A Global Uprising? [Effganic]

[KyTeran]

(P) Madalene de George vs Rosemary Pfeiffer, GCW Women’s Quarter Final Match.

(P) The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

(P) Trent Stevens vs Aaron Redcloud

Camile St. Croix vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Quarter Final Match

Mean Machine vs Sebastien Durant

Marcus Kramer vs Boston Sills

Billy Ray Bragg vs Carver Wells – GCW North American Championship Match

[Zergon]

(P) Madalene de George vs Rosemary Pfeiffer, GCW Women’s Quarter Final Match.

Going to assume tough veteran goes over high society lady.

 

(P) The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

Two teams that could both well become at least midcard team if given some wins (or that´s how I see them). I go with Dregs as I ahve been bit more impressed with them so far.

 

(P) Trent Stevens vs Aaron Redcloud

So, I was trying to search who Trent was and found nothing so either I missed something or he´s new signing. That said, even if Aaron has been bit MIA lately he was decently pushed earlier so I´d assume he´s not relegated to job division all the sudden.

 

Camile St. Croix vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Quarter Final Match

She sounded like a bigger name when you introduced the women so guess I go with her until I have better idea.

 

Mean Machine vs Sebastien Durant

Thinking Durant is higher on the pecking order but not 100% sure on this one as I don´t recall seeing him much lately while Machine have at least been on shows.

 

Marcus Kramer vs Boston Sills

I assume Sills have more left in the tank plus he´s new signing while Kramer seems to be jobbed down the pecking order after being near the top.

 

Billy Ray Bragg vs Carver Wells – GCW North American Championship Match

Eh, why not. I figure Billy is the most likely guy to become next North American champ so might as well back him up here.

[jokerdesilva]

December 18th, 1985

Connecticut, 678 in attendance

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – Madalene deGeorge vs Rosemary Pfeiffer, GCW Women’s Quarter Final Match

The High Class Madalene deGeorge won in a stirring show, outclassing Rosemary pretty clearly in the ring. Rosemary is another young one, so I'm not too worried out the gate, but Madalene showed up in a big way more than I was expecting. She got the pin with a Face Plant in 6:52. (33)

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

Well, while my face tag teams aren’t doing the best, my heel side is pretty shallow, too, and Gabe is supposed to be a rising star. They’ve been looking better every match in comparison to some, and it might time soon that’s rewarded. Gabe got the pin with a Spinebuster in 7:36. (28)

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – Trent Stevens vs Aaron Redcloud

Trent Stevens is an impressive youngster, 27, who has been fighting primarily in Japan so far, mostly in HYPERION’s Junior division. He’s got a strike-based offense that I like, and seems to have potential. This was Redcloud’s day, though, and he looked pretty nice himself working over the new outside, and with an Overhead Slam he got the win in 9:17. (33)

 

vs

 

Camile St. Croix vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Quarter Final Match

The other half of my proper stars, so to speak, in Lily-Rose Criss took on the French lady - who is, in fact, from Des Moines, Iowa - Camille St. Croix. And, once again, she was perhaps let down by the somewhat lacking opposition, but it’s probably evened out to alright matches, across the board, so. Hard to complain too much. Lily-Rose is a talented and dazzling high flyer who zipped around the ring, working circles around Camille, and she won by running crossbody in 7:04. (30)

 

 

Mean Machine was backstage for an interview, all kinds of fired up, as much as one could tell behind that mask of his.

 

"Listen up, all you slack-jawed idiots in the back! I've been looking for a fight, and I'm still squirrelin' for a fight! I'm the Mean Machine, dangit, and I need someone who's gonna scratch this violet little itch I got, y'hear? So come on out and face me if you've got the guts, because I'm mean enough to fight anybody!" (37)

 

vs

 

Mean Machine vs Sebastien Durant

It was the Haitian Hammer who answered the call, as he came out to face Mean Machine in the ring. Machine wasn't exactly far off him in size and far ahead in experience, so he dominated the bulk of the match, battering Durant, but Durant refused to go down. Machine hit him with the Axe Bomber, but instead of going for the pin, he went down to his knees to start pummeling Sebastien on the mat - which gave Sebastien just enough time to roll him over into a roll up, getting the desperation pin at 6:17. Sebastien rolled out of the match immediately after, leaving Mean Machine to throw a holy tantrum. (30)

 

 

Backstage, Jack Raiden wanted the microphone.

 

"Kandori! I'm getting sick of even saying your name, you know that? Three times, we've wrestled, three times! And I've beaten you clean twice, and it took your giant to beat me the other by battering me from behind. I'm the better man. You know it, I know it, your Army knows it, and everyone watching at home knows it. I'm the better man! So why do you keep sticking your nose in my business?"

 

Panting, he paced back and forth, running a hand through his hair.

 

"Alright, well this is what we're going to do, you and me. You want to send your Army against me? Fine. Then I'll fight an army. I'll fight everyone you have! You and me, January 12th, Wanted Dead or Alive. But this time we're not having a standard match, no, we've done that. I want you, and Karasuma, and Sanzo, and your giant, all in a row. A gauntlet match. Me against your army. And if I beat you, all of you, I never want to hear your name again! So tell me, are you man enough to finally face me with all the cards stacked in your favor? I'll be waiting." (51)

 

vs

 

Marcus Kramer vs Boston Sills

Sills had asked for this match personally, Preston McKean told us, but he was still visibly hurting on his way to the ring. Kramer blasted him right out of the gate, pummeling him and throwing him around the ring. Boston tried to fight back, but his neck was bothering him, clearly, and Marcus took advantage of every moment of weakness. It wasn't long before he planted Boston with another Side Suplex, getting the win in 9:15. (50)

 

 

We went backstage to Wolf Koziol, next.

 

"Look, I may not be entirely happy about the way the match went last night. When I beat a man, I want to beat him fair and square, and know that I'm better, and Jack, I know that you got dealt a rough hand. That ain't fair, and I hope one day to make up for that. But I'm also not a fool. That match was to decide a number one contender to the Heavyweight Champion, and I'm not gonna turn that down. Not for anything.

 

Especially not for a shot at you, Poseidon. You've roped me up. You bloodied me. You've taken advantage of every opportunity that's come your way, and you don't care at all about doing things the right way, or the fair way. We both know that. But I know I can beat you. You can call yourself the King all you want, but no man is untouchable, and I am going to hurt you, and embarrass you, and defeat you. That is your future. That is what's coming. You're going to pay for what you've done, no matter what I have to do to get there." (69)

 

vs

 

Billy Ray Bragg vs Carver Wells – GCW North American Championship

A nice, impressive battle between the two. This again was two younger guys who could go the distance, and this time, they didn't disappoint me. Carver was the fiery babyface, and Bragg was the big bully hammering him with classic brawling. Carver was faster, more athletic, a strong striker, but Bragg just steadily wore him down with grappling and heavy shots, and he kept slipping out from under the Neckbreaker. In the end, Bragg blasted him in the face with a jet of tobacco spit, then more literally with a running knee, and while he was dazed locked him in the Sidewinder Choke. Carver passed out at 15:57, ending his reign of 101 days and making Billy Ray Bragg the new North American Champion. (54)

 

I was honestly hoping for just a little bit more from the main event, but I can't be disappointed, especially when both are 30 or younger and still, in a way, mostly upper midcarders rather than main eventers. Hopefully that will change, soon, because they can both go for sure. All in all, a nice bounce-back show with Wolf and Raiden playing to their strengths, the women's division continuing to develop, and a good main event for the future. (54)

 

 

Next Week:

(P) The Dregs vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

(P) Trent Stevens vs Tarzan Brownfield

Sunset Army vs Grey and the Hillbillies

Marcus Kramer vs Aaron Redcloud

Josilyn Darville vs Lilyanna Derby – GCW Women’s Championship Semi-Final

Black Hat Rodeo vs Robinson and the Gwinn Brothers

[DinoKea]

I will admit, didn't expect you to change the North American title like that. Bragg should be a good champion though.

