The Resurrection of Canadian Wrestling (CV 97, Starts In 2002)

Jaded · September 30, 2019

[OOC: Trying to do 2 dynasties at once is probably really stupid, but this is going to have a very different focus from the solely in-ring stuff over at Cedar Rapids Wrestling. Like that one, it's a simmed through CV 97 game, but in this one I take over a newly created fed, The Next Big Things, in Feb 2002. Founder is Eddie Chandler, my character is Boss Man Brayfield. (Randomly picked by waiting to see who the game gave the job to then adding them as a new player, before leaving with The Grand Avatar, who I'd been watching with.)

Partly inspired by Historian's AMAZING The Climb, which I'm currently reading through, this will have mostly copied and pasted matches/angles, but will have more of a backstage focus. I'm three shows in and there's been some interesting happenings so far; hopefully I can do a good job of writing about them.

As for why Canadian wrestling needs a resurrection? Read on...

"Jackson Brayfield speaking." I answered the phone on its first ring. I'd been waiting for the call, having been told by my boss, Shane Sneer, that he'd passed my name onto somebody. Sneer - never known for his secrecy - had been unexpectedly tight-lipped about this, telling me he didn't want to influence me one way or another. I was intrigued, at least.

"Boss Man?" The voice at the other end sounded unsure.

"Yeah, that's me. Who's this?"

"Boss Man, this is Eddie Chandler. Do you remember me?"

I paused. Did I? I was about to say no, and then some memory stirred inside me. A fresh-faced kid, up at an indie show in Canada. I'd been managing his opponent, and Chandler had pulled off a mild sensation by announcing a special guest to keep an eye on me - George DeColt. It was a few months after CGC closed, and a while before the ill-fated LAW fiasco, so the patriach of one of Canada's two most famous families was a genuine shock. DeColt had obviously done the gig as a favour for an ex-employee, and had played very little part in the match overall - just snarling at me and warning me when it looked like I might interfere - but the crowd had loved it.

"Hello?" Chandler's voice broke my train of thought.

"Sorry," I said. ""I was just trying to place you. But yeah, I remember you. George DeColt's friend, right?"

He laughed. "Friend might be pushing it. But sure, he was in my corner when we met."

"I thought you quit, to be honest. It's been a while since I heard anything about you."

He sighed. "Yeah. CGC and NOTBPW both being taken over by Eisen like that, then closed, one after the other, it hit a lot of us hard. When 4C went, and UCW fizzled out so quickly, guess that was the final straw. Canada had gone from being a wrestling hotbed to a completely dead place. Well, for guys, at least. I love what Nathan and Frenchie are doing in CWWF, but it's not gonna get me a job."

"So you did quit?"

"I did. Weirdly, turned out okay for me. I had a little bit of money, invested in a gossip website a few friends were working on. They sold it just before the bubble burst, and I got a nice chunk of cash out of it."

"Impressive," I laughed. "So am I talking to a multi-millionaire?"

"Not remotely close! But probably richer than I would have been if I'd stayed in wrestling."

"Nice work," I told him, trying not to be jealous. I do okay, I guess, but 14 years as a manager and commentator, even when paired with the income from my car dealership, has not exactly set me up in the style to which my wife is very much hoping to become accustomed. And my daughter just hit her teens, and seems to be competing with her friends as to who can spend their daddy's money the fastest. "But, not that it ain't a pleasure to talk with you, why are you phoning me?"

"I was on the Warren Young memorial show last week," he said.

"Poor Warren," I interjected. "Not even 50. Far too young."

"It really is," Chandler replied. "I got talking to John Maverick, shooting the breeze about the old days. Like I said, seeing your entire country's scene go down in flames like that... it's a heck of a thing. Then we got talking to a kid called Julian Watson. Trained with Ed Monton at the DeColt Power House; in the old days he'd have been perfect for NOTBPW, but as it is, if he doesn't want to move to the States, there's nothing for someone like him."

"It certainly is sad. And I think I can see where you're going with this, Eddie. But where do I come in?"

He took a deep breath. "As I said, I'm doing okay financially. Not amazingly well, but I can afford a little treat for myself. I want to set up a fed in Ontario. Nothing major, at first, at least. Just a place where some of the guys who would have ended up in NOTBPW or CGC or 4C can put on a few matches. Show some fans what they've been missing. From then, who knows? Oh, and I want you to come up and book for me."

It had been obvious that this is where he'd been going, but I was still a little surprised when he made the offer. For a start, I'd been happy working for SCCW, and doing a few smaller shows, for some time now.

