John Lions Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 NYCW New York City Showdown 2022 NYCW Empire Heavyweight: Riley McManus vs. Angry Gilmore © COTT World: Thom Barrowman vs. Aldous Blackfriar © The LA Stars vs. Honest Enterprises (Andrew Harper & Magnum Kobe) NYCW Tri-State Regional: Davis Wayne Newton vs. Danny Hagman © American Machine vs. Richie Riggins NYCW Tag Team Titles: The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express © Brutus Milano vs. Greg Black COTT World Six-Man Titles: The United (Jack Marlowe, Xavier Wreckless & ZomBoy) vs. Charlie Corner & Cross River Connection © Fro Sure vs. The Masked Mauler Animal Harker & Freedom Eagle vs. The Chop Shop Spike Sylvain vs. Honest Frank Jr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theheel Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 NYCW New York City Showdown 2022 NYCW Empire Heavyweight: Riley McManus vs. Angry Gilmore © COTT World: Thom Barrowman vs. Aldous Blackfriar © The LA Stars vs. Honest Enterprises (Andrew Harper & Magnum Kobe) NYCW Tri-State Regional: Davis Wayne Newton vs. Danny Hagman © American Machine vs. Richie Riggins NYCW Tag Team Titles: The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express © Brutus Milano vs. Greg Black COTT World Six-Man Titles: The United (Jack Marlowe, Xavier Wreckless & ZomBoy) vs. Charlie Corner & Cross River Connection © Fro Sure vs. The Masked Mauler Animal Harker & Freedom Eagle vs. The Chop Shop Spike Sylvain vs. Honest Frank Jr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 2, 2022 Author Share Posted June 2, 2022 New York City… where we see out 2022 with two explosive events… NYCW New York City Showdown 2022 Saturday, Week 1, December 2022 Evanovich Riverside, New York City, New York Attendance: 9,799 SINGLES MATCH: Honest Frank Jr. vs. Spike Sylvain In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Honest Frank Jr. defeated Spike Sylvain in 7:42 by pinfall with a Roll The Dice. Rating: 51 Our rookie sensation returns to some singles action and picks up the win over Spike. We had some big plans for Frank Jr in 2023 and it all starts here. TAG TEAM MATCH: Animal Harker & Freedom Eagle vs. The Chop Shop In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Animal Harker and Freedom Eagle defeated The Chop Shop in 7:33 when Animal Harker pinned Eric Mortenson with a Stump Piledriver. Rating: 51 There’s some nice chemistry between Animal Harker and Freedom Eagle and we intended to use them as a team in the New Year. We just needed a suitable gimmick. Things would hopefully get better for The Chop Shop next year, but for now they were we needed them to be. SINGLES MATCH: Fro Sure vs. The Masked Mauler In a good match, Fro Sure defeated The Masked Mauler in 10:21 by pinfall with a Sure Thing. Rating: 53 After a breakout year, the Mauler falls to rising star Fro Sure. We’d forgiven him for touring with his band and were looking forward to what he could bring to us now that he was committed. COTT WORLD SIX-MAN TITLE MATCH: The United (Jack Marlowe, ZomBoy & Xavier Wreckless) vs. Charlie Corner & Cross River Connection © In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Jack Marlowe, Xavier Reckless and ZomBoy defeated Charlie Corner and Cross River Connection in 10:02 when Jack Marlowe pinned Perfect Pepper Pelton with a Jungle Jack-Jammer following interference from Andrew Harper. Jack Marlowe, Xavier Reckless and ZomBoy win the COTT World Six-Man. Rating: 55 Honest Enterprises couldn’t help but interfere to get the belts off the youngsters. It may seem odd not have had them drop it to the Enterprise, but in Larry we trust. SINGLES MATCH: Brutus Milano vs. Greg Black In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Brutus Milano defeated Greg Black in 7:35 by submission with an Italian Backbreaker. Rating: 56 At this rate I’d have to put Brutus into the main event again. He was building momentum and racking up wins like no ones business. Why oh why did I keep doing it to myself? NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. The Fantastic Express © In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The Biggins Boys defeated The Fantastic Express in 10:08 when Brett Biggins pinned Zippy Deverell with a B-B-Gun. The Biggins Boys win the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 70 Upset of the night, but I had a good feeling that this was the right way to go. The match was superb and meant possibly incredible things ahead. SINGLES MATCH: American Machine vs. Richie Riggins In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, American Machine defeated Richie Riggins in 6:26 by pinfall with an Old Glory. Rating: 61 In arguably an even bigger shock, Richie ‘The Body’ Riggins loses clean to the American Machine, who we’d been told was soon to retire. Turns out he’d agreed to stay on for a few more months to help us cover for the loss of Richie Riggins who had selfishly signed with USPW. This was typical. We’d been working on his push for a year and at the point when we’re ready to move him up again, he leaves. NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: David Wayne Newton vs. Danny Hagman © In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Danny Hagman defeated Davis Wayne Newton in 9:34 by pinfall with a Missing Piece. Danny Hagman makes defence number two of the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 55 Danny Hagman wins in the blood feud between these two. The match suffered having followed the shocking last two matches. Hagman getting the win was the right call for now as we had new plans for the title and moving it to DWN would get in the way of that. TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. Honest Enterprises (Andrew Harper & Magnum Kobe) In a bout that had superb wrestling and great heat, Andrew Harper and Magnum Kobe defeated The LA Stars in 10:30 when Magnum Kobe submitted LA Star #2 with a Magnum Deathlock. Rating: 69 Another great match for including the LA Stars here and I was suddenly overcome with melancholy. Honest Enterprises move up the card and become more of a realistic threat… for now. COTT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Thom Barrowman vs. Aldous Blackfriar © In a superb match, Thom Barrowman defeated Aldous Blackfriar in 9:43 by pinfall with a Guided Missile. Thom Barrowman wins the COTT World Heavyweight. Rating: 65 And another shocking match sees Thom Barrowman step into the World Title sphere. This match was booked by Larry as he’d clearly got the all-clear from the COTT after news of TCW offering a contract to Aldous leaked. Barrowman was seen as a solid hand to keep hold of the title in the time being. Who was I to argue. NYCW EMPIRE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus vs. Angry Gilmore © In a classic half an hour matchup Angry Gilmore and ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus battled it out in front of a raucous New York crowd. With McManus locked into a Boston Crab, it looks like it was all over before he made the ropes for the break. Gilmore set his opponent up for the Sky High Elbow only to be caught on the way down into an Exploder Bulldog for the 1… 2… 3. In an exceptional match, Riley McManus defeated Angry Gilmore in 22:30 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex. Riley McManus wins the NYCW Empire Heavyweight. Rating: 69 OVERALL RATING: 68 121,499 viewers for the big show with the great main event. And, as per Larry’s instructions we rolled straight into a Christmas Special. Results: Herrbear - 7/11 Theheel - 6/11 John Lions - 6/11 KyTeran - 4/11 NYCW Christmas in a Cage Saturday, Week 3, December 2022 Evanovich Riverside, New York City, New York Attendance: 10,000 (SOLD OUT!?!) SINGLES MATCH: Brutus Milano vs. Richie Riggins In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Brutus Milano defeated Richie Riggins in 8:03 by submission with an Italian Backbreaker. Rating: 56 Job Richie out before he leaves passes through, as it always does, Milano Junction. I liked the idea of Brutus as the patron saint of NYCW. TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. The Chop Shop In a superb match, The LA Stars defeated The Chop Shop in 9:55 when LA Star #1 pinned Sal DiMeo with a Double Stomp. Rating: 63 A win for the most dominant tag team in the history of NYCW? That might sound crazy, but I think it’s probably right. Perhaps Coyote Dynamite, but realistically they weren’t a patch on the Stars in the ring. SINGLES MATCH: Fro Sure vs. Denny King In a good match, Fro Sure defeated Denny King in 9:59 by pinfall with a Sure Thing. Rating: 60 Great match tanks in part to these twos great chemistry. Fro Sure is picking up momentum and we’d need him to have it for the year ahead. TAG TEAM MATCH: Animal Harker & Freedom Eagle vs. The Fantastic Express In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Animal Harker & Freedom Eagle defeated The Fantastic Express in 9:39 when Animal Harker pinned Rafe Sashay by using underhanded tactics. Rating: 59 Big win for the new team as we were starting to develop their characters. Animal had started wearing facepaint to the ring, which matched the design on Eagle’s mask. I was wondering if the mask was holding him back a bit, but that was a thought for another time. Disappointing end to the year for the Fantastics. But Christmas was always a time for good to prevail over evil. NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: American Machine vs. Danny Hagman © In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Danny Hagman defeated American Machine in 6:04 by submission with a Steel Curtain. Danny Hagman makes defence number three of the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 53 These two don’t click and that meant Hagman couldn’t carry the inanimate object that was American Machine to anything even remotely passable as a good match in the current company. GANG WARS MATCH: Charlie Corner & Cross River Connection vs. Honest Enterprises In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Charlie Corner and Cross River Connection defeated Andrew Harper, The Masked Mauler and Spike Sylvain in 10:25 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Spike Sylvain with a PrydeFall. Rating: 57 Good defeats evil remember. SINGLES MATCH: Angry Gilmore vs. Greg Black In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Angry Gilmore defeated Greg Black in 21:33 by pinfall with an Anger Management. Rating: 66 A good match and a solid win for Gilmore. NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE CAGE MATCH: The Biggins Boys © vs. Riley McManus & Thom Barrowman In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, The Biggins Boys defeated Riley McManus and Thom Barrowman in a Cage match in 9:44 when Bart Biggins escaped the cage. The Biggins Boys