 

Preshow: The Dregs def. Bret Danger & Auston Sandy

Always pick the named tag team

 

Preshow: Trent Sevens def. Tarzan Brownfield

By the sounds of things Trent just has that touch more potential to be something in this, so I'll pick him to get the win.

 

Sunset Army def. Grey & the Hillbillies

It'd make no sense for the Sunset Army to lose this one.

 

Marcus Kramer def. Aaron Redcloud

Redcloud has potential to be something, but currently I think he's too low on the pyramid to beat Kramer.

 

Josilyn Darville def. Lilyanna Derby

I'll be honest, I don't really know.

 

Black Hat Rodeo def. Robinson & the Gwinn Brothers

BHR could probably use the win although I could be wrong.

[KyTeran]

(P) The Dregs vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

(P) Trent Stevens vs Tarzan Brownfield

Sunset Army vs Grey and the Hillbillies

Marcus Kramer vs Aaron Redcloud

Josilyn Darville vs Lilyanna Derby – GCW Women’s Championship Semi-Final

Black Hat Rodeo vs Robinson and the Gwinn Brothers

[Zergon]

(P) The Dregs vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

Wonder if you are looking another team fir Bret with him being here but either way, Dregs are going to get a win.

 

(P) Trent Stevens vs Tarzan Brownfield

Tarzan has been getting build-up before while jury is still out for Stevens role so I go with more established talent.

 

Sunset Army vs Grey and the Hillbillies

Army is the one with storyline going.

 

Marcus Kramer vs Aaron Redcloud

OK, so I probably did sell Kramer short on last pretictions, maybe I should think him more as upper midcard/main event gatekeeper instead of a veteran being jobbed down the pecking order? In which case, he likely goes over Aaron as while he have gotten some push, I don´t see him being quite in the upper midcard range just yet (that said, win here would probably chance my view so lets see what your plan is here).

 

Josilyn Darville vs Lilyanna Derby – GCW Women’s Championship Semi-Final

Darville was on main show while Derby was in pre-show so that makes me assume Darville is the one you trust more at this point.

 

Black Hat Rodeo vs Robinson and the Gwinn Brothers

I could see this one going either way but thinking that Robinson gets a bounce back win after dropping the belt.

[smw88]

(P) The Dregs vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

(P) Trent Stevens vs Tarzan Brownfield

Sunset Army vs Grey and the Hillbillies

Marcus Kramer vs Aaron Redcloud

Josilyn Darville vs Lilyanna Derby – GCW Women’s Championship Semi-Final

Black Hat Rodeo vs Robinson and the Gwinn Brothers

[jokerdesilva]

And on today's very special edition of GCW...

 

December 25th, 1985

With our show airing on the 25th, we took the week off so that the network could air some old, rights-free Christmas movies. That suited me just fine. I didn't exactly have much of a desire to be working on Christmas, either.

 

So, of course, Mr. Dishman invited us to a Christmas party instead. A working evening. Delightful.

 

It was odd, being in a room with so many wrestlers. I'd spent a lot of my time, well, trying to avoid getting too much face time, to be honest. I didn't want to seem like "just one of the boys," and the fact that I was younger than probably two thirds of the roster would make it hard for them to take me seriously like I needed to be. I was the man with the book, after all, and I didn't want any of them to think they could bully me around. Or needlessly curry favor. I wasn't trying to pick favorites beyond who was performing best on screen and in the ring.

 

The party was a good reminder of why. I walked in to find the party in full swing, and that meant that the liquor was flowing freely about the room. Tommy Carleton came in with me, bringing in two cases of beer under his arm to a round of cheers from those who were already in attendance, and a lot of them were already three sheets to the wind from the moment I stepped in.

 

Wolf was one, clearly heavily intoxicated as he staggered around the room, and as he draped himself around Camille St. Croix, making clear and unsubtle passes at her, I had to hope that kind of behavior wouldn't come around to backstage at all. Before I could even pretend to step in myself, seeing as Adrianna looked woefully uncomfortable at this man more than a decade her senior was getting far too close, Olivares and Marshall stepped in to steer him away.

 

They, funnily enough, seemed to be the "party sherrifs" of sorts, seeing that everything was going smoothly. A far cry from the blustering and foul-mouthed cowboys they were on the screen. Meanwhile, Dale Whitlock spent most of the party just lurking in a corner by himself, nursing an increasing pile of empty beers at his feet. The other Black Hats always made sure that he had one, and left him to himself otherwise. That seemed to suit him just fine.

 

It suited me just fine, too. I kept to myself as well, just meandering around, making appearances and shaking hands, but trying generally to just stay out of the way. It mostly worked. With the likes of Mean Machine, the Black Hats, and Sebastien and Aaron Redcloud, there were plenty to be the center of attention. Antone Benner, too, had brought in a karaoke machine, which led to a lot of very terrible singing that I just tried to smile through.

 

The first person who closed in on me, though, was Dustin, who approached with whiskey heavy on his breath.

 

"Now, now lissen, kid," he said, listing a little in my direction as he talked, and I braced myself for whatever was coming. He was a seasoned vet, a former top champion, but it still set my teeth on edge to be called 'kid.' "I know Gil's been doin' good work, don't gemme wrong. But I'm thinking, hey, I'm still the man, right?"

 

"Dustin, come on," I said, patting him on the shoulder, and glancing over Poseidon's way where he loomed in the crowd. He was a big man, with a prickly disposition when he was off screen, and I didn't think he'd take too kindly either to Dustin saying he shouldn't have the belt, or throwing around his shoot-name. "Let's just have fun at the party."

 

"Nah, nah, nah, you just lissen, I got a great idea, see what we do is, see, you gimme the belt back, lemme go over him 1-2-3, 's perfect, the fans'll love it. Then I can, y'know, have a nice long reign, maybe a year or so, really put someone over, whoever you want."

 

"I'll definitely think about it," I said, though absolutely no thinking needed to be done.

 

"Yeah, think about it, cuz I'm still the man around here, y'know?" he said, leaning in close again. "People know that. Everybody knows that."

 

"Of course we do, Dustin," I said.

 

"You're a good kid, kid," he said, then wagged a finger in my face. "Don' let the wrong guys get in your ear. There are, y'know, sharks in the locker room. Sleazebags. Like Wolf. Keep an eye out."

 

"Trust me, I'm doing my best," I said, patting him again and trying to steer him back to maybe a chair. And away from the hard liquor. "Go on, have a sit and just relax. And Merrcy Christmas, champ."

 

"Yeah, Merry Christmas to you, too, kid. Good kid. Just gotta be smart."

 

I left him to mumble to himself, hoping he wouldn't chase after me, but I turned around to run into an even larger figure - Hank Banner. Big Hank. He looked very big in person, looming over me, and so shockingly like a young Dean Dishman.

 

"Merry Christmas, Hank," I said, trying to smile.

 

He grunted. "Can we talk?"

 

Oh lord. "What did you have on your mind?" I asked, trying to take him over away from the middle of the office floor. I had a feeling I didn't want to have this in the thick of it.

