arwink Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 OCTOBER 2015 There are two things that are surprisingly easy to forget about Jeff Nova, when you’re used to seeing him on screen. The first is his Scottish heritage, and the second is just how big the man is compared to the general public. The first is because he tones down the accent on-screen, a practice borne of years as a media personality long before he ever bought a wrestling company. His size goes unnoticed by virtue of spending so much time around strong men and professional wrestlers, where his height and sculpted physique aren’t exactly out of the ordinary. Compared to some of the folks on his roster, Nova is practically diminutive…but out in the real world, among the folks in suits and the commuters heading for the tube, you start to notice the size of his massive hands and the muscles that bulk like cantaloupes beneath the skin of his arms and shoulder. He arrived ten minutes late for our meeting, easing through the small Monmouth café with the practiced ease of a man who knows nobody really wants to get in his way. We shook hands and he sat, ordered a black coffee in a cup barely large enough to be a thimble. I was already on my second latte of the morning—good coffee is hard to find in London, when you’re used to Australian baristas. Finally, when his drink arrived, we got down to brass tacks. “Tommy recommended we have a chat. He seems to think you can help us out…” He didn't mention Cornell's last name. He didn't need too. I'd ridden with Tommy back in the day, when we were young guys working the Hollyweird undercard. He'd let me know he was coming to 21CW long before anyone else heard about it, trusted me to keep it under my hat and out of the dirt sheets. And here's the thing about Tommy Cornell--he believes in being a provocateur and questioning how things are done. When he took over TCW, he wanted the wrestlers who worked there to be inspired, to push boundaries and wrestle on the cutting edge of what could be done. That willingness to push boundaries had gotten him fired by the Eisens in '97, and it made him one of the hottest young rookies Hollyweird had in '98. And 21CW wasn't a company known for pushing anything. It owned the British Isles from a wrestling point of view, classic angles played out on the only stage in town. Her booker, Pit Bull Brown, never sought to push boundaries because it wasn't necessary. One thing leads to another in wrestling. Hell, it’s the foundation of our business: a heel takes a short-cut in a match to get the pinfall, a babyface fires up and goes looking for payback. A champion defeats his greatest rival, and a new challenger emerges like clockwork to become a greater threat. When dastardly heels gang together to beat down a beloved babyface, a tag-team who needs the rub comes charging out to make the save. Eventually, that tag-team rises up the card and one of them takes the beloved babyface role. Things change, and people move on. That’s the way it’s meant to work. The one thing you want to avoid, above all else, is putting your legacy stars up there to rub against the other legacy stars. If you’re not building for the future, you risk getting stale…and the fans will eventually voice their frustration in no uncertain terms. One thing leads to another. A head booker runs out of steam, and a new one steps up to the role to refresh the produce and build anew. “We’re adding another hour of TV every week,” Nova said. “Pit Bull was already feeling the strain, so he’s asked to tap out of the role." "Ahuh" Nova caught the doubt in my voice, but forged on like he hadn't. "I know we only brought you aboard as an agent and mentor at the school, but Tommy swears you’ve got a knack for TV—” “I wouldn’t go that far,” I said. Nova grinned and took a sip of coffee. “How far would you go?” “I spent a few months working for Vibert when he first took over DAVE. Worked production for Hollyweird, long before they became TCW. I didn’t have the book, but I was part of the team they set up to bolster Strong.” It was my turn to hide behind my coffee, give myself something to do while I pondered how I really want to play it. “All of that was a long time ago, Jeff. I’m not saying I can’t do the job, but it’s possible Tommy’s overstating what I bring to the table, you know?” “You’ve got more experience than Pit Bull did, when he first took the book, and the old boy would still be around if you need some back-up or advice.” I murmured into my coffee so Nova wouldn’t see my real reaction to that idea—I’ve got some pretty firm opinions about the way wrestling should be booked, and one of those involves the cardinal rule that your booker shouldn’t be on-air talent. Even if you’ve got the best intentions, it’s hard to avoid the temptation to protect your own spot at all costs. Pit Bull did okay with it, but there were a handful of awkward choices—how many times did the Defence Force needs to make the save when Faust or the Cornell’s started a beat down? How many of our younger guys could benefit from rubbing up against the top tier like that? “You’re thinking about it,” Nova said. “I can see the gears turning, back there.” “I’m assuming it comes with a pay rise,” I said. “And an office, if you want it.” Nova broke out a broad, cheerful grin. “Do you want it, Jack?” One thing leads to another. Always has, always does. “Sure.” I reached across the table to shake Nova’s hand. “I can handle things until I can’t, or until you find somebody better.” One thing leads to another. Tommy gets an idea in his head, and talks somebody into implementing it. It’s how we always end up in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Bison Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Interesting opening. Can’t say I’ve followed a 21CW diary before, I’m looking forward to seeing where you go with this next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 21CW were, by pure dumb luck, my first save game when I downloaded the demo of TEW 2016! Can't wait to see what you do with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sco xY2Jx Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 I'd been toying with the idea of doing a 21CW dynasty, but I'm too wrapped up in my head of thinking about fancy graphics etc. And I've not got the skills for that. You beat me to this, sir, so I'll happily follow along. Enjoyed the opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munit Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 First time ever reading something from this company, and im super excited! Best of luck to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 OCTOBER 31st, 2015 Nova addressed the locker room a few hours ahead of the Halloween Horror Show broadcast, letting them know there were changes coming on the booking front. He didn’t mention Tommy coming in, nothing to buttress how and why things were changing, and the reaction to Pit Bull stepping down was…mixed. “This is a load of tosh,” Kevin Jones said, the first man to react. He’d been pushed strong by Pit Bull, a solid mechanic who connected with the crowd, and at the age of 40 knew his time on top was going to be inherently limited. DJ Reason nodded his agreement, even if he was smart enough to keep his lip buttoned, and a murmur of agreement rippled through the assembled locker room as folks realised Nova wasn’t going to censure their feelings. Pit Bull stepped up to the plate to calm things down a little. “Listen, fellas, it’s been a ride,” he said, “but trust me, this is for the best. The new shot debuts in January—that’s another hour of TV to write every week, and the missus already makes a point of how little we see each other. There’s…other changes coming. Big changes. Exciting stuff. If you hold off until the end of the night—” “Ah, can it.” Danny Patterson this time. “Just tell us, guv. Don’t pussyfoot.” I cleared my throat, breaking the tension. “It’s not his call, Danny.” “Yeah? It yours, then?” “No, it’s mine.” Nova glared at Danny Patterson. The boss was one of the few blokes in the locker room tall enough to meet Danny’s eyes without looking up. “I don’t want this one going out on the twitters, and I don’t want anyone tipping the press off. If you want to argue it isn’t worth it, come and see me after the show and we’ll talk about it then.” Danny grit his teeth, but knew enough to keep his lip shut instead of arguing with the boss. “It’s going to be a slow transition,” I said. “Formally, I’m in charge from January first, but Harry’s got television scripted out all the way to World War, and we’ll be sticking with that vision. Friday night showcase is new territory, so I’ll be putting my focus there for the first few months and—” I raised both hands to forestall the questions “—it’s not going to be big for anyone already working the main show. I’ll be working primarily with the younger guys for a few months, setting things up for the debut in January. If you don’t trust that I can do the job by the time March rolls around, well--” I broke out knowing grin and let the idea hang “—I hear the Scotsman is looking for warm bodies, and we all know you’ll be in his main event inside of a month.” That sent a ripple of laughter through the gathered locker room. There weren’t many guys who’d prefer to be working for SNP instead of us. For one thing, we had TV. For another, our catering rocked, and for all his faults Jeff Nova wasn’t human scum. “In any case, we’ve got a shot tonight,” I said. “We’re starting the countdown to a new era. Lets go make it count.” We brought Tommy into the locker room ten minutes before the main event, and Colin Clarke gave a couple of younger guys permission to leak the news on their socials. We’d hand-picked Sebastian Koller, Wade Orson, and Joe Simpson for the job—names we wanted getting a little more recognitions once the retweets started rolling in, and had the following to make it worthwhile. It had been ten years since Tommy and I were backstage at a show together, not since my last night as an agent with TCW all those years ago. His habits hadn’t changed any—he warmed up and bounced on his feet a little, limber and ready to go. All smiles and jokes with the boys, right up until he needed to perform. That’s when the trademark sneer would show up, and he’s snap into the character of Rough Justice like you’d slip on a pair of skivvies. I met him at the curtain, a few minutes before he was going on. He shook my hand. “Alright, Jack? It’s been a while.” “It has,” I said. “You ready for this?” Cornell grinned, and for a moment he looked like the kid in his twenties he’d been when we first met, eager to get the opportunity to go out there and perform. “I got the easy bit, mate,” he said. “You’re the one I dropped in the s—t, eh?” “Remind me to thank you for that,” I said. “How many times would you like to carry Doomsday through a match, once I’ve got the book?” Tommy rolled his shoulders, getting lose ahead of his debut. “It’s no worse than trying make Peter Valentine look good, eh?” I winced. The six months I spent working Sam Strong’s best friend on house shows weren’t my favourite memory of my time as an in-ring worker. “You never did tell me how you set that one up,” I said. “Who says I set it up?” “You did. Repeatedly. Every time you critiqued our matches in the car after a show.” Tommy Cornell grinned wolfishly. “Yeah, well. They were pretty f—kin’ atrocious matches.” Colin Chalke gave us the signal, the countdown on for Tommy’s debut. I clapped his shoulder and pointed him to the curtain. “Time to go make history, mate.” Adam Matravers had succeeded Joss Thompson as World Champion when Thompson signed with USPW. At Halloween Horror Show, he lost the belt to Tommy’s cousin, Edward Cornell, courtesy of Tommy interfering and assault Matravers with a chair. The pop for Tommy’s debut was huge, and there were almost as many marks for his appearance among the boys as they were in the stalls. Even the doubters walked out of the locker room that night buzzing with the potential of it, wondering what it could mean when the best wrestler in the world walked into the company. The boys headed off to a nearby pup to celebrate the evening. Nova had booked out a back room for a private party, a chance to welcome Tommy to the company and show him off to some of our sponsors. Pit Bull was one of the last to leave, hanging around until everything was squared away and the medical team had cleared everyone who took heavy bumps through the night. I lingered behind, hoping to catch up with him, and fell in beside him as he left. “Well,” he said. “Tommy f—kin Cornell.” “Yeah,” I said. “It’s something.” We stepped out into the cold, London air of the loading docks, heading for the car set aside to take us to the venue. Pit Bull had clammed up, hands shoved into his pockets. “Listen, Harry—" “Jack,” he said, “just don’t.” “I just wanted to say you’d done a hell of a job,” I said. “Hard act to follow, all that tosh. I mean, it’s a thing people say, but mate, it needs saying. Nova gave you the book and you built this place into a powerhouse. That’s a hell of an achievement.” Pit Bull Brown managed a weak smile. “Cheers,” he said. “Appreciate it.” “And it is going to be a hard act to follow,” I said. This time, Pit Bull actually laughed. We climbed into the SUV, assured the driver we were the last two and he could be on our way. Once the car pulled onto the street, Pit Bull Brown exhaled and relaxed, almost melting into the seat. “Thing is,” he said, “it’s not exactly a lie, me wanting to leave it behind. Working with Jeff is…challenging.” That piqued my interest. “Challenging how?” “Mate, trust me, you’ll know soon enough.” Pit Bull scratched at a massive slab of chin, watching the road ahead of us. “And he was bad enough before Tommy got into his ear. Ask me, I’m getting out of things just in time…” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 I'm loving all the detail being put into the back story! Engrossed already, and we're not even in 2016! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 November 15, 2015 Officially, Pit Bull Brown wasn’t due to move out of the office until the end of the month. Unofficially, he’d barely used it since 21CW had established permanent production digs in Holborn. When it became clear he’d planned to finish his tenure booking shows from his kitchen table, I made the executive decision to claim the office as a place to review tapes and plan the first few weeks of TV when the Friday Night Wrestling Showcase launched. The plan was to showcase 21CW’s biggest asset—the quality of the graduates coming through the National School of Wrestling, many of whom showed a lot of promise and had the potential to carry the company inside of a decade. But for every kid like Wade Orson or War Machine who gets pushed hard on his debut, there were a dozen guys who didn’t get much screen time unless they were taking pinfalls for the established guys on the roster. It wasn’t the kind of showcase that got people excited about the school, nor one that gave the graduates legitimacy. I was mulling over how I could pitch my plan to the show when Jeff Nova poked his head through the door. “Jack, you got a moment?” “You’re the boss,” I said. Nova entered and shut the door behind him. Settled into one of the comfortable chairs by the window, set aside for reviewing tape on the big screen in the corner. He nodded at the footage I had playing in the background. “Already looking for new hires?” “It seemed prudent,” I said. “Showcase will mean we need a few more warm bodies on the undercard before too long.” “Then I caught you at a good time.” Nova leaned back into the chair, and the wood creaked ominously beneath the weight of his big frame. “This is your show, but I want it clear—21CW is my baby. With that in mind, I’d like you to keep a few guidelines in mind when you start offering contracts.” “Like I said, you’re the boss.” Nova flashed a grin. “First up, I want you to throw your focus behind legitimate athletes for a while. Nobody that ranks in lower than a C- on that rating system Pit Bull’s been using.” “No problem.” “Keep it in mid when you negotiate with the current guys, as well. Don’t bother keeping anybody around if they don’t fit the profile.” That gave me pause. “Are you sure?” “Aye, I’m sure. I want is looking like the big leagues by the time we book the first American tour, and— “Wait. Which tour?” Nova drummed his fingers against the amr of the chair, irritated at the interruption. “The American tour,” he said. “Y’see, I’ve got a vision, lad. I want to take us international. And not just Britain and Europe—I want us competing with the Eisens, USPW and Total on their home turf inside of two years. I want our talent positioned to go over there and go on Regis in the mornings. Tommy and I have been talking about it, and we think it’s feasible…with the right man in charge of the book” “Cheers,” I said. “I didn’t say that man was you.” The good humour vanished as Nova’s fingers went still. “I’m hopeful. Tommy speaks highly of you. But I wanted this clear, right form the outside—this company grows at all costs, ye ken?” “Sure, I ken.” “Good,” Nova said. “But instituting a minimum athleticism clause, that’s going to get limiting,” I said. “There’s an awful large chunk of our roster that won’t hit the minimum requirement.” “Plenty more that won’t clear a C- on in-ring psychology either,” Nova said. ”Pit Bull picked up plenty of our graduates, but they aren’t ready for prime time. If we’re going to launch on the level I’m hoping, we can’t be working with so many unfinished products.” I closed my eyes and took a long breath. That prohibition would take out more of our current roster than the minimum athleticism requirements, and it would be much harder to find warm bodies capable of performing on that level.” “Understood,” I said, “But you’ve gotta know, this isn’t what I’d recommend.” “Tommy says it’s possible.” Tommy was used to working with a significantly deeper talent pool than the UK and Europe possessed, but there wasn’t any value in saying that. Jeff Nova was, after all, the boss. “Anything else?” I said. Nova pulled out his phone and tapped the screen three times, broadcasting a marketing dossier to the smart TV. “Latest