reflection One

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I enjoy my time sitting in my office after events. My office was just a smaller building just outside of the OWA Dojo, a couple of minutes away by foot. It wasn’t a perfect spot, I’d prefer to have an office space where I could overlook the trainees, but I couldn’t afford to be choosey. I took what was available. Nevertheless, it was close enough that my guys, trainees, staff and roster, knew they could come and talk with me if they wanted. I liked having an open-door policy.

In truth, I can put a lot of blame on Jon or Dane in the first year for our bad backstage atmosphere, but I am to blame as well. I was new and trying to figure it all out, and I demanded time to myself. The boys didn’t feel like they could talk to me and I didn’t feel like I was one of them. At the beginning of 2017, I made some changes and spoke to the locker room, making it clear I was always available, bar some extreme circumstances. I think small changes like that, and the relationships we’ve built over the year, has led to us having a brilliant atmosphere now. We truly are a unit who have each other’s backs and want to help one another.

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Riley McManus came into my office with his girlfriend Kristabel Plum. Plum was managing Avalanche Takano and Angel Of Mercy and she got along with them, but outside of the ring they still were working on their English, and Plum hadn’t spent a lot of time with them. Not because she didn’t want to, she’s a lovely woman and has time for everyone, but because it was hard. I think that’s what lead her to Riley. Relationships in wrestling are common. You spend a lot of time with the people in your locker room and if there are that many cooks in the kitchen, something is bound to happen.

Riley is a good egg. Not an exciting personality by any means, but he has a good head on his shoulder and is one of the leading guys backstage. He knows his role. I can never state enough just how important that is. Some people would complain being stuck in a tag team, but Riley knew how important he was. He and Kenny (K-Squared) were the anchors of the division. They were trusted to win the belts first and I’m sure they will be again too. Both of them had been afforded shots at the Heavyweight Title too, though. They were solid wrestlers and could be put into any position on the card.

“Hey boss, we just wanted to check in on you before we went. Make sure you’re happy to be left alone and we wanted to thank you on an excellent night yesterday!” It was the day after Wrestle Showdown and Riley and Kristabel had been helping out train our dojo guys. Wrestle Showdown was a big success, our best show year.

“Yes, I’m good thanks. Thanks again for helping out tonight guys, are you sure you don’t want some payment? I do appreciate the help.” It was true. A lot of my guys are willing to help train but don’t ask for anything in return. A product of a positive backstage atmosphere.

“Of course not. Just, you know, consider me when you’re thinking who to push! Haha.” “Riley, don’t be silly. Night Ed, don’t stay here all night, enjoy your new year!”

“Haha, you too guys. Good night.” They walked off, closing the door behind them, leaving me to think about the relationships I’ve seen built this past year.

Before Vincente left, him and Eve Grunge had started dating. Eve wasn’t pleased when I told her I’d be letting Vincente leave, but she understood. She knew how the business work and it wasn’t because he did anything wrong, we just didn’t have a place for him right now. She doesn’t hold it against me, and she continues to do an excellent job. Vincente understood too; he is a good guy.

Cal and Philippe had already made good friends. It’s quite funny really. I wouldn’t think they would be friends. Cal is quite a chilled out, kind of ordinary guy. He likes that. I like that, actually. Philippe is a bit wilder. He is a bit of a joker really. It means he can be a pain in the ass, but you need guys like that. Guys who can turn a bad locker room into a fun one. They are opposites really, but I think they connected because they respected each other’s talent in the ring. It didn’t matter to me how they connected, I’m just happy they did.

Philippe and Conner aren’t huge on each other though. They had a match together last year and there were a couple of issues and things have been soured since. They’re professionals. They don’t cause any problems. It’s a shame because I wish everyone could get along, but I know that’s not realistic.