 

"You know my uncle is your boss, right?" he said immediately.

 

Internally, I winced. Outwardly, I tried to keep my Authoritative Booking Face on. "I'm quite aware of that, Hank, and I appreciate that he wants good things for you. I certainly don't plan to leave you on the shelf."

 

"It feels like it," he rumbled. "I mean, look at me. Anyone would believe I could clean anyone's clock in this room. Even your 'champion.'"

 

My expression turned waxy. "I'm sure," I said. "But that's not quite how the business works. Look, you're a big, good looking guy, your time will come, but the fans have to get acclimated. Learn to accept you, and see what you have to offer. Just keep going out there and good things will happen."

 

"They had better," he rumbled, looming over me. I was uncomfortably reminded of the fact that, talented in the ring or not, his fists were probably about the size of my head, and I was the furthest thing from a wrestler. "Because I don't think you want to make me, or my uncle, unhappy."

 

"I'm going to do what's best for the company, Mr. Dishman understands that," I said, trying to put some bass in my voice. I don't know that it worked. "And if that means you on top, great, but if not, I'm not going to force it. You have to impress me."

 

"Impress you?" His voice was rising. "Impress you? Look at me. I should be impressive enough."

 

"Maybe it's time you take a walk, Hank," I said, voice trembling only a little. My skin felt too tight. "Cool your head. We don't need to turn this into a fight."

 

"No, you wouldn't want that." He leaned in a little closer. "Because I'd break you in half."

 

He would, I was sure, but I was really hoping it wouldn't come to that, for a lot of reasons. "Hank. Be reasonable."

 

"Yeah, be reasonable, alright?"

 

And while I was still stuck in a situation I very much did not want to be in, I could feel my heart rate slowing a little bit at the sound of Jack Raiden's voice, and knowing that his bulk was behind me. He was a soft-spoken guy, but even with that mild Canadian accent he cut through the noise.

 

"Let's have us a drink, and we'll talk, okay?" he said, stepping around me. "I'll give you some tips on your footwork, you'll look better on camera."

 

I was happy to duck out of the way and leave them to it, feeling like I'd just taken my neck off the chopping block.

 

"Merry Christmas to me," I mumbled.

 

But last year on Christmas, I'd been spending time by myself in a run down tavern in the outskirts of Puyallup, drinking mediocre apple brandy with my last dollar. Here, even if I had to deal with personalities like Hank Banner, or Wolf, or the rest, even if I had the pressure of a top company hanging on my shoulders, hey, I had a job, a purpose, and a steady paycheck. I got to watch Dean Dishman arm-wrestling with Jase Marshall, who was happy to let him win after a decent show. I was able to watch Mean Machine strut around doing the Chicken dance in his mask and a santa hat. And that made putting up with bad attitudes or Marcus Kramer begging me for just another chance at the top, he had a lot left, really, let him stick with Scorpio and maybe get a solid run, he didn't want to hang it up just yet - well, I could handle that.

 

It was late in the evening when Mr. Dishman actually came up to me, his cheeks and the bridge of his nose rosy with drink, a set of tinsel-wrapped antlers rakishly to one side on the top of his head.

 

"Listen, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas, kid," he said, cigar smoke streaming from his lips and breath that could stop a truck. Coming from him, though, 'kid' wasn't quite so bad. Or maybe it was the spiked eggnog I'd been downing.

 

"I appreciate that, sir," I said. "Merry Christmas to you, too. And thank you, for the opportunity."

 

He just nodded his head, standing there and looking awkward. "Listen, I just wanted to say, about Hank - "

 

I held up a hand. "It's alright. I get it."

 

"Naw, it's not alright." He shook his head. "I just wanted to say, well, he's a good kid, deep down. He just doesn't quite have his head on straight. Life hasn't always been kind to him. Don't hold it against him, alright? And I won't hold anything against you."

 

Which seemed to mean, to me - treat him fairly, and everything else will shake out okay. I hoped that was what it meant. "I understand, sir. And I won't hold any grudges. Just - let's see if he can learn to watch his temper, alright?"

 

"I'll do the best I can," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sure if he just gets a couple good shots, he'll settle down. But you've been doing good work. Just keep making it the best show you can."

 

That was the dream, wasn't it? "I'll do my absolute best, sir. I want to win as much as you do. I promise you that."

 

And he smiled, clapping me on the shoulder. "Yeah. Yeah, I know you do. Let's see if we can give Schooley a lump of coal in his stocking soon."

 

"It'd be an honor."

 

That was the dream, right? Being the wrestling company of the world. We weren't there, yet, and it would take some time, but Poseidon was a hot new top heel, some of my young guys were up and coming, and I had a new ace up my sleeve. It was a great start. And hopefully next year, things would look even rosier.

 

*****

 

BMCW expand their coverage into America, which is perhaps not ideal since they are on a par with WWB and ASW in Canada – and thus, as good or better than we are.

 

Following that news, though, some even more important news came out - at least to me. The calendar had turned, it was 1986, and '85 had come to a close. That meant that for the wrestling world, it was award season time, and while my hopes weren't terribly high for us to show up anywhere, I was still dizzy with anticipation to check. After all, it wasn't like PCCW had ever even had a chance to clock it.

 

The Year End Awards:

Wrestler of the Year for 1985 was Jesus Hidalgo, the star attraction of the Royal Crown Lucha Council. America saw Dominick Schaub of WWB down at 20, and ASW was down at 77 with Johnny Naylor as their standout. The best GCW could hang its hat on was, surprisingly, Billy Ray Bragg all the way down at 477. Some of our part timers like Adonis Lash, Darrell Gwinn, and most surprisingly young Madalene deGeorge ranked higher, but that was primarily for their roles in other promotions. Maybe that meant that more of them needed a focal point. It was something to file away, even though Lash would soon be turning 48, and Darrell was at least tag team champion.

 

The company of the year went to WWB, as while ASW had the prestige and the popularity to stand on top the wrestling scene, WWB had the in-ring quality and seemed strongly on the rise. From there, with RCLC, Hyperion, UPJ, BMCW, and the rest? We didn't really stand a chance. There was too much good wrestling around to be content as the third best US promotion.

 

The Young Wrestler of the Year went to 24-year old lightweight standout from Kansas Rory Huge, a strangely named wrestler who stood at only 5’7” but was a dynamic striker. Naturally, he'd been snapped up by WWB, and looked to be a potential future jewel in the crown. My young guys like Sebastien and Scorpio might not be on that level just yet, but I had to hope it was coming.

 

The Veteran Wrestler of the Year, meanwhile, went to Karlos Tejada, a 54-year-old veteran in RCLC. Now that one we could have sniffed, I'd think, and I was quietly pleased that while our roster was older on average, we didn't have anyone active in their 50s. Yet.

 

The Female Wrestler of the Year went to Ila Mineau, a prominent Canadian veteran. Once again, our women's division was too new to deserve any real attention, but hopefully we could drag up the profile of American women's wrestling and feed the industry.

 

The match of the year was a five star tag team classic in RCLC where Jesus Hidalgo and Vicente Mora defeated Agustin Acuna and Victor Esparza on RCLC Accion Viva TV. Similarly, the show of the year was RCLC Gritos Anguished, in front of a whopping 34,000. I could only dream of achieving a crowd that size. Hell, even WWB and ASW were a long way off. Maybe Mexico really was the future.