figures from marketing. I know—” he raises his hands to fend of my objections “—you run the book, not the marketing guys, but there’s a couple of numbers worth looking at. First is Faust—even with his toned down character, his deal-with-the-devil schtick is getting traction on the socials. Make sure he’s pushed strong for the next few years. “The other guy with buzz is War Machine, and given how hot all the agents were about his potential, I don’t want ot mess around with a slow build. Get him into the main event ASAP. I’ll give you eighteen months to get him on par with guys like Buff or Cash.” It wasn’t the biggest divergence from my actual plans, but It still rankled to have it laid out like that. “I can’t guarantee that, Jeff. They ain’t doing ballet out there—plenty of things can disrupt a guys momentum, even with a strong push…” “Sure, things happen, but I want them at both up top. Maybe even working with Tommy, just to see how far they can go. I won’t be devastated if you and the marketing boys can’t get it to work, but Jack…I’m not screwing around with tie idea of expanding. International. Two years. I’ve been assured you can make it happen.” NOVEMBER 19, 2015 I caught up with Pit Bull four days later, backstage at the Best Of taping. He was drinking tea in the mess as I rolled up, and it took one look to recognise that I’d met with the boss. “I see you and Jeff have had the chat, then?” “If that’s what you’d call it.” “It’s what he calls it,” Pit Bull said. “And, like it or not, he’s the man who signs the paycheques. What did he task you with?” “Nothing much. Overhauling the roster because we don’t look like athletes, and making us the biggest company in the world inside of two years.” “Sounds about right.” Pit Bull shook his head. “He mention the arrest record thing?” I raised both eyebrows silently. “Probably slipped his mind. Standing order from legal—no hiring anyone with a criminal record, and getting busted for a criminal offense is cause for immediate dismissal.” My shoulders slumped. Wrestling attracted a certain kind of performer, and while you could work around a prohibition against hiring ex-cons, it had a tendency to limit things. “Cheer up, it’s not so bad,” Pit bull said. “Six years ago, he was all about the guys who looked like right hard men. Honestly believed we could conquer the world if we just pushed more guys like Nightmare. Then we had Joss, and all the focus was on the young technicians—they were the secret to getting bigger. Now…well, there’s Tommy Cornell, and Jeff thinks we can steal Total’s market share in the US if we broadcast the same product, but better.” “That’s…not the most viable strategy,” I said. “That’s why strategy is your job. He’s just the raw vision,” Pit Bull said. “That said, lad…better you than me, eh?” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 This diary, I love it. I like when things like owner goals are worked into a narrative! Keep up the good work, can't wait for you to actually start booking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christmas_ape Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Yeah these narrative posts have been excellent. It's done a great job at highlighting just how big a deal Tommy going to 21CW was. Will be sure to follow this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 Thanks for the kind words, everyone. Especially given that I'm mostly rolling through a fairly lengthy introduction. There's two more bits of business to get through over the weekend, and I'll be starting to the road to Steel Cage Challenge next week. Interesting opening. Can’t say I’ve followed a 21CW diary before, I’m looking forward to seeing where you go with this next. After kicking the tyres of the company over the last few weeks, I suspect they're often overlooked because there's very few obvious hooks for the narrative. Play one of the National feds in the USA and you're automatically in conflict with everyone. Play a regional or cult fed and you're all about getting to TV and PPV. I've spent the last few years playing the Cverse 97 mod, where there's all sorts of interesting narratives in the default set-up courtesy of the East Coast Wars, Supreme and Hollyweird, etc. Compared to that, 21CW starts out without any natural predators on the company level, and no real central identity beyond "well....they're English." Even their roster is largely without easy hooks--lots of competent brawlers and technical guys, very few stand-outs beyond Tommy and Dark Angel. I kinda got lucky with the owner goals, which gave me a couple of hooks to work with, but there were a handful of test games before this where the goals were significantly less interesting. 21CW were, by pure dumb luck, my first save game when I downloaded the demo of TEW 2016! Can't wait to see what you do with them! They were my first company too, back when I downloaded TEW2005. Of course, back then they were basically an english version of ROH circa 2001, and I had far fewer ideas of what to do with it... I'd been toying with the idea of doing a 21CW dynasty, but I'm too wrapped up in my head of thinking about fancy graphics etc. And I've not got the skills for that. I hear you. The set-up time needed to do graphics and layout formatting pretty much killed my previous dynasty when life got busy--I've largely embraced a minimal graphics approach for this one and accepted my style will lend itself to giant walls of text First time ever reading something from this company, and im super excited! Best of luck to you Cheers. Hopefully I can justify the excitement This diary, I love it. I like when things like owner goals are worked into a narrative! Keep up the good work, can't wait for you to actually start booking! Theres a long intro before we get there, but I had everything up to Steel Cage Challenge written up before starting the backstage stuff, so it should roll through pretty quick one we get there. Yeah these narrative posts have been excellent. It's done a great job at highlighting just how big a deal Tommy going to 21CW was. Will be sure to follow this. And yet, I keep underestimating how important it really is for the company. The sweetest words to emerge from the first month of the gameare "Tommy Cornell has taken a protege..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 The sweetest words to emerge from the first month of the gameare "Tommy Cornell has taken a protege..." Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 December 17, 2015 I’d spent the better part of the December reviewing tapes, booking plans, and the list of talent available for our shows in the coming year. There were several pages of notes spread across my desk, roster lists annotated in red pen, marking the guys it was time to de-prioritize and young guys who were on a limited timetable to meet Jeff’s minimum standards. To say I was worried was an understatement. Wrestling, at the end of the day, was a business of contrasts. Big guy versus little guy. Brawler versus technician. Eric Tyler once said the best way to get over I any territory is look at what everyone else is doing and going the opposite direction—if they’re shouting, talk cold and calm. If they’re doing fancy gimmicks, head out there in black trunks and boots. It won’t make you popular with the boys, but you’ll stand out with the punters. On a company level, this presented a problem. 21CW stood out in the UK when it launched because it blended an Eisen-esque approach to wrestling and angles with major TV coverage. Nobody in the UK was doing anything like it, and once Nova’s connections secured a TV deal, you had a recipe for domination. Take us into the states where the Eisens were already producing several hours of TV, and we looked like the UK brand rather than a unique proposition. And for all Jeff Nova wanted us to focus on in-ring storytelling and athletic prowess, those niches were covered by TCW who had a roster ideally suited to delivering on that product. Which brought me to the second point of concern about our locker room: very few of the boys excelled at what they did. We had competent brawlers and competent technicians, one or two guys who were competent high-flyers, and a lot of folks who were very competent on the mic. What we didn’t have were boys who got you excited about their style, not in the same way a TCW fan’s interest would be piqued by a high-flying Edd Stone mixing it up with a technician like Brent Hill. Even a quick perusal of our best promos tended to reveal a list of names that didn’t include active wrestlers in any capacity. Hell, one of our best was “The Steamroller,” Colin Chalke, and he’d been working as an agent for the better part of the last four years. Sure, we had Tommy Cornell and Dark Angel to provide the excitement in the ring, and there were damned few who could match either man anywhere in the world…but they were world-class talents who existed on a level far beyond the rest of the roster. Even with Angel starting to slow down, cutting back on the high-flying as he celebrated his 45th birthday, they had the edge in terms of performance skills, brawling, and technical work. Which meant when they lost, if they lost, it risked comment on the fact that matches were obviously fixed because nobody was going to buy a guy like DJ Reason or Kevin Jones being better than Tommy just yet. Cornell was just plain better at their supposed strengths in the ring. Tommy could make them look like equals, of course—one of the advantages of being that damn good is the capacity to have a great match with damn near everyone—but for a certain portion of the fanbase, there would be a hunger to see people lift their game in order to compete on that level. In a very real and meaningful sense, beating Tommy Cornell was more important than winning our world title. I took a shot of bourbon and pulled the files on some of the workers I’d flagged for their long-term potential. The first few were fairly obvious: Adam Matravers had been carefully built, a lightweight in a world of heavyweights, fully stocked with credibility as the underdog who rose to the top. Rolling Johnny Stones—out with injury, but due back in April—provided the technical excellence outside of our top two. It would take a little building to really sell them as Tommy or Angel’s equal, but the money was in the struggle and we could do something with that. War Machine had been flagged as a star from the moment he rolled into the National School of Wrestling, and he’d been carefully booked to rocket up the card under Pit Bull’s pencil. Big, surprisingly agile for a super-heavyweight, and he already had the aura of a truly dangerous monster heel. In a company where big guys like Beast Bantam featured perfectly sculpted physiques, War Machine was four hundred pounds of muscle built like a barrel, and it only served to make him more impressive because all that power was built for purpose rather than show. Nova’s orders meant I was pushing the kid whether I wanted to or not, but there was no question there—I wanted him up there. The problem with pushing him hard was his ability to slot into the upper card of any of our major competitors. Burning Hammer would have a field day with him, and every major US promotion would be throwing money his way. The harder we pushed, the more it would cost to keep him on the roster, because the kid just oozed potential. Worse, we’d spend the next 18 months of his contract pushing him to work harder in order to meet Nova’s requirements, and I wasn’t sure he had the drive to pick up his game like that. Wade Orson had emerged from the National School at about the same time as Machine, and his push had been just as focused on racketing up the rankings. He’s the prototype of a professional wrestler—a natural heavyweight with a weightlifter’s physique, good looks, and decent charisma. At 27 and 5 years into his run, he was already showing promise in the ring. Given five years we’d see him headlining cards right as he peaked as one of the most gifted brawlers in his age, but the smart play was looking like pushing into that spot earlier. Similarly, the charismatic German, Sebastian Koller, and the patriotic Leigh Burton were both destined for long careers, courtesy of a rookie run where they improved by leaps and bounds, but risked being derailed if we pushed them too hard.. Other names were more surprising. The Ivanoff Brothers had dominated the tag-team scene for the better part of a decade, the premier heel team in the company working an old-school Russian Heel gimmick. Their prominence had been eclipsed recently by the debut of the younger Russian team of Yuri Iliakov and Victor Beskov, the current tag-team champions, despite the fact that the Ivanoff’s were a significantly better team and singles wrestlers. What tended to overlooked was this: the Ivanoffs were a decorated, veteran tag-team and neither man had turned 30 yet. They were coasting on their teamwork, because Pit Bull had never asked them to lift their game in any way, and I wanted to see what happened if we pushed them beyond their comfort zone. If they lived up to their potential, Igor Ivanoff would be the first source of contention between my desires as a booker and Nova’s vision for the company. While his partner showed every sign of being a phenomenal athlete. If I failed…well, at the very least, Ivan Ivanoff had some legs as a singles guy. In character terms, there were a handful of names that stood out and had solid ability in the ring to back-up a sustained push. Luke Cool and Daniel Black Francis both had some short-term potential as new faces in the main event, even if I doubted they’d improve too much beyond their current abilities. Lance & Kelly Martin--collectively known as Absolutely Flawless--had matured greatly since their debut, but were incredibly selfish in the ring and rarely put over their opponent’s offence. It was a limitation that made them a poor choice for a championship run, especially when Igor and Ivan were there, ready to get their opponents over. Brickhouse Balder, Andrew Lee, and Apollo Prince were all undercard prospects that showed potential to evolve into something great—Lee, in particular, had done a lot to differentiate himself from the other rookies he’d graduated with using his gimmick as wrestling’s Neanderthal thug. On the other hand, several of the lower card School graduates were going to be on the chopping block before they really had a chance to settle in: Doomsday probably shouldn’t have graduated the school, and needed to make big gains before his contract was due in September. The tag-team of Mass Hulk and Mark Adonis were green as hell, but their promise and ineffable star quality would be squandered if Mass Hulk failed to make big improvements before June. Brickhouse Balder would follow them a few weeks after— there was no way a 450 pound man was going to meet the athletic requirements in six months, especially given where he was starting from. There were also a handful of veterans on the chopping block. The former MoSC champion Nightmare had been underwhelming in 21CW, his limitations exposed by the sheer quality of talent around him, but he had potential as a heater and bodyguard that would more than balance out his limitations. Sadly, even with twelve months on his contract, I doubted he could make the gains he needed to to stick around. Danny Patterson had the psychology, but the big man wasn’t particularly athletic, and with his age it seemed unlikely his contract would be extended. There were more—the prohibitions affected nearly a third of the roster at present, although the biggest problems was the psychology of the younger talent. That, at least, could be improved with work and regular match-time…and the plan for the Friday Night Wrestling Showcase was going to give them exactly that. Either way, there were plenty of headaches waiting for me and gaps in the roster we’d need to fill sooner rather than later. I sighed and downed another shot of bourbon, running the numbers one last time. Too many names. Too many gaps. Too many young prospects we really needed—youth movements can be a powerful source of differentiation, especially when fans of SWF were used to seeing Jack Bruce on top. I grabbed my phone and texted Tommy: so you suggested me as a rib, right? He responded with a Shakespeare quote, one of his favourites from pre-show pep-talks back in the TCW days: You know how it goes--Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Easy for him to say. I fired up the texting app. Right know, I could do with a little less thrusting. I figured, somewhere out in the wilds of London, Tommy would get a laugh from that. Then I finished my bourbon and picked up the folder full of Pit Bull's outgoing notes, listing all the guys he'd been booking around and the young prospects he was keeping an eye on... CREATIVE MEETING FRANCHISE PLAYERS 1. Tommy Cornell 2. Adam Matravers 3. Jonathan Faust 4. Edward Cornell 5. Buff Martinez NEXT BIG THINGS 1. Leigh Burton 2. Wade Orson 3. Mark Adonis 4. Apollo Prince HOT PROSPECTS 1. Mark Adonis 2. Sifu 3. Mass Hulk 4. Apollo Prince 5. Brickhouse Balder TALK THE TALK 1. Tommy Cornell 2. Jeff Nova 3. Colin Chalke 4. Kathleen Lee 5. Jonathan Faust SHOW STOPPERS 1. Tommy Cornell 2. Adam Matravers 3. Dark Angel 4. Wade Orson 5. Sebastian Koller RING GENERALS 1. Tommy Cornell 2. Dark Angel 3. Adam Matravers 4. Kevin Jones 5. Edward Cornell TIME DECLINE 1. Dark Angel 2. DJ Reason HIDDEN GEMS 1. Curtis Jenkins 2. Alton Vicious 3. Greg Gauge 4. Glen Ward 5. Vic Walker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 War Machine had been flagged as a star from the moment he rolled into the National School of Wrestling, and he’d been carefully booked to rocket up the card under Pit Bull’s pencil. Big, surprisingly agile for a super-heavyweight, and he already had the aura of a truly dangerous monster heel. In a company where big guys like Beast Bantam featured perfectly sculpted physiques, War Machine was four hundred pounds of muscle built like a barrel, and it only served to make him more impressive because all that power was built for purpose rather than show. Nova’s orders meant I was pushing the kid whether I wanted to or not, but there was no question there—I wanted him up there. When I ran 21CW, I immediately started up a youth show, "Future Of British Wrestling," complete with their own Championship. I can't remember where I set the age cap, but no-one older could appear on the show. The members of the FoBW roster could still appear on "Best Of British Wrestling" and PPVs were integrated, so it wasn't like a brand split, more of a showcase show. Anyway, War Machine was my inaugural champion and I had plans for a huge undefeated streak for him, possibly even leading to him vacating the title when he got too old for it. Unfortunately, my ADD kicked in and the save didn't go that long, but my point is I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 <p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="font-family:Impact;"><span style="font-size:18px;">DECEMBER 31st, 2015, around 11:14 PM</span></span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> I will give Jeff Nova this—the man puts on one hell of New Year’s Eve bash. And with the final Best of British taping happening on New Years Eve, he’d gone out of his way to throw a party for all the boys leading into the new year.