Nonetheless, I think it’s important for my dojo guys to come in and make friends. Plat Martin did that last year. Remmy took a liking to him and they’ve bonded ever since. On Thierry Leclerc’s first night with us, Raphael and Thierry made good friends and it really set him off on the right foot. Generico too. Gaylord (Generico) and Thierry bonded over them both being new to the business. I don’t necessarily think all of them are going to go on to achieve great things with OWA, nor do I think they all will stay here forever. But I do think they have a place right now and they’re doing their best to fit in and I can’t state the importance of that.

That’s why I am happy to have Lee around. Jon was my friend, but it was well documented that he did cause problems. Lee doesn’t do that though. The dojo guys go to him more than they do me. They spend every day with him and then he comes to our events and puts on a show despite his age. He is a locker room leader and that is something we sorely missed last year. Johnny Stones was one too, but he left, and Lee has all the weight on his shoulders. That’s why I’m happy he took Steven under his wing. Steven needs a guy like that. I’m a big fan of Steven and I think he, or Plat, has the biggest potential out of our graduates so far.

I put away my papers, some scouting reports on potential signees, and turned the light off. As I walked to my car, I looked over at the dojo and smiled. I could see Lee locking up and gave him a wave as I got in my car. I wasn’t always sure that OWA would be the right move for me. I had some regrets last year, but things are looking up. I can say that I am excited for what’s to come. I have some plans on who to push but that’s the excitement of wrestling. Nothing is certain and everything can change.

Herrbear · April 19, 2019

Nice narrative.

CobheadJake · April 20, 2019

OWA - Tag Team Review

I stated at the end of 2016 that, long term, I want to build a successful tag team division that could, on any given night, main event a show. In 2017, the tag team has main evented a couple times, but it was more because Jebediah’s matches as Heavyweight champion weren’t always good enough to main event, so the tag teams were put there instead. One thing I’ve done so far is build our own tag teams. We don’t have any tag teams that are established teams from elsewhere. That’s not to say that we won’t in the future, but currently we want to build OWA’s own tag team division, with our own tag teams as the backbone. I thought I should go through each team we have and discuss them a little, so here goes.

American Muscle

American Muscle is the team of Ray Snow and Sterling Whitlock. They’re currently our champions, having won the belts from MC Squared in June and have recently retained the belts against them again at Wrestle Showdown. They’re our top heel team and, probably, will be for some time. I imagine they will lose the belts at some point in 2018 but they’ll probably still keep the belts for a while yet. Both guys can easily be singles stars with us too, Whitlock in particular has been having good singles matches when given the opportunity.

Extreme Dream

Extreme Dream consists of two of our dojo graduates, Plat Martin and Thierry Leclerc. They’re heels and both play extremist gimmicks. I put them together at the beginning of 2017 when Leclerc graduated and they will probably start gaining some momentum in 2018, particularly as Martin has been improving in the ring. I’m not sure they’ll hold the titles anytime soon but who knows.

Honey Wild

Honey Wild were put together towards the end of the year. Remmy Honeyman and Sonny Wildside had teamed together a few times before officially becoming a team. With Wildside, we have a guy who is amongst our most popular wrestlers due to his time in NOTBPW, but I’m not sure he is ready to be a true top guy for us yet. Honeyman is someone a lot of our guys think a lot of. Constantly they come into my office to praise him and say he needs a push. I didn’t necessarily start with plans for him but pairing these two together could give me some clarity in the future regarding what to do with them both.

MC Squared

Riley McManus and K-Squared were our inaugural champions and top face team. As I’ve already said, they are two solid wrestlers who I believed could be trusted to start the division off with some consistency. They are by no means just placeholders though as they have a future as a tag team for us and will no doubt hold the belts again down the line. They’ve developed a bit of a rivalry with American Muscle which we will be sure to revisit on occasion.

Pretty Perfect

Pretty Perfect are our newest team, having formed at the end of the year when Raphael turned face and saved Princeton Pryce after an attack from Sky King. They have some business with Crusher Von Steinberg, who is now managed by Lisa Bowen who previously managed Raphael, and once that is done, they could be an important figure in the division.

