The Enemy Of My Enemy (C-Verse)

[azzak]

Boxing Day 2019:

Looking towards the derelict warehouse I began wondering if this was nothing but an elaborate rib. Whether one of the guys on the indies got hold of my number and decided to pull a fast one on me. Those guys can be brutal at times, and I wouldn’t put it past them to trick me into driving from Adalaide to Canberra just to get their kicks. Or maybe it was me. What if I’ve got the address wrong? I check my cell for what feels like the hundredth time – this is definitely the place. Everything about this abandoned building was triggering me. I ought to just get back in my car and head home. Instead, I started heading to the entrance. I don’t know if it was curiosity that had got the better of me, or simply the promise of a regular gig, but for some reason I was going against all my better judgement.

On the walk over I kept obsessing over the mystery that had brought me here like a paranoid conspiracy theorist. Could it be a screen test? Have me cut a few test promos to see whether I’m what they’re looking for? Am I the victim of an elaborate ruse, destined to be the laughing stock backstage at the next show after the holidays? What if it’s something more sinister? Am I walking into a situation that’s putting myself in danger? Despite my mind’s reservations my legs keep moving, eager to deliver me to what could be a perilous situation. I reach the entrance. My arms now decide to join in on the betrayal, reaching for the door before my brain had even had a chance to reason with them. Then, with my hand grasping firmly on the door handle, everything freezes. My racing thoughts now working overtime, driving panic into every inch of my body. I look back to my beat up car, a real rust bucket that frankly I should be equally - if not more - scared of getting back in and driving all the way home. No, that old banger got me here against better judgement, so I can do the same. Having an actual steady job in professional wrestling is something I’ve dreamt of since I was a kid, and I’ll be damned if my nerves are going to jeopardise that for me. I turn back to the door. I’m met by the sight of this gigantic man stood on the other side of the glass. His shaggy hair and untamed beard contradicting the smart suit he wore. Big Jim.

I’m sure he could hear my sigh of relief through the glass pane as relief flooded inside me. Still the stalwart of a man that he is, he acted as though he didn’t. “Nice to see you again.” He said through a beaming smile while patting my shoulder with his paw. I extended my hand, trying my hardest to present myself as more of a professional and less of a deer in the headlights. “I didn’t even know you had my number.” I stuttered as he shook my hand.

“Truth be told, I didn’t. But I’ve made a fair few friends in my day, and one of them did.” The thought got me giddy, Big Jim Teasdale was actively seeking out my number. I was surprised he even remembered my name! We’d only met once before, and even that was a fortunate encounter. I was putting together this small show back home in Adalaide, and Jim was in the area visiting family. As chance would have it, I’d booked Asylum for the event, and he still had Big Jim’s number from his time at DIW. After a lot of begging and pleading, not to mention putting him over in the main event when I originally had him booked as fodder in the middle of the card, he agreed to call Jim and convince him to come down to the arena. We met backstage and it was a more than pleasant experience, he even threw in a cameo in front of the audience for me, but never for a second did I think it would one day lead to him chasing down my number to bring me in to Deep Impact Wrestling for this… Whatever this is.

We made casual small talk as we walked down the corridor, with any attempts I made to pry information about what the heck I was doing here being shot down, politely, but assertively. Dumbfounded by the entire bizarre experience, I didn’t even notice the strange suited man at the end of the hallway until he thrust a clipboard into my chest.

“Sign here.” He barked, not even giving me a chance to read the thick wad of paper clasped to the board.

“What’s this?”

“This paperwork is an official document to state that all parties will-“

Waving his hand in the air, Jim quickly and mercifully cut off the overly rehearsed spiel of the man. “It’s an NDA.” He informed.

“An NDA?”

“A non-disclosure agreement.”

“No, I know what an NDA is. I mean, what’s it for?” This evening was getting weirder by the second, a fact that was evidently worn across my face by the way Jim sympathetically looked back at me.

“You’ll understand the moment we walk into that room. Trust me.”

There was something so endearing about the big guy that made all my inhibitions melt away and, ignoring the voice of my solicitor Mom that was ringing in my mind, I signed the document without reading it. (Something she would later scold me for when I told her about the events of this crazy night!)

With the legal stuff out the way, Jim escorted me through the doors and into this vast warehouse with rusty pipes overhead and exposed brick on the walls. It was a mesmerising space, and I was seconds away from commenting on how whatever segment we were filming here was going to be really raw and gritty. Instead, the sight I saw across the open room made the words catch in my throat, and my jaw hit the floor. Eventually I managed to compose myself somewhat and began to walk over, the click of every footstep I took echoing with a thunderous ovation. It was the only noise that broke up the eerie silence that deafened the room.

Big Jim followed me to the table and pulled out a chair for me. As I sat down, he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I told you.” If I hadn’t been so stunned, I would have laughed at that, but I was so mesmerised that a feather could have knocked me over. I was sat at a table in an abandoned warehouse with the owner of Deep Impact Wrestling, a burly, gruff man in The Comedian, a chain-smoking, ironically named, double tough son of a gun. He was sat to the left of me, his feet crossed and planted on the table, about an inch away from my little finger. Big Jim walked behind the surly wrestling veteran and sat beside him. Being in the room with them was a surreal and intimidating experience. But I had expected to see at least one of them considering they were the ones who had invited me here. What I had not been prepared for, what I could not be prepared for, was seeing them sat at a table in the company of the man opposite them, the man to my right. The millionaire owner of APW, James J McMinister.

Comedian to the left of me, McMinister to the right, here I am, sat in the middle confused. Not only did these two men run two rival wrestling promotions, but it wasn’t exactly a closely held secret that the two hated each other on a personal level too. At any independent show I had ever worked in the New South Wales region there was always an abundance of tales about the storied rivalry between the two. Usually told by a bitter ex-employee or a jealous low level promoter, but still, everyone in the business knows that these two men do not like each other one iota. And now I’m sat at a table in an abandoned warehouse with both of them either side of me. That fact alone would make me the most popular man backstage at any show across the area if it weren’t for that damned non-disclosure agreement I didn’t bother to read.

“We’re considering merging the two companies together.” McMinister uttered, “In case you hadn’t figured that out yet.”

I nodded along, embarrassed that I hadn’t actually clocked on to the fact yet. But all that fact did was raise more questions in my mind.

“Why?” I managed to spit out.

“’Cos RAW keep pinching his draws an’ I ain’t got no money.” The Comedian grunted, now with his feet planted on the floor and slouching over the table.

“To put it bluntly, yes.” McMinister chimed, “We’ve come to the conclusion that without taking effective and immediate action, both of our promotions could be out of business in the space of a year.”

“An’ that would just leave RAW runnin’ the show with their hokey, soap opera bullsh-”

“Quite,” McMinister tactfully interjected. “And nobody in the Australian wrestling industry wants to see that.”

The Comedian pretended to spit phlegm on the floor. At least I tell myself it was pretend.

“So, we’ve come to an understanding. On December 31^st we will both close our current companies, and on New Years Day we are going to publicly announce the formation of our new, combined promotion: Australian Impact Professional Wrestling. I’ll be operating as the company’s CEO, since I’m bankrolling the new enterprise, and The Comedian here will be an Executive Vice President. We want Mr. Teasdale to join Mitch and Frank on the commentary team, and Sean here will be the lead in talent relations.”

In all the excitement I hadn’t even registered Sean Quartermainne sat beside McMinister until now. Each company had brought two representatives to this meeting. Four of the most powerful men in Australian wrestling not working for RAW sat around one table. With me. Not only did I feel like an imposter, but I was still at a loss as to why I was even here.

“We want you to take on the book.” The Comedian scoffed, as if reading my mind.

What. The. F-

“Steady on, Comedy man. It’s not as cut and dry as that. We’ve all come to an agreement that neither side would be happy to relinquish control to the other, and as such in order for this merger to proceed we’re seeking to find a neutral party to take charge of the creative direction for the new promotion, provided they can impress us, both of us, with a clear vision for the project. And that’s why you’re here.”

“Well paint a cross on me and call me Switzerland.” I quipped.

Okay, I didn’t really. My jaw was still stuck to the floor at the other end of the room. But I did think it, honest.

“So go on, give us what you got.” The Comedian prodded.

“Remember to consider your demographic, where the money is, like in family orientated shows.”

“But don’t forget this is a wrestling company, not a cartoon.”

“And don’t forget the liability issues of hosting needlessly dangerous gore-fests.”

“Yeah, but remember it’s supposed to be a real fight. It’s a man’s sport.”

“Filled with men who can fill out arenas through their star presence alone.”

Before I knew it the one-upmanship descended into a full on argument over wrestling philosophy. Both men were relentless, unwilling to give an inch of leeway in the war of words. Heck even Big Jim and Sean Quartermainne started getting involved, largely aligning with their respective bosses, as to be expected. Still, my eyes darted from one side of the table to the other following the increasingly louder and more volatile debate like a high speed tennis match. I thought I might as well get up and leave, I doubt they would even have noticed, too engrossed in arguing the other into submission. I couldn’t see any way for this agreement to work.

