Grimm SoCal Wrestling: Keep their heads ringnin'

DarK_RaideR · February 23, 2021

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #6e1812; max-width:60%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";">"Ah, Jason! Thanks for coming on such short notice."

*The Warehouse, the week between the May tapings of The Next Episode and Block Party*

Jason Evans, better known as Too Hot, walked through the door to Brother Grimm's office in the Warehouse. Boneyard held the door open for him and shut it behind him, staying outside. If the owner of GSW wanted to discuss something and kept his trusted bodyguard outside the room, it had to be something special. Jason was just hoping it was good news and not bad. He hadn't been getting as over as he might have wanted with the rowdy SoCal fans, but if this was about firing him, why did Grimm have to ask him to come. Even if he wanted to tell him in person, why keep Boneyard outside?

"How'd you like to book some wrestling again?"

Grimm's question took Jason by complete surprise. CJ Weston hadn't been seen for months, but technically he was still the head booker of GSW. Grimm and Big Magic certainly didn't have the mind to do the booking in his absence. Apparently they had run out of his plans and cliff notes and needed some help.

"GSW isn't the same as 4C, Grimm. And it doesn't feel right to take Weston's meal ticket. I just doesn't" he replied, still somewhat lost.

"That what you think this is about?" Grimm laughed. Jason still wasn't sure if he should be relieved or intimidated further. A tap on the door snapped him out of whatever daze he was getting into. "Ah, just in time" Grimm chuckled. "Come in!"

The door opened and Jason's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Don't think I need to introduce you two" Grimm chuckled again. Clearly, he was having a blast out of this.

The wide frame of Sayeed Ali almost concealed the door behind him. Ever the respectful professional, Ali shook Grimm's hand, then offered a handshake to Evans as well. "Been a while, Jason. Good to see you again" Ali said in his deep bass voice.

Too Hot shook his head, still in shock. "Alright, you two wanna tell me what this is all about?"

"N***a been calling me forever trying to get booked to a GSW show" Grimm said, his laugh not enough to conceal his ego.

"I was aware of this company, but following the shows on WrestleWorld blew my mind" Ali finally cut to the chase. "This place is run by black people. Booked by them. Employs them. Presents matches and stories they can relate to. I'm tired of wrestling being produced by white men for a white male audience. Look at us" he said, pointing to Grimm. "The blinged up pimp boss". His finger moved to Evans. "The rapper and breakdancer". He finally pointed at himself with a thumb. "The street thug. Those are the only roles we can ever hope to portray. Maybe a star athlete, if we're lucky to have sports background. I'm tired of brothers being shoehorned into stereotypes".

Jason suddenly realized he was starting to have that fiery emotion inside him, as if hearing a speech before battle and waiting for it to end so he could scream with the rest at the top of his lungs before charging into battle. Ali was almost cutting a promo as he spoke.

"Been calling Grimm here, cause I wanted to be a part of this. To be different. To be myself. Figured maybe we could do an East-West Coast war thing, or something" Ali continued.

"That shit been done to death, it ain't the f***ing 90s anymore" Grimm cut in. "But I'd already sent Weston out East on a business trip. WrestleWorld's given us a wider audience, but I can't count on that alone to take over the nation. So CJ flew over to see if he could set up Grimm East Coast Wrestling, help us open up shop over there. Ain't nobody doin' what we do in the East. And if Ali feels like he said he feels, I bet there's a much wider audience over there that feels the shame. Untapped market, no competition. Anyway, this is what Weston came back with."

Grimm pulled out an old, messed up poster from his stack of papers and laid it out in front of Evans. None of the names on it meant anything to him, but the logo did.

"I bought the name and rights to Harlem Wrestling Alliance" Grimm continued. "Of course, people remember that as one of the shittiest companies in the business, so we gonna rebrand it to Association instead of Alliance. Ali here knows the business, he agreed to run that side, but he's gonna need some help."

"I'm shit when it comes to ideas" Ali said frankly. "I can promote myself and work on my character, but I can't come up with the same stuff for an entire roster, plus storylines and all that stuff. So Grimm here suggested you could fill in that part. You used to book for 4C and I know I can get along with you, so it's a good start. What do you think?"

Jason Evans, better known as Too Hot, looked up from the flyer. "I think we need to make an angle out of this at Block Party. We need the exposure of WrestleWorld to turn eyeballs towards HWA."

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Historian · February 23, 2021

Sayeed! Super excited to see him here.

Peppermint Rage · February 23, 2021

HWA, now that's interesting

DarK_RaideR · February 25, 2021

Pre-show: Black Diamond defeated Shooting Star Perez. (Rating: 21)

Omar and Papa Swoll defeated Devyn Retribution and G Force. (Rating 32)

Miss Jones & Public Enemy defeated Max Mayhem and Noah Nadir (Rating: 29)

Nearly a half hour pre-show for GSW this month, limiting the untrained or unpopular members of the roster to dark matches. Of note is the significant improvement of Miss Jones who is starting to accustom herself to the hardcore style, as well as her apparent chemistry alongside PE#1, which is expected to turn into a regular pairing in order to help train and elevate the promising youngster next to the AAA veteran.

Brother Grimm and Big Magic open the show, taking turns on the mic to welcome fans, run down the card to hype up matches and announce the creation of Harlem Wrestling Association, GSW's sister promotion in the East Coast. Grimm is not shy about putting himself over as the one who invested a significant amount of cash to buy the rights, set up the company and expand GSW's brand way past the West Coast alone. (Rating: 56)

Following a hot start, the opening match sees the West Coast championship defended as Tavon Blake Jr faces former title holder Top Dolla, who seems to be on a roll as of late. Blake tries to keep things clean and technical, while Dolla takes every chance to steer the match towards a more hardcore direction. In theory, this should be about a clash of styles but the execution is awkward and the wrestlers just don't mesh. As is tradition, Dolla takes his signature insane bump jumping off the balcony but comes up short and Blake is able to pick him up for the Black Plex that ends the match. (Rating: 34)

After the match, E-Soteric comes down to the ring. The atmosphere is tense as a post-match attack seems to be around the corner and TBJ plays that up, reluctant to take E-Soteric's hand to stand back up or receive congratulations. E-Soteric gets on the mic to congratulate Blake and tells him he considered his offer. He's glad Blake is willing to offer him a rematch, but he's done some thinking and decided to aim higher. E-Soteric says there's no point playing Big Magic's game and fighting Blake, when they can still be on the same side and take over, with Blake as West Coast champion and himself as American champion. The segment ends with the two men shaking hands and celebrating, before returning backstage together. (Rating: 40)

GSW holds all matches under hardcore rules: no countouts, no disqualifications, so weapons and brawls across the Warehouse are frequent, but in what was essentially a grudge match between Capp and Magwitch, weapons got scattered around the ring and fans were also encouraged to bring their own to be handed over to the wrestlers. Unsurprisingly, Capp was the fan favourite and handed several items whereas Magwitch had to grab them himself, sometimes right out of fans’ hands, though a few bloodthirsty ones freely passed him something to hit his opponent with. Blood was drawn pretty quick after Capp hit a DDT onto a barb wire wrapped board, the red mixing with the white makeup on the demented clown’s face as he smiled with glee underneath it all. Magwitch was in his element and he took Capp to the very early days of GSW with his style, but Capp got the last laugh when he hit a Mafia Kick to put his opponent through a table and then score the pinfall. (Rating: 37)