"Why me?" I asked him, partly curious, partly to buy some time to think about my response.

"You're reliable, you're well-liked, everyone says you have a great mind for the business, Boss Man. Why not you?"

"Because I can't move to Canada," I explained. "I've got a business down here, selling cars. My wife and daughter have friends here."

Eddie laughed. "So don't move," he said. "We're going to do a show a month, at least until we establish ourselves. No way you need to live in Ontario to make that happen. You can work from down there when it comes to contacting people, fly up for the weekend for shows, maybe once between shows if needed. If that's the only reason you're saying no, then you may as well just say yes."

I stalled further. "I'll think about it."

A sigh came from the other end of the phone. "Fine, think about it. But don't think too long, Boss Man. I know a bunch of people who could do this, and I'll go to someone else if I have to, but I want you. There's a lot of people telling me you'd be perfect."

"A lot?" I asked. "Who have you been talking to about this?"

"Well, just a few, then. But 100% of everyone who's heard the plan thinks you should be my first choice. Including George, you know."

"George DeColt?"

"The man himself, yeah. Come on, Boss Man. They all think you're gonna be great at this. Prove us right."

Jaded · September 30, 2019

Reserved 1.

Jaded · September 30, 2019

Reserved 2.

Jaded · September 30, 2019

Reserved 3.

neslo024 · September 30, 2019

Will definitely be following along. So are there no companies left in Canada at all? Or just the top ones are gone? You should have plenty of workers to pick from so interested to see who you bring in.

Historian · October 1, 2019

I'm definitely interested to see where this goes. I'll be keeping a close eye on this.

Self · October 1, 2019

I've had all of the Canadian companies go under a few times in the 1997 mod. Really a bummer when trying to run a Canadian Indy. I'll be paying attention.

Jaded · October 1, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="neslo024" data-cite="neslo024" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47012" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Will definitely be following along. So are there no companies left in Canada at all? Or just the top ones are gone? You should have plenty of workers to pick from so interested to see who you bring in.</div></blockquote> [OOC: Thanks for the kind words, all! In answer to the above question, everything except CWWF has closed down, so we're now the only employment opportunity for men in Canada. SWF took over NOTBPW in June 1998 and disbanded them, then did the same to CGC in September that year. 4C went bankrupt in January 2001, while UCW followed suit in June 2000, only about two years after opening.] <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="k0ZWrLC.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k0ZWrLC.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> I’m not sure how things moved so quickly, but three weeks later, I somehow had a head booker position for The Next Big Things and a starting roster. Well, not quite sure, but my wife Jenny had a fair amount to do with it. She’d been far more excited than I’d have ever expected when I casually brought up the idea of taking the job, and pretty much told me I should be calling Eddie straight back to accept. So, like a good husband, I did. The following day, I came home for the dealership to find Jenny waiting for me with a home-cooked dinner, champagne, and two guests. The first was my brother Jordan, the second was Jenny’s best friend Dev. Despite a near ten year age difference between the pair, Jenny and Dev had hit it off immediately when I’d introduced them a couple of years ago. Dev was the girlfriend of Cliff Peterson, who wrestled as Archangel, and she played his valet in SCCW, having first worked with him in the ill-fated AMW a few years earlier. I was on friendly terms with Dev, and she’d been to dinner a few times before that, although previously always with Cliff. He was too busy to join us that day, she informed me, and without him there she seemed more talkative than I’d ever seen her before. Back when AMW was still going - and by ‘going’ I mean ‘lurching from one crisis to another’ - there had been persistent rumours that Dev Triton had ideas to turn things around. Nobody ever knew what these ideas were, exactly, but they’d all talked to a friend of a friend who’d heard them, and who said they were amazing, and that Trenton Evenrud was a sexist, stupid egomaniac who didn’t believe anyone could have a better vision for his fed than he did, least of all a teenage girl. (Despite her youthful looks, Dev was in her twenties at this point, but Evenrud was never a details guy.) I’d never paid much attention. Sure, everyone thinks their ideas are great themselves, some people are good at convincing others, and when it comes to a popularity contest between a cute young lady and an obnoxious prick who’d stiffed nearly everyone who’d ever worked for him on their wages at least once, it was hardly surprising people were picking her side. On hearing her ideas for the first year of TNBT, though, I started to think they might have had a point. Could she have saved AMW? I doubt ANYONE could have saved AMW, but she would certainly have made it a more interesting death than Trenton did. The dinner turned into a brainstorming session, then a drinking session - at least for the other three; I’d been fairly close to teetotal for years and had switched to soft drinks after my second glass of champagne - then to another brainstorming session, although with rather stranger ideas that time around. By the time I took my brother home, as Jenny made up the bed in the spare room for Dev to stay the night, we had our first roster member. Devorah Triton would, at least initially, be wearing the striped shirt for us. “You can totally get someone better, I know,” she’d said to me. “But I’ve seen how much the SCCW guys get paid, and they’re not cheap. I can do it for a third of that, and I know what I’m doing.” Coupled with another suggestion she made, it was enough to get her on board, as official referee and unofficial assistant booker. Next up, how I put together my roster...