Real Chemistry

Kirk Drury and Ricochet Ramone make up Real Chemistry, playing off their excellent chemistry we found with them when randomly pairing them. Neither guy currently shows signs of being a big singles guy for us, but together they are an impressive team that could feature heavily in our tag team division going forward. They have some time yet to be built up but could definitely hold the belts eventually.

Tecnicos

Tecnicos was created just to pair two of our ‘generic’ mask guys together in Generico and Lobo Blanco. They have actually improved as a team recently and have had a couple of title opportunities against American Muscle. More than anything, I’m hoping Blanco can help Generico out a bit and help him improve.

The Brit-Can Connection

Initially, this team was made up of Cal Sanders and Rolling Johnny Stones, and would likely have gone on to take the titles away from American Muscle until Stones left. With this team, I intend it to be a longstanding team in OWA in which we can switch out members when one leaves, as long as there is always one Brit and one Canadian member. Since Johnny left, Lug Phelan was signed to partner with Cal. They don’t have very good chemistry together, but I’ve decided to keep them together, at least for the time being.

Unique Differences

Kristabel Plum manages the team of Angel Of Mercy and Avalanche Takano. They have excellent chemistry together and also hold up as great singles wrestlers. They might become our best face team if I decide to keep them together and are heavy favourites to be the next champions. We really did get lucky that these two worked so well together and I am dreaming of the matches they can pull off with the other top teams.

We have multiple tag teams, both face and heel, and they each have different purposes but are all teams that could, with time, hold their own in the division and compete for the titles. It’s still a long time before I could regularly have tag teams headlining events, but it definitely seems like something possible, especially once we get at least one more top heel team together. I have teased with the idea of pairing George Wolfe and Lee Bennett eventually, as they have excellent chemistry, but I might also pair Bennett with Steven Fly to play off of their relationship outside of the ring.

MightyDavidson · April 20, 2019

I'm curious about what OWA's product is like and how much cash and such they had when they started out. I'm interested in running a fed like this myself in TEW2016 you see.

CobheadJake · April 20, 2019

I'm curious about what OWA's product is like and how much cash and such they had when they started out. I'm interested in running a fed like this myself in TEW2016 you see.

For the product, I am just using the 'Old School Rasslin'' product that is a preset one in game. As for cash, I started with 500k, I believe. I lose money quite heavily. I did also give myself enough to make the dojo at the beginning at 50% reputation (275,000 I believe) too.

MightyDavidson · April 20, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="CobheadJake" data-cite="CobheadJake" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>For the product, I am just using the 'Old School Rasslin'' product that is a preset one in game. As for cash, I started with 500k, I believe. I lose money quite heavily. I did also give myself enough to make the dojo at the beginning at 50% reputation (275,000 I believe) too.</div></blockquote> Thanks. If memory serves the easy start gives you a million cash, so for this I'd have to take one of the harder starts, yes?

CobheadJake · April 20, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="MightyDavidson" data-cite="MightyDavidson" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Thanks. If memory serves the easy start gives you a million cash, so for this I'd have to take one of the harder starts, yes?</div></blockquote> Yes, believe it is the hardest difficult because I wanted to start as local. I might have given myself a bit more money in the editor though, I can't recall that part tbh.

MightyDavidson · April 20, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="CobheadJake" data-cite="CobheadJake" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Yes, believe it is the hardest difficult because I wanted to start as local. I might have given myself a bit more money in the editor though, I can't recall that part tbh.</div></blockquote> Does your fed use storylines?

CobheadJake · April 20, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="MightyDavidson" data-cite="MightyDavidson" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Does your fed use storylines?</div></blockquote> No, it doesn't require any. I might change that in the future though, at the very least I will likely start running storylines anyway.