Until I could. It was right there in front of me.

“This!” I yelped with some semblance of authority. I even got caught up in the excitement of it all, jumping out of my chair and slapping my palm on the table. It certainly wasn’t deliberate, but it sure did catch their attention.

“This is exactly what we should be pushing.” I motioned to the two sides while all four men looked back at me bewildered.

“Factional warfare. That’s our selling point!” I exclaimed. “A bunch of stables, going to war with one another, out to prove that their wrestling style, their philosophy of life, is the right one. And do you know what, you guys are practically already there. DIW has Pinn Enterprises, and APW has Goliath Global, and they’ve been one of, if not the biggest success stories in both of your companies for years. Now imagine taking both of them, putting them against one another in a heated rivalry that’s full of subplots and betrayals and build it towards a massive blow off match and you’ve got money.”

“But they’re both heels?”

“I’m surprised you even know that term McMinister.”

“Oh funny one you are, Mr. Comedian.”

“Guys it’s not about that.” I explained. “Don’t get me wrong, sure, we will still have the good guys and the bad guys, but we don’t need to shove it down the fans throats. They choose who they want to cheer for and we react accordingly. That’s how it always goes down anyway. We keep the clean cut, chiselled adonises that the kids think are superheroes and the moms swoon over, but we also give the ardent wrestling fans what they want to see. Factions full of hardcore misfits, or gimmicky cults, or technical purists, or cocky little gits that can tear down the arena with just five minutes on the stick. A group for every genre of wrestling fan, under one roof, in one company. And do you know what, we’ll let the guys go a little harder in the ring, we’ll include chair shots and table breaks in our shows, because Mr. McMinister those kids that you love to market to, they’re becoming teenagers, and teenagers get part-time jobs, and have no responsibilities, and still get money from their parents too. And they start rebelling against the world. So you give them a product that their folks will let them start watching at what, 10, 11 years old, and it still be considered cool enough when they are 25? Then guess what, you’ve cultivated a die-hard wrestling fan, and I’ll be damned if they aren’t the loyalist fan base of any form of sports or entertainment in the world.”

I could feel myself panting. Panting hard. I had either embarrassed myself in front of four of the most influential men in the Australian wrestling scene, or I had captured their imaginations better than they, and I, had thought possible. But I’d laid all my cards on the table, and now was the time to go hell for leather.

“Oh and if you really want to stick it to RAW, you’ll advertise the style as Ruthless Australian Wrestling.”

I wasn’t expecting a standing ovation, and nor did I get one. But I did see a glint in all of the eight eyes I had staring back at me after my speech. But would it be enough?

A silence lasting for an eternity filled the room.

It was James J McMinister that finally broke it. “You’ve got three days. Solidify your ideas. Pitch them to The Comedian, Sean and Jim. If they like all like it, you’ve got the job.”

---

My hands were shaking as they clung onto the edge of the sink. Adrenaline was still coursing through my veins. Had I just convinced two of the most powerful men in Australian wrestling to end their decades long feud and put me in charge of their new company? I splashed water over my face just to make sure it was real. And as I looked up, I caught my reflection in the grimy mirror in front of me. A smile was plastered across my face from ear to ear. It was uncontainable. As my reflection stared back at me, I couldn’t avoid the overwhelming urge to say it out loud.

“Australian Impact Pro Wrestling. Head Booker, Dutch DeRue.”

Edited December 3, 2022 by azzak

[azzak]

New Year’s Day 2020:

Australian Wrestling Online

A New Year And A New Era For Professional Wrestling In Australia?

Shockwaves were felt in the Australian wrestling industry today during a press conference held in Sydney this afternoon by James J McMinister, revealing his latest venture in the world of sports entertainment. The millionaire business tycoon, famous for owning the controversial MJM mining firm, had invited a cohort of wrestling news reporters to the exclusive event in which he unveiled his plans to launch a new wrestling company. It was a curious move considering the announcement just a day earlier that Australian Pro Wrestling, the long running promotion that was owned by McMinister, was closing its doors for good. Instead, Mr. McMinister was moving on to a new venture, one he was very enthusiastic about, he told the watching audience. But also one that he wasn’t entering alone.

As his new business associate walked out each and every journalist came alive, the incessant flashes from cameras and murmuring from the crowd coaxing the conference room out from it’s new year hangover and creating an atmospheric buzz about the place. The man beside McMinister was known in the wrestling world as The Comedian, an ironically named, grizzled veteran of the industry who until yesterday had been the owner of Deep Impact Wrestling, a small time hardcore promotion in New South Wales which had also announced it’s closure the day before. The timing of the two companies shutting their doors hadn’t been lost among fans, with the internet wrestling community having spent the previously 24 hours speculating over what was next for the industry. But the answer was there in front of the baying crowd, stood side by side as it was officially announced that the two men were merging their former companies to form one new one called Australian Impact Professional Wrestling.

“It’s no secret that both operations had been languishing for quite some time,” McMinister proclaimed.

“It’s time to give fans the wrestling they deserve.” The Comedian interjected.

The whole ordeal felt like mixing oil and water. The two companies, and in fact the two men themselves, were the complete antithesis of one another. McMinister the well to do, savvy entrepreneur who offered light hearted, family friendly entertainment, and The Comedian, a beer-stained fist-fighter who appeased wrestling die-hards with their cult of violence. The idea of the two men working simultaneously to run a wrestling promotion was a curious proposition to say the least. Putting aside the fact that widespread rumours of hatred between the two men had dogged the New South Wales wrestling scene for the last decade, the ideological differences in what each of them perceived as the right style of the sport was enough to doom this partnership from the start. But both men had been well prepared for that question to be posed to them.

“We’re a wrestling company.” The Comedian said sternly, before it was McMinister’s turn to interrupt.

“AIPW will be welcoming to any and all wrestling fans, our shows will contain something for everybody.”

He went on to explain that the duo felt there was a comfortable midpoint between their two former companies where their new promotion could, and would, thrive. From the way he spoke it seems as though the in-ring action will be a little fiercer than the APW audiences will be used to, and that DIW fans will have to sacrifice unprotected chair shots to the head in exchange for a little more storytelling, but that ultimately, AIPW will be a show for almost everyone.

“I think we could best describe the style as ‘Ruthless Australian Wrestling’.” McMinister concluded.

And in that one line, the secret had been sold as to exactly what had brought about this strange and sudden collaboration. It was a shot at RAW, Revolution Australian Wrestling, the soap opera stylised wrestling promotion that featured boy bands, long lost family members and a plethora of convoluted storylines. A place that features a lot of former APW and DIW talent, and is the chagrin of every ‘real’ wrestling fan. That last snide swipe from McMinister was a very subtle way of telling those wrestling fans that they were going to be the true target audience for Australian Impact Professional Wrestling, no matter how much the promotion was being pushed as a company for all.

The event ended with the two bitter rivals turned business associates exchanging a tense handshake for the cameras to capture. And with that lasting image a deal with the Devil had been made. But the question is, which one of them is the Devil?

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by azzak

[azzak]

Friday Week 1 January 2020:

What a whirlwind of a couple of weeks it had been. From out of nowhere I’d gone from this low level manager in Adalaide who put together the occasional indy show that was lucky to get 50 fans to attend, to being the booker of a new promotion that was the brainchild of two of the biggest names in the industry. If I’m being honest, I felt like a complete imposter. Weren’t there any bookers out there more suited and more experienced? It was a feeling I couldn’t shake off, so I brought it up with Sean Quartermainne during our meet to evaluate the APW roster.

“Of course there were,” he bluntly informed me, “But they both saw something in you that none of the more experienced candidates had.”

“Potential? Passion? Creativity?” I hoped it was something along those lines.

It wasn’t.

“Naivety.” He answered, confirming my fears. “They both saw a young guy eager to make an impression, someone smart enough to actually take on the role, but easy enough to take the fall when everything hits the fan. But most importantly they saw a kid who they both think they can mould and manipulate into implementing their vision for the company and use against the other. Kid, you’re just a pawn in their eyes.”

“Gee, give it to me straight Sean.”

He chuckled while my heart sank. Deep down I had known what he was saying, I had just prayed it wasn’t true. Hearing it said out loud gave me the realisation it was though, and that sucked. “You think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, don’t you?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“What should I do?”

It took Sean a long time to answer. It was as if he was methodically playing out every scenario imaginable in his mind. His answer still caught me by surprise though.

“Try.” He said. “You’ve been given this crazy big opportunity. One that a lot of guys in the business would claw the eyes out of your head to steal from you. No matter what the motives were behind the reason you got the gig, the fact is you got it. So give it your all because really, what have you got to lose?” Once again he was right. I was in a no-lose situation. I was getting the chance to book some big shows with a blank slate, right all the wrongs made by the old companies during their tenures and get myself some exposure on the shows too. What else could I do but try my best to make this company the very best version of itself? I had to give this my all, no matter whether anyone actually believed I could pull it off. Myself included.

“Let’s get started.”

“Well, best we go through the roster then.” Sean advised.