Jaded · October 2, 2019

I spent a week in Toronto, getting to know the place and meeting up with some potential hires. I decided it was definitely a place I could be happy in. Sure, I wasn’t going to move my family up from Texas for one show a month, but it was a pleasant city, despite its reputation as being boring. Also, that reputation seemed to be changing quickly. Heck, the day I got into town, the Toronto Sun’s front page story was about a ‘real life superhero’ who donned a mask (that he’d presumably just happened to have in his pocket) and stopped a store from being robbed.

As for the potential hires, it was an interesting mix. First to sign was Ryan Powell. A young rookie who claimed to have been trained by some guy I’d never heard of, he’d sent me footage from an indie match after hearing we were hiring. He seemed reasonable in the ring, as far as I could tell from 10 minutes of shaky handheld video, but it was his looks and charisma which got me interested in him. The kid carried himself like a star, and my wife and daughter both described him as ‘movie-star handsome’. Couple a willingness to work for cheap, and he was an easy signing.

Next up, a trio of friends. It was a sad irony that the greatest graduation class in the history of the House of Stone came along three years after NOTBPW closed their doors for good. If they’d had the six men who graduated in 2001 on their roster at once, things might have gone differently.

I was interested in all six, but initially, at least, that was too much of an outlay. Apart from anything else, Johnny Bloodstone - thought of by most as the star of the class - was spending most of his time in Japan. I decided to save Owen Love and Bobby Thomas for when we had more money, and instead hired a trio of friends.

Art Reed was a technician, fresh off a tour with SAISHO where he'd apparently impressed. He'd worked there as Da Monsta but would be going under his real name for us. I liked the guy; he had a ton of potential and from talking to a few contacts I had who knew the Stones' thoughts on the guys, he was said to be only behind Bloodstone in terms of talent. His two friends, Benson Crane and Greg Black, both had Japanese junior styles, although only Crane had made it across the Pacific, touring with Hinote Dojo the previous summer. I liked the trio as soon as I met them. They smiled a lot, teased each other, and couldn't seem to take anything seriously, but I'd been assured they were professional to a fault. In addition, I thought their friendship would help the backstage atmosphere.

We also brought in a DeColt PowerHouse grad. Julian Watson, who was the guy Chandler had been talking to when he got the idea for TNBT, was a kid with the real look of a bad ass. Did he have the wrestling skills to back it up? They weren't perfect, but they were pretty good, sure. Eddie was very keen on hiring him, but I was also glad to have him on board.

Moving from guys trained by Canadian legends to a guy barely trained at all. Ed Larkins, who wrestled as Phenomenal E, freely admitted that his main approach to wrestling was to throw himself at someone as hard as he could. That sort of thing has never been my kind of idea of skill, but we were going for variety, and he had a major plus point. He was significantly cheaper than most of the rest. I welcomed him aboard.

Then there was Stan Manna. Manna was only 17, but he was already outrageously talented. When it came to music, at least. As a wrestler, let's just say he made a very good rock star. Still, like Larkin, he was cheap, and he at least had a better grasp of the basics than E did. (Although I think even my daughter had a better grasp of the basics, than E did.) No, Manna wasn't someone I could really see going onto be a big star, if I'm honest, but the rock star thing gave him something different, and we needed a few extra bodies.

Eddie had said that his main reason for setting up TNBT was to give young Canadians a chance to break through and wrestle in their home country. While he hadn't specifically told me to avoid signing guys from the States, I was still surprised when he asked me to check out a guy from Pittsburgh. The 6 foot 9 Petr Novak, a near-400 pound behemoth who wrestled as The Big Problem, wasn't someone I'd have expected Eddie to have been a big fan of even if he HAD been Canadian. He was limited in the ring, didn't look like he could go more than 5 minutes without collapsing, and was a nice kid in real life, but without the charisma that would win over fans in the ring. Despite this, George DeColt apparently saw huge potential in him, and it was enough to make Chandler take a chance on him. DeColt had brought him into the short-lived LAW when he'd been head booker there; Novak had barely stepped into the ring before the network that owned LAW had crashed out of business, taking the fed with it. I think George felt bad, and wanted to give the guy another chance. Eddie still felt he owed the older man, so we had ourselves a monster heel. And while I didn't rate his wrestling ability, there was no question that he WAS a monster. As far the lack of charisma? Hey, lucky we had an amazingly talented manager who could help him out there.