make defence number one of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 67 The Biggins finally get their revenge over McManus & Barrowman, the two champions. Sadly the match didn’t quite live up to expectations. But it was fine. OVERALL RATING: 66 And with that the year drew to a close, but things would never be the same again. The next month would go by in a blur. We knew we were losing Richie Riggins to USPW. But there was more to come. Life was about to get a lot more interesting. With higher stakes, bigger losses and a complete revamp of how we ran things. For the Christmas Special had done exactly what Larry thought it would. It took us to Medium. Next time… Year End Review and Roster Review… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 2, 2022 Author Share Posted June 2, 2022 New York City… Year End Awards 2022… Wrestler of the Year: Mainstream Hernandez (SWF) Young Wrestler of the Year: David Stone (CWA) Female Wrestler of the Year: Brooke Tyler (CWA) Tag Team of the Year: The Amazing Bumfholes (SWF) Independent Wrestler of the Year: Yuma Maruya (5SSW) Veteran Wrestler of the Year: Enygma (SWF) Promotion of the Year: TCW Most Improved Promotion: CILL Show of the Year: TCW Threatening Behaviour (Wolf Hawkins vs. Aaron Andrews) Match of the Year: Robbie Retro vs. Jay Chord (SWF Elite – October 2022) Announcer of the Year: Mitch Naess (PSW) Colour Commentator of the Year: Emma Chase (SWF) Manager of the Year: Krissy Angelle (SWF) Top 10 Workers in the World: 1. Mainstream Hernandez (SWF) 2. Mikey Lau (SWF) 3. Rocky Golden (USPW) 4. Aaron Andrews (TCW) 5. Remo Richardson (SWF) 6. Multimillonario (EILL) 7. El Heroe Mexicano (EILL) 8. Mighty Mo (SWF) 9. Des David (SWF) 10. Greg Gauge (TCW) NYCW Workers and People of Note in Top 500: 10. Greg Gauge (Sam Keith’s son) 48. Matthew Keith (Sam Keith’s son) 53. Atom Smasher (Nevada Nuclear – NYCW Alumni) 90. Monty Trescarde (NYCW Alumni) 102. Dazzling Dave Diamond (Larry’s Most Hated Rival) 137. Sammy Smoke (Sammy the Shark – NYCW Alumni) 146. Bulldozer Brandon Smith (Former NYCW Empire Champion) 156. Joey Morgan (Joey Minnesota – Former NYCW Empire Champion) 158. Whitehorse Whittaker (NYCW Alumni) 182. Roger Cage (Former NYCW Empire Champion) 194. Hawkeye Calhoun (NYCW Alumni) 207. Masked Stranger (NYCW Alumni) 245. Tennessee William (Former NYCW Empire Champion) 319. Brett Biggins 322. James Diaz (NYCW Alumni) 387. Dean Waldorf (NYCW Alumni) 388. Marv Statler (NYCW Alumni) 389. Fro Sure 400. Petr Novak (The Big Problem – NYCW Alumni) 479. Magnum Kobe Title Prestige NYCW Empire: Riley McManus – 51 Prestige (+13) NYCW King of New York: Riley McManus – 56 Prestige (+8) NYCW Tag Team: The Biggins Boys – 47 Prestige (+12) NYCW Tri-State Regional: Danny Hagman – 44 Prestige (+11) NYCW Stomper Memorial Cup: The LA Stars – 53 Prestige COTT World Heavyweight: Thom Barrowman (NYCW) – 60 Prestige (+7) COTT World Tag Team: The Lunatic Fringe (MAW) – 54 Prestige (+7) COTT United States: Topher Smith (ACPW) – 57 Prestige (+9) COTT World Women’s: Celeste Moon (OLLIE) – 55 Prestige (+6) COTT World Six-Man Tag Team: The United (PSW) – 48 Prestige (+7) Top 10 Matches 1. The Fantastic Express defeated The LA Stars (NYCW King of New York 2022, October) - 75 2. The Fantastic Express defeated The LA Stars by DQ (NYCW Welcome to New York 9, October 2022) – 74 3. Angry Gilmore defeated Thom Barrowman (NYCW Fights on Braodway, April 2022) – 72 4. Thom Barrowman defeated Troy Tornado (NYCW Knockout in Queens, September 2021) – 71 5. Thom Barrowman & Riley McManus defeated Angry Gilmore & Bart Biggins (NYCW Old School Wrestling, July 2022) – 70 6. The Biggins Boys defeated The Fantastic Express (NYCW New York City Showdown 2022, December 2022) – 70 7. Angry Gilmore & Bart Biggins defeated Riley McManus & Thom Barrowman (NYCW Old School Wrestling, August 2022) – 69 8. Riley McManus, Richie Riggins & Thom Barrowman defeated Angry Gilmore, American Machine & Bart Biggins (NYCW Old School Wrestling, April 2022) – 69 9. The LA Stars defeated Thom Barrowman & Riley McManus (NYCW Welcome to New York 8, September 2022) – 69 10. Riley McManus defeated Angry Gilmore (NYCW New York City Showdown 2022, December 2022) – 69 Top 10 Events 1. NYCW Fights on Broadway (April 2022) – 70 2. NYCW Knockout in Queens (September 2021) – 69 3. NYCW Old School Wrestling (July 2022) – 68 4. NYCW New York City Showdown 2022 (December 2022) – 68 5. NYCW Old School Wrestling (September 2022) – 68 6. NYCW Old School Wrestling (April 2022) – 68 7. NYCW Old School Wrestling (August 2022) – 67 8. NYCW Welcome to New York 7 (August 2022) – 67 9. NYCW Christmas in a Cage (December 2022) – 66 10. NYCW Welcome to New York 10 (November 2022) – 66 NEW YORK CITY WRESTLINGChampions ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus NYCW Empire Champion Entrance Music: Southern Flavor by Versatyle tha Wildchyld Finally completing his years long journey to the top of NYCW, ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus defeated ultra-popular champion Angry Gilmore to claim the main title in New York. In 2022 he also added the King of New York crown and only needs the Stomper Memorial Cup to become the first true Grand Slam winner in the company’s history. A vicious, collegiate athlete with the beautiful and deadly Fern Hathaway on his arm, Riley is the top dog in the company. The Biggins Boys Bart Biggins & Brett Biggins NYCW Tag Team Champions Entrance Music: Rock and Roll is King by ELO The legendary tag team who revolutionised hot young tag teams in SWF have reunited after an extended break and taken NYCW by storm. Bart arrived first and had a number of excellent singles feuds, but was joined by his brother Brett when the latter was attacked by Thom Barrowman and Riley McManus. Now that they are back together and having closed out the year on a high, these two are in place to defend their titles against the top-quality tag opponents NYCW has to offer. Danny Hagman NYCW Tri-State Regional Champion Entrance Music: Renegade by Styx When the men and women of Pittsburgh were called to create the steel to power the machines, to fight against evil in Europe, they stepped up. It is from the fires of those factories, on the banks of the three rivers that a man was born. A man of grit and steel. Originally debuting under a mask as War Piece, he was convinced by Larry Vessey to drop the name and mask and go by his actual name. Thus was born Danny Hagman; The Pittsburgh Kid. Roster Thom Barrowman Entrance Music: Fortunate Son by Creedance Clearwater Revival The One Man Army, the bitter veteran and the current COTT World Heavyweight Champion; Thom Barrowman has been a part of the main event for years now and is as much a New York institution as the Statue of Liberty and the Guggenheim. Despite an up-and-down year, he capped it brilliantly capturing the biggest title of his career after defeating Aldous Blackfriar. His on-and-off partial alliance with Riley McManus could well continue into 2023. His body may be starting to betray him, but he’s got plenty of life left in him. Angry Gilmore Entrance Music: Break Stuff by Limp Bizkit Former Canadian superstar and former holder of both the Burning Junior title and the NYCW Empire Heavyweight Title, Angry Gilmore is the de facto top face in the company. Despite having lost the title at the biggest show of the year he will no doubt be looking to cash in his rematch clause. Powered by fury and rage, he has successfully changed to a down and dirty brawler since joining NYCW. LA Star #1 Entrance Music: Los Angeles by Blink-182 Former multiple-time NYCW Tag Team, Stomper Memorial Cup and COTT World Tag Team champion. LA Star #1 remains in New York even after losing his long-time partner (LA Star #2) to CWA. Quite what the future brings for this soon-to-be singles competitor, but he has shown so much growth and improvement in two years that the only thing stopping him from the main event proper is his will to succeed. The Fantastic Express Rafe Sashay & Zippy Deverell Entrance Music: Industry Baby by Lil Nas X With one of the most impactful debuts in NYCW history; The Fantastic Express have seen their values sore with multiple tag team titles, match of the year contenders and a constant improving in-ring skill. The two unbearable douchebags look set to continue to their improvement and dominance in the year ahead as a feud with The Biggins Boys beckons. The sky is the limit for these two young performers. Cross River Connection Prime Time Jack Pryde & Perfect Pepper Pelton Entrance Music: Even Flow by Pearl Jam The former tag team champions and consistently awesome dudes, the Cross River Connection may have seen their stock plateau after their feud with Honest Enterprises, but they also add a COTT World Six-Man championship reign to their already impressive achievements. With a few titles still to claim, there’s no reason to think the CRC won’t be a key part of the NYCW roster for years to come. American Machine Entrance Music: Real American by Rick Derringer The GODDAM AMERICAN HERO is accompanied to the ring by Cheerleader Nicki and stands for truth, justice and the American Way. An ultra-patriot, his body is disintergrating, but he has a few months left before retirement and NYCW officials intend to send him out in style. Greg Black Entrance Music: Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones The leader of the oft-forgotten FREEDOM Fighters stable has seen his career stutter following his loss in the unification title match. A series of matches (and losses) against Brutus Milano appear to be have helped finish off his usefulness as a top-level star. Quite where he goes from here is unknown. Brutus Milano Entrance Music: Saturdays by Mitch Murder The stalwart of NYCW. The man who remains when all else around him suffer and fluctuate. At this point The Italian Heartthrob has established himself as one of the pillars of the company. Always there, winning some and losing some, but never running out of steam. It’s quite an incredible career for someone who doesn’t appear to have the stamina to be a top star. Charlie Corner Entrance Music: California Love by Tupac Best known for his feuds with The Masked Mauler and latterly Honest Enterprises. The laid back California Cool Charlie Corner has seen his stock rise in recent months. Aside from a short stint as COTT World Six-Man champion alongside the Cross River Connection, he is quite the star in the making with plenty of support backstage from veterans and main eventers alike. 