The hours and hours I spent with both Sean and Jim going through the rosters of APW and DIW, filtering out who I was going to push, who I could rely on, and who I was going to cut, was some of the most invaluable time I’ve ever spent in my life. Both men were consummate professionals, guiding me through the process and giving me advice that I’ll carry with me until the day I retire. They had all these insights they were more than happy to share, putting aside their pride to put me in the best position possible for the debut of the new promotion. If McMinister and The Comedian were going to play me off each other, then these two were going to build me up to stand on my own two feet. Starting with finalizing my roster.

I made some tough decisions, decisions that both Sean and Jim didn’t fully agree with, by and large batting for me to keep hold of the workers they had brought into their companies respectively. But they respected my choices. That was important to me. The last thing I needed after the draining process of trimming down the list of workers was for it all to be second guessed. So getting them onside was a relief. But for as taxing as that process was, what came next was a thousand times tougher.

There aren’t many people who enjoy calling people to let them know they’re being fired. And the few people that do enjoy that are sick individuals. I’m not one of them. I had hoped that both Sean and Jim would be the ones to inform the guys from their respective rosters that they weren’t being brought over to the new company. After all, I hadn’t even met half these guys. Imagine having some unknown dude call you up and let you know you’re getting canned. At least if it fell to Sean or Jim they had the out of saying it wasn’t their decision. I thought they’d see it like that too. But when neither of them offered to make the calls, I realized that this was yet another test I was facing in my fledgling career as a head booker. A baptism of fire to see if I had the balls for the job.

For most of the guys I called it wasn’t that I wanted to let them go, it was just that I didn’t have the space to feature them regularly. They’d be better off with a free schedule to take bookings as they arise rather than waiting to see if I was going to use them that month. Some of them just didn’t fit where I saw the company heading creatively. It was nothing personal, and if ever those plans changed, I was more than willing to bring them back into the fold. Most of the guys were really professional, completely understanding and polite enough to wish me luck. It even got to the stage where I started wondering whether I was letting go of all the good guys and was going to be stuck with a locker room full of sketchy, unreliable meatheads. That’s until I called George Fennyman. Better known as Blood Brother, the man had been part of the DIW roster for just over a year before the merger, and I think he assumed he’d be making the jump to the new company. But the truth was he had hardly pulled up any trees during his time there and didn’t have much substance to his performances either. In all the tapes Jim had shown me, he did little more than throw fists or swing weapons. Perfectly fine for DIW, but I was looking for more than that. At least the rest of the roster that fit that description, and believe me there is a lot that do, have some sort of charisma, aura or even just popularity that I can exploit. George had none of that. By the time I’d got round to his call I’d already let go many other workers, all of which were frankly better than him. Both the Positive Energy guys from APW had been really receptive during their calls, Demarcus Lee had even cracked some jokes and Markus Rush, a veteran agent I’d have loved to have kept hold of if I had room for just one extra backstage hand, spent hours on the phone with me telling stories, giving opinions and providing insight into several of the wrestlers’ psyche. At this stage I’d been lulled into a false sense of security. Until I called George.

When I broke the news to him two of his first three words were ‘what the’. The next sentence was ‘that’s a joke’, minus one word in particular. Then he hung up on me. At first I thought fair enough, the guy has just had some bad news, everyone processes it in a different way, and I’d like the chance to level it out with him and explain once he’s cooled off in a few days. But then about two hours later he called me back. Before I’d even said hello he was cussing me out, calling me every colorful name under the sun and throwing homophobic slurs at me. He’d clearly spent the last few hours looking me up, getting what information he could to use against me. I won’t lie, it hurt me. No matter how many times you hear it, nothing ever really numbs the pain of your own sexuality being used against you. This part of you, this thing you can’t control like the color of your eyes, being thrown in your face time and time again.

I knew it could potentially hold me back from pursuing a career in the industry, hell a part of me had wanted to try my hand at working in the ring as a performer years before I even started taking gigs as a manager. What put me off was the fear that the guys backstage would find out and not want to work with me. Or share a locker room with me. Don’t get me wrong, the industry is in a much better place these days, respected names like Duane Fry in the States coming out has proved that, but 10 years ago it would’ve been a different story. But sadly, remnants of prejudice still exist, both in the industry and the wider world, as Blood Brother was proving with the verbal garbage he was spewing down the phone. And like I said, that hurt.

But what it also did was inspire me. I was going to take that rage building inside me and use it to fuel me. Like I’ve done so far in my life every time those insults were hurled my way. And I would be damn sure to take that fuel and use it to build a backstage environment in AIPW that welcomed everyone and meant that young men and women wanting to break into the industry wouldn’t be so scared of that prejudice that they gave up on their dreams.

So I listened to all those vile words and let them anger me. And when I had finally heard enough I hung up, taking a little bit of joy in adding the name Blood Brother to my mental blacklist. I dusted myself off and carried on with the calls. It was an emotional few days, and I honestly felt for the men I was letting go from the team, but by God it was a relief when it was over. I could finally move on to the exciting part of the job, planning the first show.

Edited December 3, 2022 by azzak

[azzak]

Monday Week 2 January 2020:

As I was holding the first poster up on the noticeboard I couldn’t help but stop and stare at it. Sure I’d seen it a thousand times over the weekend as we were printing them, but there was something so special about seeing it there, out in the world for all to see. There it was in black and white, all my planning and preparations on one sheet of paper for scrutiny. No turning back now. I pinned it up to the board and gave it one final read:

AUSTRALIAN IMPACT PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING
presents

OzFest: To The Extreme

Friday Week 3 January 2020

The Stars of APW and DIW collide!

The Main Event:
AIPW World Championship Match
APW Commonwealth Champion Scottie Hamstead vs DIW Champion Boo Smithson

AIPW Australian Championship Match
APW Australian Champion Massacre vs DIW Australian Champion Shogo

AIPW Tag Team Championship Match
APW Tag Team Champions Samoan Demolition vs DIW Tag Team Champions The Barracudas

Alyx Macquire vs Mace Mueller w/ Dumfrey Pinn

Fox & Possum vs Ares Death Cult

The Duo vs The Bad Truckers

Dingo Devine vs Harry Simonson

A Seven Way One Fall Match Featuring Australia’s Best Young Talent In The Shows Opening Bout

Plus appearances from NEW and TOP Wrestling Stars!

[azzak]

So having spent a few posts introducing this dynasty I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce myself. For those that don't know me, I'm a huge, huge C-Verse fan, obsessed with the lore it contains. Over the past half a year or so I've began getting more involved in the forum as a whole, particularly in rendering worker images and mod making. However one thing I have always loved doing is writing. It's actually what I studied in higher education and how I want to spend my life. Unfortunately a series of events led me to lose focus for a number of years, from personal issues to work to COVID and everything else that life throws at people. But I'm steadily regaining that irresistible urge to string words together to form stories. Due to my enjoyment of the TEW game series, and the aforementioned affection for Adam's brilliantly crafted fictional universe I thought it was a great place to start. I began by making the CornellVerse Expansion Pack mod that I released a couple of months ago, loving the experience of adding to the existing world and writing new characters. But one thing I really wanted to try out was this - writing a diary that (I hope) intrigues and/or entertains other people. So I've decided to stick my neck on the line and actually write something and put it out there for public scrutiny.

As you can probably tell, this is going to be more of a narrative focused series rather than focusing on how well the shows do. Obviously that's still going to play an important part within the diary itself, and I plan on using what the gameplay throws at me within the story. In my years following the games there were always two sets of companies that I thought would throw up an interesting story if they were merged together. The first was CGC and NOTBPW, which became canon in 2020 as CWA. The second was APW and DIW. Two owners that hate one another, with products that were pretty much polar opposites. I thought that while it makes sense logically for them to pool together to try and combat the RAW dominance in the Oceania region, it would throw up a lot of interesting strands story wise. I chose Dutch DeRue as the protagonist largely because he's such a minor part of the CornellVerse that anyone who's interested in following this is unlikely to have any existing impressions of him as a character. Much like the user character, the Oceania region as a whole is a largely underdeveloped part of the gameworld, so again I thought this would offer me the freedom to write without many preconceived notions.

I'm not much of a graphic designer, my skills there are pretty limited, so while I'll try to include pictures the focus is definitely going to skew towards the words rather than the presentation. I'm not too sure what the etiquette is regarding using re-renders and the like here, but I'm going to use the pictures I already have assigned to the characters in question. I am pretty certain all of the images I have saved from the forum have only ever been taken from creators who list their content as freeware, but stupidly while putting together my folder over the years I didn't keep track of where I sourced them from. As such, if anyone knows who has created the renders, feel free to let me know. Likewise if you are the creator please say, I by no means want to take credit for anyone else's work. In the same vein, if you're the creator and don't want me using the images, let me know and I'll be happy to remove them.