CobheadJake · April 20, 2019

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OWA 2017 - Top 500

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Once a year, at the beginning of every new year, TEW.com release their top 500 wrestlers of the year, based on their performances in the squared circle. If you ask me, it is an honour to be recognised anywhere in the top 500, considering how many wrestlers there are in the world, and this year OWA were fortunate enough to have three wrestlers reach this honour, whom I will acknowledge now.

<div style="text-align:center;">Ray Snow - #318 & Sterling Whitlock - #326

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Ray Snow and Sterling Whitlock, American Muscle, have been the top tag team in our growing division. With OWA, they have been amongst our best performers and hold up their own in singles competition too. They have quite the future with us if they stick around but it would be silly of me to think that their appearance in the top 500 wasn’t because of the tour they spent together in PGHW. In their three months with PGHW, they used their strong style influence to impress the Japanese fans and put on performances worthy of a place in the top 500.

<div style="text-align:center;">Cali Slick – #476

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As I’ve stated multiple times, Cali Slick and Antonio Del Veccio were our best performers this past year. Slick is the one that is acknowledged here though as his performances for us and GSW have earned him a spot. His best match of the year was against LaGrenier but his matches with Threepwood and Martin also benefitted him. His matches against guys like Jake Idol and Mobstar have impressed in GSW too.

Hopefully by the end of 2018 we will have a couple more guys in this list. Even better, I'd like there to be someone who gets in there that just works for us, I think that would be well representative of our improvement of our company. We'll find out in a year if we can manage it.

CobheadJake · April 21, 2019

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iz1isE3.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iz1isE3.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> OWA 2018 Year in Review - Part 1: Dojo <img alt="nKzkCqH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nKzkCqH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The OWA Dojo has been very busy for us in 2018. No fewer than ten wrestlers have graduated to the main roster this year, with varying degrees of success. I figure that I should acknowledge them and explain a little about each guy. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Auriville Martel <img alt="fX5Orha.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/fX5Orha.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Martel is a lightweight technician who graduated towards the end of the year. He comes in in a heel role for us and already has some fairly good chain and mat wrestling skills, along with being very athletic, a privilege he gets from being a former amateur wrestler. I don’t have any immediate plans for him, but he has potential and is a good locker room guy to have around, so he should have a promising future with us.</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Blaise Michaud <img alt="0sWwYaH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/0sWwYaH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Michaud signed in December and will have his debut, if we can find space for him, at Wrestle Showdown. Another lightweight, he is a flashier cruiserweight who focuses on flying around the ring. Fortunately, he has good selling which suits his role as he will need to bump around the ring a lot for bigger guys. He is charismatic but besides that doesn’t have much about him, but he could develop into a nice lower card guy. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Corvin Lefevre <img alt="pRkWRIE.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/pRkWRIE.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Lefevre is a masked wrestler with a solid, middleweight size. He is decent star quality and, despite being behind a mask, has a lot of menace about him. He is very powerful, athletic and is a good brawler. I definitely think he will have an important place on our card in the future, particularly as he is a positive guy backstage, but plays a better babyface than a heel. With the skills he has, I wish he played a better heel, but maybe the fans will take to him as an aggressive face.</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Dace Mercier <img alt="PXcOLIr.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/PXcOLIr.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Mercier is a bulky heavyweight, the biggest guy we have developed so far. Unfortunately, he is also an awful backstage person and found himself released a few months into his career due to a backstage incident where he beat up Kirk Drury. I doubt he will be back; he really doesn’t like me now, but best of luck to him I suppose. Or, best of luck to anyone that hires him. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Darryl Robinson <img alt="YvSbTwb.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/YvSbTwb.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Robinson is one of the more promising graduates so far. He is a light heavyweight who can brawl with the best of them. Seriously, he might be our best brawler on the roster already, he is definitely amongst the best. I think my initial idea with Robinson will be to find him another big guy face to pair him with and let him develop in the tag division.</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Eriq Cloutier <img alt="3fgzgIB.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/3fgzgIB.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Cloutier is a middleweight who is quite flabby and honestly needs to work on his appearance a bit. Nonetheless he is another good brawler but unfortunately, he doesn’t get on well with Irwin Gutmann (more on him another time). That won’t affect his chances with us, unless it escalates, but it’s a shame, nonetheless. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Gascon Pelletier <img alt="tShZUGw.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tShZUGw.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Pelletier is another masked middleweight who is a good brawler. He is also decent enough on the mic. I’m not sure yet but I might try and pair him with Lefevre as they are both faces, but that can be tested soon.</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Iven Bailey <img alt="DkVUsdt.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/DkVUsdt.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Another masked wrestler, Bailey is a lightweight. He works a cruiserweight style, more akin to usual mask wearers. He is okay enough as a cruiserweight but has a lot to develop across the board with his in-ring skills. Will probably be a jobber, for the most part, unless he impresses and improves. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="text-align:center;">Oriel Joslin <img alt="tq1SIVy.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tq1SIVy.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Joslin is a muscular middleweight. He isn’t particularly impressive in any aspect of his in-ring skills but is only young and has plenty of time to develop. Lee Bennett took a liking to him and made him his protégé, so perhaps Bennett can really help him improve.</div></blockquote> <div style="text-align:center;">Rollan Perry <img alt="8Keo8fz.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8Keo8fz.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Finally, Perry is another lightweight technician. He isn’t a standout wrestler but has a solid basic set of skills and is also a good mic guy and is pretty good at acting. Perhaps he and Martel can team up a bit.