Motor City Made took center stage next, with "The Baddest Bitch in the Business" Foxxy LaRue hyping up Deaf Touch and praising his well-documented resilience in light of the scheduled main event where he'd be defending his American title against Fro Sure. (Rating: 41)

Aces High and Mobstar showed up to defend the Tag Team titles for the Long Beach Crew, with Cali Slick coaching them from ringside. Likewise, Brown Pride had Mexico's Finest in their corner, the presence of the two big heavy hitters ensuring that neither would have completely free reign to get involved in the match. The two teams picked up the hardcore action from where the previous match left off and hit the pedal to the metal for an all out insane bout from bell to bell. Mobstar proved he's every bit as good a heavy hitter as Slick and able to work with Aces, holding his ground against the opposition in a match that at one point broke down to a six man brawl. Him and Aces tried to hit the High and Low at one point but a bit of miscommunication cost them control of the action and Aces took the Border Toss outside the ring in retaliation, but the pin could not be counted outside the ring and Mobstar's Flattener DDT finally ended the match as the champions retained. (Rating: 43)

Fro Sure cut his response promo next, providing fans with a breather from the crazy action but still keeping them hot as the show was reaching it peak. Given full freedom on the mic, the bro with the fro had fans in the palm of his hand as he pumped them up for the main event, promising to piledrive DT as many times as he'll have to capture the American title. (Rating: 49)

For Stash, this was the next step in becoming GSW's top big man, following his big victory over BB Colossus at A Matter of Respect, but for Boneyard, both his career as a wrestler and Grimm's chief of security were on the line. The stakes were high, the story was there and everything was set for a clash of the giants. With way less physical limitations than BB Colossus, Boneyard was able to do much better in terms of having a competitive match, trading blows back and forth with Stash. Despite the lack of any high flying or technical wrestling, the match was gripping and hard hitting, plus a lot of the story it told was about which man would be able to lift the other and pull off a slam first.

BB Colossus wasn't scheduled to appear at all throughout the night, but he showed up regardless and turned his attention to Stash, assisting Boneyard get the upper hand and lift him for a Choke Slam that got him the pin. (Rating: 40)

After the match, the two men did not celebrate together but Boneyard acknowledged BB's presence and didn't seem to mind; thus, the match ended on a somewhat mysterious note, with fans wondering whether this was a one-off assist or if they were actually witnessing State of Destruction's reunion as a furious Stash was being helped to the back by Kandii and GSW staff. (Rating: 50)

The main event was a highly anticipated showdown and it did not disappoint, pitting two of GSW's most popular, talented and charismatic stars against each other. Both the in-ring action and fan engagement were in a whole league of their own here, compared to the rest of the card; it really was the highlight of the show.

Straight from the opening bell, DT punched Fro right in the mouth and it set the tone for the match, a fast paced and hard hitting contest that looked and felt a lot like a boxing match at first. The two men put a clever spin on the usual recipe of a wild brawl, keeping things physical and intense but inside the ring. By the time a lariat had both men going over the rope and continuing their fight outside, it came naturally as another big hit with plenty of impact and the two men too caught up in their struggle to bother with things like getting back inside the ring. Foxxy LaRue was at ringside, but she aided the match without getting directly involved in it, throwing signs in the air to pass hints and directions to DT. Much like he hinted earlier during his promo, Fro was a bit too focused in trying to hit the Sure Thing piledriver and put his opponent out; this meant he didn't put in the work needed to wear him down before trying to pull off such a complicated move and the champion escaped every single time to take control of the match. This all added up in the end and thanks to his superior toughness and stamina, Touch pulled off a slick Crooked Moonsault to score the pin and keep his title, marking down his sixth defense. (Rating: 55)

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DarK_RaideR · February 26, 2021

Sayeed! Super excited to see him here.

HWA, now that's interesting

I'm curious, so asking for reader input: would you like to see a breakdown of HWA's roster as hype before their first show, or would you rather have the show with a surprise roster and then get the graphic of all active members?

Historian · February 27, 2021

Hype before! I want to know who they got!

willr0ck · February 27, 2021

Before please, I too am curious. I love me some GSW but now you have left me no choice - East coast all day baby!

DarK_RaideR · February 27, 2021

ACTIVE WRESTLERS

ANTIX

Nickname: The Kelowna Playa

Size: Muscular Middleweight

Style: Regular Wrestler

Finisher: Murder On The Dancefloor

Teams: Reckless Antix (with Xavier Reckless)

Theme:

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BLACK DIAMOND

Nickname: None

Size: Muscular Lightweight

Style: Regular Wrestler

Finisher: Belly To Belly Suplex

Teams: None

Theme:

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GRAVEDIGGA

Nickname: Dead Man Walking

Size: Ripped Lightweight

Style: Brawler

Finisher: Flying Headbutt

Teams: None

Theme:

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MARIE PUNNEN

Nickname: None

Size: Ripped Lightweight

Style: Striker

Finisher: Scissor Kick

Teams: None

Theme:

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MUTANT

Nickname: King of the Sewer

Size: Muscular Big Heavyweight

Style: Powerhouse

Finisher: The TMNTurner

Teams: None

Theme:

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NATE DE MARCUS

Nickname: The Great

Size: Muscular Light Heavyweight

Style: Powerhouse

Finisher: Snap Tackle

Teams: Jock Shock (with Tyrone Gray)

Theme:

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SAYEED ALI

Nickname: The East Side Assassin

Size: Muscular Light Heavyweight

Style: Regular Wrestler

Finisher: G.B.H. Driver

Teams: None

Theme:

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TOO HOT

Nickname: None

Size: Toned Lightweight

Style: Entertainer

Finisher: Heat Seeking Missile

Teams: None

Theme:

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TYRONE GRAY

Nickname: High Energy

Size: Toned Lightweight

Style: High Flyer

Finisher: Tumbleweed Splash

Teams: Jock Shock (with Nate DeMarcus)

Theme:

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XAVI FERRERA

Nickname: The Superstar

Size: Muscular Middleweight

Style: Regular Wrestler

Finisher: High Impact Frog Splash, Ferrerarana

Teams: None

Theme:

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XAVIER RECKLESS

Nickname: The Reckless One

Size: Muscular Lightweight

Style: Brawler

Finisher: Slingshot DDT, The Reckless Bomb

Teams: Reckless Antix (with Antix)

Theme:

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DarK_RaideR · March 1, 2021

"To all the killers and a hundred dollar billas..."

The iconic "Shook Ones, Pt.II" brings the speakers and then the audience to life as "The East Side Assassin" Sayeed Ali makes his entrance to a loud ovation.

Ali: "I never thought I'd see the day where a wrestling promotion run by black people, employing black people and appealing to a black audience would exist in New York. But here we are and I'm damn proud to be a part of it. Sixteen years in this business , I'm sick and tired of seeing people pigeonholed into the same three or four roles just because of their skin color. We're raised to think we'll be like Nicky Champion or Rocky Golden, but we're lucky if we end up as Remo at best: a big, bad, evil, dangerous black man. We only get to be good guys if we're harmless: funny rappers or pimped up caricatures. Well I say f**k that!"