If anyone is interested in making predictions for the first show, here's a list of the matches without all the bold and italics from the previous post:

1. AIPW World Championship Match: Boo Smithson vs Scottie Hamstead
2. AIPW Tag Team Championship Match: Samoan Demolition vs The Barracudas
3. AIPW Australian Championship Match: Massacre vs Shogo
4. The Apocalypse vs The Bat Men
5. Alyx Macquire vs Mace Mueller
6. Fox & Possum vs Ares Death Cult
7. The Duo vs The Bad Truckers
8. Dingo Devine vs Harry Simonson
9. Australian Daredevil vs Barney Mason vs Christian Blithe vs Con McReady vs Felix Harding vs Reggie Tate vs SubUrban Legend

As one final note I'm planning on structuring the first show a little differently, before reverting to a report style moving forward, so the first outing for AIPW is going to be a fair bit longer than the shows will usually be.

I'm always open to feedback, it's how we improve after all, so if you have comments about what you like or don't like, please let me know!

[DAVEFAN95]

Big fan of Aussie C-Verse

 

1. AIPW World Championship Match: Boo Smithson vs Scottie Hamstead

I can see why Scottie could get the dub here, but I'm a huge Boo Smithson fan
2. AIPW Tag Team Championship Match: Samoan Demolition vs The Barracudas

The Barracudas are good, especially Blitz Simpson who can become a star level talent, the jobber to the real stars role but Samoan Demolition are very much tag guys, so Blitz Simpson is the only guy here that think I'd want to push so getting the tag belts here helps him
3. AIPW Australian Championship Match: Massacre vs Shogo

I love Shogo. Massacre is fine.
4. The Apocalypse vs The Bat Men

Not a big fan of either of these teams, I'll give it to the bigger lads
5. Alyx Macquire vs Mace Mueller

Despite Mace lacking in some major areas (SQ,ENT), he's a superb level brawler and his psychology is really good too. 
6. Fox & Possum vs Ares Death Cult

Possum is somebody who I can really leave behind (though I have used him before and grew to love him in that save) but Richie Fox is THE difference maker here
7. The Duo vs The Bad Truckers

The Truckers are... good. I like them but I think The Duo are better, even if I do hate their name.
8. Dingo Devine vs Harry Simonson

This is more preference then anything else. I like Dingo but he's like 39 in 2020, Simonsen I also like, but he's even older. I'll give it to the younger man and the bigger name
9. Australian Daredevil vs Barney Mason vs Christian Blithe vs Con McReady vs Felix Harding vs Reggie Tate vs SubUrban Legend

Oh wow this is tough. AusDev is a fave of mine. Barney Mason could be a mega star. Con McReady can be moulded into something. I have a soft spot for Felix Harding and Reggie Tate is also a huge prospect. I'll give it to the best prospect.

[AboardTheArk]

This was a real treat of an introduction. I've really been getting into Aussie CVerse in the 2020 (and alt mod) states of it so I am very excited to see the direction this goes in. Also interested to see how you'll book the Ruthless Aggression style, it requires a lot from your guys who are all mostly just fine talents (and the indie scene is really good in terms of producing good midcarders but that's about it mostly). 

 

Anyway, here's the predictions: 

 

The Main Event:
AIPW World Championship Match
APW Commonwealth Champion Scottie Hamstead vs DIW Champion Boo Smithson

Scottie is excellent and perhaps the most well rounded guy on the roster since he's been a main eventer in both companies. Maybe even the right political move. But going with the misfit is 1. a statement choice in the fight against RAW, 2. a chance to have technical bangers against the other APW main eventers doing his reign.

AIPW Australian Championship Match
APW Australian Champion Massacre vs DIW Australian Champion Shogo

Shogo rules, and I prefer booking him to Massacre who gets gassed easily. However, Massacre is a much more known commodity who can carry the title at first and deliver for both companies' style. Also Shogo can be built up as a lovable underdog along the way.

AIPW Tag Team Championship Match
APW Tag Team Champions Samoan Demolition vs DIW Tag Team Champions The Barracudas

I think APW talent wins more in the undercard plus they're "overrepresented" in this card by virtue of having more wrestlers participate, so this is purely a balancing choice. I think Samoan Demolition are the better team but maybe I would choose between them and Massacre for a W if I was booking the show.

The Apocalypse vs The Bat Men

No competition really.

Alyx Macquire vs Mace Mueller w/ Dumfrey Pinn

Alyx if I recall correctly doesn't have a stable behind him, which in this case means he wouldn't be targeted. I much prefer Mace but I feel like I have been cornered by my earlier choices.

Fox & Possum vs Ares Death Cult

Purely Greek bias, can't not vote for Sionis. 

The Duo vs The Bad Truckers

The Duo are an awesome tag team who can move on to challenge The Barracudas or just carry a program against anyone, misfit duo or permanent duo. Probably not ones to build your shows around though.

Dingo Devine vs Harry Simonson

Dingo Devine AKA the other good wrestler in the australian scene that has gotten a huge push despite not being able to say more than "hello" or "cunt". I think he's facing Smithson next.

A Seven Way One Fall Match Featuring Australia’s Best Young Talent In The Shows Opening Bout

 Australian Daredevil vs Barney Mason vs Christian Blithe vs Con McReady vs Felix Harding vs Reggie Tate vs SubUrban Legend

Think APW just BARELY 4-3's here. The Comedian gets the big title, McMinister gets the most wins. No one is happy, but they also don't have grounds to complain.

 

 

P.S. How did you make this? Create a new database (copy the default), then merge the two companies? I'm just curious because the concept is really interesting and who knows when I run out of interest for my home save.

Edited December 3, 2022 by AboardTheArk

[azzak]

1 hour ago, DAVEFAN95 said:

Big fan of Aussie C-Verse

Truthfully I've only ever watched it from afar, so I'm really excited to delve into it properly for once. I hope I do it justice for you!

24 minutes ago, AboardTheArk said:

This was a real treat of an introduction. I've really been getting into Aussie CVerse in the 2020 (and alt mod) states of it so I am very excited to see the direction this goes in. Also interested to see how you'll book the Ruthless Aggression style, it requires a lot from your guys who are all mostly just fine talents (and the indie scene is really good in terms of producing good midcarders but that's about it mostly). 

P.S. How did you make this? Create a new database (copy the default), then merge the two companies? I'm just curious because the concept is really interesting and who knows when I run out of interest for my home save.

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Without spoiling anything I've actually taken a trope from a completely different era to combat the 'just fine' issue you mention. But I do agree, there's not a lot of choice in the free agent market in that particular region of the world.

Regarding the database, basically yes. It's an expanded version of the default data containing all the various mods that have been released over the years expanding the free workers pools etc, which I always use as my database when starting games, with the further edit of APW/DIW closing December 2019 and AIPW opening in January 2020. 

[knkmaster69]

I know absolutely nothing about Australia in the C-Verse despite my love of it, so I'm incredibly excited to get to know these characters going forward! Love your writing style so far, and am incredibly invested in this dynasty already! Best of luck with it and can't wait to see the next installment!

[neslo024]

Love the aussie scene in the cverse. Surfer Dude Lucas is a must sign for me whenever I play in that region. Dude can call a match in the ring, brawl or have a technical masterclass and cut a promo. If he's willing to bulk up he's a future star. I honestly have never used either of these companies so my predictions are mostly guesses at this point but I am familiar with some of the workers

1. AIPW World Championship Match: Boo Smithson vs Scottie Hamstead: Boo is solid and reliable.
2. AIPW Tag Team Championship Match: Samoan Demolition vs The Barracudas: not familiar with either team so will go the opposite of what others are picking.
3. AIPW Australian Championship Match: Massacre vs Shogo: I'm not familiar with Shogo but am not a fan or Massacre. 

4. The Apocalypse vs The Bat Men: The Bat Men aren't my kind of team. 

5. Alyx Macquire vs Mace Mueller:  100% guessing here
6. Fox & Possum vs Ares Death Cult: Fox & Possum are legit workers
7. The Duo vs The Bad Truckers: love big goon teams
8. Dingo Devine vs Harry Simonson: Dingo is safe and reliable. 
9. Australian Daredevil vs Barney Mason vs Christian Blithe vs Con McReady vs Felix Harding vs Reggie Tate vs SubUrban Legend : love his character and he has the makings of a future star.

[azzak]

4 hours ago, knkmaster69 said:

I know absolutely nothing about Australia in the C-Verse despite my love of it, so I'm incredibly excited to get to know these characters going forward! Love your writing style so far, and am incredibly invested in this dynasty already! Best of luck with it and can't wait to see the next installment!

Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

1 hour ago, neslo024 said:

Love the aussie scene in the cverse. Surfer Dude Lucas is a must sign for me whenever I play in that region. Dude can call a match in the ring, brawl or have a technical masterclass and cut a promo. If he's willing to bulk up he's a future star. I honestly have never used either of these companies so my predictions are mostly guesses at this point but I am familiar with some of the workers

Yeah I've taken a look at Lucas a fair few times, he's definitely one of the better free agents in the region!

 

Next instalment will be show one, and I'm hoping to post it later today.

