Sidewinder Pro Wrestling: One Last Chance

[IronWarrior22]

The idea behind this diary is to showcase and see through an idea: If the opportunity to try something you thought you had lost came to you, would you take it? If you accepted, how far would you go, and would you be able to do it on your own terms? If you denied, would you come to regret it?

The story focuses on Jackson Richter, a wrestler during the 90's, who in 1999 breaks his neck and is forced into retirement at the age of 28. Not much of a talker, and unable to take bumps on account of the neck, he effectively has to leave the wrestling business. He continues on with his life, gets married and has children, while never really letting go of the business he loved, although he has to do so as a spectator. Then, one day, an opportunity to get back into the business arrives.

 

Sidewinder Professional Wrestling Roster and Champions: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Riv7QTldztI5rpcmgD8tx7cjY2UYvtff6x_KoTqjJOo/edit?usp=sharing

 

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

November 12th, 2019: At the Birth

Jackson Richter walked around his kitchen table and sat at its head. His guest took the opposite end, and Richter was unsure how this meeting would go. Wilson Granger met him at a promotional event for his manufacturing company outside Waite Park in August and pitched him an idea: creating a wrestling promotion with Richter as the Head Booker. He remembered Granger even back when he was an active wrestler. He had helped promote North Of The Border Pro Wrestling events in Minnesota, specifically around the Twin Cities for over twenty years. He continued to do so until the end of 2017, when NOTBPW merged with the Canadian Golden Combat. While Granger had a good relationship with the Stone Family, the same couldn’t be said with the DeColts. In 1994, he had done some promoting for CGC, but an argument with  George DeColt and stiffed them on their money. When the two companies merged, Granger thought that the DeColts would forget, considering it was George who he had disagreements with. He would find out that grudge in particular was shared amongst the children, and the only bridge he had left burned down. Granger, however, came to regret that decision as he lost his spot in a sport he loved.

Richter was surprised by the proposal and, since then, had many conversations about the idea, mainly because Richter didn’t know a) why he of all people had been asked and b) how invested Wilson was in this project. Richter also made a few calls to others to see if they had been asked, and it became more and more apparent that the only reason Richter, a mid-carder at the height of his career, was being asked if he wanted the job was that everyone else had said ‘no.’ Those he called seemed just as surprised at hearing he had been offered the book as he had been.

A few of the guys he called told him to watch out. Jason Evans, his tag team partner at the tail end of his career gave him the most information about the situation. Ricky and Sean gave him some as well, but it all looked poorly. Granger had an idea that was doomed to fail, and he had the money to see it through. He believed that he could make a prominent wrestling company out of the Twin Cities. Not to say that it was impossible, but history was not particularly kind to the idea. None of the big American companies had made headway here, and despite efforts by CGC and NOTBPW, they couldn’t either. The last company to have success here was SWF during the 1980’s, and they quickly learned that there simply wasn’t much money to be made. Not as much as the coasts or the south, anyways. The canadian companies figured that out much later, but would run a token house show once every quarter. SWF runs a PPV once every two years, and a televised show once a year. The other two of the big three hadn’t run a show here in atleast 2 years. The last time a PPV sold out was in 2003 when D.A.V.E. came to the Xcel Energy Center.

But, here comes Wilson Granger. Could he do it? Maybe, but the consensus appeared to be a resounding ‘no’ based on everyone he asked. Hence why he was sitting in Richter’s dining room. Nobody else got to a 3rd talk, let alone seriously consider the offer.

The information he had gathered from his phone calls had alerted him to the company's inevitable fate, at least in their eyes: failure. And even if you were somehow going to make it, Granger was well known for his ego. Any credit would go to him. So, when Granger came to him in mid-October to get his answer, Richter told him he would, on three conditions. 

First, he wanted the complete creative direction of the company. If he were given a ‘thankless’ job, he wanted to give it as good a shot as possible and possibly set up his return to the bigs in some capacity. Second, he wanted full disclosure and control of the company's finances. Not that he didn’t trust Granger, but he wanted to make sure that he knew how much leash he had financially, what deals Granger had made, and the ability to negotiate contracts on his own. And lastly, he wanted part ownership of the company.