"All my life, I've been vilified for being black. I was the gangsta. The street thug. And I marched to that tune, because I had to make a living and feed my family. But no more. I get to stand my ground and be myself now. I get to be a proud black Muslim man and in tonight's main event, I get to show the world I can do so much more than swing chairs and throw fists. So until then, enjoy yourselves, brothers and sisters. I know I will."

Although he's mainly made his name in the West Coast, Gravedigga got a good response during his entrance, his easy-to-grasp gimmick and WrestleWorld exposure ensuring that even fans who weren't jumping to his entrance music just couldn't ignore him. Too Hot came out next, jiving to the groove of his theme and high fiving fans on his way to the ring. The happy vibes and positivity was a stark contrast to the grim intensity of Gravedigga. Last out was Mutant, with an interesting and nerdy New York twist to his gimmick: instead of looking like someone out of a Mad Max movie, he wore a large turtle shell on his back, strapped to a sewer lid on his chest while announced as the King of the Sewer instead of the Wasteland. What he did keep the same though was his bizarre antics as he headed to the ring, rolling his eyes, shaking like he was having a seizure and mumbling the nonesense lyrics of the music that was blasting during his entrance.

The match could best be described as variations on a hardcore theme: Gravedigga brought the gritty realness of GSW, Mutant was the big powerhouse but still threw in some of the crazy brawling and blood-spattered action he's become known for in Puerto Rico, while Too Hot worked the crowd using his charisma and popped them with some flashy high flying moves. Given his size and power, the intimidating Mutant saw his two opponents work together to bring him down, but nearly ten minutes into the match, the lights went low, the speakers came alive and a video rolled on the big screen...

The distraction was enough for Too Hot to dropkick Gravedigga off the apron where he was standing and about to enter the ring, but Mutant also took advantage to surprise Too Hot and hit him with his finisher for the pin, which has also been renamed from The Tina-Turner into The TMNTurner.

The video's cinematic intro eventually went into the actual song and as Ice Cube's "I rep that West" started playing, out came...

...a barely recognizable CJ Weston, complete with a shaved head, eyepatch and black goatee! Gravedigga especially, the man who had taken Weston out with a crazy dive in GSW months ago, looked starstruck.

Weston: "Finally... the time has come for me to resurface... as the owner of Harlem Wrestling Association! Oh, did you think it was Brother Grimm who set this all up? Well, if I'm being honest, it was Grimm's money... but this whole thing belongs to me! Should have read the fine print, Brrrrother, or looked into where the money for your investment was coming from. Either way, it's high time I revealed myself, because what good is power if you do not wield it? And wield it I shall, starting from you, Harvey..."

Weston pointed to the announcer table where Harvey Manners, former voice of Rapid Pro Wrestling, had been providing commentary for the DVD version of the show. Manners looked an equal mix of puzzled, shocked, surprised and curious. That or he was going for one of the above and couldn't make it stand out. After all, he's an announcer, not an actor.

An eerie, haunting music poured out from the speakers as the lights were dimmed low, leaving a single spotlight on the entrance. After a few minutes of expectation, a man in a black suit and shirt with a blood red tie walked there, his head hung low. Slowly, he raised his head to reveal himself as...

Travis Century!

There was something unusual about him though. He seemed calm, in a brooding, sinister way. His movement was fluid, calculated, as he made his way next to Harvey Manners and picked up a microphone. Once he spoke, his voice was deep, suggestive almost, nothing like the crazed southern preacher wrestling fans have known all these years.

Century: "Thank you for your trust in me, Mr. Weston. I shall see to it that our deal is carried out to the letter."

Without any further explanation and having provided more questions than answers, Century sat down and put on a headset to provide commentary alongside Manners.

Next up, the only two women announced so far as members of the HWA roster entered the ring for a match, although things quickly spilled out of it and they ended up brawling in the seats between the fans. Both relatively large and quite hard hitting in comparison to most female wrestlers, Diamond and Punnen provided an intense contest, even if they couldn't quite make it click. Sadly, many of the fans were not aware of who these wrestlers were and, seasoned as they've been for years, used this match as a break to hit the concession stands or go to the bathroom, leaving Diamond to pin Punnen after a powerful Belly To Belly Suplex that did not get the reaction it deserved.

Next up, the PSW teaming of Reckless Antix took on MAW's Nate "The Great" DeMarcus and Tyrone Gray who were introduced as Jock Shock, a reference to their remarkable athleticism. The story in this match was built around the different philosophies of the teams involved, with Reckless Antix being a pairing of similar wrestlers in style and mindset, whereas Jock Shock were a balance act between the power of DeMarcus and the high flying of Gray that's earned him the nickname of "High Energy". The contest had something for every taste and was extremely well-rounded, the only issue probably being that the match felt more like a feature match of two teams from other promotions rather than a clash of two HWA tag teams, and Xavier Reckless scored the pin over Gray with a rough looking Slingshot DDT.

"It's All About The Benjamins" began playing and out came a suited Xavi Ferrera with a smug look on his face. The Puerto Rican star ignored fans trying to high five him and even looked disgusted at the attempts to touch him, a move that earned him a round of boos.

Ferrera: "You know, for a moment I thought maybe this company could get a half-decent venue for their first show instead of this dump. Alright, let's make one thing perfectly clear. I'm not here to entertain you. In fact, I'm too good for this HWA. You folks don't deserve me. But I'm here still and the only reason for that is to get paid, win matches, then get paid even more. So just sit back and shut your mouths while I take care of business and kick off my winning streak. Bring out my opponent!"

Ali came out running to the ring and furious after Ferrerra's promo. After having removed just his tie and cufflinks, Ferrerra slid out of the ring and called for a timeout in order to remove his suit and prepare, but Ali wasn't out to show any mercy. This led to a frantic ringside brawl and Ferrerra's suit getting ripped, a spot that got a good reaction from the fans. After beating up his opponent, Ali rolled him back inside but got caught during his return when Ferrera blindsided him with a dropkick, getting some impressive hangtime courtesy of his track and field background. Instead of slowing things down though, Xavi picked up the pace with a series of moves building up to the Ferrerrarana, only for Ali to block and reverse it into a powerbomb. From there, Ali bent over his fallen opponent and pulled him up with a surprising Deadlift German Suplex to showcase his straight wrestling skills, just like he'd said during his opening promo. The move got him a two count and Ferrera got first to his feet with a ninja-like kip up to resume the offensive, but again when he attempted the Ferrerrarana, Ali was able to block the move and this time turn it around to hit his own finisher, the G.B.H. Driver, finally getting the three count to start his HWA run with a win and end the show on a high note.

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DarK_RaideR · March 16, 2021

The episode begins with Brother Grimm making an entrance, accompanied by Boneyard. Grimm gets in the ring and says he wants to address CJ Weston's words. A clip from HWA's debut show airs, treating the L.A. fans to what happened, in case they weren't already aware from the internet and social media. The tape rolls and Weston's promo is shown, but when Travis Century's music hits...