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> We’d held the Crisis Point pay-per-view last week, the last full show under Pit Bull’s aegis. It had gone down well, but the rumblings were there from the fans—there weren’t enough hot angles to keep their interest there, especially with Tommy bound up in Edward’s title defence instead of branching off into an angle of his own.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Truth was, we were prolonging the moment Tommy stepped into the ring one-on-one. Pitbull and I had agreed to keep him in tags because the first singles match was a moment we could sell to the punters for bigger buy-rate. It was, frankly, a bigger draw than any world title match we might choose to put on…and once we did, the fans would inevitably be wondering when Tommy would end up wearing gold.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> At least Nova had signed off on my plans for the Wrestling Showcase. I’d pitched a tournament for the first three months of television—one of those round-robin, go-by-the-points gimmicks so beloved of Japanese feds. The kind of tournament you don’t see in American feds at all, which made the kind of thing Nova’s marketing goons would call a “Unique Selling Proposition.” </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Personally, I called it a risk. Successful as those kinds of tournaments are in Japan, they’re working with a very different dynamic. Schools in Japan ran judo classes—a small thing, but it means that the audience understands the subtle importance of certain moves. Our audience were raised on football and cricket, which meant our storytelling relied a lot more on the emotional stakes and the dynamics between faces and heels. A point-based, round-robin tournament was going to mess with that—there’d be no avoiding heel-heel match-ups, and they could go disastrously wrong. Especially when one of those heels is Doomsday, who I’d slotted into the A Block of the tournament for the expressed purpose of giving him minutes and more ring time than he’d get otherwise.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> On the other hand, part of the pitch had been booking the tournament like a legitimate sporting event—pre-fight interview packages and professional analysis of the match before it kicks off. Stealing directly from MMA feds, and getting Colin Chalke out cutting promos instead of keeping his charisma locked away in the road agents position out the back. It would give he young guys a chance to develop their characters and their ring work in a controlled environment, set up some relationships that could be sustained across the length of their careers.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> As for the main show…well, that was going to be a mixed bag for a little while longer yet. Pit Bull had built the last year around a handful of matches, and we weren’t going to change horses midstream for anything less than…well, the debut of Tommy Cornell. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> I sipped my beer and watched some of the boys hit the dance floor. Another knot of young guys—Sifu and Ricky Storm, Adonis and Mass Hulk—crowded around Tommy and asking for road stories, trying to pick up the tips they could from the veteran in their midst. Nova hoisting Kathleen Lee over his head with minimal effort, reminding everyone that he was a strong man long before he became a promotor.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> I caught sight of Beast Bantom heading for the dance floor, eager to cut a rug with his date. The only one of our monster heels foolish enough to try and dance, and therefore the guy I moved to intercept and warn off the mistake he was making. The aura of a really good monster heel is hard to build, and all it takes is one animated clip of you dancing along to ABBA’s Waterloo going viral on twitter to destroy your credibility and make a booker regret putting you in your position.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> And I’ll be honest—I needed Bantom for one of the things I had in mind. He was a good hand, and of the big men on the roster, he was second only to War Machine in terms of long-term potential.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Still, I was his booker, not a parent with the authority to stop him. If his girl wanted him to dance and it meant more than his career, that is what would happen and we’d deal with the consequences. I left him to the burgeoning argument and continued my rounds.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The party was self-contained—the boys, the crew, friends and loved ones who could be trusted—but I’d made a point of inviting a few extra names I’d been scouting as new hires. Negotiations would start in earnest on January 2, but it wouldn’t hurt to show them what 21CW money could do for their careers if we reached a deal. Trance and Rave were familiar faces to long-term 21CW crowds, a pair of flippy spot monkeys that had matured into a decent cruiserweight tag-team. They’d spent the night hanging out with DJ Reason, joking like old friends.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Melanie Florence spent the night chatting to nearly everyone, showing that journalistic touch that got people talking without noticing. I wanted her for a backstage role, interviewing talent and helping the younger guys who weren’t as confident on a prompt—her talent for filling an awkward moment with a quick one-liner was just the thing we needed to keep short segments lively.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Then there was Curtis Jenkins, formerly of MAW over in the USA and the beneficiary of training by Rip Chord during his stint. He’d bounced back to the UK after getting dinged with visa issues, and he was a decent-if-unspectacular mechanic who really had the old-school approach down. He’s spent the last few years on the UK independents, and I was curious to see if he could pass on what he’d learned to our undercard.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46815" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-family:Impact;">STARTING ROSTER</span></span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">MAIN EVENT</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;">Dark Angel</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Adam Matravers</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Kevin Jones</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> DJ Reason</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Tommy Cornell</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Edward Cornell</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (21st Century World Champion) </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Jonathan Faust</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> J-B Cash</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Buff Martinez</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">UPPER MIDCARD</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;">Pit Bull Brown</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Wade Orson</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Leigh Burton</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Daniel Black Francis</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Harry Wilson</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Luke Cool</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Phillip Cooper</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Stevie Stoat</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> War Machine</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> </span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">MIDCARD</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;">Leo Price</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Apollo Prince</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Sebastian Koller </span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">(21st Century United Kingdom Champion)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;">Sifu</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Ricky Storm</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Lance Martin</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Kelly Martin</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Ivan Ivanoff</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Igor Ivanoff</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Nightmare</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Brickhouse Balder</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Danny Patterson</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Beast Bantom</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Bedlam</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">LOWER MIDCARD</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;">Andrew Lee</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Joe Simpson</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> BW Eddie</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Michael X</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Victor Besko</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">v (21st Century Tag-Team Champion)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Yuri Iliakov</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (21st Century Tag-Team Champion</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Harley Neill</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">OPENERS & ENHANCEMENT TALENT</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;">Curtis Jenkins</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Trance </span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Rave</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Marss Hulk</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Mark Adonis</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#000080;"> Edison Silva</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Kelvin Badberry</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Mark Misery</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;"> Grave Digger</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">OUT INJURED</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Rolling Johnny Stones</span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">TAG-TEAMS</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Absolutely Flawless</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Lance & Kelly Martin; Experience: A*)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">Crouching Sifu, Hidden Storm</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Ricky Storm & Sifu; Experience: D)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">Hot Stuff</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Buff Martinez & J-B Money; Experience: A*)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">The Cockney Rebels</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Danny Patterson & Harley Neill; Experience: B-)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">The Cornell Family </span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">(Tommy & Edward Cornell; Experience: E+)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">The Defence Force </span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">(DJ Reason & Pit Bull; Experience: D+)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">The Faust & The Furious</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Jonathan Faust & Stevie Stoat; Experience: D+)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">The Ivanoff Brothers</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Igor & Ivan Ivanoff; Experience: A*)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">The Men of Steel </span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">(Mark Adonis & Mass Hulk; Experience: E)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">The Party Animals </span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">(Trance & Rave; Experience: A*)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">The Pride </span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">(Leigh Burton & Leo Price; Experience: C-)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#FF0000;">The Red Devils</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Victor Beskov & Yuri Iliakov; Experience: E+)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="color:#0000FF;">The Underdogs</span></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> (Joe Simpson & Michael X; Experience: D+)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">MANAGERS</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Cliff King (Managing War Machine)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Kathleen Lee (Managing Buff Martinez & J-B Money)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Vicki Company (Managing Mark Misery)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Phoebe Plumridge (Managing Adam Matravers</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">ANNOUNCE TEAMS & OTHER STAFF</span></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>21CW Wrestling Team:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Steve Smith & Jeff Nova (Experience: Adequate)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Wrestling Showcase Team:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Des Greeves & Dane Rowley (Experience: None)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Backstage Interviews</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">: Melanie Florence</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Industry Analyst:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Colin “The Steamroller” Chalke</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Referees: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Karl Dexter, Scotty Gregory, Jacob Bailey</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Road Agents: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">K’Lee Hawkins, Jack Dundee</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div></div></blockquote> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 <p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="font-family:Impact;"><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>ROAD TO STEEL CAGE CHALLENGE – PART ONE</strong></span></span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><img alt="RoxbpuH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RoxbpuH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Thursday, Week 1, January 2016</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> Old Kent Road Arena – 13,261 people</strong></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>COLD OPEN: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">We open the show with footage of Daniel Black Francis outside the Old Ken Road Arena earlier this evening, hyping up the 21CW faithful as they wait for the doors to open. The man known at D-B-F excels at this kind of crowd interaction, getting the crowd roaring for tonight’s card as he polls which their most excited for, then leading them onto a roaring chant of 2-1-C as they declare themselves fans of “not just the best of British Wrestling, but the best wrestling in the world!” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>ANNOUNCE TEAM:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> We cut to the announce table as we come out of the credits, and Cliff King and Jeff Nova welcome the fans to another great night of British Wrestling. They put over tonight’s main event—the Cornell’s taking on the Defence Force—but first, we go to the ring for tonight’s opening contest…</div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>ADAM MATRAVERS (w/Phoebe Plumridge) vs. BEAST BANTOM: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Bantam overpowers the former 21CW Champion in the opening lock-up, forcing Matravers into the corner and brutalising him with a series of elbow strikes to the jaw before the ref breaks things up. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Matravers comes out and offers a second lock-up…and a smirking Bantam is lured into a quick exchange of go-behinds and headlocks that plays to Matravers strengths instead of the big man’s power. It’s clear the former 21CW champion can outwrestle Bantam if given the opportunity…right up until Bantam blocks a short-arm clothesline attempt and returns fire with a lariat of his own. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Bantam takes control after that, a brutal beatdown consisting of hard chops, ring-shaking slams, and clubbing strikes. Matravers makes short come-backs, frequently going to the rope for a little extra momentum before landing a dropkick or a moonsault press, but everything seems to go Beast Bantam’s way…</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> …right up until Matravers lures Bantam into an ill-advised shoulder-charge and leapfrogs it, sending the big man head-first into the turnbuckles. Bantam staggers back, unsteady on his feet, and Matravers immediately rolls the big man for a three-count. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Adam Matravers wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 12:15; RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Matravers slips free of the ring the moment the count is over, holding off any celebration with his wife-and-manager Phoebe Lumridge until they’re at the top of the ramp.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> It’s not enough. The irate Beast Bantom comes tearing up the ramp with murderous intent. Matravers dives sideways to avoid the attack, rolling to his feet, but Bantom quickly proves that Matravers wasn’t the target—he careens into Phoebe Plumridge and spears her into the steel backdrop at the rear of the stage, crashing all 320 pounds of muscle into Plumridge’s spine as he crushes her against the wall. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The crash echoes through the arena like a gunshot, and Plumridge slumps to the floor like she’s a boneless ragdoll. Adam Matravers cries out, immediately charging the big man…and Bantom meets him with a stiff clothesline that spins the ex-champion head over heels before meeting the stage floor.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Nova and Steve Smith are horrified on commentary, denigrating the look of satisfaction on Bantom’s face as the medics come out check on his victims. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE PROMO:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The camera takes us backstage, where the Cornell’s are standing by in their tailored three-piece suits, the title slung over Edward Cornell’s shoulder while his more-famous cousin addresses the camera. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Tommy talks about being ready to walk away from the wrestling industry…until his cousin called, asking for advice, and they hatched a plan to cost Adam Matraver’s his belt and install Edward as the new 21CW Champion. As they put those plans in motion, Cornell saw the quality of wrestling in his native England, fresh challenges that reinvigorated he desire to go out and fight.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He’s got nothing but respect for their opponents tonight—Pit Bull Brown is the man who made 21CW, the first man to hold a title here and still the record holder for the most days with the belt. DJ Reason is a name Cornell had scouted for years, always on the verge of being recruited to TCW…and always refusing, because he wanted to stay in England, because there was still something left to do. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> They make a formidable team, baked by years of experience…but tonight, they face the 21CW Champion Edward Cornell. “And they face me,” Tommy says. “My name is Tommy Cornell, and I am pro-wrestling. Tonight, Pit Bull and Reason have an opportunity to show me something and prove they’ve got what it takes to stand toe-to-toe with the very best.” </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> A smirking Edward Cornell steps in to put a pin in the promo: “Gentlemen, I advise you to bring everything you’ve got and leave it out there, on the canvas.” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>DANIEL BLACK FRANCIS vs. BEDLAM:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Francis excels at getting the crowd hyped during a match, and he visibly feeds on their energy as he moves through transitions and reversals. Bedlam makes for a strong contrast—a mean, smash-mouth brawler who likes to grind opponent’s down with headlocks and sleeper holds that force them to carry all 290 pounds of the heavyweight’s bulky frame. It’s a tactic that’s paid off for him time and again, but against a technical specialist like Francis, it just creates an opening that can be used to apply the Rasta Lock and draw the submission. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Daniel Black Francis wins via Submission; MATCH TIME: 7:41; RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><em> </em></div></div></div><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/LQUXuQ6Zd9w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Black Sabbath ~ War Pigs"></iframe></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> hits and Cliff King strolls through the curtain, heralding the arrival of the massive, predatory War Machine. They roll down to the ring and Daniel Black Francis earns a huge pop simply because he doesn’t leave as the undefeated superheavyweight climbs over the top ropes.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> King calls for a microphone and does his usual schtick, introducing himself as the professional representative of the four-hundred-and-sixty-pound engine of destruction known as War Machine. He would like to take this opportunity to assure Daniel Black Francis that they aren’t here to do him harm tonight, because War Machine has nothing but respect for Daniel Black Francis’ skills and achievements as a wrestler and a submission specialist.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> “In fact, my client would like the opportunity to meet you on field of battle this company likes to call the Steel Cage Challenge—a one-on-one, no-holds-barred match that pits your abilities against his speed and power. The War Machine believes you represent a unique challenge to his abilities…and he does so long for a challenge.”</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Jeff Nova suggests that no sane man willingly fights War Machine, but evidently Daniel Black Francis isn’t concerned with sanity. He takes the temperature of the crowd, who are firmly behind the idea of the match, and immediately accepts. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE PROMO:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Leo Price and Leigh Burton are warming up backstage, and Burton’s return from injury garners a small pop from the crowd. Leigh Burton takes the opportunity to let the world know that The Pride is back, and these two English Lions are on the hunt. “Hot Stuff, you cost us our tag-team titles and you robbed Leo of the means to feed his family for two straight months. It was lean Christmas at the Price household this year, but we’re no Tiny Tim’s—we’re the ghosts of Christmas Past ready, willing, and able to beat your asses in the present and the future. 2016 is a new year, and right now you are our first order of business. That means you’ve got a choice—you can meet us in the ring and get your arses beat while there are rules in place, or you can make us come looking for you…and if that happens, there’ll be no zebras in stripped shirts to stop us from doing exactly what we want.” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>THE PRIDE vs. ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">It’s quickly apparent that the Pride haven’t missed a step as a tag-team, even if the Martin brothers make a point of targeting Leo Price’s injured leg and testing how well it’s really healed. This sends Leo to the corner for a stretch, leaving Burton to face the Kelly’s alone and get caught in the wrong part of town, but eventually the hot tag brings the Price back in and he runs wild. The tag-teams start in earnest after that, eventually culminating in Leo clotheslining Kelly Martin out of the ring, leaving Burton to lock in a Sleeper on Lance Martin for the win. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Leigh Burton wins via Submission; MATCH TIME: 12:03; RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>ON THE TITANTRON:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The big screen above the stage comes alive, broadcasting footage from a high-end club in Madrid where Buff Martinez, J-B Cash, and Kathleen Lee are surrounded by dancing men and women. Martinez is up on a podium, shirt off and showcasing his abs as he pumps in time to the music. J-B Cash is making out with an incredibly hot young women, a bottle of Cristal on the table beside them, obviously drunk.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Only Kathleen Lee seems aware of the camera, and she offers mocking applause to the Pride for their victory. She goes on to explain that she has no intention of accepting the Pride’s challenge—Martinez and Cash are big names, which means they don’t step ito the ring without big money on the line. “Price, Burton, the two of you were barely worth the payday when you were holding the gold that made you relevant, but now that you’re ex champions…” Lee gestures to the celebrating Cash and Martinez “…well, given what my boys command in appearance fees, we’d be losing money coming back to fight you.” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> We cut to the trainer’s office backstage, where a medical team is treating Adam Matravers and Phoebe Plumridge while a worried Kevin Jones looks on. The commentary team remind everyone of the assult as Jones steps away and closes the door, giving Nova and Smith an update.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Adam Matravers is going to be fine—he’s taken hard hits before and he knows how to roll with the impact—but the medical team worried about neck damage to Plumridge and the team is preparing to transport her to a nearby emergency room for x-rays. At the very least, she’s got a serious concussion and a couple of broken ribs…but the fear is that Bantom did much, much worse. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>21C UNITED KINGDOM TITLE MATCH – SEBASTIAN KOLLER vs. MARK MISERY (w/Vicki Company):</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> In a company full of monsters and tough guys, Mark Misery is one of those guys who delivers something every federation needs—an honest-to-god, despicable, chickens—t heel who wants the stack the deck in his favour by every means he can. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He takes a powder to ringside at every opportunity, whines to Vicki Company when he takes a strike to the face, complains about Koller pulling on the hair and takes a cheap shot while the referee’s distracted. It almost makes you miss the fact that he can actually wrestle, when he’s forced to, and he puts the champ in danger several times.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Of course, Sebastian Koller is no slouch at the in-ring part of the job himself, even if he plays the goofy Rockstar much of the time. He falls victim to Misery’s tricks a few times, but quickly has them scouted and starts picking up the pace, forcing Misery to match his speed and pace instead of trying to take a powder. Misery doesn’t adapt, and eventually eats the Hamburg Rock City knee for Koller to retain. RESULT: </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Winner, and still 21st Century United Kingdom Champion via Pinfall, Sebastian Koller; MATCH TIME: 9:44; RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>AT RINGSIDE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> There’s a commotion at ringside as the Mad Hatter of 21CW, Phillip Cooper, clambers over the guard rails and climbs into the ring. Cooper is wearing a an American-style Stetson covered in red glitter for the evening—a hat so garish one wonders how he managed to come through the crowd unnoticed—and he gets in Sebastian Koller’s face.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Koller takes it all in stride, breaking off to collect his title and hold it high, and Cooper takes the opportunity to grab a mic and cut a promo—he points out that he and Koller are a very much alike. People look at the Hamburg Hearthrob and mistake his antics for inability, just like fans—and match-makers, he adds, making a pointed look to the commentary table—overlook the fact that the Man of a Thousand Hats is also a man of over a thousand victories in the ring…a man deserving of a shot at Sebastian Koller’s championship. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Koller slumps against the ropes, affecting boredom at the tirade…but 21CW boss, Jeff Nova, actually seems amused by Cooper’s bravado. He leaves the announce desk and rolls into the ring, applauding Cooper’s initiative and saying he’s right—Nova has been distracted by Cooper’s head ware, but can you blame him? I mean, look at the thing!</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> But Nova is a fair man, and now that he’s aware of the problem, he’ll do something about it…booking a match between Cooper and Koller for next week’s Best of British Wrestling. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>IN THE LOCKER ROOM: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">We cut to the Defence Force’s locker room, where Pit Bull Brown is taping up his fists and DJ Reason is throwing warm-up punches at pads held by Kevin Jones. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Jones warns the Squad that Matravers is at hospital looking after Plumridge at the moment, otherwise he’d be here with JK to back them up in their match against the Cornells. “You’re going up against two of the best in the world,” Jones says, “and neither of them is content to fight fair if they can avoid it. I’ll do what I can to stop them from pulling anything…but stay on your toes, yeah?” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE PROMO: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">The maniacal Jonathan Faust cuts a promo about the chaos in 21CW tonight. Dark forces are afoot and lines have been crossed—and Faust is thrilled to see Beast Bantom touch that dark, unpleasant part of himself and realise the power of embracing it. “Adam Matravers is going to remember this night, Bantom, and every time he finds himself in the ring with you, it will be in his mind. He will always know you were capable of crossing a line and hurting someone he loved…and he was helpless to stop you.”</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He points out that Dark Angel was offered the same deal, but at Crisis Point he refused to accept the Faustian Bargain, and so we move on to consequences. Tonight, Angel meets Stevie Stoat in the ring…and Stoat’s only instruction is to bring the pain. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>DARK ANGEL vs. STEVIE STOAT: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Angel starts the match sitting cross-legged in the centre of the ring, a seemingly zen figure waiting for the first move to be made and violence to ensue. Stoat approaches him cautiously, makes a few cautious nudges with the toe of his boot. When Angel doesn’t move, Stoat unleashes a smirk and goes for a stiff soccer kick to the skill…and whiffs it when Angel drops back, then rolls forward and blasts Stoat in the stomach with a double-handed strike.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The pair have an interesting dynamic. Stoat is an old-school brawler, his offence revolving around forearm shivs, back elbow strikes, big slams, and kicks to the midsection, tactically focused on getting an opponent on the mat where he can stomp away to his heart’s content. He’s blessed with a great dropkick, capable of getting enough elevation to hammer both feet into Angel’s face, but he’s not much in the finesse department. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Angel’s style is influenced by years wrestling the Stones in Canada, his crisp technical abilities coupled with an arsenal of martial arts kicks, carefully selected high spots, and rapid-fire combinations. He may be slowing with age, but he’s also building on over two decades of experience, which means his ring awareness verges on the supernatural. This becomes exceptionally clear about twelve minutes in, when Jonathan Faust hits the apron to serve as a distraction, and Angel neatly breaks off from Stoat to nail Faust with a roundhouse kick almost as Faust arrives. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> It’s a hard-fought battle, but ultimately Angel locks in the double-hook facebuster dubbed the Descent Into Hell to pick up the win. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Dark Angel wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 15:28; RATING: B</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH ATTACK:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Dark Angel doesn’t get a chance to enjoy his victory – Jonathan Faust is there right after the match, waffling Angel from behind with a chair. Faust quickly rouses his first follower and together they stomp a mudhole in Angel. They eventually sandwich Angel’s ankle between the chair, and Faust goes to the top rope to set up for his devastating flying legdrop…</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> …only for Harry Wilson to come charging from the back to make the save, throwing Faust from the turnbuckles and blindsiding Stoat with a leg lariat. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The Faust and The Furuious retreat, having no stomach for a two-on-two fight, but Jonathan Faust looks back at Wilson with an inscruitable expression before disappearing backstage. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>PRE-TAPED PROMOS:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Phillip Cooper will be challenging for Sebastian Koller’s United Kingdom Championship next week, but we’ll also be hosting a number one contender’s match to determine who’ll be challenging the winner of that bout at Steel Cage Challenge. We cut to short promos for the two men who’ll be part of that match.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Luke Cool talks about the fans calling him an arrogant SOB, when really what they’re doing is mistaking confident for arrogance. “I know what I can do in that ring, and I don’t lose my nerve under pressure. When the big matches are on, there’s no-one quite like Luke Cool.”</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Wade Orson knows a thing or two about big matches—he’s already won the United Kingdom Championship twice, and he’s looking forward to getting the opportunity to get that belt back into his possession…and he doesn’t care if he have to fight Luke Cool, Phillip Cooper, or Sebastian Koller. Line ‘em up, and Wade is more than happy to knock them down one-by-one. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>THE DEFENCE FORCE (w/Kevin Jones) vs. THE CORNELL FAMILY:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> There is no doubt that the Cornell’s are the better wrestlers one-on-one, but they don’t have the years of friendship and teamwork that have defined the Defence Force’s run in 21CW. That teamwork proves to be a saving grace here—no matter how well the Cornell’s wrestle, the quick tags and double-teams of Pit Bull and DJ Reason always keep them in the game.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> As the match rolls past the ten minute mark, the Cornell’s start getting mean…and when Tommy Cornell gets mean and fights dirty, you can be sure that it’s going to be a masterclass in being a dirty rotten scoundrel. Eyes are raked and nuts are kicked, ankles hooked as Reason and Pit Bull go to the ropes to build momentum. Kevin Jones does his best to even the odds, but he’s only one man and there’s so many rules bent and cheap shots taken that he can’t get them all.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Pit Bull is the man who feels the pressure in the end, finding himself caught in the wrong part of town and unable to get away. ¬He gets trapped in incredibly painful holds and refuses to tap out, gets slammed and double-teamed again and again, and still manages to gut through. He holds out long enough to get the hot tag and bring in Reason like a house of fire—and after a brief spell in the corner Defence Force starts running hot, nailing a sequence of double-teams. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The crowd gets behind them as they batter Edward Cornell, getting a series of quick two-counts that burn through the champ’s energy…and then</div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> Beast Bantom</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> appears at ringside, blitzing Kevin Jones from behind and smashing him against the apron. It’s a momentary distraction, but a significant one…DJ Reason goes to help their friend, and Edward Cornell dives for the tag to bring Tommy into the ring. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> As Reason and Bantom brawl at ringside, Tommy takes Pit Bull down and sinks in the Guilt Trip for the submission. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Tommy Cornell wins via a submission on Pit Bull Brown; MATCH TIME: 22:30; RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Cornell lets Pit Bull Brown go and the 21CW veteran falls limp against the canvas, gasping for breathe after being nearly choked out by Cornell’s Judo Choke Sleeper. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Down at ringside, Beast Bantom has wiped out DJ Reason after trapping the veteran in a bearhug, then launching him into the guardrails with a sleeper. There’s a loud crash as Reason hits steel, drawing painful reminders of the assault on Phoebe Plumridge earlier this evening.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> And in the ring, Edward Cornell has his title belt and a microphone—he promptly informs everyone that there would be consequences for crossing the Cornell Family. “We’re always prepared, and we always have a back-up plan. Tonight, you just met mine…and his name is Beast Bantom.”</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The three men start beating down Jones and the Defence Squad….and, with Adam Matravers away tending to his injured wife, there’s absolutely no-one coming to break things up before the show goes off the air. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>OVERALL SHOW RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="tyhvsiZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tyhvsiZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><img alt="KOPQOsL.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KOPQOsL.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Friday, Week 1, January 2016</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> Falkirk Fields (Scotland) – 2,000 People (Sold Out!)</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>COLD OPEN:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Jeff Nova welcomes everybody to the Wrestling Showcase, putting the show over as a place where a new generation of wrestlers steps out of the shadows and into the spotlight. It’s a place where legacies are forged and the next Wade Orson, the next War Machine…and the next Tommy Cornell…can take their first steps and distinguish themselves from the pack. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He then announces the formation of a new tradition here at 21CW—The Breakout Star Tournament. Sixteen young wrestlers competing in a gruelling, three-month, round-robin tournament to determine the best young prospect in 21CW. The winner will receive a 10,000-pound bonus…and the opportunity to challenge for the United Kingdom Championship on pay-per-view. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>THE CONTROL CENTRE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The commentary team welcome everyone to the show and immediate throw to the tournament control centre, where veteran analyst Colin “The Steamroller” Challke is standing by to break down tonight’s bracket’s and opening match--Michael X versus BW Eddie will be a battle between an fiery tag-team brawler and a suplex specialist—a real clash of styles that may well stretch the man used to having a partner in his corner.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> A short package focuses on Michael X, the footage leaning heavily into his tag-team work with Joe Simpson. Michael introduces himself on voice-over, talking about learning to fight in his father’s pub when the drunks got too rowdy. Michael X was never the biggest guy, but he learned to hit hard and take down a man twice his size. You don’t have to like him, and you may well beat him, but if you don’t respect the size of the fight in this underdog he’s going to make you regret it. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> This is immediately contrasted against footage of BW Eddie, with the young wrestler telling everyone that he pities the fool who thinks they’re going to get between him and the two points he ears for victory. He’s young, he’s fast, he’s strong, and he’s got no compunctions about dumping you on your head I order to stop you. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: D+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>MICHAEL X vs. BW EDDIE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The crowd is firmly behind the Scottish boy Michael X here, and lightweight brawler feeds on their support. Eddie style involves a lot of throws and suplexes—a tactic that creates a lot space for X to come back with his preferred kicks and strikes. The commentary team notes that Eddie would have been better off locking the smaller man down on the mat, taking away his preferred weapons of speed and room to strike, and ultimately Michael X picks up the win using the XDT. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Michael X wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 9:14; RATING: D+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">BW Eddie rolls over to his knees after the pinfall, seemingly crushed by the loss. Machael X walks over and gets Eddie onto his feet, offering a hand and offering a measure of respect. Eddie accepts—slowly, reluctantly—and the two men celebrate with the fans for a moment. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CONTROL CENTRE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> We cut back to the control centre, where Micahael X is the first man on the scoreboard with 2 points and Colin Chalke is waiting to talk us through the match-up of the evening. He highlights the experience differential in this first round, with Kevin Badberry among the first graduating class of the National School of Wrestling, while Doomsday is still in his first six months. Archive footage shows off the power of both men, and while Chalke tips Badberry as the winner, he warns people not to discount Doomsday’s destructive power as a source of an upset. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>DOOMSDAY vs. KELVIN BADBERRY:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Doomsday wrestles as the de-facto face in this one, the crowd firmly behind the local boy. It’s a test, given that Doomsday has only ever worked as a heel heater in his time with the company, and not one he manages with anything approaching competence. Doomsday does well on the initial lock-up, putting over his raw power, but Badberry is quick to take control. He batters his opponent, getting Doomsday down and rocking him with crossface blows, and ultimately picks up the win via the Berry Crush (twisting power slam). </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Kelvin Badberr wins via Pinfall; MATCH TIME: 4:43; RATING: D-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> A smirking Badberry heads up the ramp, jawing with the crowd. He gets halfway to the back when he’s blindsided by an irate Doomsday, who nails the big man from behind and gets him for an Apocalypse Drop (running Samoan drop) on the steel. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The rookie monster walks off, leaving his opponent down. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CONTROL CENTRE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The commentary team make a quit cut to the control centre, where Colin Chalke puts over a powerhouse six months into his career, Mass Hulk, taking on the charismatic Nigerian, Apollo Prince. Mass Hulk has made big waves early on for his ability to physically manhandle opponents—in particular, getting big men up for a deadlift slam—but Apollo Prince has been beating the odds ever since his 21CW debut, courtesy of the reverse bulldog dubbed the Apollogy that he seems to be able to hit out of nowhere. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>APOLLO PRINCE vs. MASS HULK:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Part of what makes Apollo Prince stand out in the ring is the way he moves, spending all his time on the balls of his feet like a boxer, doing the little Mohamad Ali shuffle as he moves around his opponent. He’s confident and happy to be there, constantly in motion, and it makes for a strong contrast with the short bursts of explosive power that characterise Mass Hulk’s offense. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Hulk is put over as a rookie powerhouse with the potential to really change the face of 21CW, and gets a chance to show off his power with both a gorilla press and a big deadlift slam, but Prince ultimately takes him down with the Apollogy. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Apollo Prince wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 11:31; RATING: D</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>ANNOUNCE DESK:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Des and Dane put over the great action we’ve seen this far, with Apollo Prince, Kelvin Badberry, and Michael X all getting the first boards on the scoreboard. They then take a moment to put over tonight’s main event, featuring Edison Silva taking on one-half of the tag-team champions, Yuri Iliakov. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: D+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> They move on to talking about next week, which will feature the first round of B-Block matches in the Rising Stars tournament. A quick review of the match-ups include:</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • “The Neanderthal” Nathan Lee taking on “Little J” Joe Simpson</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • The Russian Powerhouse, Victor Beskov, will take on the rookie monster, Grave Digger.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • One of the most physically gifted men in the tournament, Mark Adonis, will meet the immovable object Brickhouse Balder. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • And in our main event…the Rip Chord trained Curtis Jenkins will meet Anarchy’s favourite son, Bedlam. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> And now we cross to the control room for the Steamroller to break down our main event. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: D</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CONTROL ROOM:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Colin Chalke puts over the big implications for this match—the MMA-trained Edison Silva taking on one-half of the tag-team champions, Yuri Iliakov. Silva might be giving up size, weight, and reach to his opponent, but he’s used to fighting in the cage and has an array of throws, take-downs, and submissions at his command. Meanwhile, Iliakov has been perfecting his teamwork with fellow champion Victor Beskov…and he’s got to be aware that a loss here won’t just lose him two points, but will open him up to a title challenge from Silva down the line. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>EDISON SILVA vs. YURI ILIAKOV:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> This match has higher stakes than most in the tournament, given Iliakov’s status as one-half of the tag-team champions. A loss here doesn’t just cost him two points, but gives the MMA-focused Silva an opportunity to request a tag-team championship shot.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Silva does his best here, shooting in to take Iliakov down and work him over with strikes and submissions. He keeps trying to position himself for the punishing knee strike flurry he uses as a finishes, but Iliakov has the size and power to push the smaller competitor away.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Iliakov fights back with punishing forearm strikes and big power moves, relentlessly forcing Silva into a corner and battering him. It almost costs him the match—at one pont, Silva latches onto an arm and comes dangerous close to getting an armbar locked in—but ultimately the tag-team champion wins via the Kiev Krush. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Yuri Iliakov wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 12:20; RATING: D+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>FINAL SHOW RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46815" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><strong>THE NEWS FROM BACKSTAGE</strong></strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> My first big fight with the boss had been about doing a seperate taping for Wrestling Showcase, rather than taping it prior to the Best of British Wrestling. Nova wanted to save money and expose the young guys to a larger audience; I argued that giving them a smaller venue made them seem like big stars in the minor leagues, rather than rookies not quite up to the task of playing a big match. Ultimately, he conceded the point, and having a sell-out crowd for the show makes the tournament seem like a much bigger deal than it would have in a 10,000 seat arena that was largely waiting for Tommy to front up.</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> The new interest in pushing rookies has drawn some interest from the old guard--Luke Cool mentioned his belief that Ricky storm was going to be a big star, and recommended giving the kid a push even if he wasn't going to be in the Breakout Star tournament.</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> Meanwhile, Leigh Burton was surprised I gave Phillip Cooper promo time and didn't let Sebastian Koller respond--the young German is incredibly charismatic and Burton thinks he'll go far. </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div></div></blockquote><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div></div><p></p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 The G-21! I love it! <span class="ipsEmoji">😁</span> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christmas_ape Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 Again really enjoyed the build up stuff and a great first show. It seems unlucky to have gotten a C+ overall for the show with the individual grades you pulled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 THE CHAIN OF INFORMATION I rolled into the office a little late on Monday morning, a few hours off in light of the fact I work late Thursday and Friday nights keeping our TV tapings running. Admittedly, we’ve press-ganged Dark Angel into the agents role for half the matches on Wrestling Showcase—giving our youngest wrestlers a chance to benefit from his instincts and years of experience. Like Colin Chalke, it was a step away from the role he’d been contracted for, and like Chalke Dark Angel had risen to the challenge with considerable aplomb. Angel had warned me I should have a chat with Edison Silva after the show, and I’d booked a meeting with the kid in the office for Monday afternoon. Not the kindest thing I could have done--wrestlers and offices tend to be an awkward fit. Nobody gets into the business because they’ve got a penchant for the nine-to-five life, and it’s easier to talk about things backstage or on the road between shows. Setting up for TV can take half a day in the larger arenas, and the day is equal parts busy-as-hell and hurry-up-and-wait. But the news Angel had hinted at had me all kinds of pissed, and I wasn’t exactly in the mood to cut Edison any breaks. He was a good kid—plenty of ego, but he backed it with a dedication and pride in being a man of his word. At nineteen he was still figuring things out, but I had hopes for his future if he settled down and learned a little consistency in the ring. He showed up at 2:00 PM, right on the button. Obviously on his way back from an afternoon at the gym, living his gimmick as our resident MMA bad-ass with his affliction shirt and TapOut sweats, endless reps in a jujitsu gym a few blocks down from us. I let him in and shook his hand and directed him to the far less comfortable chair over by the desk instead of the comfortable couch. “Ed,” I said. “Thanks for coming in.” “S’Okay,” he mumbled. “Angel passed on some news after Friday,” I said, and immediately held up both hands to stop him as he tried to interject. “You’re not in trouble. In fact, you did what you should have done—I just wish you’d told me or Pit Bull, instead of leaving it to Angel to pass things up the line.” The kid seemed to vibrate, torn between the need to argue and the acknowledgement that he’d done wrong. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s just…” The words trailed off, and I let him stew for a moment. I knew what was on the other end of that statement—after years of training for MMA, treating wrestling like a second-choice, Edison had been offered an undercard fight on a BCF show towards the middle of the year. He wanted time off to train for it, time off to recover after…and he’d hedged his bets, telling the agent, for fear we’d refuse to let him fight. Then I took pity on him. “Like I said, you’re not in trouble. If they’d made you an offer a week earlier, it wouldn’t have been a big deal at all—we would have slotted someone else into your spot in the tournament, kept you down the card until you were cleared to compete for us again. Now….” It was my turn to let an idea linger. “Now…we’ve got to have a plan in place to write you off TV. We’ve got to do something that protects you, and protects us, if you go in there and lose a shoot on pay-per-view. We’ve got to make sure the company’s protected, and you don’t burn the town on us.” Edison squared his jaw. “Thought this is one of those things when you just tell people that I’m injured, yeah?” “And how does that look, for us?” I said. “You’re too injured to wrestle in a 21C ring, but you’re fine to compete in the cage? We tell people you’ve broken a few ribs, and yet you’re taking a barrage of punches to the gut and still firing a back few times?” The tension drained out of him like sand leaking from a busted punching bag. “Yeah, okay,” he said. “Sorry.” I nodded gravely. “Don’t get me wrong,” I said. “I’m glad you got the fight. Win or lose, it’s something we can spin when you come back and step into the ring again. It’s just that the timing sucks for us, and it needs to be managed. That means getting the details to the people who need to know ASAP, instead of letting us slot you into the main event of three-month program when you know the offer is coming. You understand what I’m saying?” “I get it.” “Good.” I eased back into my chair, dropped the disapproving look. “When are you scheduled to start your camp?” “Head off for training in about two months, near the end of March.” “You can’t delay it any later?” His face went tight trying to hide the nerves when that question was posed. “I mean, maybe? It’s not ideal, if I want any hope of winning. And Angel suggested it might be a bad idea to go in there and lose, yeah?” “It would. So lets make sure you’ve got the best chance of picking up the win. Leave it with me and Klee for a while, we’ll brainstorm ways of putting you out for a stretch. And next time—” “Tell you myself,” Edison said. “First thing, when they make the offer.” I nodded. “We’re not going to tell you not to take the gig,” I said. “We just need to know, so we can adjust our plans.” “I am sorry,” Edison said. “It’s happen. We’ve dealt with it. You’re not going to do it again,” I said. “Nothing to be sorry about. Just something to do a little different if the situation comes up again.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 The G-21! I love it! 😁 The secret history of this diary: reading every "what the WWE could learn from NJPW" article and blog post I could find and trying to figure out how that would look if someone actually did it in a sports entertainment context. If the tournament actually gets the younger guys over (and the heel/heel matches up aren't too dire), expect Jack to get really convinced that a tournament-heavy schedule is going to be the point of differentiation when we go into the US Again really enjoyed the build up stuff and a great first show. It seems unlucky to have gotten a C+ overall for the show with the individual grades you pulled. Less bad luck, more a set of storylines that aren't meeting the minimum heat requirements for a national company. There's only a handful of guys who can reliably deliver a B average in angles and the ring alike, and the bulk of them were bound up in the main event feud. A lot of the early booking is going to be breaking them out and getting a few more guys up there, in order to keep things hot long-term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 <p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-family:Impact;">THE BOOKER TURNS THE SPOTLIGHT ON…</span></span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><img alt="wnYFkug.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wnYFkug.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-family:Impact;">PIT BULL BROWN</span></span></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>AGE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> 39 (21 Year Pro); </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BUILD:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Muscular Light Heavyweight; </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>STYLE:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Regular Wrestler; </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>NATIONALITY:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> English (Black); </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CURRENT GIMMICK:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Old School Face (Great)</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>FINISHERS</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">: Dog House Piledriver; Vertical Drop Brainbuster from the second rope (Rarely Used); </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>SIGNATURE MOVES & SPOTS: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Hangman’s Neckbreaker; Short Arm Clotheline; Uppercut to the Throat; Headbutt.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>THEME SONG: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="150" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/YfTg4Fcza58?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Faith No More/Boo-Ya Tribe - Another Body Murdered"></iframe></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>NOTES:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Ranked #267 in the 2015 Power 500; First ever 21st Century World Champion; Three 21st Century World Championship Reigns (July 2005-January 2006; May 2006-October 2006; September 2009-December 2009); Former booker of 21st Century Wrestling</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> When 21st Century Wrestling debuted back in 2005, Pit Bull Brown was the first ever World champion in the federation. In the eleven years that have followed only three men have gone on to hold the belt three times—and of those three, Pit Bull was the first and the only man to do it while wrestling as a babyface. Over the years he’s been the guy the company goes to when they need to establish credibility—for the belt, for a new hire, for a rising star looking to make his name and claim a spot in the main event. In recent years it’s been the path of choice for fellow 21CW original Jonathan Faust, Edward Cornell, Joss Thompson, and both members of Hot Stuff. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Pit Bull broke into the sport the late 1990s under his real name, Harry Brown, and paid his dues by working for whoever would have him. It is a measure of how good he is that when Jeff Nova took the promotion over and revamped it, Pit Bull Brown was one of the very few people who were kept on the roster. Although he has since fallen out of the main event scene - a combination of his age and frequent injuries – his skills and legacy within the company have kept him relevant despite the fact he’s pushing forty. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> At the same time, his position as booker has hampered him a little. No man can book and perform as an on-air talent without falling prey to the urge to put himself over, but Pit Bull did a damn sight better than most in his situation. He kept himself out of the main event, but there’s no doubt that he and Reason have been over-pushed and filling spots I would have started giving to younger teams after their feud with Hot Stuff died down at the end of 2013. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Further, he's spent the last few years working as a babyface with a predominantly heelish move set that require a complex set-up (the piledriver, the brainbuster), or take shots that technically illegal (closed fist strikes). Pit Bull's good enough to make that work--and god knows, my attitudes towards such thing are moderately archaic in the current wrestling world--but I would argue he needs a good, sudden bump finish he can pull of out of nowhere to change the momentum of a match. If he were younger, I'd be working on that--maybe working to elevate his lariat into something that puts people away for a year or two. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> And yet, I find myself wondering if Pit Bull has more value than he seems to have on paper. Unlike his tag-tea partner, he’s got a long and important history within 21st Century Wrestling. He’s not a Man of Steel Guy who jumped ship when Nova scored a TV deal—he’s the guy whose been in the main event ever since the first damn show. The guy who took this company on his back and carried it. The man who never quite became the Ace, but has outlasted every big name and carried on as a threat to the main event. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He is, at this stage, a utility player—competent, good enough, capable of switching over to heel and falling back on his reputation as a legit tough guy as a gimmick.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong><em>IN-RING WORK:</em></strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Pit Bull Brown is the definition of a rock-solid professional. He’s not flashy, nor built for engaging in lengthy technical exchanges, but he’ll brawl like a champion and dish out blows harder and faster than anyone else. He got over, in a large part, because he simply doesn’t give in—slam him into the canvas and he’ll get back to his feet immediately; pin him, and he’s the kind of guy that kicks out right away, rather than taking a breather until the ref counts two. He’s all power, heart, and hard-hitting instincts. It makes him the kind of guy that can get over better when he’s on the losing end of a match—something that served him well over the last few years, when he booked himself on the losing end of feuds more often than not. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> His arsenal is incredibly straight-forward, relying on power and hard-hitting offense to the exclusion of all else. Forearms and lariats, power slams and suplexes. One of the sweetest uppercuts in wrestling—easily the most convincing I’ve ever seen—and yet he’s cleaved to the traditionalist approach of breaking it out in those desperate moments when he’s frustrated or getting his own back. Even as American feds like USPW and SWF abandoned the prohibition against closed fist strikes during matches, Pit Bull kept it intact at 21st Century purely because he knew the power of that punch to fire a crowd. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> And yet, despite his experience in the ring, Pit Bull is dogged to the point of single-mindedness. He’s got the instincts to counter a lot that younger wrestlers will throw at him, but against a top-tier talent who excels at mind-games or in-ring strategies that exploit his focus, the big man tends to struggle. He’s also one of those guys that doesn’t know when he’s beat, preferring to fight until he can’t go on rather than take a loss and fight again another day. Both traits were ruthlessly exploited by J-B Money and Buff Martinez when they ran rampant through 21CW, ultimately leading to Pit Bull joining forces with DJ Reason to form the Defence Force. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> There’s also the issue of his age. Pit Bull might not be slowing down as he reaches his forties, but he’s spent 21 years wrestling a high impact style that takes a toll on the back and the knees. He guts through the pain the way he guts through everything else in his career, but sooner or later that general wear-and-tear is going to turn into real injuries…or some heel is going to exploit it and Pit Bull won’t do what it takes to save himself. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="arwink" data-cite="arwink" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46815" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">...only three men have gone on to hold the belt three times—and of those three, Pit Bull was the first and the only man to do it while wrestling as a babyface.</div></div></div></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Out of curiosity, who are the other two? Are they still active? I love stat-based feuds, so I'd be doing a storyline where the three of them are racing to become the only four-time champion in company history! <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 <p>The other two were the now-with-USPW Joss Thompson and still-here-as-the-only-reliable-main-event-promo-not-named-Tommy Jonathan Faust. Purely based on heat and recent use, I think a race-to-four would be one of those storylines that fans crap on because Pit Bull needs some rehabing before fans will accept him as a legit title contender. </p><p> </p><p> The stat I find a lot more compelling is this: Adam Matravers is the only grand slam champion in the company, having held all three belts. There's a few people nipping at his heels for that one, including guys with a lot more upside than pit like Leo Price, Luke Cool, Phillip Cooper, and Rolling Johnny Stones.</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBEZA Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Ooh, I love a good Grand Slam race! Are they all going for different belts, those who are one win off? That could be fun! And maybe you're right about Pit Bull, but maybe an idea for down the road, especially if you ever get chance to rehire Joss Thompson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwink Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 <p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-family:Impact;"><strong>ROAD TO STEEL CAGE CHALLENGE – PART TWO</strong></span></span></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><img alt="RoxbpuH.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/RoxbpuH.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>Thursday, Week 2 January 2016</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> Bolton Rugby Club – 10,000 People (Sold Out!)</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>COLD OPEN:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Edward Cornell sits in the back seat of a limo, a be-suited Beast Bantam riding beside him. Cornell gloats about plans coming together, and his plan to reveal the first recruit to the Cornell Family went better than expected. Taking out Phoebe Plumridge takes Adam Matravers off the board…and with that, the biggest threat to Cornell’s title is out of commission. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B- </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>THE ANNOUNCE DESK:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> We cut to Steve Smith and Jeff Nova at the announce desk as we come out of the credits. They put over the fact that we’ll have six-man action in our main event tonight—Kevin Jones will be teaming with Daniel Black Francis and Dark Angel to get some payback on the Cornell’s and their new family member, Beast Bantom. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> We’ll also have a live cross to the hospital room of Phoebe Plumridge, getting an update on her condition from husband Adam Matravers.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Bur first, we kick things off with an United Kingdom title match… </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>MY, THAT’S A LARGE HAT:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Phillip Cooper’s music hits and the Mad Hatter of 21CW strolls down to the ring in an oversized sombrero, the straw painted red and decorated with rainbow coloured ribbon. Cooper holds the head ware in place as he climbs into the ring, and gets irate when the referee goes to remove it—very carefully taking it off and hanging it over the ring post before turning to let the ref pat down his tights and boots. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>21CW UNITED KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP – SEBASTIAN KOLLER vs. PHILLIP COOPER:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Sebastian Koller hits the ring with his usual high-energy strutting and howling, eager to start the match and defend his title. The two men lock up, and Koller proves to the more powerful man, throwing Cooper around with comparative ease in the opening stretch. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> It takes a desperate thumb to the eye before Cooper can cut off the momentum, and he quickly takes control of the fight. The Mad Hatter keeps his offence simple for the most part—clubbing forearms, sleeper holds, hard stomps and elbow drops. The fanciest he gets in the early stages is charging Koller and bearing the bigger man down, throwing wild punches once they’re on the floor. It’s the wild, manic energy that catches him…right up until he tries to get fancy, latching on a Texas Cloverleaf, which allows Koller to reverse and go on the offensive once more.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Cooper takes a beating and can’t quite get back into the fight…until he crawls over to the corner and pulls out a pair of brass knuckles hidden in his sombrero, tucking them into his tights. He bides his time, waiting for an opening where the ref’s attention is distracted…then smashes Koller in the jaw before throwing the knuckles to ringside, quickly picking up the three-count. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Phillip Cooper is winner, and new 21CW United Kingdom Champion, via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 11:41; RATING: C</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The referee hands Phillip Cooper the belt…and the new champ refuses to take it, instead holding his arms out and insisting the ref buckle the belt to him. Cooper quickly demands the ref go get his hat and put in on as well, then calls for a microphone. We warns everyone to pay attention to the evening: just because a man has a sense of style, it doesn’t mean that he can’t wrestle, and—</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> That’s as far as he gets, because Sebastian Koller has rolled to ringside to recover the brass knuckles, and he’s back in the ring with the weapons in hand looking for a little payback. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Cooper immediately flees, losing his giant sombrero as he goes, retreating up the ramp with his new title. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE PROMO:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Kevin Jones is backstage with Daniel Black Francis and Dark Angel. Jones explains that the Defence Force aren’t cleared to wrestle this week…but after what Beast Bantom did to Phoebe Plumridge at Eddie Cornell’s request, there’s no shortage of people stepping up to show the Cornell’s they crossed a line. So tonight he’s going out there with two of 21CW’s best—the Dark Angel, and the man so crazy he’s willingly going into a match with War Marchine. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>THE UNDERDOGS vs. ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The genius of the Martin twins is not that they are handsome or have perfected the art of being smucky, prima-donna heels…it’s that they have coupled this act with a tag-team style that is predicated on being incredibly spiteful in their ring. Their approach is is predicated on getting people down and punishing them, grinding elbows into joints as covers are made and digging into the stomach with claw holds. They don’t always win, but they damn well ensure their opponents are hurt. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Their grounded style pays dividends against the Underdogs, who are all about staying in motion and hitting the high risk moves. Worse, the Kelly twins prolong the match—several times they break their own pin attempts, just to mock the Underdogs inability to stop things.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The smallest wrestlers in 21CW get occasional bursts of offence and hope spots, and the crowd pops every time one of them gets even a little momentum, but ultimately Kelly Martin picks up the win with the Reflection Perfection on Simpson. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Kelly Martin wins via pinfall on Joe Simpson; MATCH TIME: 9:08; RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Absolutely Flawless go through their standard victory routine—heading to ringside and hitting a 5-second pose for the photographers, showing off their bodies and perfectly sculpted faces as a storm of flashes go off.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Unfortunately, they only get three seconds before The Underdogs run the ropes and come tearing across the ring, leaping over the top rope to land picture perfect tope con hilos. They wipe out the Martin twins and immediately stagger to their feet, retreating up the ramp as the crowd roars their approval. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C- </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE PROMO:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Jonathan Faust is backstage, shaking his head about lost opportunities. It’s not enough that Dark Angel refused to be part of the Faustian Pact—he involved his younger brother Harry Wilson in the matter. “Harry isn’t like you, Angel. He’s never had your strength. The path to his darker impulses follow familiar routes of jealousy and a futile wish that you might acknowledge him and the efforts he’s made to follow in his big brother’s footsteps…but that’s not your way, is it Angel? He craves something he cannot have.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> “Perhaps it’s time somebody offered him another path…and tempted him with the possibility of the greatness he so desperately craves.” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>IN-RING PROMO: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Leigh Burton heads down to the ring, Leo Price ready to serve as his young ally’s corner man. Burton calls for a mic ahead of the match, and cuts a scathing promo on Hot Stuff—since they’re not here for the second week, they’ve obviously chosen to let the lion’s hunt…and there’s no worse place to be than in the sights of a lion hungry for a little payback. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>LEIGH BURTON (w/Leo Price) vs. IVAN IVANOFF (w/Igor Ivanoff)</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">: Ivanoff kicks off his offense with a series of clubbing blows, building up to the big boots and bear hugs that are the traditional Ivanoff approach to wearing down an opponent. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Leigh Burton weathers the storm and makes a fiery comeback, throwing the bigger man around with suplexes and nailing Ivan with a big missile dropkick. He looks like he’ll be on a roll…right up until Igor Ivanoff pulls Burto out of the ring and slings him into the guard rails. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Price tears around the ring to make the save, but the damage is done—Burton is favouring his back as he climbs back into the ring to continue, and Ivan targes the injury relentlessly. He wears Burton down with bear hugs and slams, then tries to twist the younger man’s head off a reverse chinlock. Steve Smiths takes the opportunity remind everyone that Burton’s shoulder was badly dislocated a month ago by Hot Stuff, and speculates about how much damage his neck can take.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> It turns out, at least a little more. Burton feeds on the energy of the crowd, building energy for a fiery comeback that sees him throw Ivanoff around with a series of suplexes. He eventually sinks in the Unbreakable Sleeper and holds on tight, forcing Ivanoff to tap.</div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> RESULT: Leigh Burton wins via submission; MATCH TIME: 14:51; RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Leo Price jumps into the ring and raises his partner’s hand in victory…but the celebration is short lived as the Titanton comes to life and we get a live stream of Buff Martinez, J-B Cash, and Kathleen Lee partying on the deck of a yacht on the French Riviera. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Buff Martinez has his shirt off, inviting some of the young, good-looking men and women in attendance to count his abs. J-B Cash is draining a bottle of Absolut and urinating off the edge of the vessel. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Once again, it falls to Kathleen Lee inform the Pride that Hot Stuff will not be in attendance this evening…but she’s got some good news and some bad news for Leo and Leigh.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The good news is that 21CW has scheduled a match between Hot Stuff and the Pride at Steel Cage Challenge and the winners is purse is barely—just barely—worth Martinez and Cash getting out of bed for. “Of course, they’ve sweetened the deal by making it a number one contender’s match for the Tag-Team Titles,” J-B Cash informs them, “and even if you two aren’t worth the money, Hot Stuff is always interested in gold.”</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The bad news, Kathleen Lee informs them, is that the money lies in beating them in that match, not beating them in a fair fight. So she’s arranged a little surprise for the Pride, just to get them warmed up…</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Which is the Ivanoff’s cue to jump The Pride, both Russians throwing punches with short lengths of chain wrapped around their wrists. The assault is short and furious, and leaves the Ivanoff’s standing tall and the Pride laid out and bloodied. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>LIVE CROSS:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> We do a live cross to the London Hospital where Adam Matravers is sitting vigil beside his injured wife’s bed. He lets the fans know that Phoebe Plumridge has suffered a separated pelvis and a ruptured spleen as a result of Beast Bantom’s attack—and now he’s been told that the attack happened at Edward Cornell’s request. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Adam Matravers likes to think of himself as a reasonable man, but this isn’t a reasonable situation. He’s been sitting in the hospital for a week, thinking about things. Coming up with plans and a list of things he can do—and since he can’t operate on his wife and fix what’s wrong with her, all he’s left with is getting some payback on the men who put her in here.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Step one will be teaching Beast Bantom a lesson inside a steel cage at Steel Cage Challenge. Then, after he takes out the puppet, Matravers is going after the puppet masters… </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>IN-RING PROMO:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Luke Cool swaggers down to the ring for the number one contender’s match for the United Kingdom Championship, and cuts a short promo beforehand. He congratulates Phillip Cooper on his victory earlier this evening, but warns the Mad Hatter of 21CW not to get too comfortable with that belt—after Cool finishes up business against Wade Orson here tonight, it will be his pleasure to take that belt away from Cooper at Steel Cage Challenge—“and, unlike you, Coop, I won’t need brass knuckles to do it.” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> NUMBER ONE CONTENDER’S MATCH – WADE ORSON vs. LUKE COOL:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Orson kicks off the match with a hard slap to the face, following it up with a tackle and a flurry of blows on the floor. Cool is caught off guard, but manages to escape and scramble for the ropes…only to get clotheslined over as Orson comes charging after. Wade follows him down, follows Cool across ringside throwing bit right-handed chops to the chest, and eventually throws Cool back into the ring at the eight count. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He follows Cool back in and starts slinging the veteran into the ropes, looking for a clothesline on the rebound…and that’s when things start going wrong. Cool comes firing off the ropes and hits a knee lift, using it to take control of the match and slow things down a little. A single-leg takedown dumps Orson on the mat and Cool targets the knee with elbow drops, driving knee strikes, and a cinched in knee bar.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The knee damage seems like it’s going to hamper Orson for much of the match, but the youngster guts through and puts together a series of comebacks, eventually picking up the victory with the Bounce Back. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Wade Orson wins via Pinfall; MATCH TIME: 12:23; RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">We go backstage, where Melanie Florence is standing by with Lance and Kelly Martin. Lance is holding his neck where he took the brunt of a Joe Simpson tope con hilo, while Kelly’s got a black eye and seems irate that his perfect features have been marred. They both complain about being jumped after a match is over, professing innocence as to why the Underdogs would do such a thing. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>PRE-TAPED PROMO:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Tommy Cornell cuts a promo from his London penthouse, his right arm bound close to his body as he nurses an injury. He wanted Pit Bull and DJ Reason to show him something last week…and he can’t say Pit Bill didn’t deliver. The first ever 21CW champ has a vicious right cross--and here Tommy pauses to show slow-motion footage of a frustrated Pit Bull firing a right hand at Cornell that the veteran catches in the chest rather than the jaw. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Tommy decries the tactic—closed fists are illegal in wrestling for a reason, and even though Pit Bull choosing to throw an illegal punch didn't help him win a match, it left Tommy with a bruised pectoral muscle and doctors orders to stay clear of the ring tonight. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> What Pit Bull showed Tommy is that he's a dangerous man...but it's got nothing to do with his punch, and everything to do with the fact that he lacks the control to know there's a time and a place to start swinging. Cornel warns Pit Bull that he owes him a receipt...and a Cornell always collects on his debts.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Unfortunately, it also means Tommy can't be there to wrestle in tonight's main event. Fortunately, Edward assures him that a suitable replacement is at hand...</div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>HARRY WILSON vs. JONATHAN FAUST: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Harry Wilson is on fire here, tearing into Faust and putting him on the back foot right from the offset. Faust tries to stall and cut him off several times, but it doesn’t seem to hold Wilson back for longer than a few seconds. Eventually, Faust elects to stall and give ground, creating the openings he needs to land some cheap shots.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Wilson’s confident grows as the match progresses, with the commentary team speculating that he could be on track for one of the biggest wins of his career. That momentum lasts right up until Faust fakes an ankle injury, distracting the referee….and Stevie Stoat hits the ring to superkick Wilson.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Faust resumes the match with a look of beatific satisfaction, and Jeff Nova hypothesizes that he was intentionally bolstering Wilson’s confidence early in order to set the sneak attack up. The Devil’s Drop follows not long after, giving the match to Faust. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Jonathan Faust wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 13:30; RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH OFFER:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Faust collects a microphone as Stevie Stoat climbs back into the ring, the two men moving to bock Harry Wilson’s ability to escape. Faust cuts a promo on his opponent, pointing out that Harry Wilson has spent his whole life playing second fiddle to his older brother, and he wants to be Dark Angel so bad that just the hint of being as good meant he was willing to overlook the possibility he was being played.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> “We could hurt you, Stoat and I,” Faust says, “right here, right now, without any sign of your brother coming to save you like you saved him last week. His eyes are focused on the main event tonight, hoping he’ll get a chance to pin Edward Cornell and move into title contention. We could end your career, if we wished, and your brother wouldn’t blink And yet, we’re going to let you walk out of here unmolested this evening—”</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Faust raises his hand to placate Stevie Stoat, who obviously wasn’t aware of this part of the plan.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> “We’re going to give you time to think about what could have happened here, and why it didn’t, and who did not care enough to try and stop us.” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>BACKSTAGE PROMO:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Edward Cornell is backstage with Beast Bantom, warming up for his match. He cuts a promo about everybody being angry about what happened to Phoebe Plumridge, saying that they crossed line by having Bantom beat down a woman. Now they’re all coming for them…and Tommy is out injured.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Everyone thinks this is the moment to come after the champion. They see the space where Tommy usually stands, and they think the real threat is gone. It’s a foolish decision—Tommy is one of the best in the world, but the belt around Edward’s waist says that he <i>is</i> the best in the world. He’s the mastermind that brought Tommy in, who recruited Beast Bantom and used him to distract the biggest threat to the belt in 21C.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> And just because Tommy isn’t here, it doesn’t mean that no-one will be in his corner. In fact, he’s recruited a third man more than up to the task.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Which is when the hulking form of War Machine walks into shot, flanked by his manager Cliff King. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: B</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>KEVIN JONES, DARK ANGEL, & DANEIL BLACK FRANCIS vs. EDWARD CORNELL BEAST BANTOM, & WAR MACHINE (w/Cliff King): </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">The big question coming into this match is who will replace the injured Tommy Cornell, and the faces seem less than pleased when the answer proves to be War Machine. Angel and Jones spend much of the match trying to avoid spending time in there with the big man, but Daniel Black Francis earns a big pop from the crowd for going toe-to-toe with the big man in several sequences, even if he doesn’t manage to get War Marchine off his feet.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> For the most part, it’s a fairly even bout that showcases the talents of all six men very well. The crowd is hyped for the major exchanges and the big moves, and the six-man format gives everyone a chance to hit their finishers only to have somebody else break things up.