CobheadJake · April 21, 2019

OWA 2018 Year in Review - Part 2: Roster Changes

I like to constantly be looking for new wrestlers for our shows throughout the year. There is no one particular guy who scouts for us, at least not currently, but everyone does their part. I’ll go and watch some shows or some videos. Bennett will do the same. Even our wrestlers will come to us with recommendations. In 2018, we signed a few more guys with varying reputations and roles.

American Elemental II

American Elemental II was signed right at the beginning of the year. He is very, very new to wrestling but due to his training by the first American Elemental, he comes in with a great set of skills and has held his own throughout the year with anyone in-ring. He debuted alongside Avalanche Takano, Angel Of Mercy and Kristabel Plum. He has been a singles competitor all year but considering the future of one of his teammates, more on that another time, he might move in to the tag team division in 2019.

Irwin Gutmann

I don’t usually like to hire guys who have a bad attitude and have a negative impact on our locker room. I decided to make an exception with Gutmann, though. I decided half way through the year that, for now, rather than push Crusher Von Steinberg as a singles guy (he’s been one of our best guys), I want him in the tag division. Enter Gutmann. I wanted a second European guy -obviously, Gutmann is Canadian but is of German descent and is known for his work in Europe- who could hold his own in the ring and Gutmann was the best option of the guys who were willing to work here in Canada. Expect them to achieve success in the tag team realms, providing Gutmann stays out of trouble. He already doesn’t get on with one of our rookies.

Mimic

I realise that, sometimes, I focus more on bringing in and showcasing foreign talents rather than doing the same with Canadian talents, of which there is plenty. Mimic is a guy who left ACPW in 2017 and made his way to us early in 2018. His mic skills are great, and he is also a good in-ring guy. He could be one of the Canadian talents that makes their way to our main event soon enough, as he is definitely capable of holding his own there.

Ant-Man

Ant-Man is quite an unbelievable guy. He is quite small, being a lightweight, but has immense power and is capable of slamming guys well into their 400lbs. He left ACPW at the same time as Mimic and signed for us a couple months after him. Just like Mimic, he has great mic and good in-ring skills, maybe a little better than Mimic, and definitely has a bright future here once some upper card space opens up.