...the man himself shows up out of the curtain, in the flesh, at the Warehouse! With a calm but snarky tone, Travis Century cuts a snappy promo, mocking Grimm and his illusion of being in control. Grimm cuts him off and tells him he's got a lot of nerve to show up in his club, his show and talk like that.

BB Colossus' music plays and the big behemoth comes out to walk down the ramp alongside Travis Century. The two men stare down Grimm and Boneyard in a mirror-type situation, when all of a sudden, Boneyard grabs Grimm by the throat and chokeslams him! The shocking moment is followed by BB Colossus pulling Grimm up, only for him and Boneyard to hit him again with their tag team finishing move.

Big Magic runs down to the ring in an attempt to save Grimm, but BB hits him with the Colossus Avalanche as soon as he gets through the ropes. With Grimm and Magic laid out in the ring, Travis Century picks up the mic and says that "things are about to change" as the reunited State of Destruction flank him like obedient soldiers. (Rating: 43)

The opening contest functions more as a breather after the shocking start of the episode, with two seemingly random pairings for a tag match, although it quickly becomes apparent that Miss Jones and Public Enemy #1 have an intrinsic understanding of each other's styles, to the point where PE#1 might actually put on a better performance than when he was teaming with Hard-1 as the Lone Star Crew. The punchline comes at the finish though, with Miss Jones hitting her Candy Cane finisher but landing it badly; her team wins the match, but ref Vinnie Moore calls in the medics to check on her afterwards, the flashlight in the eye routine hinting at a potential concussion. (Rating: 29)

Things pick up in the following contest, where LaRue goes toe to toe with the intimidating ex-con leader of Los Guerilleros. His two allies are at ringside and so is Deaf Touch for LaRue. Finest gives no quarter from the get-go and doesn't underestimate his opponent, so between that and LaRue's fiery style, it doesn't take long for the slugfest to spill out of the ring and turn into a 3 vs 2 situation. The fighting goes all through the crowd and it ends with LaRue hitting a Flash Head Kick out of nowhere in the middle of the ring to get the big pin over Finest. (Rating: 39)

Backstage, Sayeed Ali walks up to Busta Capp and cuts a quick promo to praise him, saying he sees something of himself in him, like a West Coast equivalent. Capp isn't pleased though, saying Ali isn't being real and calling him a sellout. Fro Sure walks into the scene and greets them both, offering to show Ali around and help him if he's going to hang around in GSW. Disappointed, Ali shakes his head and walks out of the scene, with Capp doing the same after a bit. (Rating: 44)

Tavon Blake Jr. accompanies E-Soteric to the ring for the main event, his first big test against one of GSW's big players. Slick is also accompanied by Aces High and Mobstar, who help him with sneak attacks or by sliding in weapons for him to use. The match plays out as a hardcore bloody brawl and despite standing his ground, E-Soteric ultimately falls to the Slick-Back. (Rating: 51)

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DarK_RaideR · March 24, 2021

Big Magic comes to the ring as the episode begins, cutting a promo about last week's events. He addresses State of Destruction attacking Brother Grimm, saying they'll face Busta Capp and Fro Sure tonight in the main event, but goes on to talk about HWA talent like Sayeed Ali and Travis Century, saying he won't be having any outsiders run around unchecked. His mic feed gets cut off and Travis Century appears at the entrance, alone, to mock Magic for his illusion of having a grip on things in GSW. (Rating: 31)

Top Dolla dives out onto Papa Swoll as he's still making his entrance, starting the match off at full speed and turning it into a ringside brawl. The two men trade blows in the crowd, with Dolla using anything he can grab from the audience as a weapon or looking for ways to launch himself onto his opponent. Swoll is at first taken aback, but the big man is able to withstand the assault and shake off the cobwebs, using his strength to take control of the fight, bring it back between the ropes and flatten his opponent with The Pounce to win. (Rating: 30)

With their two stablemates at ringside each, the high flyers of the Long Beach Crew and Los Guerilleros clash in a bout that turns out much better than it actually had any right to be. Their high flying is complemented by liberal use of weapons and hardcore action and LNF brings an abrupt end to the contest when he manages to roll Aces up for a flash pin. (Rating: 38)

A pre-recorded promo from Motor City Made airs next, with Foxxy LaRue doing the talking as she hypes up Deaf Touch, who's standing by with the American title resting on his shoulder. LaRue comments on the presence of HWA workers in GSW and the "coup" as she calls it, of Travis Century, pointing out that as GSW's top champion, Deaf Touch will be in the frontlines for this and so will she. (Rating: 50)

As was announced at the start of the episode, the reunited State of Destruction, escorted to the ring by Travis Century, face Busta Capp and Fro Sure in the main event. As two of GSW's top fighters, Capp and Fro are able to hold their ground against the two behemoths, but struggle to function together as a team. The story of the match is built around that, as well as SoD getting used to being a team again and functioning under a manager's direction. This leads to a lot of back and forth in an unusually open match, until Travis Century decides to take matters into his own hands and pulls Fro's hair to stop his momentum, creating an opening for Boneyard to chokeslam him and get the pin. (Rating: 40)

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Historian · March 24, 2021

Love State of Destruction getting the big main event win!

DarK_RaideR · March 24, 2021

Love State of Destruction getting the big main event win!

Well they had to, if I'm going to re-establish them as a major threat, BB lost to Stash and Boneyard to DT. Having the victory come through the mastermind of Travis Century was the icing on the cake that should help him as a presence too. I love the alternate take on him as a smooth talking quasi-satanic southern gentleman.

DarK_RaideR · April 6, 2021

The episode kicks off with Big Magic in his office as he delivers a speech to Busta Capp, Fro Sure and E-Soteric. Magic puts GSW over as everyone's workplace to be defended from the likes of CJ Weston and Travis Century, then calls the three men loyal to GSW, which earns E-Soteric a side glance from the others. The discord doesn't end there, as Capp seems unwilling to trust anyone, Fro can't take things seriously and E-Soteric's ego seems to be making him paranoid. (Rating: 41)

The opening match sees Tavon Blake Jr put his West Coast title on the line against Magwitch. The bout plays out as a clash of styles, with TBJ trying to keep things clean, technical and between the ropes while GSW's resident demented clown brings the hardcore insanity in spades. The five or so minutes this match lasts are pretty intense and the end sees the champion retain after hitting the heavy set clown with a big Black Plex for the pin. (Rating: 36)

Following last week's match between LatiNoFear and Aces High, this week it's time for MexiCain and Mobstar to go one on one, with their respective crews at ringside of course. Fists fly in a wild brawl that quickly spills outside the ring and turns into a six man free for all, exciting fans who get a "fight forever" chant going on. In the end, it comes down to the size advantage of Mobstar, who seems extra driven to prove himself to his new allies and takes out his opponent with the Flattener DDT to score the equalizer between the two groups. (Rating: 45)

Flanked by his two menacing clients in a dark room barely lit by candles, Travis Century cuts a short promo in his smooth tone, mocking Grimm and Magic for their "illusion of control" and reminding Raheem Stash that the trio has not forgotten about him. Century ends his speech by saying State of Destruction have many enemies but are unpredictable and no one knows where they're going to strike next. (Rating: 46)