2023 could be the year that he steps up and actually starts to fulfil some of the promise of his potential. Davis Wayne Newton Entrance Music: Symphony No. 40 by Mozart Initially part of the defunct FREEDOM Fighters, Davis Wayne Newton avoided the purge by showing just how tenacious he can be. Absolutely refusing to let anything cost him anything of value, his combination of entertainment skills and in-ring talent make him a potential superstar of the future. It’s been like this his whole career and he’s never quite taken that final step. But that could change under a booking team who are very high on him. Denny King Entrance Music: Surprise! You’re Dead by Faith No More A continued presence in the mdicard and a reliable hand when you need a decent match with basically any star, it seems unlikely that Denny will ever reach the heights of his feud with Riley McManus, which sent his opponent over-the-top and Denny back to the middle. A well-liked and respected veteran, he has a job with NYCW for as long as he wants it. Fro Sure Entrance Music: You Sure by Fro-Zen Funk and the Rainbow Collective Aside from his propensity to go off on tour with his band, Fro Sure has all the skills required to be a megastar in the business. The touring is what’s held management back from a sustained push, but he’s still relatively young and the sky really is the limit for the popular star. Freedom Eagle Entrance Music: Iron Man by AC/DC Midway through a substantial career change, Freedom Eagle’s future is as mysterious as his masked face. Initially thought to be teaming with Animal Harker going forward, things have conspired to remove that option. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. And Freedom Eagle has more will than most. The Chop Shop Sal DiMeo & Eric Mortenson Entrance Music: Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano A thrown together team of former mainstays of the company, the newly-formed Chop Shop have a surprising amount of chemistry to them. It’s unlikely that they’ll achieve much as they are, but stranger things have happened. The main thing working against them is the sheer volume of great teams in their way. Honest Enterprises Honest Frank, Andrew Harper, Magnum Kobe, Honest Frank Jr & The Masked Mauler Entrance Music: Perfect Strangers by Deep Purple The dominant stable in NYCW, Honest Frank has assembled a collection of veterans and young stars into his cult-like clutches. The group is likely too big already and changes will no doubt come in the months ahead, but for now they are proving themselves a continuous nuisance to others on the roster. Next time… the chaos begins… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 2, 2022 Author Share Posted June 2, 2022 New York City… three months later… It was the night of Spring Showdown 2023 and backstage at Plum Park all the production crews, cameramen, road agents and presenters were rushing around. It was our biggest show to date and we had over 13,000 fans already chanting, waiting for the kick-off. Larry and I were walking around discussing the plans and ordering people into their relevant spots. Approaching four of our newest workers, he gave some advice to JP Barnham and Ray Cavalero and added ‘see you later.’ Next he spoke to two big Samoan powerhouses. He told them to keep working hard and it would all come together. Then he stopped for a moment and straightened my tie. “We’ve been haemorrhaging money kid,” he said. “I know,” I replied. “Spending too much on fancy suits?” he said seriously and then broke into a classic Larry laugh. “It’s the TV show. It’s costing us a lot, so we’ll have to run a big show like this each month to break even for the time being.” “I know,” I replied. I’d crunched the numbers too. “Might need to clear out some of the talent too, we’re a bit bloated.” “The Samoan Wrecking Crew?” “No, they’re cheap and have massive upside. I’m thinking some of the higher-paid midcarders. And some of the trouble-makers.” I nodded. “Do you think he’s ready for the main event?” Larry asked. “I do.” “Good, so do I,” he said reassuringly. “You got the book nearby?” I reached into my suitcase and pulled out a leatherbound book filled with notes. “Good,” he said. “If I were you, I’d go through and make sure you have missed anything.” “Will do.” I took myself off to the meeting room of the arena and sat down in one of the corporate chairs. I plugged my headphones in and started listening to some classical music and opened book. It wasn’t just the results and future plans in here, I’d been using it as a sort-of diary too. To make a note of all the changes. And to say that life had stepped up a notch in the last three months would be an understatement. I turned to page one; January kicked off with Larry taking the myself and the newly hired backstage workers to our new official headquarters, a shiny, modern office building inside the historic Flatiron Building. Outside was historic, inside modern. The perfect encapsulation of New York City Wrestling. We had half a floor to ourselves where me, Larry, Bryan, Whistler, Honest Frank and the newly hired production and camera crews and our internal procedure teams could regularly work. Having recently lost Richie ‘The Body’ Riggins to USPW, one of the key focuses of the increase in our size was new contracts. We wanted to try and make sure that we could never be poached from again and started to sign key workers to exclusive and written contracts. But even this couldn’t pass without incident as the moment we offered new contracts, other companies started to get into bidding wars with the best of them. This combined with Larry’s reticence to pay even a dime over meant we were about to lose some workers. LA Star #2 immediately signed with CWA, a move he’d clearly had on his mind for months now. LA Star #1 however was not offered a contract by the Canadian mega-company and we snatched him up. It was a shame to have to break-up the dominant team, but we were happy to be keeping hold of the far better talent of the two. LA Star #2 wasn’t the only loss; Animal Harker had finally signed a written contract with BCG and moved to Japan permanently, crushing our plans for a long-running tag team with Freedom Eagle. Arnie Plummer too, was gone. He’d signed a written contract with CZCW, which had caused a huge amount of tension at the COTT. It was one thing to share talent without asking. It was another to steal them. I’m not sure Larry had forgiven them for that. But Sam Keith, aware of the issues had agreed to work for both CZCW and us to help ease the tension. I was glad to have him, his road agent skill was almost unsurpassed. I checked the notes before the results of Rush Hour 2023 and noticed that Aldous Blackfriar had actually rejected TCW and signed long-term with CZCW too. USPW meanwhile had signed both Eddie Chandler and Rocky Golden in a daring double-steal. Deuce Deadline meanwhile had claimed his first Rip Chord Invitational. NYCW Rush Hour 2023 Saturday, Week 4, January 2023 Yonkers Underdome, New York City, New York Attendance: 11,425 [*]Spike Sylvain defeated Billy Chase in 8:21 by pinfall with a Punk-N-Nasty Rating: 45 [*]Greg Black defeated Machine Gun Marino in 9:42 by pinfall with a Fade To Black. Rating: 42 [*]The Chop Shop defeated Animal Harker and Freedom Eagle in 9:42 when Eric Mortenson pinned Animal Harker with a Tree-Feller. Rating: 56 [*]Chuck Casey defeated Denny King in 7:34 by disqualification. Rating: 47 [*]Honest Enterprises (Honest Frank Jr and Andrew Harper) defeated Fro Sure and Brutus Milano in 10:30 when Honest Frank Jr pinned Brutus Milano while using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 65 [*]Charlie Corner defeated Davis Wayne Newton in 10:04 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 59 [*]Cross River Connection defeated The Fantastic Express in 10:03 when Perfect Pepper Pelton pinned Zippy Deverell with a Prime Time Perfection. Rating: 68 [*]The Masked Mauler defeated American Machine in 6:08 by submission with an Iron Claw. Rating: 50 [*]Magnum Kobe defeated Danny Hagman in 9:41 by pinfall with The Glorious Red following botched interference by Brutus Milano. Magnum Kobe wins the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 62 [*]Riley McManus defeated Angry Gilmore in 22:51 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex. Riley McManus makes defence number one of the NYCW Empire Heavyweight. Rating: 67 [*]The LA Stars cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Biggins Boys and get into a slanging match with Riley McManus Rating: 72 [*]The Biggins Boys defeated The LA Stars in 10:30 when Brett Biggins pinned LA Star #2 with a B-B-Gun. The Biggins Boys make defence number two of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 78 [*]Riley McManus attacks the LA Stars after the match. Rating: 68 [*]OVERALL RATING: 76 The notes tell me that we got 137,033 viewers for that one and a nice $97,705 profit. That would be the last I’d written the word profit anywhere in the book. It also highlighted that choosing the tag team title match for main event was inspired as it was our best match ever. The next page highlights notes from a meeting with East Coast Today,; the resepcted local television station who had decided to step into the world of wrestling. Thus was born NYCW Empire Superstars. We negotiated 25% revenue to us and sorted a 6-month contract with them. We needed to hit 59 as a show average and were placed in the Late Night slot. To coincide with this announcement, we signed a deal to move our events from WrestleWorld to OnDem streaming. The next few pages of the book had my nervous ramblings about producing a show for air on television. Looking back on this period, I was worrying about the wrong things. TV is different to events as you need far more angles and interviews. We were still finding our feet in that regard. I had not kept my normally in-depth notes for the first two months of shows, mainly because I so busy running so many aspects of the business. NYCW Empire Superstars #1 Friday, Week 1, February 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,506 [*]Honest Enterprises (Andrew Harper, The Masked Mauler and Spike Sylvain) defeated Fro Sure, Brutus Milano and Charlie Corner in 9:50 when The Masked Mauler pinned Fro Sure, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 61 [*]Honest Frank Jr cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Fro Sure. Rating: 74 [*]Honest Frank Jr defeated The Animal in 9:46 by pinfall with a Roll The Dice. Rating: 52 [*]Danny Hagman, Prime Time Jack Pryde and Perfect Pepper Pelton cut a promo hyping their upcoming six man match with Thom Barrowman, Sal DiMeo and Eric Mortenson. Rating: 73 [*]Thom Barrowman and The Chop Shop defeated Danny Hagman and Cross River Connection in 9:44 when Eric Mortenson pinned Prime Time Jack Pryde by using underhanded tactics. Rating: 58 [*]The Fantastic Express cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Biggins Boys. Rating: 70 [*]The Biggins Boys defeated The Fantastic Express in 9:49 when Bart Biggins pinned Rafe Sashay with a B-Dropper. The