Given we had one non-Canadian in the starting roster, I decided I could add one more. Tanzan Osagawa was someone who'd drifted around the Japanese indie scene for a few years. He'd just moved to Canada, after getting engaged to a girl he met on MSN Dating. I thought he was taking a massive risk when he told me this, but I figured the least I could do was to help him out with some employment.

Completing the opening roster was the man who would end up getting paid more than anyone else, by some way. I'd quickly started to wonder whether Eddie was really as impressed by my mind for the business as he'd claimed, or if it was my negotiating skills, honed as a car dealer, which had been what convinced him to ask me. I'd been given a staggeringly low target wage bill, and had kept a decent amount of that back. Zeus Maxmillion, a charismatic bronzed god who'd been a regular feature of NOTBPW for 2 years at the end of its existence, was a tougher negotiator than I was. Everyone else named their figure, and I managed to beat them down by between forty and twenty percent, explaining to them how strapped for cash we were, pointing out the great potential there was if we could get wrestling visible in Canada again, and anything else I could think of that seemed like it might win people over. When I tried this on Zeus, he wished me luck and suggested maybe he'd be better suited to continuing on the indies than joining us. I told him we'd love to pay him more in the future; he told me he'd love to work for us in that future. I said that if he agreed to take less than he wanted, I'd be able to book him more often. He said he'd be happy working less regularly, but being paid what he deserved. I told him maybe we needed to look at somebody else and he agreed that if I could get someone as good but cheaper, or the same price but better, this was probably a good idea. And, dammit, I gave in. Because truth was, for the role I had in mind for him, I didn't think there WAS anyone better for the price.

When I told Eddie I'd got Zeus to join us, he was thrilled. When I told him how much we were paying him, his excitement wore off quickly. "He'll be worth it," I promised Eddie. I sure hoped I was right.

Jaded · October 2, 2019

<div style="text-align:center;">TNBT Resistance

Sunday Week 3 February 2002

Live from The Basement, Toronto Bar and Grill</div>

Eight men. One belt. Come find out who will be crowned the first EVER TNBT Ontario champion!

Plus, Stan Manna performs LIVE. E-mail your requests to <a href="mailto:" rel="">stanthemanmanna@aol.com</a>

<div style="text-align:center;">Prediction Key:</div>

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Ryan Powell vs Eddie Chandler

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Phenomenal E vs Zeus Maxmillion

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Art Reed vs Benson Crane

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Julian Watson vs Tanzan Osagawa

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Winner of Powell/Chandler vs Winner of Watson/Osagawa

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Winner of E/Zeus vs Winner of Reed/Crane

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Final: Winner of 1st Semi-Final vs Winner of 2nd Semi-Final

neslo024 · October 3, 2019

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Ryan Powell vs Eddie Chandler-no way he loses here

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Phenomenal E vs Zeus Maxmillion-same as above

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Art Reed vs Benson Crane- I like Reed here but I feel a New Day thing coming with this trio from the write up.

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Julian Watson vs Tanzan Osagawa

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Winner of Powell/Chandler vs Winner of Watson/Osagawa

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Winner of E/Zeus vs Winner of Reed/Crane

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Final: Winner of 1st Semi-Final vs Winner of 2nd Semi-Final- I think Zeus walks with the belt here and sets up a nice feud with Chandler.

I like the signings and going with a heavy Canadian based roster.

Charasmatic Enigma · October 3, 2019

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Ryan Powell vs Eddie Chandler

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Phenomenal E vs Zeus Maxmillion

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Art Reed vs Benson Crane

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Julian Watson vs Tanzan Osagawa

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Winner of Powell/Chandler vs Winner of Watson/Osagawa

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Winner of E/Zeus vs Winner of Reed/Crane

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Final: Winner of 1st Semi-Final vs Winner of 2nd Semi-Final Zeus

Historian · October 3, 2019

TNBT Resistance

Sunday Week 3 February 2002

Live from The Basement, Toronto Bar and Grill

Eight men. One belt. Come find out who will be crowned the first EVER TNBT Ontario champion!

Plus, Stan Manna performs LIVE. E-mail your requests to stanthemanmanna@aol.com

I almost sent an email for a song request!