[azzak]

Friday Week 3 January 2020:

Dutch DeRue

To say that I was a nervous wreck would be an understatement, and a very generous one at that. I watched from the curtain edge as the crowd began finding their seats. I later found out there were 614 fans in attendance that night. Not only was that a bigger crowd than every show I’d worked or booked before – combined – but it felt closer to 10,000. Part of me wanted to be excited, to think that this was all down to those flyers I went all around the city of Sydney sticking to noticeboards, to lampposts, in bars, cafes, anywhere I could. But I wasn’t that naïve, despite popular opinion to the contrary. I knew it was blind loyalty from the fans of the now perished APW and DIW. Every fan in that arena was there because they were hoping that the new company, the company I was responsible for, would replace the void left by its predecessors. I decided early on that I had wanted to give both sets of fans a sense of familiarity to ease them in. But I also wanted to set expectations, outline how things were going to go moving forward, and what fans could expect in our shows. So I decided to open the show with Big Jim and Frank Mucciolo welcoming fans to AIPW. I also had them run down the rules that AIPW matches would be contested under – Aussie Rules. It was a concept originally founded in APW, that matches had to end by pinfall or submission. The idea back then was that a decisive winner would be declared in each match, leaning on the competitive idea that the better man won each match. But it was the perfect stipulation to allow weapons and interferences without confining matches to disqualification endings – something I knew the DIW loyalists would hate. Moreover, the choice had helped my standing with both James J McMinister, for implementing an APW original concept and The Comedian, for clearing the path of anything that could get in the way of hardcore action. It was an early win in my career – depending on how my two trusted mouthpieces delivered it in the ring.

 
Big Jim Teasdale & Frank Mucciolo

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Australian Impact Professional Wrestling!” Big Jim roared into the microphone. The fans came alive and despite how loud it was, my sigh of relief didn’t land a punch on the cheers from the audience. “This is a new era for professional wrestling in Australia. Every fan in this arena is witnessing history unfold live and in person.” Frank exclaimed. The crowd ate it up. Jim and Frank continued to work up the crowd for the remainder of the three minutes I allocated them. Putting over the Aussie Rules, Jim finished with a line about how it was now time for fans to witness the stipulations in place with our opening bout – a one fall match featuring seven young and hungry competitors that were the future stars of the company. That wasn’t even a note I had given him, such is his expertise in improvising, finding ways to weave a solid structure to the show. Both men impressed me, but it was clear Jim had a solid conviction due to his ability to speak freely to the audience.
(41)

 

Australian Daredevil vs Barney Mason vs Christian Blithe vs Con McReady vs Felix Harding vs Reggie Tate vs SubUrban Legend.

      

The first match of the night was a multi-man bout featuring Australian Daredevil (I decided to add the ‘dare’ to his name to differentiate between him and Brisbane Devil somewhat), Barney Mason, Christian Blithe, Con McReady, Felix Harding, Reggie Tate and SubUrban Legend. I wanted the group to go out and give it their all, putting on the strongest first showing of combat from the company, but to also work the crowd at the same time and get them enthusiastic for the rest of the show. I had gone back and forth on whether to have the match scripted by The Comedian who was acting as the agent for the bout. I decided against it because I wanted to have faith in my performers, give them the chance to play things out as they went, but I was dubious about if there was anyone in the match with the ring presence to keep the bout flowing smoothly. Luckily my fears were subdued as the match ran without incident, though it was hardly the spectacular showcase I had hoped for. A competent effort at working the audience, not a spectacular one. There were some good points though; Blithe’s gimmick as a cool babyface was simple yet effective and the crowd responded very well to it. That in and of itself was another huge notch on my belt, I was planning on developing him as one of the clean cut, handsome babyfaces of the roster – the type that women would swoon over –  as a long term replacement for Christopher Gerard should RAW ever pursue him as I suspect they will. He was actually one of the best performers in the ring too, only Reggie Tate put in a better showing I thought. I originally had Tate down for the win but I eventually plucked for Barney Mason instead. Tate was going to continue getting a lot of exposure as part of Victor Goliath’s stable and I thought Barney had an appeal that would appeal to fans from both the former companies. He tapped out Con McReady to the Full Nelson which was a solid way to end the match I thought. SubUrban Legend seemed a little off his game and his performance was inconsistent, but right now I’m putting that down to nerves and I’ll see how he fares over the coming months.
(37)

Barney Mason wins via submission.

 

Next up was the first big risk I was taking with the company. As the creepy and distorted remix of ‘Entry Of The Gladiators’ began playing throughout the hall, my eyes fixated on the crowd, trying to gauge the reactions of fans as they were introduced to a cohort of elaborately costumed sinister misfits.

      
Circus Of The Night: Jester, Anguish, Misery, The Void, Creeper, Writhe, Troll.

Led by Jester, the new collective of dark carnival oddballs cut a cryptic promo about bringing their twisted brand of ‘fun’ to AIPW. They will do what they want, when they want, for no other reason than the fact that it is because they want to. And it will usually involve violence. It was a steady promo, probably hindered by the fact that much of the group are complete unknowns to the majority of the audience, save for Anguish and Misery who a lot of fans recognized from their time with RAW. I was pleased to hear the ‘Troll, Troll, Troll’ chants that have followed the stable’s mouthpiece of the same name throughout his career on the indies, and I hope it catches on as he gains exposure because the guy was a real heat magnet on the few shows I’ve worked with him before. I’m also really excited to bring The Void into the frame as I think he’s been a sleeping giant on the independent scene for some time now, and I’m surprised I’m the first booker to take a punt on him.
(28)

The Duo vs The Bad Truckers

   
Donovan Boon & Rusty Mills vs Big Rig & Diesel Dan

Unsure of how competent The Bad Truckers were in the ring, I wanted to play it safe with their matches until I get to know them a little better. So I decided to have the road agent for this bout, Debonair David Peterson, tell the quartet of wrestlers to focus more on the narrative side of this match, portraying Donovan Boon and Rusty Mills as the underdogs to their mammoth sized opponents. I also brought in Ceri Dordevich to manage the Truckers, as I know how good of a natural entertainer she is, and I thought she did some good work at ringside. I decided to opt for The Duo to win this match as I planned on building to a massive storyline involving the pair further down the road, but what I hadn’t anticipated was the fact that they displayed excellent chemistry as a unit, and now I understood why APW had been reluctant to split the pair up. Now I was second guessing my plans to do so too. This match was by far the best part of the show so far, it did a good job of getting the crowd hot.
(41)

The Duo win via pinfall.

Fox & Possum vs Ares Death Cult

   
Pookie Possum & Richie Fox vs Cesar Sionis & Gyula Lakatos

Next up was another tag team match, this time pitting Richie Fox and Pookie Possum from APW against Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos from DIW. When I first sat down to analyse the workers I would be inheriting, I saw a real depth of partnerships available to me which only helped cement my vision for putting together a strong tag team division. Unfortunately, while watching them in person, it became abundantly clear that Fox & Possum were not one of those teams. There was just no connection between the pair whatsoever. Quite why Sean Quartermainne had kept the duo together for APW was a mystery to me. I wasn’t regretting putting them over Ares Death Cult because their win was important to set up what was coming next, but had I realized just how clunky they were as a team then I may have booked things differently. Maybe I ought to reconsider putting the plans I had in place for Donovan Boon and Rusty Mills to split and use it for Richie Fox and Pookie Possum instead? Still, I wasn’t about to scramble about and change things on the fly, but my mind was already racing with ideas to factor in the partnership’s lack of chemistry with what was about to unfold next…
(41)

Fox & Possum win via pinfall.

If Richie Fox had absolutely zero chemistry with his partner Pookie Possum, then only the opposite could be said about his work with Stephanie Drucker. The pair were dynamite together and clearly Sean had been using that dynamic to mask the incoherence of the actual tag team. Her acting as Ares Death Cult attacked Fox & Possum after the match was sublime. But that wasn’t the story here; the focus was on the save, with White Wasp, East Coast Panther and Nighthawk being led by Lone Shark as they forced Sionis and Lakatos to back away from Fox and Possum.
(37)

     
Animals: Lone Shark, Nighthawk, Pookie Possum, Richie Fox, East Coast Panther, White Wasp.

 

I had decided to pit together the appropriately named workers in a stable called Animals. They were going to be the gimmicky group aimed towards the youngest fans of the company, I thought pitting the group together would sell a lot of shirts, replica masks and other merch, which would impress McMinister. Now with the fact that Fox & Possum are absolutely flat as a team, there’s an idea brewing for a betrayal which will break those young fans’ hearts. But there was no time to think about that now, the lights had just cut to black and that was my cue.

As I made my way through the darkness towards the ring, I heard the noise of a knife being unsheathed followed by a gunshot play out over the sound system. I thought that was a slick combination for the stable that was about to debut. The lights come back up as I’m still headed towards the ring, and already between the ropes and beating the Animals stable to the mat are the new faction that I’d booked myself to manage, Disciples Of Greed.

    
Disciples Of Greed: Tyrant, Gareth Case, D.O.A, Switchblade, Dutch DeRue.