Deaf Touch faces Raheem Stash in the main event, a non-title match that still packs a punch and plenty of hardcore action. Foxxy LaRue is at ringside and not shy to throw in a few shots to help DT, even if that ends with Stash driving her to the ringside floor with a Standing Powerslam. This throws DT off and the big Jamaican seems to be in control of the match, until Travis Century's music plays and he comes down to the ring. Stash looks around, ready to face State of Destruction, however Boneyard and Colossus never show up, instead Touch uses the opening to swing momentum in his favor and build up to a Mafia Kick-Crooked Moonsault finish for the pin. (Rating: 45)

</div>

DarK_RaideR · April 8, 2021

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><div style="padding: 15px; border: 3px solid #000000; margin:10px;background: #6e1812; max-width:55%;box-shadow: 0 6px 12px ";"></p><img alt="hz7Sa0o.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hz7Sa0o.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p>

<img alt="5a9978c2a2447a0be5be82b08a841c93.png" data-src="https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210408/5a9978c2a2447a0be5be82b08a841c93.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="nNSl9ps.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/nNSl9ps.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="gLotsxg.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/gLotsxg.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

The feed cuts in halfway to what seems to be an intense conversation between Big Magic and Travis Century. Magic is snarling in rage, but a smirking Century tells him it's an offer he can't refuse and all he has to do is put his name on the bottom. Grunting, the Commissioner of Violence eventually yields and puts his signature on the paper resting on his desk, which Century then rolls up before he walks away. (Rating: 38)</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="dd56faa0abdac6e91144eacf08e6a720.png" data-src="https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210408/dd56faa0abdac6e91144eacf08e6a720.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="vYCIMev.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/vYCIMev.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zDMiefK.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zDMiefK.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="SR2tg7r.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/SR2tg7r.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

Swoll's size, power and agility prevents Colossus from casually manhandling him around like he does with most his opponents, leading to a rather even match. "Even" hardly equals "competitive" though and BB's plodding pace is masked with tons of hardcore violence, some flashy moves on Swoll's part and Travis Century playing up the rolled paper in his hand. Swoll ends up getting overconfident when he manages to pull off a series of moves in a row, which in turn allows BB to cut him off and hit his finisher to win the match. (Rating: 36)</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="5f9aff3e3cad7d5150c3a85caa48424a.png" data-src="https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210408/5f9aff3e3cad7d5150c3a85caa48424a.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="i6vSoMR.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/i6vSoMR.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="25yTZSL.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/25yTZSL.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zDMiefK.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zDMiefK.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="c3rzWo1.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/c3rzWo1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="m6Ok8CN.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/m6Ok8CN.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

What should have been a pretty one-sided match ends up actually quite competitive, thanks to the surprising teamwork on display from Mayhem and Dolla, as well as Deaf Touch still suffering from the aftereffects of a hard hitting match against Stash last week. LaRue ends up having to do most of the heavy lifting for her team and that catches up to her, with Max Mayhem using the Canadian Tumbleweed to take her out for a shocking pinfall victory. (Rating: 41)</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="1439b7007ab428977af896c7a1bb57b2.png" data-src="https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210408/1439b7007ab428977af896c7a1bb57b2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="CnAns7p.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CnAns7p.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="R28fWdY.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/R28fWdY.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Pb1IDcu.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Pb1IDcu.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

Next up is a pre-taped promo from the Long Beach Crew, shot in the sunny streets of LBC. Slick does most of the talking, straight into the camera. The leader of the crew says that Aces and Mobstar have the Tag Team titles to defend at Gatecrasher, but he's available and looking to claim all the gold in GSW for his crew. Slick wraps up his promo with a challenge to the American champion for a cage match to ensure there's no outside interference, telling LaRue to pass the message to Deaf Touch. (Rating: 31)</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="fa2b98248c35c533def259e4aa41d278.png" data-src="https://fontmeme.com/permalink/210408/fa2b98248c35c533def259e4aa41d278.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

</span></span><img alt="wajQZQx.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wajQZQx.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zDMiefK.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zDMiefK.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BMF2Qws.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BMF2Qws.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="zDMiefK.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/zDMiefK.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="wifnrLi.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/wifnrLi.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span style="font-family:'Courier New';">

Before the match, Travis Century joins Clifford Caves and MC Motormouth to announce that according to his contract with Big Magic, if Boneyard wins this match, State of Destruction will be getting a tag title shot at Gatecrasher, but if Capp and Fro somehow work out their issues to defeat him, Century will never again appear in GSW. This sets the tone for the actual match, essentially a 2 on 1 handicap match until Capp and Fro implode. The intensity in the air leads to some hard hitting blows and the three men brawl all through the audience, until Travis Century provides the assist, blindsiding Capp with an eye rake that allows Boneyard to chokeslam him and get the three count. (Rating: 45)</span></span></p></div><p></p><p></div></p>

DarK_RaideR · April 14, 2021

Pre-show: Magwitch, G Force, Shooting Star Perez and Sheila Maivia defeated Omar, Devyn Retribution, Black Diamond and Jo Baker. (Rating: 25)

A 4 vs 4 match was held prior to the official start of the main show, mainly featuring workers who weren't booked to wrestle otherwise. This included two rookie female workers who are said to be likely to join GSW full-time eventually, but only time will tell if that actually comes to pass.

Big Magic kicked off the show with a promo introducing Brother Grimm, who made his return after being taken down by State of Destruction. Fans welcomed him with a roaring applause and Grimm basked in it all before he got on the mic to thank the audience. Things however took a surprise turn when Grimm stated he is happy to be back, but disappointed at how Magic seems to have been running the show while he was away. With the Commissioner of Violence in a bit of a shock, Grimm wrapped an arm around his shoulder and invited him to join him backstage to watch the show, but there was certainly an air of intimidation to his tone, as if tonight's events would be crucial to GSW's and its Commissioner's future. (Rating: 38)

Straight into the action, the opening contest had a title on the line to get everyone pumped and excited as TBJ defended the belt against LaRue. The two competitors certainly were hyped and they went all out in a fast paced and supremely competitive bout that had fans hooked while proving that GSW can actually put on some quality wrestling matches and not just garbage hardcore brawls. LaRue's slickness and lucha experience from QAW paid off against TBJ's rock solid technique, with the most characteristic example being a moment she jumped off the second rope for a back elbow drop, only to get caught in a smooth german suplex for a two count. It was fast, it was intense, it was exciting and it ended in somewhat of a shock when LaRue caught Blake with the Flash Head Kick for the three count, ending his reign to become the new West Coast champion. In an unusual (at least for GSW standards) display of sportsmanship, Blake actually accepted his loss and congratulated LaRue after the match, before he rolled out of the ring to give her a chance to celebrate. (Rating: 46)

Always the vocal type, Foxxy LaRue grabbed a mic and cut a promo with her title in hand, thanking fans and talking herself up for achieving a title win just months after joining GSW. LaRue put TBJ over as one hell of a competitor (before pointing out that this still wasn't enough to defeat the "baddest bitch in this business") and wished her Motor City Made ally luck in his main event match tonight, saying she hopes they'll celebrate after the show with both the company's singles titles in hand. (Rating: 49)

After their surprise success against Motor City Made, the all-white pairing of Max Mayhem and Top Dolla, now introduced as "Wild Things" due to their reckless antics, had a match here against the powerhouse pairing of Papa Swoll and Raheem Stash. This was the antithesis the story of the match was built upon, size and strength versus crazy suicidal hardcore spots, with Top Dolla once again hitting his signature balcony dive he couldn't follow up with a pinning predicament. Oddly enough, Swoll and Stash also seemed to have that natural understanding of each other's style, mirroring that of Mayhem and Dolla, which in turn made the match feel like it was between two teams that have been tagging for quite some time.