Prediction Key:

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Ryan Powell vs Eddie Chandler

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Phenomenal E vs Zeus Maxmillion

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Art Reed vs Benson Crane

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Round 1 Match: Julian Watson vs Tanzan Osagawa

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Chandler vs Watson

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Semi-Final: Zeus vs Reed

TNBT Ontario Title Tournament Final: Watson vs. Zeus

Self · October 3, 2019

After the hassle he caused in the negotiation room, I'm hoping Zeus doesn't win. Rooting for Art Reed.

1PWfan · October 3, 2019

Definitely reading this, but I'll hold off on predictions 'til I get more of an idea of how you see the roster- I don't really know Canada in this period.

Jaded · October 3, 2019

Thank you for all the predictions and comments, everyone! Hope you enjoy the show.

TNBT Resistance

Sunday Week 3 February 2002

Live from The Basement, Toronto Bar and Grill

Devorah Triton comes out and fires T-Shirts into the crowd. C-

Devorah Triton's Beach Babe gimmmick gets Average.

vs

In a bout that had terrible wrestling and non-existent crowd heat, Eddie Chandler defeated Ryan Powell in 9:40 by submission with a Fabulous Stretch. E-

Ryan Powell's Cocky Youth gimmick gets Above Average.

Eddie Chandler's Clean Cut gimmick gets Above Average.

Triton is poor as referee. (This is going to be a recurring theme for, well, ever, so I'm not going to mention it generally.)

Both of these guys are rusty, and we ask them to go all out and it's not a good idea. In addition, Powell looks tired - worrying in such a short match. Despite all this, the crowd likes it and gets hotter.

vs

In an extremely short match, Zeus Maxmillion defeated Phenomenal E in 3:21 by pinfall with a Thunder Bolt. E+

Phenomenal E's Show Stealer gimmick gets Awful

Zeus Maxmillion's Egomaniac gimmick gets Below Average.

Dominating performance by Zeus at least gets him over as a major threat, despite E being rusty.

vs

In a bout that had sub-par wrestling and non-existent crowd heat, Art Reed drew with Benson Crane in 9:16 following a double count out. During the match we also saw The Big Problem run in and attack Benson, and also attack Art Reed. E+

Art Reed's Legitimate Athlete gimmick gets Average.

Benson Crane's Fun Babyface gimmick gets Below Average

The Big Problem's Monster gimmick gets Average.

Crane struggles being asked to go all out here, and in general doesn't seem to be having a good day. The two friends are glad to be in the ring together, though, and it shows with some nice exchanges, while the interference, leaving them both laying on the outside and unable to beat the countdown, immediately puts The Big Problem over as a big threat.

Boss Man Brayfield had an interview hyping The Big Problem. E

My Old School Manager gimmick gets Below Average

vs

In a bout that had terrible wrestling and non-existent crowd heat, Julian Watson defeated Tanzan Osagawa in 8:07 by pinfall with a Tiger Claw DDT. E-

Tansan Osagawa's Geek gimmick gets Below Average.

Julian Watson's Bad Ass gimmick gets Average.

The pair have pretty good chemistry.

Osagawa looks extremely rusty here, and his performance is terrible, to be honest. Despite this, the pair pull off some nice moves together.

A freestyle segment called 'Stan Manna Performs' featuring Stan Manna. E

Stan Manna's Rock Star gimmick gets Average.

Yes, someone with a musician gimmick performed a full segment with no interruption. SWERVE.

In a decent match, Eddie Chandler defeated Julian Watson in 12:21 by submission with a Fabulous Stretch. E

These two look sensationally good together, at least by the low standards this first show has set for us. Really open match which could go either way until Chandler finally gets the victory.

The match is over. Eddie Chandler walks over and offers his hand as a sign of respect to Julian Watson for putting up a great fight, and the two competitors shake hands. F

Eddie Chandler had an interview hyping his upcoming singles match with Zeus Maxmillion. E+

Zeus Maxmillion had an interview hyping his upcoming singles match with Eddie Chandler. E+

vs

In a decent match, Zeus Maxmillion defeated Eddie Chandler in 7:47 by pinfall with a Thunder Bolt. Zeus Maxmillion wins the TNBT Ontario title. D-

Chandler has looked rusty all night, and the third match in a row - for someone who's only wrestled two in the last two years - could be said to be a step too far. Despite that, the pair do a great job of selling the battling, exhausted babyface vs fresh, arrogant heel dynamic, and boos rain down as Zeus wins the title.

Overall: D-, increased our popularity in 1 region.