Animals did a good job selling for the debuting group, making them look like a legitimate threat. The group cleared the ring of their victims with a merciless attack.
(36)

 

I climbed through the ropes, microphone in hand, palms sweating profusely. The idea was for the group to be a cohort of criminal, underworld noir style bandits with me as their grifter mouthpiece. Unfortunately, I was a bumbling mess on the mic. My hands were trembling, there was no conviction in anything I said, and my mind went blank as I stood there under the lights. The pressure of the night had got to me, and the entire time I was out in the ring I kept thinking how I’d given myself too much to do and I should have saved this debut for a later show. And I certainly should have scripted my own promo. I should have had the foresight to realize I would be too busy to focus on working a crowd on the fly. A lesson harshly learnt. I had put the worst performance in of the show so far, and that was hardly going to help my standing with the guys backstage. But in the moment all I could think about was how I was letting down the group sharing the canvas with me. The one saving grace was that this stable was still salvageable, I would just have to be extra thorough in their booking, and my performance, in the coming months.
(25)

 

AIPW Australian Championship Match: Massacre vs Shogo.

 

This was the point of the show where I wanted to shift from second gear into third. The stakes were being raised here with the first ever title match in the company. I told Lanny Williams to instruct the guys to just go out and brawl, nothing fancy, just 10 minutes of the two men clubbing one another. Unfortunately, they just didn’t mesh well as opponents, and though I had no way of knowing that before the bout, I would be wise to avoid pitting them against each other one on one in the future. Victor Goliath did some tremendous work ringside, the partnership he has with Massacre being so smooth that only a fool would split the two up. So again, I had to reconsider the plans I had laid out. Too bad I’d already started planting the seeds by booking fellow Goliath Global member Reggie Tate to accidently cost his stablemate the match. But again, it’s early doors and everything was still repairable. I was surprised by how well the contest was received by the fans considering the lack of chemistry between Shogo and Massacre, I’d even go as far to say it surpassed everything else we’d put on so far.
(47)

Shogo wins by pinfall to win the vacant AIPW Australian Championship.

 

As soon as the match was over I watched as five competitors burst out the curtain beside me and rushed the ring, taking down the newly crowned Australian champion. They were followed by Max Forbes, a diamond of a manager and a personal idol of mine. When we met to discuss plans for him going forward I told him I wanted to give him his own union of five hungry young men and have him turn them into stars. His wicked smile told me he was relishing that opportunity. The beatdown itself was so-so, but now that Max had swiped the mic from a ringside technician, I knew he’d get the kids over in a big way.
(29)

     
Fortune V: Max Forbes, Hack Greer, Leon Nameth, Lothar Prellinger, Rob Edwards, Sexxxy SJB.

“These five men are the future of professional wrestling. There are great things coming for these men, that’s why they are the Fortune Five. Oh and when you plebs write that down, write the five in Roman Numerals, because this five, they’re not just men, they are Emperors. And Shogo, they're coming for you.” A dynamite promo from a true mastermind of the microphone. Forbes continued putting over Hack Greer, Leon Nameth, Lothar Prellinger, Rob Edwards and Sexxxy SJB both individually and as a unit. He improvised every word to perfection. It would behoove me to pay a little closer attention to how he does it, should I want to emulate just a fraction of his skill.
(34)

 

Alyx Macquire vs Mace Mueller.

 

Next up I wanted to keep the theme of APW and DIW colliding with established names from both companies going head-to-head. I had Dumfrey Pinn accompany Mueller to the ring, confirming to the DIW fans that I had no plans to end the Pinn Enterprises faction any time soon. Speaking to the veteran backstage I told him that I wanted him to be ringside for all of Mueller’s matches going forward, and that I saw him transitioning into a mouthpiece for his understudy going forward. I had hoped he would call it a day as an active wrestler when the merger was announced, but he’s not given me any indication that’s where his head is at. I’ll discuss it with him down the road as I think his best days wrestling are long behind him. But for now, he was happy to incorporate managing Mueller into his workload. I decided to go with using him to help Mueller win the match. I had wanted to have Mueller go over clean, but I thought I ought to do something to introduce the type of characters Pinn Enterprise were to those in the audience unfamiliar with their work. This match just edged above the Shogo and Massacre showing for me, so I felt validated in my decision to have it go on later than that match did.
(48)

Mace Mueller wins via pinfall.

The Apocalypse vs The Bat Men.

   
Hatemonger & Warmonger vs Slugger & Syrus

Another tag team match, this time putting up the goliath duo of Warmonger and Hatemonger against the baseball bat wielding Slugger and Syrus. Again, I let Peterson know that I wanted this match to be a brawl, as I really wanted to get the crowd pumped as we transitioned from the middle of the show towards the big matches coming up. I also wanted The Apocalypse to go over in a decisive fashion as they were going to be one of the cornerstones that I built my big tag team story around moving forward. The match was fine for what it was, but it could have been better were it not for Warmonger suffering a strained wrist during the bout.
(43)

The Apocalypse win via pinfall.

Dingo Devine vs Harry Simonson.

 

By my own admission this was an eclectic piece of booking. I wanted to put on a straight match with no frills to show the APW loyalists and purists in attendance that wrestling was still at the forefront of my mind when constructing shows. I wasn’t going to sacrifice in-ring quality in my shows, no matter what else was being showcased. To that end I think the match served it’s purpose, and Dingo Devine going over the aging Simonson seemed to sit well with the enthusiastic crowd.
(42)

Dingo Devine wins via pinfall.

 

AIPW Tag Team Championship Match: Samoan Demolition vs The Barracudas.

   
Brisbane Devil & King Malietoa vs Blitz Simpson & Chopper Rourke

This was where the show headed to the final straight. Both teams were encouraged to enter full hardcore mode here, told by Lanny Williams to put together a match that really sold the violent side of wrestling. The guys in the ring did a good job of it, but for me the contest was overshadowed by the obvious distraction at ringside in Lori. She was too overwhelming, especially for Blitz Simpson who she just couldn’t get on the same page with. Lanny informed me during the match that she had completely blown a planned spot, being on the complete wrong side of the ring when she was meant to place a kendo stick in Simpson’s hand. I’ll have to look at what to do with her as I do like her work, but obviously Big Jim was just blind to her hinderance to The Barracudas’ work. I went for crowning Simpson and Rourke as the inaugural champions. I think Samoan Demolition are the better team, but I had other plans for them which, due to earlier elements of the show, now had to be reworked. Meanwhile I was looking to The Barracudas to be another important piece of the tag team division. They’ll need a new mouthpiece though, but who?
(40)

The Barracudas win via pinfall to win the vacant AIPW Tag Team Championships.

 

AIPW World Championship Match: Boo Smithson vs Scottie Hamstead.

 

Time for the main event. By this point I thought we’d put on a solid show so far. The fans seemed to be eating everything up over the last few segments, and the strong performances from the locker room had managed to calm my nerves a little. But this match really was going to be make or break. I had The Comedian tell Scottie and Boo to go out there and steal the show. I needed them to tear down the house and bring the event home. Boy did they deliver. A great contest that got the crowd buzzing. The match of the night without a shadow of a doubt. With all eyes on this match, I knew this was where I had to make an impact, so I used it to introduce a hook to draw fans to the next show and introduce the stories I’m going to plug going forward. I had Mace Mueller, flanked by Dumfrey Pinn, get involved and cost Boo Smithson the win, kickstarting a feud between the two. It was a move that added drama to the finish, gave Boo and excuse for his loss, and garnered both Hamstead and the Mueller/Pinn duo some heat.
(50)

Scottie Hamstead wins via pinfall to win the vacant AIPW World Championship.

     
Pinn Enterprises Ltd: Dumfrey Pinn, Mace Mueller, Angus McMiller, Dexter Mattell, Rad Masteroff, Lillian O'Donahue.

The rest of Pinn Enterprises ran out from the back to assist their leader in his beatdown of the misfit Smithson. They featured a new face in Dexter Mattell, who I added to the group in the place of Wez Dobberly and Bob Shrunkle, who I didn’t see fitting into my plans for the company and weren’t brought back after the merger. I wanted to stick Mattell with the experienced McMiller to learn from, so I’m going to have him play a shady accountant for Pinn to compliment McMiller’s tax man gimmick. It was with Lillian O’Donahue that he really worked well beside though, the two gelled together seamlessly from the moment they hit the ring. She was less compatible with Rad Masteroff though, and their obvious lack of cohesion was clearly one of the reasons why DIW had failed to get him past the lackey status within the group. I had planned to utilize him more as a muscled enforcer type for the team, but I’ll have to reconsider having O’Donahue by his side in future. The beatdown wasn’t as well received as the match before it, but by no means did it cool off the hot crowd.
(36)

Just as the group were finishing their beatdown assault, an entourage stormed the ring to fend off the heels. They were flanked by The Comedian, who I wanted to act as the new group’s enforcer moving forward.

     
The Asylum: The Comedian, Boo Smithson, Mayhem Mulhoney, Milton Hittlespitz, Bloodsport, Vortex.