Teddy Powell

Powell is a veteran cruiserweight who spent time with USPW and DAVE. His in-ring skills aren’t quite what they used to be, but he is a valuable veteran who provides some great experience and can help develop our guys. He has stepped up a bit backstage and often helps train at the Dojo.

Bryan Holmes

There are few guys I respect as much as Bryan Holmes. Sure, he is 47 now and is not far off retirement but his vast experience and positive, helpful mentality backstage, makes him a valuable guy to have around. Like Powell, Holmes has spent plenty of time helping craft our rookies at the dojo and seems to really enjoy work with the younger guys. He has taken Searlas Gagne on as a protégé and much like Lee Bennett with Steven Fly, they have teamed up too and will be looking to make a splash in that division. Once he decides to retire, I hope he is willing to stay around to produce matches with me.

Danny Rushmore

In the middle of 2018, Danny Rushmore announced his retirement from wrestling and, when he decided to call it quits, I made the call to sign him on as a colour commentator. He has been joining Whitehouse and Grunge at the commentary booth for the second half of the year and has done a very respectable job and, I imagine, will only improve in the role. Fortunately, he is another locker room leader to add to the backstage environment and, surprise surprise, has been helping out at the dojo.

Stuntman

When Lug Phelan left at the end of his contract, he was good but his lack of chemistry with Cal Sanders meant that he couldn’t provide the role I wanted him to -perhaps he will be back some other time though-, I wanted a new Brit to team with Sanders. Stuntman was someone who became available in 2017 but finally came into my radar in 2018. He has yet to debut, but when he does it will be alongside Cal Sanders as the newly dubbed ‘The Brit-Can Express’.

MightyDavidson · April 22, 2019

For the team of Stuntman and Cal Sanders, might I suggest the name Commonwealth Express since both Canada and Britain are both part of the Commonwealth of Nations?

CobheadJake · April 22, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="MightyDavidson" data-cite="MightyDavidson" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>For the team of Stuntman and Cal Sanders, might I suggest the name Commonwealth Express since both Canada and Britain are both part of the Commonwealth of Nations?</div></blockquote> The chances are that the team will change again in the future, so I'll keep that in consideration for the next team. Cheers.