In a way, he felt terrible for Granger. The man was prideful, which cost him his standing in a profession he loved. He was desperate to get back what he had lost through that pride, and unlike when he was thirty-nine/forty. He didn’t like taking advantage of the man’s dream, but Richter had his dream. He had left it behind twenty-one years ago when he broke his neck at a house show in Duluth and retired shortly after. Now, with another chance, Richter wanted to try.  He knew he had asked for too much, but if he was going to get that chance, he didn’t want to be screwed before he even put pen to paper. “So, have you come to a decision, Will?” Richter asked.

Granger smiled, taking Richter aback. “I have,” he said. “I had to think on it for a while. Frankly, I’m getting hosed. Paying you a nice little salary and giving you part of the company wasn’t exactly something I liked the sound of. At the time anyway.”.

Richter paused. “You accept?”.

“I don’t have a choice,” Granger said, setting his briefcase on the table. He opened it up, sifted through the papers in there, and slid him one of them. Richter reached across the table since the paper only made it halfway there and brought it the rest of the way. He looked it over and was stunned. He agreed to the terms and even included them in the proposal. Richter grabbed his pen and signed the proposal before he slid it back to Granger.

Wilson Granger stood up, grabbed the paper from the center of the table, and put it into his briefcase. “As of today,” he said, “we’re partners.”. He sat back down and took out his notepad. “So, do you have any ideas for a name?”.

 

The Wrestling Spectator

November 15th Edition

A Momentary Occurrence

In previous newsletters, we have touched on the rumor of a new wrestling promotion in the Land of 15,000 Lakes. Wilson Granger, longtime Minnesota-based promoter for the now-defunct NOTBPW, has been in discussions with several former promoters, bookers, and wrestlers from the area to come on as the Head Booker. These rumors started in February of this year when we first heard of the endeavor. Back in April, there was some steam about Ricky Dale Johnson coming on, but that was blown out of proportion by the IWC, along with a report from May that Skuill Debones would join, which was also proven false. Now they have reached a new height, as yesterday, Wilson Granger and Jackson Richter, a former wrestler for the Texas Wrestling League, North of the Border Pro Wrestling and Golden Canvas Grappling have created ‘Sidewinder Professional Wrestling’ trademarks. How things go for them is still unclear, as they are still in the early stages of building a wrestling company. Still, as of now, it appears Granger has his Head Booker. Jackson Richter’s ability in such a capacity remains to be seen. Richter entered the business as a referee in 1990, eventually joining NOTBPW in 1992 and eventually became a wrestler for the promotion. Our records state that he suffered a broken neck and retired in 2000. Coincidentally, he had been in a tag team with quite a few individuals who were connected to the reports regarding the new company. He tagged with Jason Evans, aka Too Hot, former head booker of 4C in NOTBPW. He also tagged with Ricky Dale Johnson and Skull DeBones back in TWL as a member of The Posse.  Whether any of those individuals will be participating in the company remains to be seen, but for the first time in a long time, wrestling will be coming out of the North Star state.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

November 22nd, 2019: Talent Scouting Pt.1

 

Jackson Richter shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ‘Seat’ was probably generous, considering how old these high school bleachers must have been. He watched as the ring crew set up the ring, and he looked over as his wife, Alison, sat down next to him.

“How many of these are you going to?” she asked. He had met Alison a few months after his retirement in 2000, so she never knew him from his wrestling days, although she had heard about them. This might’ve been his first outing to a wrestling show since NOTBPW merged with CGC. She went with him to each one, but he never knew whether it was out of courtesy or whether she actually enjoyed it.

“I don’t know. I just have to find enough people to make a roster,” he said as he tried to get comfy on the wood slab.

“You have a number in mind?” she asked. To be honest, he didn’t. After he and Wilson Granger talked it out, he had been thinking through different ideas. He wanted a tag division, something he had always loved doing. It was a stable of wrestling, but he wasn’t sure if he could pull it off with what he was going to be able to bring in.