 

The most important one, though, to me? The Most Improved Company of the Year in 1985 was Global Championship Wrestling. Maybe we weren't the best, maybe we didn't have the best, but the people had noticed. If only two months could be in my name, we had been noticed as on the rise.

 

It brings a tear to the eye. And it increased the weight on my shoulders. 1986 would have to be our year.

 

 

It had occurred to me early on when I looked at how the dates for shows were falling, that having an in-universe break on Christmas would only make sense. Not only is it realistic, but it also gives me a chance to keep the in-game calendar from getting too out of sync of a real life one, what with the 4/12 model compared to a real schedule.

 

That being said, I ran into a bit of a roadblock here that hopefully wasn't too apparent, in that - well, with a made up cast, it was hard to know quite where to go with backstage storylines. I've been reading MAW: 10 Simple Rules from way back in the day recently and I love the backstage elements there, so I've been trying to put in at least a bit here and there, but I don't have yet a full narrative built off any of my guys. Mostly because my backstage rating was high from the start and I haven't had a lot of standouts one way or another. Maybe I'll keep more to the in-ring and on-screen action, since that seems to flow a little easier, but hopefully this was enjoyable all the same.

 

If nothing else, it was fun to go down my list of wrestlers and see that two of my top babyfaces had the "Sleazy" and "Scumbag" personality traits. Woof.

 

Meanwhile, to address the North American championship for a moment: yeah, I switched that up a little oddly. Originally, Bragg was supposed to win it at Last Resort, too, since the Robinson and Wells/Black Hat Rodeo feud was clicking along, but then I decided I didn't want to do two title switches on the same show. So instead I slipped Mean Machine in a bit suddenly, and decided to delay the Bragg change a bit. Probably not my best call, but while I don't want to give too much away, being now just about four months removed in the game, I can say that Bragg was avery good choice for champion.

 

And also, I'd just like to say that I really appreciate any and all feedback I get from you all. I'm trying to keep a healthy backlog so I can get out regular updates - I have about four months played and at least in as barebones, and about a month of shows written mostly to my liking - which does admittedly make it a bit hard to pivot at times, at least in a timely fashion.

 

For example, though, there may just be a certain requested tag team brewing in the not too distant future...

[DinoKea]

I appreciate this end of year party thing you did, it was cool to see and a nice way to readjust the timeline. I love the fact your heels are better backstage than your faces (excluding Kodiak Jack). Surprised Poseidon didn't make the Power 500 honestly. I've done this in another diary and I feel like it's a fun thing to do. So here are my GCW awards:

 

Male Wrestler of the Year:

Poseidon

I mean does anyone else really deserve this award. Well okay, according to Wrestling Observer it should go to Billy Ray Bragg but I disagree. Constantly one of your best performers along with the biggest thing being his consistently good promo work.

 

Female Wrestler of the Year:

Bertha Slay

Because of how new your women's division is. With no real way to split them, I just picked the winner of your best rated women's match. Congrats Bertha.

 

Tag Team of the Year:

The Sunset Army (Karasuma & Sanzo)

This might be a strange pick and I could've gone for the Gwinn Brothers (who appear set to win the tag titles), Black Hat Rodeo (the current champions) or even the Man Mountains (who I don't believe have lost yet), but I decided on the team I felt really made the biggest impact this year. The two debuted early on as part of a new stable with Reijiro Kandori in the Sunset Army and have been in higher level feuds and bigger matches than the rest of the tag division.

 

Touch of Excitement:

Mean Machine

This is a strange award, a bonus award really, given to the wrestler I'm most excited about on the roster (however they can't have won any other awards). Generally a personal favourite gains this award if I'm honest. I'd have given it to your mystery star, but they didn't debut this year in the end, so Violet Rooster can take this one for a name change bringing in a bit more exciting of a persona.

 

Show of the Year:

GCW: Last Resort

This was in my opinion the big show of the year, as things at this point really start developing. With a lot of your roster starting to hit their spot in the card, this shoe felt a lot more unpredictable and built up. A good sign for things to come.

 

Enjoyed this so far, so should be interesting to see what the new year brings.

 

Quick edit: Lilyanna Derby should've got women's wrestler of the year. Made a bit of a mistake there.

[Historian]

Just starting to catch up on this and it’s really good (through what I’ve read) and I hope you keep up the great work!

[smw88]

Enjoyed the narrative sections, I think they add a lot and help bring the workers to life

[jokerdesilva]

January 1st, 1986

Rhode Island, 841 in attendance

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – The Dregs vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

Testing out Bret and Auston as a tag team since Bret has nothing to do right now, but is steadily improving, and Auston is a decent undercard babyface who might have some potential. Maybe a new babyface tag team? With the Hillbillies largely nonexistent and the Man Mountains disappointing, I sure need one. For now, though, this was another decent showing for the Dregs, as Gabe Pilcher got the win in 7:42 with a Backbreaker. (29)

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – Trent Stevens vs Tarzan Brownfield

Stevens is certainly impressing, even in losing efforts so far, and Tarzan looks good as well. Probably too good of a match for the pre-show, but these two still aren’t quite “names” I can put on TV in isolation. Brownfield got the win with a top rope missile drop kick. (40)

 

vs

 

Sunset Army w/ Kandori vs Grey and the Hillbillies

For example, this has the name cachet to be on TV but it wasn’t really any good. Alright, mostly it was just Kurt Grey. He's trying, but he's past his prime, and while he was the best wrestler in the ring, he made himself look outclassed against the Sunset Army, Karasuma and Sanzo working like a pack of dogs to pick at him and isolate the Hillbillies, and Kajitani just beating everyone soundly. He got the pin with a running powerslam to end it. (30)

 

 

Following his team's victory, Reijiro escorted the Army to the back to do an interview.

 

"Jack Raiden," he said, smirking. "You want to fight my army, is that what you said? Such a bold proclamation. But what kind of man would I be to refuse such an offer? One couldn't ask for more. Go on, then. We will have a match together, a gauntlet, and you will see that a man on an island can never hope to defeat the leader of an army. The Sun is not yet ready to set. Be warned. This will be the end of Kodiak Jack Raiden." (65)

 

vs

 

Marcus Kramer w/Nations vs Aaron Redcloud

Scorpio Nations came out at Marcus Kramer's side this time, seconding him to the ring, leaving the commentators to speculate if that was why Kramer had attacked Boston. He certainly looked ready to brutalize Redcloud, here. He fought hard, but he was outmatched in size and experience, and often seemed thrown off his game by Scorpio shouting encouragements from ringside. Mostly to brutalize him. In the end, Kramer managed to snare him and nail him with the Side Suplex to win. (45)

 

After the match, Kramer nailed Redcloud with another Side Suplex before Scorpio popped in, locking him in a Scorpion Clutch. He looked ready to really crank it on, but Boston Sills ran out from the back to chase them both off, helping Redcloud up and to the back when they were gone. (36)

 

vs

 

Josilyn Darville vs Lilyanna Derby – GCW Women’s Championship Semi Final Match

A much better match than the Quarter Finals, showing off the keen striking ability of both women. They battled back and forth with more intensity than the crowd might have been expecting, circling up in a close, hard-hitting battle. In the end, though, it was Darville's unrelenting mean streak that got the win, hammering low kicks to weaken Derby's legs and scratching her eyes for an advantage at one point, making it easy to finish her off with a Savate kick to go right to the Championship match. (50)

 

 

We went to Wolf Koziol backstage next for an interview.