CobheadJake · April 22, 2019

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="iz1isE3.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/iz1isE3.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> OWA 2018 Year in Review - Part 3: Tag Team Division <img alt="nKzkCqH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nKzkCqH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> The tag team division has had some ups and some downs in 2018. New champions have been crowned, three times, but one of those reigns ended with a bad taste in our mouths. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="bPAX3lJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/bPAX3lJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="lAN82XS.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lAN82XS.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> In February, the team of Angel Of Mercy and Avalanche Takano, Unique Differences, challenged American Muscle for their Tag Team belts and had a very good match, winning the belts for the first time. Unfortunately, Angel Of Mercy tore his rotator cuff during the match and, after surgery, faced seven months out of action. The decision was made to immediately strip the team of the belts, but it came at the right time, if there is ever a right time for something like that. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="fBpuvsJ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/fBpuvsJ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> I had decided at the beginning of the year to introduce a tag team tournament as an alternative to the Wrestling Classic that is held in September for singles competitors. Now, this is going to sound egotistical but we, and I do mean we, decided to name it ‘The Ed Monton Tag Team Classic’. Look, before I was a world champion, I was known for tag team wrestling, particularly alongside Jon Jetson. I considered also naming it after Lee Bennett, who was also a prolific tag team wrestler, but I actually have another idea for his name. I know not everyone will agree with naming a trophy after someone, but I appreciate history and I think it is important to honour it and the impact wrestlers have made. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="6AMfErn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/6AMfErn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> Nonetheless, we decided to keep the tag team belts off of the March PPV as we intended, alongside our first Tag Team Classic in April, to also crown the new champions. The team to win the tournament would also win the title belts. Not only would they win the title belts, they would win the new title belts that I had commissioned. We did have a few hitches going in, though. Unique Differences were, of course, not going to be eligible due to Angel’s injury, though I did consider putting American Elemental II in as Avalanche’s partner instead. Ex-Champions American Muscle were also unavailable due to their commitments on the PGHW tour at the time, which is also where Irwin Gutmann was, meaning his team with Crusher Von Steinberg was also not available. Those teams would have been heavy favourites to win. I in fact wanted to have either American Muscle win the titles back or have Crushing Edge (Crusher and Gutmann) win. However, we needed to adapt. The eight teams to compete would be Extreme Dream, Plat Martin & Thierry Leclerc; The Brit-Can Connection, Cal Sanders & Lug Phelan; MC Squared, K-Squared & Riley McManus; Antonio Del Veccio & Rollan Perry -not an actual team, but the story was that Del Veccio was told he could be in the tournament but was annoyed when his partner turned out to be Perry-; Real Chemistry, Kirk Drury & Ricochet Ramone; Tecnicos, Generico & Lobo Blanco; Honey Wild, Remmy Honeyman & Sonny Wildside and Lee Bennett & Steven Fly. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="fg3ToEn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/fg3ToEn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="37lWOMT.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/37lWOMT.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> No matches in the tournament particularly stood out, as might be expected when three of our best teams were unavailable, but ultimately the tournament came down to MC Squared and Real Chemistry. Real Chemistry finally had a time to shine for us, having just bided their time for so long, and this tournament upped their stock and made them viable contenders. However, I decided that in a time where the tag team division needs more certainty, that we needed a reliable team back on top and, therefore, MC Squared had the privilege of being the first team to win the Classic, as well as being the first two-time champions. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="7ZX7eFn.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7ZX7eFn.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Yy9Fmux.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Yy9Fmux.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> MC Squared continued to hold the belts throughout the year, having an impressive reign that was, in terms of match quality, better than their first. Their matches against Extreme Dream and Crushing Edge were particularly good. However, come October, there was a new and impressive team on the horizon, Raw Power. This was the immense big man team of George Wolfe, pissed after losing his title belt -more on that later-, and Skip Beau. Raw Power triumphed in a great match in October and then beat Pretty Perfect in a title defence and will now enter Wrestle Showdown as champions. George Wolfe winning the tag team belts also makes him the first man to win both the World and Tag Team titles. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46568" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Thanks again to smw88 for making me the tag team belts and the trophy. You'll see more of his work soon, I'm sure.</div></blockquote>

CobheadJake · April 22, 2019

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OWA 2018 Year in Review - Part 4: Heavyweight Title

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If you ask me, in 2018 we have multiple guys who could be legitimate heavyweight champions for us or require very little to get to that point. Guys like Threepwood, LaGrenier and Jebediah would need a little bit of building but all are ex-champions and good be again. Del Veccio, Wolfe, Slick, Ekuma, Von Steinberg, Beau or even the American Muscle guys are all legitimate top contenders having the prestige of previous champions, or the commitment from us.

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Going into the new year, I decided to get a new heavyweight title commissioned that provided more prestige to whoever is wearing it. I am very happy with what we got and believe it adds a lot to the prowess of our champions.

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Having retained the belt against Jebediah in a cage match at Wrestle Showdown, George Wolfe was our champion going into 2018 and was set to continue his dominant run. He started the new year with a good defence against Cal Sanders, also managing an even better match with Raphael. Entering May, after many promos from Cali Slick challenging Wolfe, Slick finally got his opportunity and defeated Wolfe in a great match.

For the first time since LaGrenier’s run, the belt was back on a great in-ring wrestler. Jebediah and Wolfe weren’t bad by any means, but their size carried them to the top. With Slick, we had the company’s best performer holding the belt in what felt like an inevitability after his build since he first signed.