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Unfortunately for the Cornell family, War Machine’s interest in this match seems to be heavily focused on his Cage Match Challenge opponent Daniel Black Francis, and he loses interest altogether after nailing Franciss with a big running powerslam on the floor. DBF goes down and stays down, seemingly knocked out…and War Machine promptly shrugs and walks away, leaving the match to continue without him.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Edward Cornell is flabbergasted by this turn of events, and he takes his eye of the ball…which is how Kevin Jones catches him a Belly-to-Belly suplex and a quick cover that gets the three-count. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Kevin Jones wins via a pinfall on the champion, Edward Cornell; MATCH TIME: 19:44; RATING: B-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>FINAL SHOW RATING: B- </strong></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="tyhvsiZ.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/tyhvsiZ.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><img alt="KOPQOsL.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/KOPQOsL.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> Friday, Week 2, January 2016</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> Falkirk Fields (Scotland) – 2,000 People (Sold Out!)</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong> </strong></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>ANNOUNCE DESK:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Des and Dane welcome everyone to the first round of the B-Block in the Rising Stars tournament. Tonight we’ll see eight young wrestlers fighting to get the first points on the scoreboard in this neck of the tournament, and we’re going to see some big match-ups. They quickly run us through the card:</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • “The Neanderthal” Nathan Lee taking on “Little J” Joe Simpson</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • The Russian Powerhouse, Victor Beskov, will take on the rookie monster, Grave Digger.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • One of the most physically gifted men in the tournament, Mark Adonis, will meet the immovable object Brickhouse Balder. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> • And in our main event…the Rip Chord trained Curtis Jenkins will meet Anarchy’s favourite son, Bedlam. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> But first, we cross to the control room, where Britain’s favourite son Colin “The Steamroller” Chalke talks us through our opening match-up. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CONTROL ROOM:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The Steamroller stands in front of the scoreboard, putting over the opening contest. He thinks this one’s going to be interesting—Joe Simpson is one of the smallest wrestlers in the tournament, standing 5’7” and weighing in at 170 pounds, but he’s in incredible physical shape, has the biggest heart you’ll see out there, and knows how to use his body as a weapon. Morever, he goes into this match with an experience edge, and his career thus far has seen him defy the odds more than once. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Meanwhile, Andrew Lee is an extremely unorthodox wrestler—a dark-horse with an extremely physical style based around big strikes, freakish strength, and a penchant for using the ring itself as an offensive weapon. Steamroller cuts to brief interviews with both men, where they promise victory in the coming match-up. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>ANDREW LEE vs. JOE SIMPSON:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The smallest competitor in the tournament takes on a dark horse to win it all, and despite some crisp wrestling and a lot of heart from Joe Simpson, the power of Lee is decisive. He throws Simpson into the turnbuckles, batters him with sliding clotheslines, and ultimately picks up the win with the Stone Age Kick. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Andrew Lee wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 8:29; RATING: D+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Joe Simpson rises to his feet and offers Lee a handshake, his expression almost daring The Neanderthal to show disrespect. Lee refuses the shake…preferring to raise Simpsons hand’s as two thousand howling scottsman show their appreciation for the match just completed. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: D</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CONTROL ROOM:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> With Lee putting two points on the board, we cross back to the control room where The Steamroller is ready to break down the next contest.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> This is a clash of the big man. Grave Digger may be a rookie in the first year of his career, but he’s 6’11” and weighs in at three hundred and forty pounds of raw muscle. We’ve seen him fairly stalk smaller men across the ring, softening them up until he can finish them off with a leaping piledriver dubbed the RIP—a move that is easily among the most effective ways of killing an opponent’s momentum that Steamroller has seen in his long career, especially when it’s performed by a man Grave Digger’s size.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Meanwhile, Victor Beskov is a Big Heavyweight Sambo champion and trained kick-boxer, giving him an excellent striking game and an arsenal of powerful kicks, in addition to the ability to throw people around and finish them off with the Red Devil Lock (Kimura Takedown) He’s a devastating competitor when teamed with Victor Beskov in the tag-team ranks, but he’s the junior member of that team…which means the biggest question is whether he can wrestle as effectively in singles competition. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C+ </strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>GRAVE DIGGER vs. VICTOR BESKOV:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Beskov is clearly not interesting in making this a long match, faking several quick jabs to Grave Digger’s jaw in the opening moments, using the set-up to swarm in and whip him onto the mat with a fast headlock and quickly darting in to swarm the bigger man and quickly dump him into the mat.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Fans expecting a hoss fight are quickly disappointed—Beskov isn’t interested in trading blows with his bigger opponent once he’s down, preferring to work the guard and try to latch in the Red Devil Lock as soon as possible. Grave Digger only cuts him off by stretching a leg out to the ropes…and when the ref stands them up, he comes back after the Russian with an intent to do harm.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Beskov gives ground, looking for an opening, and Grave Digger stalks his opponent and peppers him with offense. Another take-down is attempted, and this time Digger’s got it scouted—he sprawls, clubs Beskov across the back with big forearms, then latches on for an exploder suplex to give him a two-count.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Beskov is forced to fall back and look for another game-plan, spending the rest of the match targeting Digger’s right arm with roundhouse kicks and alternating it with complaints to the referee that the big man is using illegal holds, closed fists, and pulling hair. Referee Karl Dexter keeps stopping the fight to give Digger warnings…and every time Beskov takes the advantage, nailing another assault on the arm. Eventually, he gets the opening he needs and the Red Devil Lock is applied. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Victor Beskov wins via sjbmission; MATCH TIME: 8:01; RATING: D</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Beskov gets his hand raised and collects his tag-team title belt, but when he turns to leave he finds that Grave Digger has placed himself between the champion and the ramp leading backstage. Digger’s right arm might be hurting, but he’s not letting that slow him down any—he stares Beskov in the eye and refuses to let him past. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Des Greeves notes there’s no referee for Beskov to use now, and the lack of rules or limitations on how they hurt one-another is probably going to play to Grave Digger’s advantage. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> But then Yuri Iliakov emerges from backstage, coming down to trap Gave Digger between the two Russians. Both sides exchange gold glares and threats, but ultimately Grave Digger backs down and slides out of the ring, giving both members of the Red Devils a wide berth as he leaves. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CONTROL ROOM:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> “The Steamroller” Colin Chalke notes that Beskov now joins Andre Lee as a member of the B-Block with two points on the board, then moves onto an examination of the next match. The size, experience, and reach advantage in this next one goes to Brickhouse Balder—a monster of a man standing at 6’8” and weighing in at well over 450 pounds. Not the most technical wrestler in the tournament, and hardly a guy who moves with speed, but the Immovable Object doesn’t really need either in his arsenal. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> He’ll be going up against a rookie in his first year, Mark Adonis, and the tournament marks our first chance to see Adonis wrestling as a singles competitor. Chalke throws to a video package taking a closer look at Adonis, and the young man provides his own voice-over as the package showcases his knowledge of throws, slams, and holds. Adonis puts over the fact that he worked hard to learn his trade as a wrestler—plenty of people were willing to give him shots because he was pretty and talked a good game, but he didn’t want to step into the ring until he was sure he had the fundamental skills he needed to be the best. Tonight, he’s facing a tough challenge…but he plans on putting Brickhouse Balder down and walking out with the two points. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>MARK ADONIS vs. BRICKHOUSE BALDER: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">Every Brickhouse Balder match largely revolves around the same question—how will his opponent control the big man and get him off his feet. Adonis’s tactic starts with an attempt to suplex his opponent, but that doesn’t prove successful. He moves on to trying to win a test of strength, but an impressive effort ultimately results in Balder backing Adonis into a corner. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Finally, he settles into a series of low drop kicks, using speed to cut the big man down…and it almost works for him. He gets Balder down and takes control of the match, but the Adonis Elbow from the second rope involves a little too much set-up. Balder is upright and catches his opponent in mid-air, laying him out with a series of big slams before finishing things with the big front backbreaker dubbed Bringing Down The House. He follows it up with a standing splash, picking up the pinfall. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Brickhouse Balder wins via pinfall; MATCH TIME: 5:44; RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>POST-MATCH: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">There are several long moments when Adonis doesn’t get up, drawing trainers and his tag-team partner Mass Hulk out to the ring. His eyes are checked, and a stretcher is called…but a groggy Adonis refuses the stretcher, clambering to his feet and leaning heavily on Mass Hulk in order to leave under his own power. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CONTROL ROOM: </strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;">The Steamroller is excited by our main vent tonight, given that it will feature the debut of the Rip Chord trained Curtis Jenkins taking on Anarchy’s Favourite Son, Bedlam. He quickly throws to a pair of video packages featuring the two competitors.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Jenkins’ is composed of footage from his time in MAW, training alongside future superstar who have gone on to fame in the major US promotions. He says he was on track to do exactly the same…but visa issues meant he was returned to the UK, and once he arrived he saw the quality of the competition here in 21st Century Wrestling. He puts over the fact that he was trained by the best, and now it’s his chance to rise up and ecome the best in turn.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Bedlam’s package is…well, not entirely wrestling focused. The big man stares straight at the camera and askes if we want to see something scary? The footage starts cutting through footage of corporate high-rises and homeless living on the streets, expensive restaurants filled with diners as people scavenge for scraps in garbage bins. Bedlam’s voice over explains that we live in a world that has poisoned our hearts and minds, that seeks to strip away our very humanity and turn us into drones for the machine.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> That means every man is given a choice—be parts of the machine, or embrace the chaos when you choose to step away from what is known. To fight against all that’s wrong with the world using anarchy and discord as weapons. “Society is a cancer. Bedlam is the cure.” </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RATING: D+</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>CURTIS JENKINS vs. BEDLAM:</strong></div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> The hype around Jenkins in the lead-up to this match is largely designed to get him over despite a lack of name recognition here in the UK. The main event is largely an attempt to do the same—a measured, eighteen minute game of chess between a calm and measured Jenkins and the erratic, savage Bedlam.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Jenkins wrestles like this match could make his career here in the UK, doggedly working the arm as Des and Dane explain how many matches CJ has finished with the step-over armbar. He goes back to the arm and shoulder at every opportunity…and gets thwarted by Bedlam’s absolute disregard for the rules at every step.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Part of what makes it clear that Jenkin’s was trained by one of the greatest heels the sport has ever seen is the way he responds to little things. Bedlam pulls his hair, and Jenkins is immediately hot, getting in the big man’s face and trying to slap him in response. He gets choked across the ropes, and he sells it as a devastating attack, fighting like hell to get away and suck fresh air into his lungs. He takes a shot to the solar plexus, or a poke to the eye, and he sells them hard—letting himself go nearly helpless until he’s recovered. Essentially, if there’s a chance the average audience member would know what it’s like to take a hit, he goes out of his way to sell it the way you’d expect everybody to do in that situation. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> It means he’s got the entire audience in the palm of his hand as they go into the final stages of the match, building up so much physical empathy in his performance that they’re hungry for his comeback. The heat when Bedlam kicks him in the balls is immense, especially when the referee doesn’t seem to have picked it up. The Mind Strangler is applied, and CJ’s debut ends with defeat. </div></div></div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>RESULT: Bedlam wins by submission; MATCH TIME: 17:49; RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><div style="text-align:center;"><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>FINAL SHOW RATING: C-</strong></div></div></div></div><p></p><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="46815" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><strong>THE NEWS FROM BACKSTAGE</strong></div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> No booker will admit when they’re burned out, but the fans had been dirty on the angles we’d been booking. The general consensus on review sites was that there just weren’t enough big matches to look forward too, being built in a way that got them excited. We’ve turned that around this week—both Tommy and Matravers killed with their respective promos and really built up some hype. It’s not a trick we can pull off every week, but it gets us some much-needed breathing space. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> I’d asked Curtis Jenkins who he thought he could have a really good debut match when we hired him, and Bedlam was the guy he suggested. I can see why—the pair tangled once on the UK indies, and their chemistry is palpable out there in the ring. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Nightmare may be on the chopping block due to Jeff Nova’s rules, but it will be a shame to lose him as he’s a great team player. He brought in a pancake station to the Best of British wrestling taping, getting everyone into a good mood as he supplemented the catering with some piping hot pancakes.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Kevin Badberry is three years into his career, still trying to figure things out. He got a big boost on that front this week—Pit Bull seems to have taken the kid under his wing as a protégé, offering him advice and feedback.</div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> Meanwhile, Tommy Cornell has been riding to shows with Kevin Jones, and the pair have been getting along really well. It’s been a boon—their good energy really lifted the mood backstage, and Jones is doing a great job of breaking down the aura around Tommy that keeps some of our younger guys away from him. </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> DJ Reason is the second guy to remark on Sebastian Koller’s promo skills, suggesting that we should be giving the German more promo time. </div></div></div></div></blockquote><p></p><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div></div></div> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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