Post-show, I compliment Eddie, Julian and Stan on their performances. Never hurts to say good things about your boss, but also Eddie did great just to last three matches given how tired he was. Watson's chemistry with him was a nice bonus to find, while Manna looks like he can at least do a passable job of killing time for us without losing the crowd.

Jaded · October 3, 2019

Narrative post to come tomorrow, I think, but wanted to give people the chance to predict the next show.

TNBT Resistance

Sunday Week 3 March 2002

Live from The Basement, Toronto Bar and Grill

Art Reed and Benson Crane were viciously assaulted by The Big Problem during their quarter-final match at the first ever TNBT Resistance. With both claiming they feel they could have gone on to win the entire tournament, the man who did, Zeus Maxmillion, has said he'll face both of them in his first Ontario title defence!

As for The Big Problem, he'll make his in-ring debut. Phenomenal E lasted just a few minutes against Zeus; can he do better against the monster?

And Eddie Chandler and Julian Watson shook hands in a show of respect after their semi-final match last month. They've agreed to team together for the night in a 3 match series against TNBT's newest signings, established tag team The Maryland Alliance.

Prediction key:

Eddie Chandler vs Buck Graham

Julian Watson vs Brady Prince

Eddie Chandler/Julian Watson vs The Maryland Alliance

Phenomenal E vs The Big Problem

TNBT Ontario title match: Zeus Maxmillion © vs Benson Crane vs Art Reed

Historian · October 3, 2019

Eddie Chandler vs Buck Graham

Julian Watson vs Brady Prince

Eddie Chandler/Julian Watson vs The Maryland Alliance

Phenomenal E vs The Big Problem

TNBT Ontario title match: Zeus Maxmillion © vs Benson Crane vs Art Reed

neslo024 · October 4, 2019

Eddie Chandler vs Buck Graham

Julian Watson vs Brady Prince

Eddie Chandler/Julian Watson vs The Maryland Alliance

Phenomenal E vs The Big Problem

TNBT Ontario title match: Zeus Maxmillion © vs Benson Crane vs Art Reed- he has to cheat to walk out the winner, maybe even intentional DQ

Charasmatic Enigma · October 4, 2019

Eddie Chandler vs Buck Graham

Julian Watson vs Brady Prince

Eddie Chandler/Julian Watson vs The Maryland Alliance

Phenomenal E vs The Big Problem

TNBT Ontario title match: Zeus Maxmillion © vs Benson Crane vs Art Reed

Jaded · October 4, 2019

Overall, I was proud of our first show. Sure, Richard Eisen wasn't likely to be trembling in his boots at the thought of facing off a challenge from a fed which sold 22 tickets to its first show - especially as those included my wife, our daughter Madison, and my wife's parents - but everybody has to start somewhere, and we'd put some wheels in motion. Zeus, our most talented guy, had the belt, Eddie had a ton of sympathy as a resilient "never say die" babyface, and Petr's sheer size and the way Benson and Art sold his attack on them had impressed the fans. Not everything was perfect - in a night full of performances which could be praised more for enthusiasm than talent, Tanzan Osagawa had stood out as being poor, while I'd had to fine Ed 'Phenomenal E' Larkin, who'd turned up late and very politely, but firmly, refused to tell me just where he'd been. Worst of all, I had a rough idea how much we were getting from sponsors, how much we'd taken in ticket sales, and how much we were paying our talent. There was a fair chance the difference between these numbers was going to freak Eddie out.

Still, walking into our hotel, I was a happy man. To be fair, that was only partly due to the show's success. Jenny's parents, both wrestling fans, had been impressed enough by the news I was booking a new fed to treat us to a night in a suite at The Four Seasons, while they also said that Maddy could stay with them in their hotel to give us some privacy. Heading into the suite, champagne in hand, I was looking forward to celebrating our success in style.

I'm not sure how I'd expected to find Jenny waiting for me, but her having my referee, and assistant booker, lying in her arms in floods of tears hadn't been a possibility.

I raised an eyebrow at Jenny, who whispered "Cliff," which set Dev off into even more tears.

“He ended it, Boss Man! I can’t believe he ended it!” Dev wailed. “We’ve been together so long, and it was meant to be forever, and now he just says it’s not working for him?”

“Hey, honey.” I walked over and leant over Dev to give Jenny a quick kiss. “Dev, do you want me to go? Leave you two alone for a talk?”

I was practically begging her with my eyes to say yes, but she was crying too hard to notice. Dealing with relationship drama was definitely not something I saw myself as being good at, but looked like I was stuck with it for a little while, at least.