Biggins Boys make defence number three of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 65 [*]Riley McManus cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with LA Star #2. Rating: 66 [*]Riley McManus defeated LA Star #2 in 10:14 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex. Riley McManus makes defence number two of the NYCW Empire Heavyweight. Rating: 74 [*]LA Star #2 is enjoying the standing ovation in the ring. Riley McManus attacks, beating LA Star #2 down into the mat. Rating: 64 [*]OVERALL RATING: 73 - 0.23 rating (173,972 viewers) NYCW Empire Superstars #2 Friday, Week 2, February 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,669 [*]Cross River Connection cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Fantastic Express. Rating: 74 [*]Davis Wayne Newton defeated Prime Time Jack Pryde in 9:43 by pinfall after using a foreign object. Rating: 57 [*]Fantastic Express cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Biggins Boys. Rating: 72 [*]The Biggins Boys defeated The Chop Shop in 10:07 when Bart Biggins pinned Eric Mortenson with a B-Dropper. The Biggins Boys make defence number four of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 65 [*]Fro Sure cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Andrew Harper. Rating: 67 [*]Fro Sure defeated Andrew Harper in 9:53 by pinfall after using a foreign object. Rating: 65 [*]LA Star #1 cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Riley McManus. Rating: 78 [*]LA Star #1 and Danny Hagman defeated Riley McManus and Greg Black in 21:53 when LA Star #1 pinned Greg Black with a Double Stomp. Rating: 65 [*]Angry Gilmore cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Thom Barrowman. Rating: 79 [*]Angry Gilmore drew with Thom Barrowman in 9:56 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. Rating: 70 [*]OVERALL RATING: 57 - 0.20 (150,370 viewers) After this show read a note, underlined in red: Poor! Network were furious. NYCW Empire Superstars #3 Friday, Week 3, February 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,669 [*]Fro Sure defeated The Masked Mauler in 6:39 by count out. Rating: 64 [*]Honest Frank, Honest Frank Jr and The Masked Mauler cut a promo hyping their upcoming six man match with Brutus Milano, Fro Sure and American Machine. Rating: 60 [*]The Biggins Boys defeated Spike Sylvain and Andrew Harper in 10:12 when Spike Sylvain was counted out while fighting Bart Biggins. The Biggins Boys make defence number five of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 63 [*]Cross River Connection cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Fantastic Express. Rating: 74 [*]Rafe Sashay defeated Prime Time Jack Pryde in 9:44 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 65 [*]The Fantastic Express cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with Cross River Connection. Rating: 73 [*]Zippy Deverell defeated Perfect Pepper Pelton in 10:03 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 65 [*]Riley McManus cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with LA Star #1. Rating: 60 [*]Angry Gilmore, LA Star #1 and Danny Hagman defeated Riley McManus, Thom Barrowman and Magnum Kobe in 21:54 when LA Star #1 pinned Magnum Kobe with a Double Stomp. Rating: 61 [*]The match is over and LA Star #1 looks angry, and jumps Riely McManus from behind, beating him down. Rating: 71 [*]OVERALL RATING: 64 - 0.20 (156,710 viewers) NYCW Empire Superstars #4 Friday, Week 4, February 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,621 [*]Phil Anders defeated Chuck Casey in 7:40 by pinfall with a Hangman's Neckbreaker. Rating: 30 [*]Fro Sure cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Honest Frank Jr. Rating: 59 [*]Brutus Milano, Fro Sure and Charlie Corner defeated Honest Enterprises (Andrew Harper, Spike Sylvain and Honest Frank Jr.) in 7:35 when Fro Sure pinned Honest Frank Jr. with a Sure Thing. Rating: 62 [*]Cross River Connection cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Fantastic Express. Rating: 71 [*]Cross River Connection defeated The Chop Shop in 7:32 when Perfect Pepper Pelton pinned Eric Mortenson with a Prime Time Perfection. Rating: 63 [*]Honest Frank, Honest Frank Jr and Andrew Harper cut a promo hyping their upcoming six man match with Brutus Milano, Fro Sure and Charlie Corner. Rating: 56 [*]Magnum Kobe defeated Crockett Tubbs in 9:37 by submission with a Magnum Deathlock. Magnum Kobe makes defence number one of the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 59 [*]Angry Gilmore cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Riley McManus. Rating: 73 [*]Thom Barrowman and The Fantastic Express defeated Angry Gilmore and The Biggins Boys in 10:03 when Zippy Deverell pinned Bart Biggins after using a foreign object. Rating: 62 [*]Riley McManus cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with LA Star #1. Rating: 66 [*]Riley McManus defeated Danny Hagman in 10:11 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Riley McManus makes defence number three of the NYCW Empire Heavyweight. Rating: 60 [*]OVERALL RATING: 63 - 0.20 (155,096 viewers) Notes: Honest Frank Jr new power spot in that match. We lost $143,183!!! NYCW Empire Superstars #5 Friday, Week 1, March 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,627 [*]Phil Anders defeated Chuck Casey in 6:05 by pinfall with a Hangman's Neckbreaker. Rating: 24 [*]Both Riley McManus and Thom Barrowman are in the locker room unconscious. Rating: 52 [*]The Masked Mauler defeated Charlie Corner in 9:38 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Rating: 54 [*]Cross River Connection cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Fantastic Express. Rating: 72 [*]Cross River Connection defeated Andrew Harper and Honest Frank Jr. in 9:37 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Honest Frank Jr. by using underhanded tactics. Rating: 59 [*]Fro Sure cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Magnum Kobe. Rating: 68 [*]Magnum Kobe defeated Fro Sure in 9:59 by submission with a Magnum Deathlock after interference from Honest Frank. Magnum Kobe makes defence number two of the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 62 [*]LA Star #1 cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Riley McManus. Rating: 75 [*]Angry Gilmore, Danny Hagman and LA Star #1 defeated Greg Black and The Chop Shop in 9:44 when LA Star #1 pinned Greg Black with a Double Stomp. Rating: 65 [*]The Fantastic Express cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with Cross River Connection. Rating: 76 [*]The Biggins Boys defeated The Fantastic Express in 9:42 when Rafe Sashay was disqualified while fighting Bart Biggins. The Biggins Boys make defence number six of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 59 [*]OVERALL RATING: 63 - 0.20 (154,637 viewers) Notes: Had to rebook show after Davis Wayne Newton sprained his ankle in a pre-show match. Re-signed Bulldozer Brandon Smith – he looks older. NYCW Empire Superstars #6 Friday, Week 2, March 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,705 [*]Bulldozer Brandon Smith cuts a promo hyping up his return and his upcoming match with Riley McManus. Rating: 66 [*]Honest Frank Jr defeated Curtis Shaw in 3:24 by pinfall with a Roll The Dice. Rating: 32 [*]Eric Mortenson and Marco Gonzalez defeated The Dirty White Boys in 4:42 when Marco Gonzalez submitted Lead Belly with a Latino Crab. Rating: 28 [*]Chip Martin defeated Greg Black in 5:14 by pinfall with a Super Kick. Rating: 28 [*]New team of rookies debut (JP Barnham & Ray Cavalero), managed by Larry Vessey. They call themselves the Vessey Combat Club and they cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Biggins Boys. Rating: 29 [*]Vessey Combat Club defeated Happy Elwood and Denny King in 5:57 when Ray Cavalero pinned Denny King with a Vessey Locks. Rating: 33 [*]Samoan Wrecking Crew (Loa Afu & Loa Aki) defeated Crockett Tubbs and Geoff Borne in 5:08 when Loa Afu pinned Geoff Borne with a Samoan Splash. Rating: 8 [*]Davis Wayne Newton cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Charlie Corner. Rating: 51 [*]Phil Anders and The Fantastic Express defeated Danny Hagman and The Biggins Boys in 9:53 when Phil Anders pinned Bart Biggins after using a foreign object. Rating: 62 [*]LA Star #1 drew with Magnum Kobe in 9:51 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. Rating: 70 [*]Angry Gilmore cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Bulldozer Brandon Smith. Rating: 74 [*]Riley McManus and Thom Barrowman defeated Angry Gilmore and Bulldozer Brandon Smith in 10:10 when Riley McManus pinned Angry Gilmore with a Slingshot Suplex after Bulldozer Brandon Smith accidentally struck Angry Gilmore. During the match we also had Bulldozer Brandon Smith turn on Gilmore. Rating: 50 [*]After the match Bulldozer, McManus and Barrowman beat down Angry Gilmore. Rating: 54 [*]OVERALL RATING: 54 - 0.18 (141,402 viewers) Notes: East Coast Today unhappy again. I don’t blame them. Debut of our two rookie teams a disaster, especially our two new, young Samoans. Worst match in NYCW history I think. NYCW Empire Superstars #7 Friday, Week 3, March 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,553 [*]Honest Enterprises (Honest Frank Jr., The Masked Mauler and Andrew Harper) defeated Charlie Corner, Chip Martin and Brutus Milano in 6:12 when Honest Frank Jr pinned Charlie Corner with a Roll The Dice. Rating: 59 [*]Vessey Combat Club cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with Black and Spike. Rating: 34 [*]Vessey Combat Club defeated Greg Black and Spike Sylvain in 6:17 when JP Barnham submitted Greg Black with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 38 [*]Denny King is in the ring. Out of nowhere, Juggernaut Jones hits the ring and attacks. The assault is quick and brutal, and leaves King completely destroyed. Rating: 36 [*]Juggernaut Jones defeated Denny King in 3:27 by pinfall with The Pounce. Rating: 31 [*]The Biggins Boys cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Fantastic Express. Rating: 63 [*]The Biggins Boys defeated The Chop Shop in 8:14 when Bart Biggins pinned Sal DiMeo with a B-Dropper. The Biggins Boys make defence number seven of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 68 [*]Fro Sure cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Magnum Kobe. Rating: 76 [*]Magnum Kobe defeated Fro Sure in 7:58 by submission with a Magnum Deathlock after interference from Honest Frank. Magnum Kobe makes defence number four of the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 68 [*]Danny Hagman, Prime Time Jack Pryde and Perfect Pepper Pelton cut a promo hyping their upcoming six man match with Riley McManus, Rafe Sashay and Zippy Deverell. Rating: 69 [*]Riley McManus, Thom Barrowman