He also wanted a women’s division, but Granger didn’t like the idea. He believed there was no money to be made there or popularity to gain, but Richter felt otherwise. There were corporations all over the world that made it work, and he believed he could too. Along with that, he already had a few contacts in that realm of wrestling that he believed would help boost his popularity.. Granger, however, didn’t think so. Luckily for Richter, he had the creative direction for the company under lock and key. That wasn’t to say that Granger had no say. After all, he was the man fronting the whole operation.

He also wanted good commentary for the events. He planned on having his first 4 shows be big productions and to film it. It would be a big expense, but it would be much easier to showcase the tapes to TV companies and try to get televised. At the same time, he could have about 2 months of shows taped and ready to go. Whether that would be the long-term idea of the company, he was unsure, but for now, trying to get TV was his paramount goal. After all, you aren’t going to be making money, if nobody can see you.

And lastly, he had an idea of what he wanted his singles competition to look like. He didn’t want everybody to be 6’6 and up, but he didn’t want too short guys. Although, beggars can’t be choosers. 

“I’ve got ideas,” was all he said since anything else would’ve been a lie, and he wouldn’t lie to his wife. The ring crew finished their duty, and he watched as some of the talent gawked at the ring from where he assumed the locker rooms to be. He then saw a an old friend shepherding them back out of sight.

He looked at his wife and said, “Let’s talk to the talent.”.

“We can just do that?” she asked.

“Normally, no. When you know the promoter, though…” he said as he stood up. He and his wife made their way backstage, and Richter was happy that he caught the booker just before he made his way to the back.

“Hey, Jay!” he said as he walked down the hallway.

The booker wheeled around at hearing his shoot name, and after a few seconds of awkwardly staring at him, he smiled. “Jack!” Jason Evans said as he walked over and shook Richter’s hand. Jason Evans, better known as ‘Too Hot’, had been a rookie when he and Richter were a tag team from September of 1998 to November 1999, when Richter broke his neck, eventually having to retire from wrestling a few months later. Even outside the business, he tracked how his friend was doing. He called and congratulated him when he became the head booker of 4C, and from that point on, the two kept in touch. When Granger came to Richter, Evans was one of the guys he called.

“You know, it came as kind of a shock when I heard you took the job.”, Evans said.

“Why’s that?” Richter said.

“Well, you always seemed like you were just fine out of the business. Didn’t think you wanted to get back in.”, Evans said.

“Had to. Didn’t have much of a choice in that regard.”, Richter said.

Evans nodded, and looked to Alison. “And you must be Alison.”.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jay.”.

“Evans. Jason Evans.”, he said. “I used to wrestle with Jackie boy here.”.

“Jackie boy?”, she said.

“Yeah, yeah.”, Richter said. “Got any good talent back there?”.

“Did you even look at the flier?”, Evans asked.

“There was a flier?” Richter said with a laugh. “Of course, I saw the flier. I was more curious how many of them you’d have signed for 4C.”.

“Poaching my talent already?”, Evans said.

“Depends.”, Richter said.

“On?”.

“Whether you’d like to join the company as my Director of Talent Relations.”, Richter said.

Evans put his hands on his hips, sucked on his teeth and finally laughed. “I didn’t want the book. Why would I want that?”.

“Consider it a favor,” Richter said. When Evans started to shake his head, Richter said, “You know what it’s like to run a smaller company. You know what pitfalls not to fall into, and you know your stuff. Besides, you’re still running shows. You’re still going out and finding talent. Why not do it with me?”.

Evans mulled over that for a few seconds. “What’s the salary?”.

“Same as mine.”, Richter said.

Evans paused as he looked at him. “In Minnesota? Where nobody else has made it work?”.

“Hey, no competition. It’s an untapped market, and we’re going to tap it.”, Richter said.

Evans laughed, before nodding. “Alright.”, he said, as he extended his hand. “You’ve got a Director of Talent Relations.”.

“Good to hear. Now, about your talent…” Richter said.

Evans smiled. “Tell you what. Watch the show, and come back to me with people you think will be a good fit, and I’ll do the same.”.

“Couldn’t ya just tell me?”, Richter said.

“I could. This way’s more fun,” he said with a smile as he walked into the locker room. He could hear him talking on the other side of the wall, but couldn’t discern what it was he said.