Mayhem Mulhoney and Milton Hittlespitz were over enough with the DIW crowd to make them a significant part of the group, while Bloodsport and the debuting Vortex were two youngsters I saw a good future in, so I was going to use them to bolster the squad’s ranks and likely eat the team’s losses as they continued their development. The two groups brawled throughout the ringside until bringing their fight to the back to leave the main players of the respective stables in the ring. It was a competent but unspectacular way of introducing the members of each side.
(27)

This left Mace Mueller and Dumfrey Pinn to stare down The Comedian and Smithson, leaving a lasting image of where the focal point of this storyline was going to be. It was a smart move to indicate who the bigger players of this narrative were going to be, and the fans appreciated the chance to visualize it.
(46)

 

Meanwhile on the entrance ramp – or rather the entry point, since there wasn’t an actual ramp in sight – Scottie Hamstead had watched the whole thing unfold. He hoisted his new championship in the air, sure to see that his crowning as the champion wasn’t overshadowed.

 

That moment would be taken away from him though as Christopher Gerard made his way out and pointed directly to Hamstead’s new belt. It was a short segment but left no illusion as to what would be AIPW’s leading feud for the foreseeable. Gerard and Hamstead were my two biggest stars and I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to tell a story between them before RAW steals them from me.
(49)

The show went down a treat, and I was really happy with how everything went. I was sure to compliment both Boo and Scottie after their match, letting them know that I wanted to see more of the same going forward. Overall a good show, with just one or two very minor hiccups that are by no means going to hold back AIPW as we continue to grow.
(SHOW OVERALL: 48)

After all the stress and panic, that was it, the first ever AIPW show was in the books. I tell you what I slept like a baby that night, all the adrenaline that had kept me going since Boxing Day now sapped from my body. I knew I had done a good job, and I deserved the rest. But I was also aware that this was just the start. So when I woke up the next morning, I went right back to planning the next event. The first show was good, but I wanted the next one to be even better. AIPW was introduced to the world, now it was time for it to make an impact.

[azzak]

www.australianimpact.au/roster

Active Roster:

    
Alyx Macquarie. Anguish. Angus McMiller. Australian Daredevil. Barney Mason.
    
Big Rig. Blitz Simpson. Bloodsport. Boo Smithson. Brisbane Devil.
    
Cesar Sionis. Chopper Rourke. Christian Blithe. Christopher Gerard. Con McReady.
    
Creeper. Dexter Mattell. Big Rig. Dingo Devine. D.O.A.
    
Donovan Boon. Dumfrey Pinn. East Coast Panther. Felix Harding. Gareth Case.
    
Gyula Lakatos. Hack Greer. Hatemonger. Jester.
    
King Malietoa. Leon Nameth. Lone Shark. Lothar Prellinger. Mace Mueller.
    
Massacre. Mayhem Mulhoney. Milton Hittlespitz. Misery. Nighthawk.
    
Pookie Possum. Rad Masteroff. Reggie Tate. Richie Fox. Rob Edwards.
    
Rusty Mills. Scotty Hamstead. Sexxxy SJB. Shogo. Slugger.
    
SubUrban Legend. Switchblade. Syrus. The Void. Tyrant.
   
Vortex. Warmonger. White Wasp. Writhe.

Ringside Managers:

Ceri Dordevich - The Bad Truckers.

Dumfrey Pinn - Pinn Enterprises Ltd.

Dutch DeRue - Disciples Of Greed.

Jaime G - Bats Out Of Hell.

Lillian O'Donahue - Pinn Enterprises Ltd.

Lori - The Barracudas.

Max Forbes - Fortune V.

Sean Quartermainne - The Apocalypse.

Stephanie Drucker - Fox & Possum.

The Comedian - The Asylum.

Troll - Circus Of The Night.

Victor Goliath - Goliath Global.

Broadcasting Team:

   
Dean Hawkins. Big Jim Teasdale. Frank Mucciolo. Mitch Y. Bryson.

Match Officials:

  
Death Ref. Lew Rose. Virgil Mann.

Backstage Agents:

 
Debonair David Peterson. Lanny Williams.

Management:

CEO: James J McMinister.

EVP: The Comedian.

Factions:

Animals

     
Lone Shark. Richie Fox. Pookie Possum. Nighthawk. East Coast Panther. White Wasp.
Bats Out Of Hell

   
Slugger. Syrus. Con McReady. Jaime G.
Circus Of The Night

      
Jester. Anguish. Misery. The Void. Creeper. Writhe. Troll.
Disciples Of Greed

    
Tyrant. Gareth Case. D.O.A. Switchblade. Dutch DeRue.
Fortune V

     
Max Forbes. Hack Greer. Leon Nameth. Lothar Prellinger. Rob Edwards. Sexxxy SJB.
Goliath Global

   
Victor Goliath. Scottie Hamstead. Massacre. Reggie Tate.
Pinn Enterprises Ltd

     
Dumfrey Pinn. Mace Mueller. Angus McMiller. Dexter Mattell. Rad Masteroff. Lillian O'Donahue.
The Asylum

     
The Comedian. Boo Smithson. Mayhem Mulhoney. Milton Hittlespitz. Bloodsport. Vortex.

Tag Teams:

Ares Death Cult:
 
Cesar Sionis & Gyula Lakatos.

Crime Wave:
 
D.O.A & Switchblade.

Forever Evil:
 
Creeper & Writhe.

Fox & Possum:
 
Pookie Possum & Richie Fox.

Samoan Demolition:
 
Brisbane Devil & King Malietoa.

The Affliction:
 
Anguish & Misery.

The Apocalypse:
 
Hatemonger & Warmonger.

The Bad Truckers:
 
Big Rig & Diesel Dan.

The Barracudas:
  
Blitz Simpson & Chopper Rourke.

The Bat Men:
 
Slugger & Syrus.

The Debt Collectors:
 
Angus McMiller & Dexter Mattell.

The Duo:
 
Donovan Boon & Rusty Mills.

Stay tuned for more additions in our coming shows!

The following personnel have not been retained from APW or DIW:
Blood Brother, Brian Rampage, Bob Shrunkle, Chuck Everlasting, Demarcus Lee, Kasey Kneuve, Lou Brookmyre, Markus Rush, Paul Reinhold, Tim Burr, Warren Lydecker, Wez Dobberly, Whirlwind Lee Wilkes.
AIPW would like to thank these individuals for their contributions in the former promotions and wishes them the best in their future endeavours.

Edited December 6, 2022 by azzak

[azzak]

DAVEFAN95 - 8/9.
AboardTheArk - 4/9.
neslo024 - 5/9.

Thanks to everyone for your predictions, there was a lot of sound logic and even if the scores don't reflect it, you were all so close to so many things! 

[Pteroid]

Not Bob Shrunkle!

[Voeltzwagon]

8 minutes ago, Pteroid said:

Not Bob Shrunkle!

What the hell is a Bob Shrunkle!?

[neslo024]

Really enjoyed the first show. Will be interesting to see where the story takes us.

[azzak]

27 minutes ago, Pteroid said:

Not Bob Shrunkle!

18 minutes ago, Voeltzwagon said:

What the hell is a Bob Shrunkle!?

This is how I imagined fans of DIW and APW respectively to respond to the devastating news that Bob the Blob would not be featuring in the new promotion.

3 minutes ago, neslo024 said:

Really enjoyed the first show. Will be interesting to see where the story takes us.

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[DarEatWorld]

Really, really enjoyed this so far. The show itself was excellent too, just the right amount of detail and reviewing it from the perspective of Dutch allows a nice amount of under-the-hood observations too. Appreciate the roster review too, I know how much time that can take but it's really helpful to somebody who is just trying to learn who your roster are, especially with the abudance of stables etc.

[AboardTheArk]

What a show! The write-up was excellent, the show probably just the right amount of chaotic, and Dexter Mattell with Pinn Enterprises pleases me.

 

Glad to see I was so off with my predictions...but justice for Ares Death Cult!

[azzak]

Monday Week 4 January 2020:

Sat in front of McMinister, The Comedian and everyone else with a stake in the inner workings of AIPW, I couldn’t tell you if I was more or less nervous than that fateful Boxing Day. I was definitely nervous, but this was a different kind of nervous. Back then I was being judged on what I was offering to bring to their new company, this time I was being judged on what I had delivered.

The first part of the show to be discussed was the main event and the antics that followed to kick off our two biggest stories. Lanny Williams was the first to comment. “It was very chaotic.”

“There was a lot of moving parts.” Sean Quartermainne added as Debonair David Peterson nodded in agreement.

I couldn’t gauge whether these were observations or criticisms. Everybody was keeping their cards close to their chests. Except for one man. The Comedian. The veteran was stoic in his mannerism but never one to mince his words. I knew he would be the first one to give me an actual opinion, I just had no idea what that opinion would be.