and Bulldozer Brandon Smith defeated Danny Hagman and Cross River Connection in 10:06 when Bulldozer Brandon Smith pinned Danny Hagman with a Tombstone Piledriver. Rating: 55 [*]LA Star #1 cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Angry Gilmore. Rating: 82 [*]LA Star #1 defeated Angry Gilmore in 9:54 by pinfall with a Double Stomp. Rating: 63 [*]OVERALL RATING: 67 - 0.24 (185,781 viewers) NYCW Empire Superstars #8 Friday, Week 4, March 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,669 [*]Vessey Combat Club cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with Black and Anders. Rating: 39 [*]Vessey Combat Club defeated Phil Anders and Greg Black in 8:22 when JP Barnham submitted Greg Black with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 31 [*]Brutus Milano cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with The Masked Mauler. Rating: 56 [*]Samoan Wrecking Crew defeated The Eagle and Brutus Milano in 6:29 when Loa Afu pinned The Eagle with an Archer Demolisher. Rating: 46 [*]The Fantastic Express cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with Cross River Connection. Rating: 76 [*]Fro Sure and The Biggins Boys defeated Davis Wayne Newton and The Fantastic Express in 8:08 when Bart Biggins pinned Zippy Deverell, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 67 [*]Cross River Connection cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with The Fantastic Express. Rating: 72 [*]Danny Hagman, LA Star #1 and Cross River Connection drew with Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Riley McManus and Honest Enterprises in 21:41 when the referee lost control and stopped the match. Rating: 65 [*]Angry Gilmore cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Thom Barrowman. Rating: 73 [*]Angry Gilmore defeated Thom Barrowman in 10:29 by count out. Rating: 60 [*]OVERALL RATING: 64 - 0.23 (176,952 viewers) Beyond those notes, were a series of title updates: David Stone wins the CWA World Title Deacon Darkhold wins COTT United States title Power & Glory (Hudson Drake & Shiva) win the COTT Tag Team Titles Even with our world changing, nothing stops the COTT from making terrible decisions when it comes to the titles. I’d got my head straight though. Everything was in place and I was confident of a good show in front of a record crowd. One last rundown of the event and it was time to go. Next time… Spring Showdown 2023 and LA Star #1’s big shot… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eayragt Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 Love the recap (and the 8 rated match). Are you able to let us know at this point who of your stars you've locked up to exclusive written contracts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashasheen Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 Surprised you didn't think to try a transition to touring with a highlights show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 2, 2022 Author Share Posted June 2, 2022 Love the recap (and the 8 rated match). Are you able to let us know at this point who of your stars you've locked up to exclusive written contracts? Exclusive Written Contracts: Riley McManus Trent Shaffer LA Star #1 Cross River Connection The Fantastic Express Danny Hagman Honest Frank Jr The rest were a mixure of written and handshakes. I slightly misunderstood the variations of contracts. Not made it this far with a company before. The shorter write-ups would return at various points this year and then I plan to change the look to include more images etc from early 2024. Surprised you didn't think to try a transition to touring with a highlights show. Didn't occur to me to be honest. I always think of Touring as exclusively Japanese type thing. The end goal was to drag NYCW into an 80/early 90s throwback. Similar to WWF from Wrestlemania 5 to 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 3, 2022 Author Share Posted June 3, 2022 New York City… where the sword of Damocles swings wildly towards some of our talent… NYCW Spring Showdown 2023 Sunday, Week 4, March 2023 Plum Park, New Jersey, New York Attendance: 13,194 COTT WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Fantastic Express vs. Power & Glory © In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Fantastic Express defeated Power & Glory in 8:17 when Zippy Deverell pinned Hudson Drake with a Fantastic Flashbang. The Fantastic Express win the COTT World Tag Team. Rating: 58 Larry had apparently been swinging his influence with the Confederation of the Territories brass to highlight that we can’t have a small-time Canadian company dictating our champions. With Sam Keith now on our payroll too, he apparently agreed. It pays to pay the Chairman. The Fantastic Express are fast becoming the hottest team on the independent scene. GANG BATTLE MATCH: Chip Martin, Billy Chase & The Fabulous Canadiens vs. Marco Gonzalez, Spike Sylvain & Samoan Wrecking Crew In a bout that had little heat and embarrassing wrestling, Marco Gonzalez, Spike Sylvain and Samoan Wrecking Crew defeated Chip Martin, Billy Chase and The Fabulous Canadiens in 10:21 when Loa Laki pinned Kenny Kitao with a Blue Crusher. Rating: 36 We’ve promoted a lot of rookie talent and were considering changes to the way we ran shows now that we had a regular tv slot. To help us avoid burnout of feuds and matches, we’d be slowly introducing squash matches to give our rookies tv experience. This should allow some organic growth from some of them. The Fabulous Canadiens were a decent team, but their sloppiness was a big problem and one we could no longer afford. TAG TEAM MATCH: The Powers of Pain vs. The Chop Shop In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Powers of Pain defeated The Chop Shop in 9:57 when The Juggernaut pinned Eric Mortenson with The Pain Train. Rating: 51 The Powers of Pain are a repackaged Freedom Eagle (no mask) and Juggernaut Jones, a pickup from the free agency pool. They were dressed in studded leather with face paint and were a solid little team with some potential for the future. But for now, we needed to get Juggs more experience, because he looked lost out there. COTT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Ash Campbell vs. Thom Barrowman © In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Ash Campbell defeated Thom Barrowman in 10:09 by pinfall with a Shooting Star Press following interference from Angry Gilmore. Ash Campbell wins the COTT World Heavyweight. Rating: 57 We knew Mitch Naess had issues with the Canadian and Mexican promotions in the COTT, so we’d negotiated his votes on the understanding we helped him out too. Barrowman had seen a sharp decline in his physical attributes, so the time was right. Having the World Champion based in nearby Pittsburgh helped keep him relevant to us should we ever need to use him. TAG TEAM MATCH: Vessey Combat Club vs. Greg Black & Denny King In a bout that didn't have much heat and terrible wrestling, Vessey Combat Club defeated Greg Black and Denny King in 7:42 when JP Barnham submitted Greg Black with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 37 Big win for the new team and likely the final nail in the coffin for Greg Black. He had lost all direction and was getting older, which we felt would become a theme in the year ahead. JP Barnham and Ray Cavalero had incredible technical skills, which made up for their lack of charisma. Much like a new incarnation of The Ring Generals; we’d paired them with Larry to give them a rub and to keep them improving. NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Cross River Connection vs. The Biggins Boys © In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The Biggins Boys in 10:26 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Brett Biggins with a PrydeFall. Cross River Connection win the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 70 The aging Biggins Boys had had a solid run with the titles, but the Cross River Connection had been distracted with Honest Enterprises for long enough. The match was amazing as our tag team titles were these days. And it probably wouldn’t be long before we moved the Biggins’ back into the scene again. SINGLES MATCH: American Machine vs. Phil Anders In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Phil Anders defeated American Machine in 6:20 by pinfall with a Hangman's Neckbreaker. Rating: 51 This was it for American Machine. He’d agreed to put over a youngster of our choosing before he left and we’d opted for the ‘Nebraska Stud’ Phil Anders. He had big upside in-ring but lacked popularity. A clean win over a departing legend would hopefully push him into main show contention going forward. American Machine looked terrible out there and it was absolutely the right time for him to go. GANG WARS MATCH: Brutus Milano, Fro Sure & Charlie Corner vs. Honest Enterprises In a decent match, Honest Enterprises (Andrew Harper, The Masked Mauler and Honest Frank Jr) defeated Brutus Milano, Fro Sure and Charlie Corner in 9:52 when The Masked Mauler pinned Charlie Corner with a Piledriver. Rating: 56 Honest Enterprises continue to cause trouble and Frank Harriet has officially taken his dad’s name. There does appear to be some dissention though, with Honest Frank Jr demanding more and more from his stablemates. SINGLES MATCH: Danny Hagman vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Bulldozer Brandon Smith defeated Danny Hagman in 10:12 by pinfall with a Backdrop Driver. Rating: 61 The return of a heel version of Bulldozer Brandon Smith was a pleasant moment for long-time fans. He immediately seized on that moment and aligned himself with Riley McManus and Thom Barrowman as a trio of a-hole heels. While his physical skills may be slowly disappearing, he’s still got bags of experience and charisma to keep him as one of our top stars. NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Angry Gilmore vs. Magnum Kobe © In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Angry Gilmore defeated Magnum Kobe in 10:18 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. Angry Gilmore wins the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 65 What’s a bigger shock than Magnum Kobe winning the Tri-State Title? Angry Gilmore, former World Champion winning in only a few months after dropping the main title. There was a plan in place; one devised by Gilmore himself. And we were happy to allow it to play out as he suggested. NYCW EMPIRE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: LA Star #1 vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus © In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Riley McManus defeated LA Star #1 in 23:08 by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage. Riley McManus makes defence number four of the NYCW Empire Heavyweight. Rating: 68 