“That seemed to go well,” Alison said.

“Better than I thought it’d go, that’s for sure.”, Richter said. “Come on, let’s go back to our seats.”.

The show began a good half an hour later, and the high school gymnasium had about 200 people in, which was respectable. The show started with two local talents who didn’t look all too impressive and their match itself wasn’t good either. The next match did better in getting the crowd into it. A wrestler named Jack Pryde took on the smaller Mercution Sleep, and where Pryde had the look of a big wrestler and a natural charisma, his counterpart looked meek in comparison. Sleep, however, was clearly carrying the match. For what it was, their match was decent, and he made a note on his phone.

The next match had a kid named Wild Red Stallion take on Roger Monteiro, and those two were on the same level competitively. It was a fine match and he made a note of it. Turns out, that would the match of the night.

The myriad of matches from then on where nothing to write home about. The main event was subpar, but the managerial work of one Kali Fornia caught his interest, while catching the eye of just about everyone else. He had previously met Kali on several occasions as she was a local talent who got work as a manager in several promotions around the country, but rarely stayed to long. The main reason for that was her gimmick. He remembered the first time he saw it, and the reaction of the crowd when she came out. She bore a mighty strong resemblance to a mainstream porn star and she used that as her gimmick, including the mannerisms at ringside. Fantastic for getting a strong reaction, but it was always very one note, and never lasted very long before it moved over into genuine anger and would start to hamper ticket sales.

In the region, however, she was a legendary valet. To start a company in the region without her would be surprising to say the least. She was well known, good at her job and lived in Minneapolis. So, he made a note of her as well. 

The show finished and the crowd dispersed. Alison told him to go speak with Evans, and that she’d go make some phone calls in the car. Richter made his way to the locker room and found Evans standing there. “So, what did you think?”, he asked.

“It was a fine show.”, Richter said. “I’ve got 5 people I’m interested in.”.

“Oof. Just 5?” Evans said. “Which five?”.

“Pryde, Sleep, Stallion, Fornia and Monteiro.”.

“What about Smallbone and Longstaff? Nice high-flying tag team.”, Evans said.

“That’s about all they can do.”, Richter said.

“Then that’s all they’ll do.”, Evans said. “Not everyone needs to be a fantastic wrestler. Sometimes you need your stepping stones.”.

Richter shrugged. He knew Evans had a point, but he wasn’t impressed with the two of them in their match. “Are you recommending them?”.

“Yes. I am.”, Evans said.

“Alright, I’ll add them. Anybody else?”.

“How about the ref?”.

“I can do that for nothing.”, Richter said. “I handle the in ring part, you’ll agent the matches. That’ll save us a little in the short term.”.

“It will, but we’ll need more in the future.”, Evans said.

“I know.” Richter said. “Can you recruit them?”.

“Yeah, I’ve got it.”, Evans said. “What’re you going to do?”.

“I’ve booked a little trip, going around and scouting the independent scene around the country. Gonna see how many young guys we can bring in.”.

“I’d be careful. We don’t need 50 guys on the roster.”, Evans said. “Last thing we need is a bloated roster before we even start our first show.”.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” , Richter said as he walked away.

The Wrestling Spectator

November 23rd

An Unexpected Addition

Less than 24 hours after we sent out our weekly newsletter, we got some news. Too Hot, former Head Booker of Canadian Charisma Championship Combat, otherwise known as 4C, has officially been named the new Director of Talent Relations, for the new Minnesota-based promotion, Sidewinder Pro Wrestling. It is assumed that he will take on a backstage role, helping out Jackson Richter, an unknown regarding booking prowess. With this signing, SPW could be trying to fill in the void left by the closure of 4C back in July. That wasn’t the only news out of SPW. Kali Fornia, long time veteran of the Midwestern Independent Scene, is rumored to have signed on with the company, along with a sixtet of wrestlers: Jack Pryde, Roger Monteiro, Mercutio Sleep, Wild Red Stallion, Clark Smallbone and Perry Longstaff. What exactly is up next remains to be seen, but just ten days after officially becoming a company, SPW now has a steady hand involved and is creating its roster. We’ll send out more information when we get it.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

November 27th, 2019: Talent Scouting Pt.2 (Great Lakes)

Jackson Richter waited outside the locker room. The show had ended not long before, and he had spied some talent he wanted to bring in. The show's headliners were Lilly & Rose, a women’s tag team he remembered watching when Angel Athletic Association was still in business. Along with them, he saw a couple of others he felt would work with his vision for SPW. He had told the guard who he was and waited outside.