 

"Can you feel it? Can you feel it, Poseidon? You like to talk about the ticking clock, and now it's my turn to be in charge of it. You've got eleven days. Eleven days, before I'm coming for you, and this time I'm as strong as I've ever been, and as pissed off as I've ever been, too. I'm ready to rip you limb from limb. You know that, right? You know that I want to knock you off that throne? And I'm going to. With every ounce of rage and fire in my veins, I'm going to fight you, and I'm going to see to it that you get knocked off your high horse. And boy, I can't wait to hurt you." (75)

 

As the interview was ending, though, Wolf was attacked from behind by a steel chair. It turned out that it was wielded by Antone Benner, in full face paint. He hammered Wolf across the back a few times with the chair, throwing in a few stomps for good measure, tipping his head back to cackle in satisfaction before running off. (46)

 

vs

 

Black Hat Rodeo vs Robinson and the Gwinn Brothers

Solid match, though a little underwhelming thanks to the tag teams, who still aren’t on a main event level much to my chagrin. The Gwinns are just a bit too new, and the Black Hats are good, but not great, albeit the best anchor I have for a tag team division still. There was a lot of brawling and a lot of old fashioned rasslin going on between these six, I can tell you that, with Robinson trying to call the plays for the Gwinns as the veteran, and Dale Whitlock countering him at every turn with cheap shots and shenanigans, and two larger, burlier allies besides. It broke down into a bit of a schmozz, Robinson and Whitlock fighting outside the ring on one side and Jase Marshall booting Darrell Gwinn in the head of leaving him sprawling on the other. That made it academic Olivares gets the pin on Bill Gwinn with a back suplex. (49)

 

Funny that once again the women’s match was the best of the night, given how new they are in the company, but I might have struck gold there. That's good, when the tag team division is still struggling, and my ambitions of the Sunset Army aren't exactly paying dividends for as much effort as it feels like I'm putting in there. That being said, it was overall a decent show. (53) .33 rating with 254k viewers.

 

Thanks again for all the kind words! My top faces are definitely a mixed bag, though Carver is also a "People Person" so that's not too bad. And I'd say Poseidon is inarguably the top wrestler of the company - he's involved in the top 7 matches of 1985 for the company, for one thing. I'm glad the Sunset Army are coming across well in-story, because in the game itself they seem to be topping out at a woeful 14 popularity, other than Kandori, despite being something like 8-2 at this point, and Giant Kandori I want to say 6-0. Oh well. And Mean Machine is a delightfully weird character, I was a bit side-eying getting the Emoji mask as one of my midcarders but he's kind of developed nicely. I have plans for him, even if they'll take a while to develop...

 

Next Week:

(P) Sunset Army vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

(P) Alonzo O’Toole vs Big Hank Banner

(P) Scorpio Nations vs Richard Auston

Carleton and Stevens vs Sills and Redcloud

Jase Marshall vs Darrell Gwinn

Madalene DeGeorge vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Semi Final Match

Lash and Machine vs Wells and Koziol

[DinoKea]

So let's see, firstly love the fact Lilyanna Derby follows up getting women's wrestler of the year by proceeding to get knocked out of the title picture in the semifinals. Also appreciate the way you're building off feuds as you move into the next one, like Wolf planning to go after Poseidon, only to get attacked by Benner.

 

Preshow: Sunset Army def. Danger & Auston

Obviously it's more popularity building for Sanzo & Karasuma. Danger and Auston are still trialling as a tag team, so they definitelywon'tget the win here.

 

Preshow: Big Hank Banner def. Alonzo O'Toole

Obviously Alonzo gets to be the next guy jobbed out for Big Hank. Have to say, Hank's name always makes me think of the Hulk.

 

Preshow: Scorpio Nations def. Richard Auston

One of the bigger 3 dark match shows I see. Anyway, Scorpio obviously defeats Rich here as a booster.

 

Sills & Redcloud def. Carleton & Stevens

Build these two up in preparation for their big match against Scorpio and Kramer

 

Jase Marshal def. Darrel Gwinn

Nice way to build up Black Hats before they likely lose their titled to the Gwinns at the start of the new year.

 

Lily-Rose Criss def. Madalene DeGeorge

Lily won on the main show, while DeGeorge only made the preshow, so I'm guessing off that.

 

Wells & Koizol def. Lash & Machine

I'm not willing to bet on Lash winning, particularly not against Wells & Koizol. Go Mean Machine for making the main event though.

[smw88]

(P) Sunset Army vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

(P) Alonzo O’Toole vs Big Hank Banner

(P) Scorpio Nations vs Richard Auston

Carleton and Stevens vs Sills and Redcloud

Jase Marshall vs Darrell Gwinn

Madalene DeGeorge vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Semi Final Match

Lash and Machine vs Wells and Koziol

[Herrbear]

(P) Sunset Army vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

(P) Alonzo O’Toole vs Big Hank Banner

(P) Scorpio Nations vs Richard Auston

Carleton and Stevens vs Sills and Redcloud

Jase Marshall vs Darrell Gwinn

Madalene DeGeorge vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Semi Final Match

Lash and Machine vs Wells and Koziol

[KyTeran]

(P) Sunset Army vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

(P) Alonzo O’Toole vs Big Hank Banner

(P) Scorpio Nations vs Richard Auston

Carleton and Stevens vs Sills and Redcloud

Jase Marshall vs Darrell Gwinn

Madalene DeGeorge vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Semi Final Match

Lash and Machine vs Wells and Koziol

[Zergon]

<p>(P) <strong>Sunset Army</strong> vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy</p><p>

<em>Army are the ones with stuff going on.</em></p><p> </p><p>

(P) Alonzo O’Toole vs <strong>Big Hank Banner</strong></p><p>

<em>Bit hesitant on this one as O´Toole feels bit too good to job for Banner but I go with one with connections anyway.</em></p><p> </p><p>

(P) <strong>Scorpio Nations </strong>vs Richard Auston</p><p>

<em>Nations seems to get decent build-up so doubful he would lose in pre-show match.</em></p><p> </p><p>

Carleton and Stevens vs <strong>Sills and Redcloud</strong></p><p>

<em>Looks like they have storyline going</em></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Jase Marshall</strong> vs Darrell Gwinn</p><p>

<em>I probably shouldn´t do these pretictions right before going to sleep as I´m way too tired to rremember much or actually check things (meaning that I totally not remember which side won the last singles encounter) but I go with Rodeo taking this one.</em></p><p> </p><p>

Madalene DeGeorge vs <strong>Lily-Rose Criss</strong> – GCW Women’s Championship Semi Final Match</p><p>

<em>Picking the one who´s first match wasn´t in pre-show.</em></p><p> </p><p>

Lash and Machine vs <strong>Wells and Koziol</strong></p><p>

<em>Higher on pecking order</em></p>

[jokerdesilva]

January 8th, 1986

Boston, 710 in attendance

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – Sunset Army (Sanzo and Karasuma) vs Bret Danger and Auston Sandy

Just another low card match to keep the Sunset Army humming. It’s annoying they haven’t gotten to the point of being solidly on TV yet, but perhaps this is an angle that just isn’t taking off. They’re doing alright in-ring, though. Karasuma got the submission with his Claw Hold in 8:28 for the win. (27)

 

vs

 

Pre-Show - Alonzo O’Toole vs Big Hank Banner

Well, Banner seems to be shaking off the ring rust, so maybe that first match was just a one-off. He's probably not going to ever be great, but he's a big hoss and every wrestling company needs some good big hosses on both sides of the fence, and since Dishman wants me to keep him, and push him, I'll have to make due. Alonzo isn’t bad in a singles match, either. Banner got the clean win to keep building up momentum in 6:05. (27)