Unfortunately, this unexpectedly good match was interrupted by State of Destruction who attacked Raheem Stash, with Travis Century directing the mayhem. This tipped the scales in favor of Wild Things, as it essentially deprived Swoll of his teammate and despite a heroic stand, he ultimately fell to Mayhem's Canadian Tumbleweed finisher, another win for him and Top Dolla. (Rating: 41)

Public Enemy #1 made his entrance next for his match and took the time to cut a quick promo, showing respect his opponent. Enemy praised Sayeed Ali and listed his accolades, saying the Path of Rage went through the East Side Assassin and that tonight, he was ready to be tested by one of the best hardcore wrestlers around. (Rating: 34)

First truly hardcore match of the show and despite all the violence and bloodshed, it did not turn out to be as good as it should have been, or at least as good as it sounded on paper. Fans were into the action, with Ali getting mixed reactions from people who knew who he is or simply wanted to hate on the East Coast, but the wrestling itself felt somewhat forced and something simply didn't mesh in how the two competitors interacted. As the veteran, Ali called the match and gave his opponent plenty of chances to shine by selling his offense, before he picked up on the vibe of the situation and decided to mercifully cut things short with a G.B.H. Driver. (Rating: 29)

State of Destruction got a loud reaction during their entrance due to their previous interference while Clifford Caves and MC Motormouth reminded fans that the match was taking place due to the contract Big Magic signed with Travis Century and Boneyard defeating Busta Capp and Fro Sure in a three way match. The man leading the two monsters had a nasty grin in his face as he took in the hate of the audience, but the defending champions made their entrance without Cali Slick accompanying them, since he was busy preparing for the main event and a cage match against Deaf Touch for the American title. Slick's absence was somewhat mitigated by the fact that BB and Boneyard were carrying some damage inflicted during their earlier interference, though the match itself featured all sorts of hardcore chaos. After the five minute mark, it seemed like the finish wasn't anywhere near and with BB's well-known lacking gas tank, the Long Beach Crew had the odds in their favor to retain. Until the eighth and a half minute, that is, when Mobstar turned and hit Aces High with his Flattener DDT. The audience and announcers exploded, Travis Century went into a fit of mad cackling and BB Colossus followed up with his own finisher, covering Aces to win the match and titles in what felt like a huge swerve. (Rating: 41)

Mobstar joined State of Destruction for a 3 on 1 post match beatdown, knowing full well that Slick had his hands full tonight or perhaps daring him to run out and try to make the rescue. Travis Century took the opportunity to cut a promo and mock Aces High for trusting Mobstar, a man who'd already betrayed his partner once in the past to cost Dead Men Walking the gold. He then went on to once again salt the wound of Big Magic and Brother Grimm losing grip on GSW, an obvious reference to the show's opening, before leaving with the three men and the tag team titles. (Rating: 39)

Los Guerilleros seemed to be in a foul mood and for good reason, after spending so much time fighting against the Long Beach Crew only to have Travis Century and his scheming swoop in to steal their shot at the tag team titles. Their opponents were the three men Big Magic had recently turned to in hopes of mounting some sort of defense against the apparent HWA invasion, with E-Soteric being the obvious weak link due to both mistrust and a certain lack of experience in big league matches compared to Capp and Fro. As expected, this six man match was wild, chaotic and all-out hardcore, resembling a street fight between rival gangs more than an actual wrestling contest. Which is exactly how Los Guerilleros like it and where they excel. Their tight connection paid off and the unit won the match in spectacular fashion after an isolated Busta Capp got set up to take MexiCain's All-Or-Nothing Headbutt. (Rating: 40)

As if Touch against Slick for the top prize wasn't exciting enough on its own, as if a cage match didn't raise the stakes enough, the entire buildup of the show added to this match and the announcing team made sure to point it out while the cage was being set up. In terms of stats, trends and momentum, both titles had changed hands earlier in the night. In terms of allies, neither man had any ringside, but Touch should be motivated by LaRue's success and pressured to retain his own title, while Slick had internal LBC issues and the loss of tag title gold to occupy his mind. It all came down to this, what was bound to be an exciting match and one that seemed like it could go either way.

Although it didn't show, the in-ring action played out like an oldschool southern cage match; this was a hard hitting brawl barely contained by all the steel, which of course was used as a weapon and caused both competitors to eventually bleed. Slick's calm exterior and sense of control was tested by the blows he took and the longer the match went on against GSW's Unbreakable champion, the man with the iron will and steel stamina. It took three Slick-Back piledrivers, one of them onto a steel chair, but in the end Slick was able to break DT long enough to score the three count, (Rating: 58)

Slick wrapped up the show with a celebratory promo, proclaiming himself back on top after his first run with the title in 2015-6. The now two-time American champion said it's been too long and proclaimed a new era for GSW, but was otherwise cryptic as to what that meant, since he had "some business to take care of in the coming weeks."

</div>

DarK_RaideR · April 16, 2021

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="8Bmaw72.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/8Bmaw72.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p>

<img alt="rtONabL.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rtONabL.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

Three months after their last comparison, IPW continue to lead the race in terms of show grades, the gap however has been closed to a single point. It's a similar story comparing attendance numbers, with Grimm's promotion behind but catching up. On top of that, GSW's higher ticket prices mean a wider profit margin for the company and suggest that if they were to match those of IPW, they could have higher attendance results to show as well. This is perhaps most obvious when comparing total viewers on the WrestleWorld platform, where GSW has a near 7.500 lead. Some of it could be attributed to having an earlier start, if only by a single month, but experts believe GSW's weekly episodic shows and its East Coast expansion via HWA are beginning to pay dividends on a national and international level, which should definately translate to a boost on GSW's sponsorship and merchandise revenue as well.</p>

DarK_RaideR · April 17, 2021

CJ Weston and Travis Century, the power couple in charge of HWA, came out to address the audience as the show kicked off.

Weston: "Last month, HWA held its first ever show and, of course, it was a great success. How could it not be a success, with me and Travis Century here in charge, calling the shots. But men such as ourselves do not think local. Our interest, our reach goes way beyond Harlem, New York. Not only do we plan to rule the East Coast, we're taking over the West Coast as well, a task I've delegated to my assistant, Travis."

Century: "The takeover of Grimm SoCal Wrestling is proceeding exactly as planned and..."

The first tunes of Sayeed Ali's theme song were enough to pop the crowd as they cut off whatever Travis Century was about to say. The East Side Assassin made his entrance with a mic in hand, looking none too happy.