“There, honey,” Jenny said soothingly, stroking Dev’s arms gently. “It sucks, and he’s an idiot, but you’re better off without him.”

“You think so?” Dev gulped, and looked up at Jenny, wide-eyed.

“I know so, sweetie,” Jenny replied. “Whenever he’s around you always seem so overpowered by him.”

Dev shook her head. “He never...”

“I’m not saying he hits you, or anything...” Jenny paused. “Does he? If he’s ever laid a finger on you, say the word, and we’ll get someone to beat the out of him. We know some tough guys, remember.”

There was a watery kind of laugh from Dev. “No, he’s never touched me in a bad way.”

“Thank god for that,” Jenny said. “But the way you are around him, compared to how you were last time you came for dinner... that’s not right, darling. You deserve so much better than him.”

By now, Dev had finally stopped crying. “I guess. It’s just, he was always so nice. And we loved each other. But this last year or two... ever since Joel moved to Japan. They were so close. But now Cliff is nice to him to his face, but when we’re alone, he talks about him as if he can’t stand him. Weird stuff like “Kovach stole my spot,” even though Joel’s been doing the Japanese scene for years now. I know he’s frustrated, but it’s not like it’s Joel’s fault? But if I even mention that, he thinks I’m taking sides against him.”

"He definitely sounds like he's got to be more trouble than he's worth, Dev," I told her. "Heck, maybe if he spent more time improving his wrestling and less time looking disapproving of anybody who seemed to be having fun, maybe he'd be working Burning Hammer as well."

"You think so? Don't you like him?"

I shook my head. "He's not popular, Dev, you must have noticed that. Sure, he gets on well with Joel - to Joel's face, apparently - and Lionheart Lawson and a couple of others, but trust me, most people tolerate him at best."

"Exactly," Jenny nods. "I know it sucks that you got dumped like that, especially by a phone call straight after a show, but this way you can find someone worthy of you. We'll find you a nice Canadian guy... hey, maybe that superhero's single?"

"Superhero?" Dev asked, her curiosity bringing a welcome break in the tears for at least a short time.

"Did you see, Jackson?" Jenny asked me. "The same guy - well, someone in the same mask, so I GUESS it was the same guy - who you told me about stopping the robbery was around just before the show today. There was some guy who was threatening an elderly couple and he just appeared and grabbed him by the throat."

I laughed. "Okay, Toronto is definitely less boring than people say it is! Dev, if we ever find out who he is, he definitely sounds better than Cliff, I'll say that for sure."

"Thank you both," Dev said. "I should leave you to it, I guess..."

Jenny looked at me helplessly. I knew there was no way she'd want Dev to be heading back to her hotel to be on her own, given the state she'd been in just a few minutes ago. I sighed. "It's fine, Dev. You should stay. Maybe you two take the bed, and I'll crash on the sofa bed."

"Are you sure?" Dev practically whispered, smiling hopefully at me.

"Hey, gotta look after my assistant booker!"

Why does doing the right thing have to be so darn annoying?

Jaded · October 5, 2019

TNBT Resistance

Sunday Week 3 March 2002

Live from The Basement, Toronto Bar and Grill

Devorah Triton comes out and fires T-Shirts into the crowd. C

Eddie Chandler and Julian Watson had an interview hyping their upcoming tag match with The Maryland Alliance. F+

vs

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Eddie Chandler defeated Buck Graham in 6:06 by submission with a Fabulous Stretch. E

Buck Graham's Old School Face gimmick got Poor.

Brady Prince's Old School Face gimmick got Average.

Both rusty, and our fans do NOT like Graham. To be fair, this shows their good taste; he's pretty awful.

vs

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Julian Watson defeated Brady Prince in 8:42 by pinfall with a Tiger Claw DDT.

These two don't click at all, while they're asked to go all-out and Prince can't cope with this.

vs

In a bout that had sub-par wrestling and non-existent crowd heat, The Big Problem defeated Phenomenal E in 2:21 by pinfall. E-

The Big Problem apparently doesn't sell well enough. How well do you need to sell in a 2 1/2 minute match you're winning?!

On the plus side, I really rile the fans up, helping him get at least a few scattered boos.

The Big Problem continues to attack E. The assault is quick and brutal, and leaves Phenomenal E completely destroyed. E+

Boss Man Brayfield had an interview hyping The Big Problem and sending a message to Zeus Maxmillion. D

I talk about how Problem interfered last month to ensure Zeus got a bye, making it easy for him to win, and tell Zeus that that's the kind of service I can provide for him if he takes me on as his manager. Problem just stands there looking menacing while I speak, but darn, he's good at it.

vs

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Maryland Alliance defeated Eddie Chandler and Julian Watson in 8:13 when Brady Prince defeated Julian Watson by pinfall with a quick roll up.