Fantastic match which shows that I was right and LA Star #1 is absolutely ready for a singles, main event run. The fact Riley had to cheat to win, helps to slowly build part of a story we hoped would run throughout the majority of the year, provided we don’t get any bad news. But there were other pieces we needed before he could go for it. ANGLE: After the match, Riley McManus delivers a brutal beatdown to La Star #1 along with Thom Barrowman and Bulldozer Brandon Smith. Rating: 70 Bastards! OVERALL RATING: 67 387,305 viewers tuned in for the big show and we made… $172 profit. But you know what, that means the system works. Every month there would be a big show to compliment the tv show. This was great news which would keep Larry sweet for a while. As mentioned, after the show we released a number of talent to bring the overall cost of running our company down. So goodbye to: American Machine Greg Black Kenny Kitao Merlin Poutin Stefan DuBois Texas Hangman The month ended with news that Jose Caballero, a tag team wrestler had won the COTT United States title. And Fern Hathaway wanted a payrise to $80, which was so small, I gave her one to $100. Gotta keep the champ happy. Next time… LA Star finds support and more issues for Honest Enterprises… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theheel Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 I’m trying to grasp what happened to your attendance. After Rush Hour did you just do TV tapings and no headline shows? I mean your attendance has skyrocketed to over 11,000 but now just in the 2’s. I mainly run smaller companies so haven’t experienced the stuff you are now dealing with in tew2020 as a medium sized company. Or the significant cash issues. Have to say I like the earlier write ups more than the last but get why you are doing it. Edit - Of course while I typed that message you slide a big show in lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 3, 2022 Author Share Posted June 3, 2022 I’m trying to grasp what happened to your attendance. After Rush Hour did you just do TV tapings and no headline shows? I mean your attendance has skyrocketed to over 11,000 but now just in the 2’s. I mainly run smaller companies so haven’t experienced the stuff you are now dealing with in tew2020 as a medium sized company. Or the significant cash issues. Have to say I like the earlier write ups more than the last but get why you are doing it. Edit - Of course while I typed that message you slide a big show in lol Basically I got a TV show made, which always come with way less attendance. And I didn't put a month end big show and it meant I spent A LOT of money. So going forward every month will have 4 TV shows and big month end show. The slim-line write-ups were purely to let me catch up with myself (I'm currently up to February 2024 in-game. So I created a narrative reason to speed through some shows. There's a couple of times later in the year where I do the same, but broadly any big shows will have the traditional style. This may change in 2024 dependent on a few things, like an event logo maker and other bits and bobs that I'll get to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sco xY2Jx Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 Patiently awaiting the monster push of a heel Bulldozer. Time decline means nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 Reading this absolutely flies by! Great job! I was initially a little off-put by the lack of pictures, but now I think it works for me (particularly with your end of year summaries). I actually like the short results/summaries for TV shows - I think there can be a bit of a risk of getting totally bogged down in TV shows when you finally get there, so focussing on the main shows with a recap of TV during the months works for me. And I really like how you communicate things like getting a TV show, other signings, etc. through the "book". It's a neat way of doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 4, 2022 Author Share Posted June 4, 2022 Reading this absolutely flies by! Great job! I was initially a little off-put by the lack of pictures, but now I think it works for me (particularly with your end of year summaries). I actually like the short results/summaries for TV shows - I think there can be a bit of a risk of getting totally bogged down in TV shows when you finally get there, so focussing on the main shows with a recap of TV during the months works for me. And I really like how you communicate things like getting a TV show, other signings, etc. through the "book". It's a neat way of doing it. Thank you for the kind words. This actually brings up a nice point for future shows from 2024 onwards. Which of the following would people prefer for this diary: 1. Recaps as they normally are. 2. The shortened bullet points with normal for big shows. 3. Similar layout to Historian’s No Ordinary Men (with images). 4. Some combination of the above, or another option? I’m basically happy to adapt as is necessary and change any or all elements for peoples enjoyment. Also happy to keep it the same. Any thoughts/opinions welcome. And also any criticisms on what could be improved (except the Bulldozer push ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eayragt Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 No images. I tried them, it increased the time I spent posting shows rather than playing the game, which wasn't the plan. Whatever works for you. I'll admit I slightly skim read the TV recaps, which I never did for events, but that's my issue, not yours. Just as long as you don't make writing a chore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theheel Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 I agree if your doing a weekly show then recaps unless there are some specific interview/angle your trying to emphasize. For your big monthly show I like your original style. The picture question is sticky as it does effect some readers. I held off doing any dynasty story because I didn’t have a handle on the pictures. I finally got it with some help (Historian) but it does take time. I’ve always read your diaries over the years without pictures so it is not a pre-qualifier for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a0161613 Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 I could understand a change in formatting but images are unnecessary in my eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hashasheen Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 The model you have is fine, I think. It's certainly a blast from the past from older generations of TEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiykaelP Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 I could understand a change in formatting but images are unnecessary in my eyes. I agree I don't care about images either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 New York City… where even cults find it difficult to keep everyone happy… Having scoured through our finances, I realised we were struggling to make decent money off of merchandise. Other companies had tv shirts, dvds, plushies and we had… well nothing worker specific for a start. What had we been doing? I vowed to throw money (saved from the release of workers) at the problem to try and solve it. We had however secured a long-term deal with The Empire Ballroom in downtime Manhattan to host our regular TV tapings. It has a series of wonderful art deco balconies and was just unique enough to stand out from the soulless arenas others were using. One day we hoped it become synonymous with our best feuds and matches. NYCW Empire Superstars #9 Friday, Week 1, April 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 2,868 TAG TEAM MATCH: Vessey Combat Club vs. The Chop Shop In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Vessey Combat Club defeated The Chop Shop in 5:50 when JP Barnham submitted Eric Mortenson with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 54 A nice win for our new team as they overcome the NYCW old-timers cleanly. Larry Vessey on the outside in a three-piece suit barking violent instructions to his boys was a fantastic visual. It was nice to have him out there. ANGLE: The Eagle is in our custom backstage interview area and is approached by a tuxedo-wearing Whistler who asks him what he has planned. The Eagle yells and shouts about domination and victory and then introduces his tag team partner The Juggernaut. Together they are going to beat some people and raise a little hell. Rating: 47 Seeing Freedom Eagle without a mask was weird, but he had embraced the new power & paint gimmick well. Juggernaut looked the part too. SINGLES MATCH: Billy Chase vs. Andrew Harper In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Andrew Harper defeated Billy Chase in 5:52 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. Rating: 56 The Bully Enforcer of Honest Enterprises is not above cheating to win and he has to do it here to beat the equally physically impressive Billy Chase. Good match for our rookie even in defeat. ANGLE: Honest Frank gets into the ring after the match joined by Frank Jr, The Masked Mauler and Harper. They’ve seen enough of JP Barnham, Ray Cavalero and Larry Vessey. They’re impressive specimens. But they not fit to join the Enterprise, because they’re obviously getting benefits of teaming with the old has-been Larry. But they’ll be watching the VCC progress with interest. If the new boys step out of line, the Enterprise will step in. With their boots. But for now, they want a shot at bigger fish. Rating: 60 TAG TEAM MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. Honest Enterprises In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Honest Enterprises defeated The Biggins Boys in 8:08 when Magnum Kobe pinned Brett Biggins, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 64 Big win for the duo of Magnum Kobe and Frank Jr. There on course to elevate themselves into tag team title consideration at this point. ANGLE: Cross River Connection are out and grab mics. They’re happy to be back at the top, where they belong. But they also know they’re not the only champs in the house. They invite The Fantastic Express to a series of singles matches, if the other champs have the stones. “Why would they need stones?” Pepper asks. The Fantastic Express appear before Prime Time can explain what stones are. Rating: 68 SINGLES MATCH: Prime Time Jack Pryde vs. Zippy Deverell In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Prime Time Jack Pryde defeated Zippy Deverell in 7:33 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. Rating: 59 A win is a win is a win. Decent little singles match for both guys here. ANGLE: Up in one of the balconies is Davis Wayne Newton. He’s here to enjoy some mediocre wrestling