Ali: "Why don't you two shut your damn mouths and stop patting each other on the damn back for a second? No one's here to listen to your stupid plans and no one even cares. HWA fans are here to watch some kick ass wrestling and stuff they can relate to. But I shouldn't expect any better I guess, not from a West Coast white guy trying to run a wrestling promotion in Harlem and his Uncle Tom lapdog!"

Ali's speech got a big reaction from the audience. Century just smirked as he listened, but Weston seemed like he'd had enough.

Weston: "Listen here, punk. You don't get to tell me how I get to go about my business, but the best part is I get to tell you about yours. Because like it or not, it's my job to dictate your job. So let me tell you and all the people here, I've got some West Coast guests visiting us tonight and you're going to get a piece of the action alright, when you step into the ring tonight to face the new GSW West Coast champion, the baddest bitch in this business, Foxxy LaRue!"

True to Weston's word, out next for the opening match walked GSW's resident psycho clown, Magwitch. Somewhat known to the audience from his early work in the East Coast (and that one match he had in PSW, before vomiting on the shoes of Alex Braun backstage afterwards) as well as any exposure he might have gotten from GSW's deal with WrestleWorld, Magwitch was able to get a reaction during his entrance, but not nearly one as electric as the King of the Sewer when it was his turn to come out. Mutant literally brought a sewer lid with him this time and he wasn't shy about using it as a weapon to get the match going off the right -hardcore- foot. Magwitch bled in spades and cackled all along like he always does, but he also had a chance to showcase his lewd sense of comedy during a spot where he made a balloon animal out of a condom he blew up and used it to taunt his opponent. Mutant was no slouch either and he gave the demented clown what's probably one of the best matches in his career thus far, before defeating him with the TMNTurner.

Too Hot and Xavi Ferrera were up next and they went all out to hit a new gear in the pace of the action as they flew around during a rather spectacular match. Too Hot's experience, charisma and athleticism proved to be a great sounding board, if not mirror, for the talented track and field athlete from Puerto Rico who sought to one-up his opponent's moves with bigger ones of his own. This built up to a finish of both men struggling to push past the exhaustion and the damage inflicted in order to hit their respective finishers, with Ferrera finally pulling of a High Impact Frog Splash that gave him impressive hang time for the final hit and pinfall victory.

Now reunited in HWA, Dead Men Walking made their debut as a team against Jock Shock and they certainly made their mark with their wild antics, double team moves and excessive use of weaponry. This made for a stark contrast to the straight wrestling of DeMarcus and Gray, a style they perfected in MAW, with Gray hitting some flashy aerial moves before being isolated on the opponents' corner for a beating. Gravedigga's overconfidence and playing to the crowd was what allowed Gray to escape and make the hot tag to DeMarcus, who came in like a house on fire to clean the ring and hit some big power moves, before nailing Gravedigga with the Rocket Launcher for the pin.

Foxxy LaRue's theme song almost played in its entirety before she made her entrance to a rather loud ovation from fans. LaRue got between the ropes and motioned for a microphone to be handed to her so she could talk.

LaRue: "What's poppin' Harlem? It's ya girl Foxxy LaRue here, straight out the bad streets of Detroit, Michigan, Motor City rough and tough. You all know I'm legit, right? I've made a name in the Lone Star State, wrestling the lucha style for Queens of American Wrestling. I broke boundaries when I signed with GSW to kick hardcore ass with those West Coast homies and just last night I beat one of them for the West Coast title. And now here I am in New York. I've been everywhere. I've seen everything. So hear me when I say, I'm the baddest bitch in this business and I'm the one to test the so-called hardcore legend that is Sayeed Ali!"

Foxxy LaRue wasn't lying when she said she was just the one to push Sayeed Ali to the limit of his abilities. The two fighters seemed to mesh almost instantly, knowing full well when to showcase their wrestling skill and when to turn up the crazy with some hardcore action or smashmouth brawling. The fight spilled to the outside and both wrestlers continued to brawl through the audience and around the venue giving no quarter, with LaRue standing up to her bigger opponent and using her wits to eliminate his physical power advantage, thus making for a rather competitive match that felt like it could end at any time out of nowhere, in favor of either participant. Ali kicked out of the Flash Head Kick at one point and LaRue slipped out of or reversed the G.B.H. Driver several times, until Ali finally was able to connect and cover her for the big win.

The main event saw the two members of Reckless Antix face off in a singles match, but it just couldn't match the excitement of what preceded it. In fact, many felt like the two bouts should have been in reverse order, especially given the intro segment that hyped LaRue versus Ali while Antix against Reckless had neither the hype nor the storyline behind it. That's not to say the in-ring action wasn't good, but it clearly wasn't as good as that of the prior bout and fans certainly had been burned out by that point. On top of that, the two men played out the story of knowing each other all too well and avoiding or reversing their moves, which built up to Reckless rolling up Antix for the pin, a finish that also felt somewhat cheap or rushed for a main event marquee match.

</div>

DarK_RaideR · April 20, 2021

The episode begins inside Big Magic’s office, where the Commissioner is trying to convince E-Soteric and Tavon Blake Jr to work together again in order to help him defend GSW against Travis Century and HWA. E-Soteric says he’s done with that and being mistrusted and TBJ adds that what the two men want is opportunities. Magic mentions they’ll get those alright, because he has something in mind to satisfy all parties involved: next week, E-Soteric and Blake will have a match against Motor City Made. Before the two men can respond, Brother Grimm walks in and says he’s got some business to discuss with the Commissioner. TBJ and E-Soteric get the cue and leave the office, the door slamming in front of the camera and leaving whatever discussion Grimm and Magic are having a mystery. (Rating: 48)

Raheem Stash and Papa Swoll, now announced as “The Answer” are in the opening match against State of Destruction. Although the tag team titles are not on the line, the personal history between Stash and the champions is more than enough to guarantee a violent fight. Travis Century is on the sidelines as always and it is his guidance (and a timely assist) that ensure victory for the champions, with BB getting the best of Swoll for the finish. (Rating: 39)

Miss Jones made her return to action after suffering a concussion, but Busta Capp did not take it easy on her because of it. Hot after his loss to Aces High at Gatecrasher, the brawler from Compton unleashed hell on the AAA veteran with no mercy and caught her by surprise with his viciousness. The wrestler formerly known as Candy Floss got very little offense in this one sided scenario and Capp took her out with a Mafia Kick for the pin that seemed to do little in terms of calming his apparent anger down. (Rating: 31)

Backstage, Foxxy LaRue is shown using sign language to converse with Deaf Touch, in light of her West Coast title win and his American title loss at Gatecrasher. Fro Sure walks into the scene and congratulates Foxxy, telling her to pass a message to DT: He’s shooting for the top prize, so Touch better get out his way or be prepared to face him for it. (Rating: 58)

Wild Things found themselves in the night’s main event, their sudden success as a team bringing them against the experienced team that is the original incarnation of the Long Beach Crew. The match was surprisingly even though, as the inexperience of Top Dolla and Max Mayhem was countered by their momentum, while Slick and Aces seemed to be struggling after losing Mobstar and the tag team titles. The communication between Aces and the new American champion was telling of the distance between them, their careers seemingly in opposite trajectories and a hint of mistrust or bitterness creeping in. This led to a minor argument between them while in control of the match, providing Top Dolla with enough time to climb up to the balcony and hit his signature suicidal dive to take out both men and end their argument. The spot and its subsequent two count seemed to work as a wake up call and after that, the Long Beach Crew seemed like their good old selves once again and floored Max Mayhem with their High And Low tag team finisher so that Aces could get the three count. (Rating: 51)

</div>

Dalton · April 20, 2021

Loving all of this man. I'll be checking back in tomorrow to give more indepth feedback because I'm not all the way through yet, but I am really enjoying what I'm reading thus far!