In terms of in-ring work, Eddie Chandler was head and shoulders above everyone else. E+

Fans still don't like Graham, but this is all about the story between Watson and Chandler, who start off looking good together but end up arguing after Watson nearly decapitates his partner due to Graham ducking at the last minute. Chandler goes on to clothesline Julian, allowing Prince to snatch the victory.

Watson and Chandler continue to argue, and virtually the entire locker room spills out to separate them. F

vs

In a decent match, Zeus Maxmillion defeated Art Reed and Benson Crane in 13:14 when Zeus Maxmillion defeated Benson Crane by pinfall with a Thunder Bolt. Zeus Maxmillion makes defence number 1 of his TNBT Ontario title.

Zeus Maxmillion carried the match in terms of in-ring performance. D-

Crane and Reed start off teaming up together against the champion, but quickly realise only one man can win. Eventually, it's Zeus who does so, although Crane did briefly look like he could have the victory after hitting a picture perfect moonsault - unfortunately, at this point, the referee was down and by the time he'd recovered, so had the champ.

Zeus Maxmillion cuts a promo. C-

Zeus says that he could have beaten Crane or Reed easily, as he's just shown, and says he's insulted I even thought he'd need help from TBP. He says he won't be taking up my offer to join my stable.

D overall, increased our popularity in one region.

I praise Watson, Chandler and Triton.

Jaded · October 5, 2019

Edit: Okay, I JUST realised that the card I put up for predictions was the last card again. I'm not quite sure how that happened - oops!

Will post the real card for April below.

Blake Trask · October 5, 2019

One buck graham is scary enough, but two is terrifying!

Jaded · October 5, 2019

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Blake Trask" data-cite="Blake Trask" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="47012" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>One buck graham is scary enough, but two is terrifying!</div></blockquote> Lol, nice spot. Fixed now! This is something I want to try as an occasional feature. Interviews with various people (in character) on the fledgling tnbtwrestling.tripod.com - hopefully they'll flesh people out a little. Feedback would be really appreciated. <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> First up, Art Reed. <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="s4iBtvu.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/s4iBtvu.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> What's the biggest lesson you've learnt so far in your career? Training in the House of Stone, it has to be that dedication is EVERYTHING. The class we graduated from is being talked of as the greatest ever and, without wanting to boast, I think I'd agree with that. But even though six of us came through and the Stone brothers were happy with us all, there were others who started out and seemed just as good. But they didn't have the dedication that we had. The successful ones of us, we were in the gym every hour we could be, training hard, watching videos of the greats. Others had just as much natural talent, they just didn't apply themselves. So yeah, dedication. If you could wrestle one person from any time in history, who would you face off against? Oh, boy. Great question! As a House of Stone graduate, there's really only a few answers I could give, obviously. Dan is outstanding, of course. But I like to think of myself as a really good technician, so the chance to fight against Jeremy, who's maybe our country's greatest ever technical wrestler? I mean, that would be pretty special. And then there's Duane. I loved watching him from the first time I saw him, he moves so smoothly. And seeing his Burning Hammer matches just SCREAM awesomeness. Hey, I got it! Me, Benson and Greg against the three of them, six man tag. That would be incredible. So no hard feelings between yourself and Benson Crane? You've fought twice so far in TNBT, and neither of you have a win yet, after the Big Problem attacked you both in that first match then Zeus Maxmillion won the triple threat. Hard feelings? Man, you gotta be kidding me. We'll go at it as hard as we can when we step in the ring with each other because we want to win, obviously, especially with the Ontario title on the line. But we've been friends for years; we trained together, and going at it doesn't change that friendship. The person we BOTH have hard feelings for is The Big Problem; he and Brayfield are gonna get what's coming to them. What's the last movie you saw in the cinema? I'm a big reader; I don’t actually go to the movies that much. But me and Greg Black caught The Count of Monte Cristo the night before the last show after he came up to watch me and Benson and we really enjoyed it, great adaptation of a favourite book of mine. Where do you see yourself in 5 years' time? Hopefully right here in TNBT! The guys in charge, they have big plans for this place, and me, Benson and Greg all want to be part of them. It would be great if we're running more regular shows then; of course. In addition, I toured Japan last year briefly and man, it was killer. Gotta hope I'm gonna be invited back many, many times.

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The Resurrection of Canadian Wrestling (CV 97, Starts In 2002)

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