from some underwhelming performers. The crowd are not impressed with him and go absolutely apoplectic when he says the line “I’m used the finest, I’m DWN from the birthplace of wrestling… Toronto, Ontario, Canada.” Rating: 61 New catchphrase for Newton there and one that the crowd would no doubt learn to love. SINGLES MATCH: Fro Sure vs. Denny King In a decent match, Fro Sure defeated Denny King in 9:59 by pinfall with a Sure Thing. Rating: 60 Incredible that these two have great chemistry. One day I’d get round to giving them a proper feud, but for now they were heading in opposite directions. ANGLE: LA Star #1 is backstage with Whistler. “LA Star, on Sunday you had your shot at the Empire Heavyweight Title and sadly lost, only then to be beaten down by your opponent and his friends. How are you feeling today?” “Well Whiss, I’ve felt better. Every part of me hurts, not least my ego. I know I can beat McManus, I’ve got it in me. Sure I could stand here and complain about him cheating. Or jumping me after the match. But I don’t like to dwell on the negatives. I took the champ to the limit. And if we wants to bring his friends to a fight, well… I’ve got some friends of my own.” Angry Gilmore joins the interview, grabs a microphone and looks into the camera, “and tonight, we’re going to beat those boys within an inch of their lives.” Rating: 80 Don’t tell me LA Star #1 isn’t ready for the main event. He’s absolute gold on the mic. And is starting to carry himself as a proper threat to the Heavyweight Title. Awesome. TAG TEAM MATCH: LA Star #1 & Angry Gilmore vs. Riley McManus & Thom Barrowman In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, LA Star #1 and Angry Gilmore drew with Riley McManus and Thom Barrowman in 20:30 following a double disqualification. Rating: 64 These four had a wild brawl, but the result was a little disappointing. Thom’s lack of stamina was an issue the others couldn’t overcome. OVERALL RATING: 67 0.25 (187,500 viewers) and the only news of note from the week following was Remo winning the SWF World Heavyweight Title. So we ploughed on, aware that our end of month show was The Stomper Memorial Cup. NYCW Empire Superstars #10 Friday, Week 2, April 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 3,048 TAG TEAM MATCH: Vessey Combat Club vs. Honest Enterprises In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Vessey Combat Club defeated Spike Sylvain and Phil Anders in 6:03 when JP Barnham submitted Spike Sylvain with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 54 VCC kick things off by defeating Spike Sylvain and The Masked Mauler. Decent stuff. ANGLE: After the match, Honest Frank is furious with Spike for losing in such a fashion. The VCC laugh and leave as Honest Enterprises turn on Spike and viciously beat him down; Honest Frank screaming the whole time about how Spike is done. Rating: 67 Absolutely no mercy from Frank there. The mask slips. SINGLES MATCH: Brutus Milano vs. Marco Gonzalez In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Brutus Milano defeated Marco Gonzalez in 6:23 by submission with an Italian Backbreaker. Rating: 51 Nothing will ever stop me having Brutus winning from time-to-time. He’d survived all the purges thus far. We were destined to do our dance for the rest of time. ANGLE: Cross River Connection are backstage to talk about their singles matches with The Fantastic Express. They thought they went ok. To them, The Fantabulous Expies are quite a talented team and they look forward to maybe facing them in the Stomper Memorial Cup. But for this evening, the Cross River Connection have a tough match against their friends The Biggins Boys. They’re confident, but if they lose, that’s cool. The Biggins Boys are pretty awesome. Rating: 69 More gibberish from the kings of it. NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Biggins Boys vs. Cross River Connection © In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated The Biggins Boys in 8:01 when Perfect Pepper Pelton pinned Bart Biggins with a Prime Time Perfection. Cross River Connection make defence number one of the NYCW Tag Team. Rating: 70 Clean win and amazing match. The Biggins Boys might just be the reason for these awesome matches. Which meant that we’d keep them on-board for as long as they could keep performing at such a high level. ANGLE: Angry Gilmore is with Whistler and he’s angry. He’s won the Tri-State Title, which is great, but he hasn’t forgotten about Bulldozer Brandon Smith. Coming into his yard and acting like the big man just because he was a big deal around here decades ago. You see, Gilmore doesn’t like bullies. And whenever he sees one, he likes to punch them in the mouth. Bullies only react to standing up to them. Rating: 82 NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Andrew Harper vs. Angry Gilmore © In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Angry Gilmore defeated Andrew Harper in 8:30 by pinfall with an Anger Management. Angry Gilmore makes defence number one of the NYCW Tri-State Regional. Rating: 66 Clean win against the Bully Enforcer right here. Gilmore is as good as his word when it comes to bullies. ANGLE: Danny Hagman is in the ring. He thinks its adorable that a Canadian is so obsessed with running down New York City. He may be from Pittsburgh, but his heart is split between there and here. Davis Wayne Newton better be careful what he wishes for, because he might just have to learn a lesson about how tough Americans actually are. Rating: 63 He needs polish on the mic, but if history has told us anything, Danny can step-up to the plate and improve better than most. SINGLES MATCH: Danny Hagman vs. Sal DiMeo In a decent match, Danny Hagman defeated Sal DiMeo in 8:07 by pinfall with a Missing Piece. Rating: 58 Clean as a whistle and a decent little match. ANGLE: LA Star #1 cuts a promo hyping up his upcoming match with Riley McManus. Rating: 69 Bog standard promo from a man still trying to figure out what his character is outside of a legendary tag team. At the moment he’s an up-and-coming babyface. Which is fine in the short term, but we’re a company of characters and he’ll need to find his own. Hopefully Riley can help bring it out of him, whatever it is. SINGLES MATCH: LA Star #1 vs. Magnum Kobe In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, LA Star #1 defeated Magnum Kobe in 20:03 by pinfall with a Double Stomp following botched interference by Andrew Harper. Rating: 70 We might need to sort out a proper finishing move too. High-flyers generally aren’t considered main stars around here. ANGLE: Magnum Kobe and Andrew Harper are in the ring arguing over who was to blame for that loss. Neither looks happy with the situation, but they put their differences aside and leave together wit Honest Frank. Rating: 70 More issues for the Enterprise. OVERALL RATING: 72 0.26 (200,823 viewers) for this one as we start to realise what we need to be putting on each week to keep the network happy. In the locker room after the show Bulldozer approached me to comment that he doesn’t think Brutus connects with fans and we should release him. I didn’t tell him that I agreed, but couldn’t do it. Because I couldn’t explain why I couldn’t do it. Shortly after, Fro Sure told me that he thinks Loa Laki is great on the mic and should get more time. I enjoyed the fact that everyone felt comfortable enough to comment on other workers, but broadly I knew what was going on. Then I noticed something pretty cool. Sam Keith had carved out time with Phil Anders to teach him about ring psychology; another master/protégé relationship. Next time… Charlie Corner gets a shot at the champ, and Brutus takes to the airwaves to talk himself up… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP1 Posted June 6, 2022 Author Share Posted June 6, 2022 New York City… where a false sense of security can make you say stupid things… Heading into week 3, I was bored in the office and searching the Pro Wrestling Reporter website (I really was up-with-the-times) and read about Rogue signing with SWF, who were putting up a brave fight against USPW. There was also the sad news of Joey Morgan suffering a major concussion and being out for a year. At his age, those sort of injuries could be career-enders. NYCW Empire Superstars #11 Friday, Week 3, April 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 3,339 TAG TEAM MATCH: The Powers of Pain vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew In a bout that didn't have much heat and terrible wrestling, The Powers of Pain drew with Samoan Wrecking Crew in 4:48 following a double count out. Rating: 37 This was a bad match. I was struggling a bit with new teams as they’re so far beneath the majority of workers on my roster in terms of popularity that no one really wanted to lose to them without getting upset and I was keen to threaten the harmony I had backstage. ANGLE: Vessey Combat Club are backstage with Whistler and Larry has the mic. “Don’t you just love it Whistler? Can’t you just smell the chaos in the air? Honest Enterprises are nothing more than a cult and with even the smallest bit of pressure they begin to crack. At this rate they’ll have disbanded in a month. They’ve already lost one of their crew and I don’t think it’s long before Andrew Harper and Magnum Kobe tear each other apart. It’s fantastic. In fact, I’ll go as far as to extend an invitation to both Harper and Kobe to come join the Combat Club. We can teach you methods of violence and pain that Honest Frank can only dream of.” Rating: 45 Larry twisting the knife there. Beautiful. He wasn’t actually that great on the microphone, but we could script some good stuff to get him through. SINGLES MATCH: Ray Cavalero vs. Spike Sylvain In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Ray Cavalero defeated Spike Sylvain in 6:14 by pinfall with a Belly To Back Suplex. Rating: 48 One-half of the VCC dismantles the former member of Honest Enterprises. ANGLE: Honest Frank Jr runs down to confront the VCC alone and starts yelling at them, forcing all the referees to hit the ring and pull him away from the stable; who just laugh in response and invite him to wrestle, right now… Rating: 79 We’ve got something with Frank Jr. He’s still green, but there’s definitely something big. SINGLES MATCH: JP Barnham vs. Honest Frank Jr. In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, JP Barnham defeated Honest Frank Jr. in 7:47 by submission with a Golden Scissors. Rating: 35 Yup, definitely too green for any massive push just yet. ANGLE: The Fantastic Express cut a promo hyping their upcoming match with Cross River Connection. They don’t think the Cross River Connection know exactly what they’re getting involved in. They might be the NYCW tag team champs, but what you’re looking at here is the finest from