“It was good.” He admitted, though his stony expression could’ve fooled me. “The crowd were into it.” Out of all the people in the room I was glad to have him on-side. I figured he would be the hardest to convince if we were ever on the opposing side of things and frankly, I don’t believe I’ve even got the persuasion skills to combat his stubborn, confrontational default setting. Having The Comedian backing me up was the early win I needed, and everyone seemed to fall in line after he spoke. However, I did notice a very subtle side eye from Lanny Williams that seemed to go unnoticed by the rest of the table. I knew exactly what was going through Lanny’s mind, he thought The Comedian only liked the close of the show because he was one of the characters featured prominently in it. Lanny, David and Sean all reminded me of one another, they were all respectable men, but very much APW career men, and I am cautious that they are going to struggle to adapt to the more modern style of AIPW. But despite their similar traits and approach to the business, I knew Lanny wasn’t as considerate in his approach as the other two were. But despite that not even he was going to confront The Comedian head on with the accusations racing through his mind. A good job too for several reasons, not least because he was wrong. As much as The Comedian is an elitist in the sense of his own approach to wrestling, his ego causing him to dismiss anything outside the realms of blood and violence as sports entertainment, he is not a limelight stealer. He knows he’s being used to get over the new faction he’s managing and, if and when the time comes that they no longer rely on him, he’ll stay backstage. He will do what is best for the company. Or his half of it, at least.

“What made you go with Hamstead over Smithson?” Big Jim asked, surprisingly somewhat accusatory, though that might have just been me overthinking things. “Smithson proved in DIW he’s capable of holding the top of the card.” McMinister scoffed at this, his first audible contribution to the meeting. But Jim remained undeterred and brought up what he had been alluding to. “Not only did APW get the most wins, but they got the main belt too.” I had known this was coming, this was probably the only part of the meeting I was properly prepared for. At first, I hadn’t even considered how big a deal the APW versus DIW factor would be, I thought that outside of holding a few first time ever dream matches between wrestlers previously in separate companies, everyone would be more focused on shaping AIPW. I knew some fans of both companies were going to be staunchly loyal to their particular brand, but when I exited the hall on Friday night, I was surprised by how much of the fan’s conversations were centring on which of the two had came out of the show looking better. I’d been laser focused on building up the new promotion that I forgot all my planning had made me numb to the fact that APW and DIW were their own separate entities, and many people, including those sat at this table were still seeing them as such. I figured that this would end up being one of the main topics of today’s discussion, so a lot of my time over the weekend went into thinking up my response.

“Look, no-one was going to be happy unless their company won every head-to-head and held every championship. You’re right Jim, APW edged the scorecard and walked away with the World title, but don’t forget Scottie is also a former DIW champion. He was the right choice because both sets of fans know him as a main eventer. Plus, DIW got both the Australian title, the tag team belts and make up our leading faction in The Asylum. There’s pros and cons for both companies coming out of OzFest, and it’s generated a lot more talking points for the fans to debate which company came off better than if I had booked an evenly split, everyone gets a participation medal kind of show. But I also want to be clear on one thing. Going forward there is no APW or DIW. Sure, the fans are going to keep playing the two off one another as we continue to establish the new promotion, heck I’m even open to using it as a story in our shows if the right scenario presents itself, but behind the scenes, in the real world, we are one show. We are AIPW and we win or lose together. Does everyone agree?”

I slid my hands into my pockets to hide how obviously they were shaking. These men were all essentially my bosses, they were all way more experience than I, and yet here I was basically telling them off. I hadn’t shouted or anything like that, I just wanted to firmly insist that we all sang from the same hymn sheet. I doubt I was even that firm to be honest, judging from the way my throat dried up and my palms were sweating. And how much I wanted to pee.

“Gee kid, if you’da put that much energy in ya promo on Friday maybe ya stable woulda got over.” The joke got a big laugh round the table. Clearly The Comedian’s expertise was in dry humor. But it was another seal of approval and that’s all I needed. The gruff old-timer’s way of drawing a line in the sand.

We went over the rest of the show, me over-explaining why everything went the way it did, what stories I had planned, any potential future signings I was eyeing up, and the match card for Hardcore Heatwave next month. A few guys from the APW side were surprised to hear this show will be on a Saturday night, but once I explained that each show was going to alternate between Friday and Saturday so that fans from the old companies would at least be able to attend every other show, since APW used to run Fridays and DIW on Saturdays, no one could dispute my logic. I was feeling much more positive, until James J McMinister finally spoke.

“Let’s discuss finances.”

I gulped. In every indy show I had put together I’d struggled to break even. By the time I’d paid the workers and covered the cost for hiring the hall, there was never anything left in the kitty for me to take home. I really had been doing it for the love as they say. But this time I wasn’t playing with my money, I was playing with McMinister’s. And though he had a lot of it, I highly doubted that he would like to give it away without seeing significant returns. “I’ve crunched the numbers and we made $2594 over the month.” At first, I was elated, $2500 is a lot of wonga. But then I was struck by the realization that I’d never ran a business before, and I could be celebrating when there was reason for commiseration. It might have been more money than I had saved, but to McMinister it was likely chump change. I glanced at the other faces round the table, trying to glean any indication I could from the expressions I saw. But not a single man was giving anything away at all. “I tell you what, why doesn’t everyone else head home, we don’t need to bore everyone else with the details, do we?”

I watched as everyone else abandoned their stations. I felt jealous they were free to duck out, betrayed that they were leaving me to the mercy of McMinister and scared that I had done something so terribly wrong that I was about to get fired. Was a $2500 return really that bad? Once the rest of the team had left, McMinister came and sat next to me. He had been opposite me throughout the meeting, silently watching me. Judging me. But now the closeness between us felt like a trap, like he was trying to lure me into a false sense of security.

“I noticed you cut back on the production aspect of the show. That was a significant outlay to terminate the contracts with camera crew and event staff early.”

“I didn’t think it was a wise expenditure to be honest with you. I thought it would be wiser in the long-term to cut those costs until we saw more of a significant growth in the company, Mr. McMinister.”

“Please,” he tutted, “Mr. McMinister is my father. Call me James.”

I nodded, not wanting to upset him further. “I understand why you made that call. But please don’t worry about the financial side of things, at least not for the time being. I want to see APW- sorry, AIPW- on television screens across the country one day. We are going to have to put some significant funding towards our presentation in the future if we’re going to attract interest from any broadcasters. So, save the money now, but be very aware of the fact that that will be an additional cost one day.”

I nodded my head once again.

“It was a good show kid, you should be proud.” Hearing that was a relief, it’s always good to be validated by the man paying your wages. “But…” Oh crap. I should have known there would be a but…

“I do have a few suggestions for the company moving forward.” The infliction on the way he said ‘suggestions’ gave me the impression that the advice would be instructions rather than advisements. “First, since we’re a new company, there should be a certain amount of credibility to our roster. I think it would be beneficial if you only signed people with a certain level of cache in the industry. You know, people with a good reputation. I think that’s a fair request.” I could understand his point, it didn’t seem unreasonable to want a roster that was in good standing.

“I also think we would be better off if we avoided that particularly intense style you see over in Japan. I’ve accepted that we’re going to have to incorporate some of the brainless brawling that those DIW Neanderthals insist on, but if we can avoid hiring anyone who’s in ring style is particularly impactful, then I think that would keep parents, and sponsors, on our side, don’t you agree?” This caught me a little off guard, I hadn’t really identified any potential signings that performed in that way, but the fact it was now completely off the table seemed a bit excessive. But who am I to say no to my boss?

“Finally, I think it’s imperative our company is significantly more popular within the next two years than it is now. That’s around the time zone that I’d like us to be on television, not just our events but as a fully fledged television show, so to achieve that we must be a lot bigger across the entire company than we are now.” I was a little perplexed by the need for these requests to be private if I’m honest, nothing was said that I thought would offend the others.

“Oh, and one more thing. I know that this is a joint venture, but I’m still the one signing the cheques. I just wanted to remind you of that fact.”

McMinister stood up and walked away, leaving his words still ringing in the air. Now I knew why he wanted to speak in private.

[knkmaster69]

The tension rises after the first show, and what an entertaining one it was! I like the characters you're building up and the interbrand warfare. It's gonna come to a head sooner or later and I can't wait to see how it all works! Looking forward to the next show, maybe I'll even do predictions now that I know who anybody is lol

[DAVEFAN95]

Woo. 8/9. Haven't been able to do a full read of the show or afters yet (I'll get to it, just looong week) but I did check the results and roster. Love the renders you are using. A bit shocked on the release of Tim Burr. When I had a DIW diary planned before I got super busy with stuff, I had big things planned for the big man. Might have been a little late coming in, but he's got a lot of potential.

[azzak]

Sorry it's been a minute folks, I've had some stuff irl that needed my focus, but I'm hoping to add to this next week - the good news is I've already progressed the next two shows so just the story side of things needs fine tuning before it's good to go. Stay tuned.

[azzak]

Hey guys,

So it's been a little while - unfortunately my life got pretty hectic and I wasn't able to ever return to this. Sadly all my momentum for the project is gone and I'm going to nix it. I'm slowly finding a little more time so I'm going to return to rendering and hopefully start a new diary once I'm sure I can commit to it. Thanks for all the response and I hope whenever I can start again it'll be something you all enjoy!