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – Scorpio Nations vs Richard Auston

Another stellar performance from Scorpio. Really hoping that his pairing with Kramer and the feud with Boston can lead to something bigger for him soon. He locked in the Scorpion Clutch at 8:22 to win it. (41)

 

vs

 

Carleton and Stevens vs Sills and Redcloud

A simple match to give Sills and Redcloud a chance to work together side by side before Wanted Dead or Alive. No bad chemistry, at least, but not great either, which I suppose makes sense when they've never been in the same company together before now. Aaron is still the weak link, but not significantly, and hopefully this will build his polish. He got the win in 8:29 with an Overhead Slam. (36)

 

vs

 

Jase Marshall w/Olivares vs Darrell Gwinn w/Bill Gwinn

The other halves of our top two tag teams were out to go head to head. While Darrell was the more seasoned of the two brothers, following a loss last time, Marshall came out swinging. He battered the smaller man, throwing him around and clubbing him to the mat relentlessly. Darrell fought back admirably and showed some good action in there, but Olivares tripped him up once from the outside and had to be chased off by Bill, letting Jase Marshall get control again. The big roughneck Marshall managed to get the win off a Spinebuster in 9:49. (45)

 

 

After the match, we went backstage to Dustin Robinson for an interview.

 

"I won't pretend I'm not disappointed to no longer be your GCW Heavyweight Champion, fans. And I won't pretend that I don't want another crack at that belt as soon as I can manage. I wish that it were me instead of Wolf in those shoes, absolutely. But he earned his shot, and I lost my title, and I understand that means that I need to make my way to the front of the line again. And I intend to.

 

Which leads me to what I really wanted to say. See, I've got some other unfinished business, and it sounds like my dance card is open at the moment. So Cowboy, what do you say we get into it? I can't imagine a better way to prove that I deserve my spot on top of the mountain than beating your ugly mug, and showing that I am still the man around here. There is plenty of fight left in these old bones. So if you're man enough, I'll see you at Wanted Dead or Alive, and we'll settle this." (48)

 

vs

 

Madalene DeGeorge vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Semi Final Match

Not quite as good as last week’s semi-final, but still a very strong affair. DeGeorge sold her upper crust elitist gimmick to the hilt and Lily-Rose was a delightful high flyer, building up crowd sympathy and winning with the crossbody at 11:39 to go to the finals. (42)

 

 

We went backstage next to Josilyn Darville, the other tournament finalist.

 

"It doesn't matter to me much who I'm facing on Sunday. Lily-Rose, you've done fine, I suppose, but it's going to take a lot more than a pretty face and some flips to take care of me. See, my name is Josilyn Darville, and I am one of the toughest, meanest, hardest hitting women walking the face of God's green earth today. And I am looking so very forward to hurting you, and becoming the GCW Women's Champion." (39)

 

 

After that, we went backstage to Poseidon, who was sitting in the shadows by himself.

 

"So, we find ourselves here again, don't we, Wolf? Your fury and your rage and your determination fighting with everything you have. And this time, it is so much more than just a battle for supremacy, isn't it? There's gold on the line. The King has been crowned at last, and as my first royal orders, I get to mete out your execution. You see, I grow tired of this game, Wolf, of watching you howl, powerless and impudent, against the elements.

 

You are fighting the ocean, my friend. You are fighting the merciless tide. You are fighting something greater than yourself. And there is a darkness and a danger lurking in the waters. You're a wolf, swimming with sharks, and so far from home. But don't worry, Wolf. You'll have your moment. You will rise, and face me, and show me everything you have, and in the end, it will be for nothing, because I will drag you back down into the dark where you belong." (73)

 

vs

 

Lash and Machine vs Wells and Koziol

The result of this particular match was never really in question, as both Wells and Koziol were coming in hot, while Machine and Lash didn't seem to know how to handle one another as team mates. Wolf almost made himself vulnerable, insisting at times on taking them on single-handedly, and getting himself swarmed by the bruising Mean Machine and vicious Adonis, but he broke out and managed tag Wells in to get some breathing room in the end. They both looked smooth and more than capable, and it wasn't long before Wolf took Machine's head off with a big lariat at the 14:54 mark. (52)

 

Not an amazing card, but as set up for Wanted Dead or Alive it did well. Now here’s hoping that show delivers. (53) Slightly down ratings, though, at .32 and 242k.

 

Wanted Dead or Alive Card:

(P) The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

(P) Jimmy G vs Sebastien Durant

(P) Madalene DeGeorge and Violet Bee vs Rosemary Pfeiffer and Lilyanna Darby

Kramer and Nations vs Sills and Redcloud

The Sunset Army vs Jack Raiden – Gauntlet Match

Black Hat Rodeo vs The Gwinn Brothers – GCW Tag Team Championship Match

Dale Whitlock vs Dustin Robinson

Josilyn Darville vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Finals

Billy Ray Bragg vs Carver Wells – GCW North American Championship Match

Wolf Koziol vs Poseidon – GCW Heavyweight Championship Match

[DinoKea]

I've got very little to say here, so straight to predictions:

 

Preshow: The Dregs def. The Hillbillies

Yeah, not really a hard one here. Hillbillies are basically a stepping stone team.

 

Preshow: Sebastien Durant def. Jimmy G

Fairly simple one once again, Jimmy is a decent jobber but that's about as fair as his career seems to be going. Durant meanwhile is working his way up the card.

 

Preshow: Pfeiffer & Darby def. DeGeorge & Bee

Violet Bee or Mrs. Mean Machine? Jokes aside, as always with the women, a challenging one as I'm still trying to sort out their placement on the card. I'm going for the faces here.

 

Kramer & Nations def. Sills & Redcloud

You could be moving Sills and Redcloud up the card obviously, but I feel like Kramer and Nations are higher in the pecking order and as such should get the win.

 

The Sunset Army def. Jack Raiden in a Gauntlet Match

Karasuma and Sanzo aren't going to win it and I'd expect the Kodiak to beat the Giant, but in the end a worn out Jack just won't be enough to beat Reijiro

 

The Gwinn Brothers def. The Black Hat Rodeo to win the GCW Tag Team Championships

It's time to put the titles on the Gwinns and it also makes sense. You've got next to no faces who could believably challenge for the title and only 3 face tag teams anyway (Man Mountains, Hillbillies & Gwinns). Your heels meanwhile have a bit more variety with Black Hat Rodeo, Sunset Army, Dregs, Heavenly Bodies and Kramer & Nations.

 

Dustin Robinson def. Dale Whitlock

I just don't see Dale beating Dustin without interference happening and the Rodeo are all a bit busy right now.

 

Josilyn Darville def. Lily-Rose Criss to win the GCW Women's Championship

I'm guessing from the promo Josilyn is the heel and also set to win this tournament. From the way things are going I'd say Josilyn wins, but possibly through nefarious means to allow Lily-Rose to challenge her again at the next PPV

 

Billy Ray Bragg def. Carver Wells for the GCW, North American Championship

Simply put, why would you put the belt on Billy just to move it back to Wells two weeks later.

 

Poseidon def. Wolf Koizol to retain the GCW Heavyweight Championship

And obviously, the belt stays on Poseidon, because why would you switch. Wolf has been pretty good so far, but not the level of Poseidon.