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Slick started his run off with a decent defence against Skip Beau but his match against Sterling Whitlock set him up for the company’s biggest moment. Two months afterwards, in a title defence against Ray Snow that was in the co-main event of our Wrestling Classic event, Slick defeated Snow in a fantastic match that, as good as other matches were, far superseded any match we have had before. For Slick, it was the confirmation needed that he was the right man to be champion and he was repaying our faith in him. For Snow, it made him a legitimate star. Prior to Slick’s win over Whitlock, American Muscle had announced they were taking a break from tag team action to focus on trying to be singles champions. Whitlock had already impressed but Snow knocked it out of the park and helped set a bench mark that we hope to beat.

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Approaching The Wrestling Classic 2018, the main goal was to improve on the showing last year, as we always hope to do. We kept it at a 8-man field, though we may look to change that in the future, and the winner would again go on to the challenge for the Heavyweight title at Wrestle Showdown. I will briefly go over the eight men involved this year and the booking around the tournament.

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The first man was a surprise debut in Bryan Holmes. This was Holmes' first appearance for us, and he was given a big entrance for his debut, to put him over as someone to respect, though he is playing a heel. The ide with Holmes was to bring him in this way to give him a nice debut win before focusing on the younger guys. He isn’t as good as he once was, but he can still go.

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His opponent in the first round was Ant-Man. I wanted to give Holmes a win over a popular face, but not one too high up the card. Ant-Man has impressed me so far, despite his name, and I felt he deserved a chance to be in this tournament. Honestly, I could see him winning it eventually if he continues to impress. Holmes got the win and moved on.

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The next match saw Jebediah face Skip Beau. Jebediah was one of the favourites, having won the inaugural tournament a year prior. I wanted to book him strong here as he has gone a little by the wayside to allow other names to revolve into the main event.

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Skip Beau is someone that is still coming along and developing. This was of course the last event before he and Wolfe won the tag team belts in October. I wanted to give him the chance to be in the tournament since Wolfe had already declared but I didn’t have any intention of him leaving the first round, so Jebediah won.

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Antonio Del Veccio was one of the favourites going into the tournament, particularly as it became clear we wanted to promote better in-ring wrestling when we could. He had given a few promos leading up to this show revolving around how he feels he got played about with the tag team classic, so he expects better this time.

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His opponent was Ekuma. Ekuma has the look that will likely see him rise to the top eventually. For now, he has been a guy we push hard until he faces a big-time heel, who usually pulls out an ‘upset’ win against him. He has rose to prominence a bit more recently as he and Jebediah have started teaming, but he took the loss to Del Veccio here.

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The final match saw George Wolfe facing Avalanche Takano. Wolfe had lost his few titles prior to this and has been on a tear since, destroying competition and teaming with Beau. He was a heavy favourite to win this and face Slick at Wrestle Showdown.

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Takano had other ideas though. In the best match of the opening round, Takano picked up the upset win over Wolfe. He had been on quite a slump since his partner Angel Of Mercy had gotten injured earlier in the year, but he hadn’t let it get him down. The story told here was an over confident Wolfe thinking he could quickly despatch of Takano and move on. It was Takano that won, however.

As expected, Jebediah picked up the win over Holmes in the semi-finals. Holmes was happy to do this, knowing he was only supposed to get his big debut win and then move on. Jebediah would go to the finals for the second year in a row. His opponent would be Del Veccio, who defeated Takano in another good match.

I only, truly, ever had one person in mind to win this tournament, and that was Antonio Del Veccio. I wanted the main event of Wrestle Showdown to be a summation of the efforts of Del Veccio and Slick colliding, having been our two best wrestlers for the past two years. Hopefully, it will go on to be an epic match that fits the hopes I have for it.

Slick did, however, need to retain his belt leading into the big event, which he did by beating LaGrenier in a very good match and then defeating Crusher Von Steinberg in a great match, which was Von Steinberg’s first ever shot at the title.

Needless to say, I have big expectations for their match at Wrestle Showdown and hopefully they will impress, as I expect they would.

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