Colorado and Corbin who are the only WORLD tag team champs. They think the CRC act is cute, but they only want real competition from serious tag teams. And the CRC just don’t stack up. Rating: 74 SINGLES MATCH: Perfect Pepper Pelton vs. Rafe Sashay In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Rafe Sashay defeated Perfect Pepper Pelton in 8:04 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Rating: 60 Match was fine, but these two don’t click in singles competition and that is a problem for us. I hate to see young stars who are unable to compete at all levels. ANGLE: Davis Wayne Newton is backstage with Whistler. Tonight he’s taking on the son of a has-been. One Chip Martin. He sees a lot of what’s wrong with America in Young Chip. A sense of entitlement, of thinking that they’re better than they are. But that’s ok, he’s used it to and knows exactly how to beat that out of people. Eventually he’ll do the same with the little fella from Pittsburgh, because “I’m DWN from the birthplace of wrestling… Toronto, Ontario, Canada.” Rating: 77 Better each week from this ultra-charismatic future top star. SINGLES MATCH: Chip Martin vs. Davis Wayne Newton In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Davis Wayne Newton defeated Chip Martin in 10:14 by submission with a STF. Rating: 52 Clean win against the rookie. Perfect. ANGLE: Riley McManus is in the ring before his match. He demands that LA Star #1 watches what he’ll do to anyone who threatens his Empire title reign. Rating: 65 Blunt and to the point from the champion. NYCW EMPIRE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: Charlie Corner vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus © In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Riley McManus defeated Charlie Corner in 19:50 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex. Riley McManus makes defence number five of the NYCW Empire Heavyweight. Rating: 62 An ok main event, but I was hoping for a little bit more than was given sadly. OVERALL RATING: 65 0.25 (191,527 viewers) and I refused to be one of those books obsessed with the minutiae of ratings. But we were down. I was listening to a call-in wrestling radio show the later that week, which focused on the news that Soul Taker had stepped down as head booker for EILL. That news was, however only the second most shocking thing. As I heard a caller talk and recognised the voice immediately; Brutus Milano had called in to talk about NYCW and how he’s real MVP of the company. He then listed his accomplishments along with a question; “Why am I not the figurehead of this company?” I was going to kill him… NYCW Empire Superstars #12 Friday, Week 4, April 2023 The Empire Ballroom, New York City, New York Attendance: 3,251 ANGLE: Cross River Connection start the show off, dancing to the ring to Even Flow. They take a spot at the announce table next to me and Ernie. They want to announce that at the Stomper Memorial Show, they’ll be defending their titles in every match and hope that The Fantastic Express aren’t complete cowards and will do the same. Rating: 68 Intrigue! COTT WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Billy Chase & Chip Martin vs. The Fantastic Express © In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Fantastic Express defeated Billy Chase and Chip Martin in 6:16 when Rafe Sashay pinned Billy Chase with a Fantastic Flashbang. The Fantastic Express make defence number four of the COTT World Tag Team. Rating: 50 Poor match as the two rookies were well out their depth. But the addition of CRC on commentary was great. Especially their purposeful mispronunciation of the Fantastics moves. ANGLE: Honest Frank is backstage with Honest Enterprises and he’s here to tell us that all the problems inside their group have been resolved. Andrew Harper and Magnum Kobe have reaffirmed their faith in him and their project. And no amount of an old no-one like Larry Vessey interfering was going to change that. He hopes that Larry has found a third person to fight tonight, because otherwise his little pet projects are going to be destroyed. They’re just lucky he’s loaned Magnum out for the main event. Rating: 64 Doth the lady protest too much. Solid promo from Frank. GANG WARS MATCH: Charlie Corner & Vessey Combat Club vs. Honest Enterprises In a decent match, Charlie Corner and Vessey Combat Club defeated Honest Enterprises (Andrew Harper, Honest Frank Jr and The Masked Mauler) in 6:07 when Charlie Corner pinned Honest Frank Jr with a Corner Cutter. Rating: 57 Tough loss for the Enterprise. ANGLE: Bulldozer Brandon Smith is out with a microphone. “Listen up jabrones. I ain’t here to wow you with my linguistics, or suck up to you about what a great place this is, or what great people you are. That ain’t what the Bulldozer is all about. Want to know what I’m about? I’m about winning. And I see that Angry Gilmore has been hanging around, benefitting from the hard work I put in to build this place up from nothing. GILMORE! I want you to watch what I do to whichever Biggins I’m facing. You’re next.” Rating: 75 Fiery promo and the crowd noise was loud. SINGLES MATCH: Bart Biggins vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Bulldozer Brandon Smith defeated Bart Biggins in 9:43 by pinfall with a Backdrop Driver. Rating: 65 He’s as good as his word. SINGLES MATCH: Brutus Milano vs. Thom Barrowman In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Thom Barrowman defeated Brutus Milano in 7:59 by pinfall with a Guided Missile. Rating: 60 Not exactly the winning performance the Figurehead of the company should be putting in is it? GANG WARS MATCH: LA Star #1, Angry Gilmore & Danny Hagman vs. Riley McManus, Magnum Kobe & Davis Wayne Newton In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, LA Star #1, Angry Gilmore and Danny Hagman defeated Riley McManus, Magnum Kobe and Davis Wayne Newton in 19:38 when Danny Hagman pinned Magnum Kobe with a Missing Piece after Larry Vessey interfered. Rating: 68 Oof! Don’t mess with Larry Vessey, because he’s get in the way of a fantastic main event to make sure you lose. A great match, which moves forward a number of our main storis at once. ANGLE: LA Star #1, Gilmore, Bulldozer and McManus start brawling as a host of road agents and staff rush the ring to pull them apart. Rating: 66 Love a schmozz. OVERALL RATING: 69 0.25 (192,455 viewers) not that I care. The Stomper Memorial Show 2023 Cup Final: A vs. B Cup Semi A: 3 vs. 4 Cup Semi B: 1 vs. 2 Cup Quarter 1: The Biggins Boys vs. Honest Enterprises (Frank Jr & Magnum Kobe) Cup Quarter 2: Cross River Connection vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew Cup Quarter 3: Vessey Combat Club vs. The Chop Shop Cup Quarter 4: Powers of Pain vs. The Fantastic Express Empire Title: LA Star #1 vs. 'The Georgia Bulldog' Riley McManus © Tri-State Title: The Masked Mauler vs. Angry Gilmore © Gang Wars: Danny Hagman, Fro Sure & Charlie Corner vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Thom Barrowman & Davis Wayne Newton Next time… The Stomper Memorial Show 2023… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herrbear Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Cup Final: Vessey Combat Club vs. Honest Enterprises (Frank Jr & Magnum Kobe) Cup Semi A: Vessey Combat Club vs. Powers of Pain Cup Semi B: Honest Enterprises (Frank Jr & Magnum Kobe) vs. Cross River Connection Cup Quarter 1: The Biggins Boys vs. Honest Enterprises (Frank Jr & Magnum Kobe) Cup Quarter 2: Cross River Connection vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew Cup Quarter 3: Vessey Combat Club vs. The Chop Shop Cup Quarter 4: Powers of Pain vs. The Fantastic Express Empire Title: LA Star #1 vs. 'The Georgia Bulldog' Riley McManus © Tri-State Title: The Masked Mauler vs. Angry Gilmore © Gang Wars: Danny Hagman, Fro Sure & Charlie Corner vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Thom Barrowman & Davis Wayne Newton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eayragt Posted June 6, 2022 Share Posted June 6, 2022 Cup Final: Vessey Combat Club Cup Semi A: Vessey Combat Club Cup Semi B: The Biggins Boys Cup Quarter 1: The Biggins Boys vs. Honest Enterprises (Frank Jr & Magnum Kobe) Cup Quarter 2: Cross River Connection vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew Cup Quarter 3: Vessey Combat Club vs. The Chop Shop Cup Quarter 4: Powers of Pain vs. The Fantastic Express Empire Title: LA Star #1 vs. 'The Georgia Bulldog' Riley McManus © Tri-State Title: The Masked Mauler vs. Angry Gilmore © Gang Wars: Danny Hagman, Fro Sure & Charlie Corner vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Thom Barrowman & Davis Wayne Newton The Stomper Memorial Cup lineup is great, there's five teams there I could make the case for winning it all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lions Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 Cup Final: Fantastic Express vs. Cross River Connection Cup Semi A: Vessey Combat Club vs. Fantastic Express Cup Semi B: Honest Enterprises vs. Cross River Connection Cup Quarter 1: The Biggins Boys vs. Honest Enterprises (Frank Jr & Magnum Kobe) Cup Quarter 2: Cross River Connection vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew Cup Quarter 3: Vessey Combat Club vs. The Chop Shop Cup Quarter 4: Powers of Pain vs. The Fantastic Express CRC defend title whole way through, Fantastic Express don't. Honest and Vessey cost each other their semifinals. CRC beats the COTT champs non-title and earns a shot at the world tag titles they haven't won yet. Empire Title: LA Star #1 vs. 'The Georgia Bulldog' Riley McManus © LA Star wins a gimmick match, tonight is CRC's coming out party. Tri-State Title: The Masked Mauler vs. Angry Gilmore © This is the plan, right? Gilmore agreed to put Mauler over, so you gave him the Tri-State title knowing it would make the title that much better + put Mauler over doubly. Gang Wars: Danny Hagman, Fro Sure & Charlie Corner vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Thom Barrowman & Davis Wayne Newton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 The Stomper Memorial Show 2023 Cup Final: Vessey Combat Club Cup Semi A: Vessey Combat Club Cup Semi B: the Biggins Boys Cup Quarter 1: The Biggins Boys vs. Honest Enterprises (Frank Jr & Magnum Kobe) Cup Quarter 2: Cross River Connection vs. Samoan Wrecking Crew Cup Quarter 3: Vessey Combat Club vs. The Chop Shop Cup Quarter 4: Powers of Pain vs. The Fantastic Express Empire Title: LA Star #1 vs. 'The Georgia Bulldog' Riley McManus © Tri-State Title: The Masked Mauler vs. Angry Gilmore © Gang Wars: Danny Hagman, Fro Sure & Charlie Corner vs. Bulldozer Brandon Smith, Thom Barrowman & Davis Wayne Newton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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