[smw88]

(P) The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

(P) Jimmy G vs Sebastien Durant

(P) Madalene DeGeorge and Violet Bee vs Rosemary Pfeiffer and Lilyanna Darby

Kramer and Nations vs Sills and Redcloud

The Sunset Army vs Jack Raiden – Gauntlet Match

Black Hat Rodeo vs The Gwinn Brothers – GCW Tag Team Championship Match

Dale Whitlock vs Dustin Robinson

Josilyn Darville vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Finals

Billy Ray Bragg vs Carver Wells – GCW North American Championship Match

Wolf Koziol vs Poseidon – GCW Heavyweight Championship Match

[Zergon]

<p>(P) <strong>The Dregs</strong> vs The Hillbillies</p><p>

<em>Dregs are higher on pecking order</em></p><p> </p><p>

(P) Jimmy G vs <strong>Sebastien Durant</strong></p><p>

<em>Durant continues he´s winning ways in the undercard.</em></p><p> </p><p>

(P) <strong>Madalene DeGeorge and Violet Bee</strong> vs Rosemary Pfeiffer and Lilyanna Darby</p><p>

<em>Bit of a coin flip in my eyes.</em></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Kramer and Nations</strong> vs Sills and Redcloud</p><p>

<em>Heels look like stronger duo to me here.</em></p><p> </p><p>

The Sunset Army vs <strong>Jack Raiden</strong> – Gauntlet Match</p><p>

<em>Not particular fan of this type of matches as in my eyes it usually buries many and benefits only a few but I don´t see Raiden losing here.</em></p><p> </p><p>

Black Hat Rodeo vs <strong>The Gwinn Brothers</strong> – GCW Tag Team Championship Match</p><p>

<em>Right, lets try this one again</em></p><p> </p><p>

Dale Whitlock vs <strong>Dustin Robinson</strong></p><p>

<em>Dustin has been more on spotlight so far, it´s still up in the air if dropping the belt means he takes backseat now but at this point, I still see him as bigger name than Dale.</em></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Josilyn Darville</strong> vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Finals</p><p>

<em>Going to go with the one who had promo time and who had better match rating in semi-finals</em></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Billy Ray Bragg</strong> vs Carver Wells – GCW North American Championship Match</p><p>

<em>Nope, Wells ain´t getting the belt back.</em></p><p> </p><p>

Wolf Koziol vs <strong>Poseidon</strong> – GCW Heavyweight Championship Match</p><p>

<em>Poseidon won´t be dropping the belt this early</em></p>

[KyTeran]

<p>(P) <strong>The Dregs</strong> vs The Hillbillies</p><p>

(P) Jimmy G vs <strong>Sebastien Durant</strong></p><p>

(P) Madalene DeGeorge and Violet Bee vs <strong>Rosemary Pfeiffer and Lilyanna Darby</strong></p><p>

<strong>Kramer and Nations</strong> vs Sills and Redcloud</p><p>

<strong>The Sunset Army</strong> vs Jack Raiden – Gauntlet Match</p><p>

Black Hat Rodeo vs <strong>The Gwinn Brothers</strong> – GCW Tag Team Championship Match</p><p>

Dale Whitlock vs <strong>Dustin Robinson</strong></p><p>

Josilyn Darville vs <strong>Lily-Rose Criss</strong> – GCW Women’s Championship Finals</p><p>

<strong>Billy Ray Bragg</strong> vs Carver Wells – GCW North American Championship Match</p><p>

Wolf Koziol vs <strong>Poseidon</strong> – GCW Heavyweight Championship Match</p>

[jokerdesilva]

January 12th, 1986 GCW Wanted Dead or Alive

Rupert C. Thompson Arena, 4019 in attendance

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

A little warm-up for the fans. The Dregs are really clicking and are starting to look like one of my better options. That, or I'm desperate for tag teams still. Either one could be very possible. Relatedly, the Hillbillies are still just the Hillbillies. Alonzo O’Toole got the win with a Claw Hold in 7:32. (28)

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – Jimmy G vs Sebastien Durant

Sebastien looked a little off, but they put on a fine pre-show match, and he won in 7:52 with the Fallaway Slam. (29)

 

vs

 

Pre-Show – Madalene DeGeorge and Violet Bee vs Rosemary Pfeiffer and Lilyanna Derby

Somewhat annoyingly, Rosemary and Lilyanna have zero chemistry together. And here I was thinking they could make a fun flower-based tag team. Ah, well, the best laid plans, and all that. It helped it make a lot more sense that Madalene and our debuting masked star Violet Bee got the better of them, at least. They both dashed around, controlling the pace, and Madalene got the win with a Face Plant on Rosemary in 9:45. (34)

 

vs

 

Marcus Kramer and Scorpio Nations vs Boston Sills and Aaron Redcloud

Luckily, no bad chemistry here in the first official match of the show. Scorpio and Marcus in particular make an impressive combination, and what started as a way to get myself out of the “Boston and Scorpio have no chemistry” hole with this feud may turn into something more. Redcloud felt a bit like the fish out of water out there, but part of that seems to be him being rattled by the big stage. Once again, that made for a logical storyline beat, as Scorpio played the more polished upstart, and Marcus the brutal veteran. Aaron tried to fight back as best he could, but he was a man outmatched, and he and Boston didn't have quite the partnership to overcome it. Scorpio got the win in 9:16 with the Scorpion Clutch. (44)

 

 

Backstage, we met with Jack Raiden.

 

"Today is going to be a good day. Do you know why? Because today, I finally settle some business. Kandori has been a thorn in my side for months, him and his whole Sunset Army, and I'm getting sick of it. It's time for me to be rid of this, all of this, so I can move on. I've given myself a hell of a challenge, taking on all four of them in one go, but I know that I can do this. I know that I am more than strong enough to do this.

 

And once I have, once I've proven that I am better than Reijiro Kandori once and for all, I've got my eye on the prize. Poseidon, I hope you - or Wolf - keep that belt nice and warm for me after tonight. I'm coming for it. I will be the Heavyweight Champion again, and I will be Heavyweight Champion again soon. I don't care who I have to go through to get there, or how many of you there are. I am Kodiak Jack, and there's not a man alive who can stop me." (68)

 

vs

 

The Sunset Army vs Jack Raiden - Gauntlet Match

The slightly unnecessary capstone to the Sunset Army feud, which really went a month longer than intended. Raiden faced Sanzo to open the match, bowling over him pretty quickly and pinning him off a nasty powerbomb to start with. Karasuma hopped in quickly next, hammering him with kicks and clubbing blows to the head and shoulders, but Raiden weathered the storm and threw him into the ropes, taking him nearly out of his boots with a clothesline. He hit him with some big power moves and took him down with another big powerbomb to win the halfway point. Giant Kajitani was next, throwing the now-tired Raiden around and manhandling him, but when he went for the running powerslam, Raiden slipped out of it, dropping him with a neckbreaker from behind and choking him out with a sleeper while he was down. Finally, he went against Kandori, who stuck and move, trying to dart around him and chopping at his limbs, doing his best to work him over while not letting Raiden get his hands on him. In the end, though, Raiden powered out of an attempted armbar, slamming Kandori down, and rolling him up in Raiden's own armbar to force a submission to finally win the match, and put the Sunset Army behind him. (45)

 

 

We went backstage next to Antone Benner, in a dark room similar to how Poseidon usually shows up.