DarK_RaideR · April 21, 2021

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Dalton" data-cite="Dalton" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="52370" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Loving all of this man. I'll be checking back in tomorrow to give more indepth feedback because I'm not all the way through yet, but I am really enjoying what I'm reading thus far!</div></blockquote><p> Thanks a lot man, reader comments and interaction are always welcome and encourage me to keep going.</p><p> </p><p> I haven't been doing a lot of non-show narratives besides the occasional GSW-IPW comparison, but for anyone interested, HWA is already turning in a profit and GSW has one more monthly show to run before King of California, which I've turned into a season finale. At that point or just before I'm expecting it to grow in size, which is nice timing too. Got all sorts of ideas to celebrate the growth and maybe add some things going forward.</p>

DarK_RaideR · April 22, 2021

The episode kicked off hot with the menacing Mexico’s Finest delivering a beatdown to Shooting Star Perez. The masked high flyer had a hot start using his speed and agility to surprise his opponent with some fast aerial moves, but once Finest regained his composure he was firmly in control of the match till the very finish, when he chokeslammed Perez with the Hard Time through a table. (Rating: 31)

Brown Pride were at ringside for the opening match by they only cheered the leader of Los Guerilleros on, never needing to interfere in his match. Afterwards, they joined him between the ropes and MexiCain got to cut a promo on State of Destruction, as always in Spanish, saying that he and LatiNoFear are not afraid of the two big men, as they have one of their own as backup and at Degeneration, they will finally get their shot and reclaim tag team gold. The new West Coast champion did not escape MexiCain’s shots either, with him saying that either member of his group, or all three at once, would be happy to “take care of that b**ch” anytime. (Rating: 40)

Facing Magwitch was a callback to the extreme hardcore days for Fro, who has lately been getting a lot of “cleaner” opponents. The psycho clown went straight to his bloody business as Fro seemed to underestimate him and preferred to pander to the audience, a choice he’d come to regret when he got hit in the head with a steel chair. Just to make sure there would be blood, his or his opponent’s, Magwitch busted out a baseball bat wrapped in barb wire and sure enough, he and Fro bled alright. A missed dive however was enough to turn things around and Fro Sure was able to mount an offensive sequence leading up to his Sure Thing piledriver finisher for the win. (Rating: 45)

The Long Beach Crew are shown backstage, the two men arguing over nearly losing their match last week against "those punk-ass white boys" when Busta Capp walks up to them. Capp delivers some street knowledge in his pep talk, telling the two men they forgot where they came from and who they're reppin' but he'll remind them next week alright. (Rating: 45)

Much like the Long Beach Crew, Motor City Made have been struggling with their members having somewhat opposite trajectories and this allowed the highly motivated E-Soteric and TBJ to control large chunks of the match. Not that they didn't have their own internal issues as well, which bubbled up to the surface when it became apparent that Blake was putting on some great wrestling, as opposed to E-Soteric's one-dimensional brawling, with the crowd reacting accordingly. This difference in cheers brought out E-Soteric's ego and jealousy, which turned the match in favor of Motor City Made and sealed the deal courtesy of a Crooked Moonsault from Deaf Touch. (Rating: 47)

</div>

Blodyxe · April 22, 2021

Went through the diary in one sitting - top job!

Really invested in the storylines, and already have my favorites. Keep up the good work

DarK_RaideR · April 24, 2021

Motor City Made were in the office of Big Magic as the episode kicked off, the Commissioner of Violence mentioning that tonight's main event would be the Long Beach Crew against Busta Capp and Fro Sure. He also admitted that the winners would be in an advantageous position to make any requests, which fired up LaRue to claim that if Fro Sure keeps pushing for a title shot, Deaf Touch could not be counted out. Besides, she and him won their match last week. Magic's response was that there was little he could do regarding the American title, but he could work around the West Coast title. LaRue's response was that she'd be glad to put her title on the line for a chance to smack Mexico's Finest around and shut his big mouth, but the only way she'd be doing this would be if DT also was involved in a title match. (Rating: 46)

Not seen for a while, both G Force and Omar made a return to work the opening match with their high flying style and excite the fans for the rest of the episode. Though they sported similar hairstyles and wrestling moves, G Force was able to connect with the audience and get a pop for his spots, unlike Omar who got the all too familiar "boring" chants. This was most evident when G Force hit a corkscrew dive through a table, which Omar managed to get out and despite coming up empty, G Force still got a loud pop for his stunt, with Omar getting booed next once he took control of the match. Fans got what they wanted though when G Force caught Omar in a small package and was able to score a quick pin, much to the veteran's dismay. (Rating: 29)

Miss Jones just can't catch her break after her return from being injured, it seems. It didn't help that this match was heavy on the hardcore action either, something she's not quite versed with, but her involvement was limited anyway when MexiCain took her out with a vicious unprotected chair shot to the head, earning heat for himself and sympathy for his victim. This left the rookie PE#1 to do the heavy lifting for his team, in what was essentially a 3 on 1 handicap match, as Mexico's Finest was also around the sidelines. It was an uphill struggle, but clearly one he could not hope to win and after plenty of punishment he took defiantly, a recovered Miss Jones was hit with the Border Toss and pinned to end the match. (Rating: 32)

As soon as the match was over, the lights went out and a pre-taped message was shown on the big screen. Travis Century cut a promo to hype up the upcoming Tag Team titles match between State of Destruction and Brown Pride saying they should be careful what they wish for, because they just might get it. The wording per se was pretty standard, but Century's calmly menacing delivery, Boneyard and BB Colossus being menacing behind him, the lighting and the scenery all made for a very entertaining promo. (Rating: 51)

Things were explosive in the main event before the opening bell even rang and LBC jumped their opponents before introductions were over to start things off. The action quickly spilled out of the ring and followed a frantic pace, with all four men brawling wildly all over the Warehouse. There was no time to play out the strained relationship between Aces and Slick or to show whether Capp and Fro were getting along, this was frantic and action packed in order to get the adrenaline of the audience flowing. This intensity made for a hard hitting match but also one that felt it could end at any time, in either team's favor, so when Capp finally hit Aces High with a Mafia Kick for the pin, the place erupted and the episode ended with Capp and Fro celebrating with the fans as Slick crawled back into the ring to check on his teammate. (Rating: 54)

</div>

Blodyxe · April 24, 2021

Because of this diary, I decided to try booking GSW myself. Booked just one show, but Fro and Capp had no chemistry as partners

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