 

"Oh, today is going to be so much fun, I can just feel it in my bones. I got a little taste, recently, of a rare and bloody meal, and I just want to sink my teeth in more. The darkness has been so... elucidating. It's shown me what I can really be, and what I'm truly capable of. People thought I was just a man, just someone to admire, and cheer on, but I don't need the cheers, I don't need people to believe in me. I believe in myself. And I believe in how well I can hurt people.

 

I know I'm going to hurt you. I know I'm going to make you so upset. You're going to cry and scream and be so furious, and I'm so excited to see it. You'll be mine, soon. And we're going to have so much fun when we play." (55)

 

vs

 

Black Hat Rodeo vs The Gwinn Brothers – GCW Tag Team Championship Match

Once again, the Rodeo tried to dominate from the jump as they usually did, both big heavyweights swinging in to brawl with the Brothers. This time, though, they were a lot better prepared and continued to outwrestle Olivares and Marshall, working around them nicely and showing off that brotherly polish. Late in the match, Olivares attempted to get the belt to clock Darrell with, but this time Bill cut him off, hitting him with a running knee on the outside. Darrell mirrored it in the ring with a High Knee on Marshall, letting him get the pin and the win at 13:05 to end the Black Hat Rodeo's reign of 182 days. (44)

 

vs

 

Dale Whitlock vs Dustin Robinson

A very solid match between these two, as could be expected at this point, when they've wrestled so often and so well. Dustin and Dale both brought their working boots and they both brawled it out and did some good work on the mat, with Dale trying to take advantage of Dustin's injured shoulder from his match with Poseidon. This time Dustin was a little too resilient, though, as he shrugged off the assault, hitting Dale with a pair of running clotheslines and picking him up for the Slingshot Suplex at 9:58 for the win. (58)

 

vs

 

Josilyn Darville vs Lily-Rose Criss – GCW Women’s Championship Match

The finals of our women’s tournament, and it went off quite well. Josilyn was nasty and lashed out with deadly strikes, while Lily-Rose was all agility and grace, zipping around the ring and ducking out of the way of Josilyn's damage. It seemed her plan was clearly to stagger Josilyn and help her punch herself out, and it ended up working nicely, with her rolling her up into repeated pinning combinations that Josilyn had to muscle out of, and hitting her with running strikes so that she could never get fully seated. She managed to get the pin off her crossbody in 9:36 to win the inaugural championship. (44)

 

 

We went backstage to our Heavyweight challenger, Wolf Koziol, next.

 

"I have been waiting for this moment. Waiting. Every time I try to get my hands on Poseidon, he manages to wriggle out. Is that what you really are? Some slippery little sea critter that it's hard to pin a grip on? Well, you're the champion now, somehow, and that makes you an easier target. And a more appetizing one. And I don't care what tricks you have up your sleeve this time, Poseidon, I am going to put you down. Throw everything you want my way, all you're gonna do is make it all the more satisfying to finally get my hands on you.

 

You've tripped me up, choked me out. You've busted me open and bloodied me. You've done a real good job at making sure I'm fighting you wounded every time we've crossed paths, lately. Because I think you're afraid. I think you're worried that I can beat you. Because I can, Poseidon. I can take you down. And this time, I'm coming full strength, and full bore."

 

As he turned to leave the interview area, though, he was blasted from behind yet again with a steel chair. Antone Benner stepped into frame, pummeling him down once more. With Wolf on the ground, dazed, Antone climbed on top of him and began choking him with a heavy mooring rope, before backstage agents managed to run in and pull him off, Wolf left coughing and hacking on the ground. (82)

 

vs

 

Carver Wells vs Billy Ray Bragg – GCW North American Championship Match

Much like their main event on Combat Television, a very good match between two young standouts. Given that neither is yet north of 30, that's good news for me. Somewhat tellingly, the match opened with Carver Wells coming out by himself, while Bragg was accompanied by Olivares and Marshall, who both looked in foul moods after their loss. The two competitors went at it nice and long, putting on a solid brawl between the meanspirited cowboy and the fast-moving upstart, with Wells always looking on the verge of taking over, before one of the other Black Hats distracted him or played interference, or just Bragg bullying him with an eye-rake or a questionable shot. There was no short-cut he wouldn't take, clearly, and even when the referee tossed out his seconds, it was too little, too late. Bragg battered him around a few more times, locking in the Sidewinder Choke at 20:24 to retain his title. (55)

 

vs

 

Wolf Koziol vs Poseidon – GCW Heavyweight Championship Match

There was some discussion by Preston McKean and Garner Bautista on commentary about whether Wolf should even be fighting after what Antone Benner had done, but the limping lone wolf stormed out all the same, ready to fight, and fight he did. Perhaps he'd gotten a little too heated, in fact, by the angle, or perhaps it was simply an accident. I couldn't say for sure. But either way, what should have been one of the crown jewels of my company ended up a little sour.. True, it was one of the better matches we’d ever put on, but Poseidon suffered two broken ribs during the match when Wolf kneed him in the side wrong, and it took his performance down partway through. He managed to use it to "bait" Wolf, though, in the storyline, and take advantage of the beating he’d suffered earlier in the night, choking him out with the Sleeper in 13:27. (58)

 

In spite of Poseidon’s injury, though, which we’re hoping won’t be too serious long-term, it was a damn good show and one of the best we’ve ever had. With a burgeoning women’s scene, a tag division finally on the upswing, and hopefully a fantastic champion in Poseidon still to come, it feels like we’re really on the up in 1986! (59)

 

 

Next Week:

(P) The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

(P) Trent Stevens vs Layton White

(P) Madalene DeGeorge vs Adrianna Mitchell

Josilyn Darville vs Trinity Branch

Heavenly Bodies vs The Gwinn Brothers – GCW Tag Team Championship Match

??? vs Nehemiah

Marcus Kramer vs Dustin Robinson

[DinoKea]

Ouch, that sucks about Poseidon. Hopefully he's not out for too long. Honestly didn't expect to see Benner going after Wolf of all people. I was kind of hoping Raiden wouldn't squash his way through The Sunset Army as it unfortunately really hurts their standing in my eyes. I guess they weren't really getting through to the crowd though anyway.

 

Predictions:

 

Preshow: The Dregs def. The Hillbillies

Dregs are starting to get their move up the card while The Hillbillies are your jobber tag team. Guessing you've given up a bit on Man Mountains?

 

Preshow: Trent Sevens def. Layton White

If I remember correctly, Trent could be a midcard something whereas Layton is just part of your job squad.

 

Preshow: Madalene DeGeorge def. Adrianna Mitchell

Still working out where all your women stand, but it seems Madalene is possibly being built as a future challenger for the title.

 

Josilyn Darville def. Trinity Branch

 

The Gwinn Brothers def. Heavenly Bodies to retain the GCW Tag Team Championship

More a match to cement the Gwinn Brothers' reign more than anything really. Doesn't make much sense to have your champions lose the title the night after winning it.

 

??? def. Nehemiah

I'm unlikely to back Nehemiah anyway if I'm honest. I think the only guy on the roster who has done less than him is Mo Ponder. Plus I get the feeling ??? might be this debuting big star.

 

Dustin Robinson def. Marcus Kramer

I mean, this could Scorpio giving the assist, but I think Dustin will win this one.

[KyTeran]

(P) The Dregs vs The Hillbillies

(P) Trent Stevens vs Layton White

(P) Madalene DeGeorge vs Adrianna Mitchell

Josilyn Darville vs Trinity Branch

Heavenly Bodies vs The Gwinn Brothers – GCW Tag Team Championship Match

??? vs Nehemiah

Marcus Kramer vs Dustin Robinson