The door opened, and he turned to see one of the talents he was interested in. Pepper Pelton stood before him and got closer than he would’ve liked. “Who are you?” the kid asked, and Richter realized what was happening. He remembered when he and Evans had to chase off unwanted loiterers in 1999, and now he had an inkling about what that felt like.

“I’m Jackson Richter, Head Booker of Sidewinder Pro Wrestling. I wanted to talk to some talents about coming to work for me.”.

“Is that so? You got a business card?” the kid asked. Richter reached into his pocket and handed the kid a card. He took it and looked it over, standing there for an uncomfortably long time. Then he opened up the locker room door. “He looks legit.”, Pelton said into the room, and while he heard a cacophony of voices, eventually it died down, and Kate Lilly walked out. Pelton handed her his card, and she nodded.

She looked at him and said, “Mr. Richter, is it? Who do you want to talk to?”.

“Pelton, Malaise, Diamond, Threepwood, Kate & Lilly.”, he said, reading off his notes.

She laughed. “Well, I thank you for the sentiment, but I don’t think peanuts are worth our time.”.

“You don’t even know what I’m offering.”.

“Alright,” she said. “What’re you offering?”.

“Same as the promoter you just worked for.”.

“Do you even know how much that is?”, Lilly asked.

“I imagine I’ll find out shortly.” he said. “Could you tell them to stay behind, and I’ll talk to you all after eveyone else leaves?”.

“I can do that,” she said. It took about an hour for the others in the locker room to file out and when the last one did, Lilly gestured for him to come into the room, where he negotiated each of their contracts. As he made his way back to the hotel, he got a call from Wilson Granger. Apparently, he had negotiated a deal with 5*SW to create a working relationship. That caught him off guard, as he didn’t think Granger would be interested in having an emphasis on women’s wrestling. To his pleasant surprise, that didn’t seem to be the case. And then the other shoe dropped and Granger told him that he was flying out to Kansai to meet with the executives of the company, and he wanted Richter to accompany him, both to meet the executives, but also scout the talent he wanted to bring over. 

That was going to take time, and he was on a tight schedule. He relayed that to Granger, and Granger asked him when the next show was. He told him that it was two days from now, and that worked for Granger. Not so much for Richter, as he was going to have to drive back up to Minneapolis and then fly out to Japan. But, that’s what the boss wanted, and he figured it was far too early in the partnership to be shirking the owner.

 

The Wrestling Spectator

November 29th Edition

Women’s Wrestling Bigger Than Anticipated for SPW?

Just yesterday, we got word that Jackson Richter was seen at a few independent events in Wisconsin and Michigan, and shortly after we received that information, we were told that Sidewinder Pro Wrestling had made another round of signings, this time headlined by former 3-Time AAA Tag Team Champions Kate Lilly and Debbie Rose. We at the Wrestling Spectator can confirm that the company has also signed February Malaise, Olivia Diamond, Connor Threepwood and Pepper Pelton. In stark contrast to last week’s round of signings, they have brought on a lot of women’s wrestlers, which sparks some intrigue into how large they expect their women’s division to be. Only time will tell, but already, SPW’s roster exceeds ten workers. How much more they plan to bring on is still unclear, but we will bring you the information when we receive it.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

November 29th, 2019: A Bit of 5SSW Flair

Jackson Richter shuffled through the crowd, listening to a cacophony of voices he could only partly understand. 5 Star Supreme Wrestling was running a show in Kansai, and Richter was dead tired. Flying out here was never an idea of his, but on the flight here, he realized how important this could be. Gaining a working relationship with an established, international company would be a boon to their status to television companies back home. Granger had a large input mainly because of what his goals were. While he had been against the idea of a women’s division, after some of the hiring and talks he and Richter had, he knew there was going to be a women’s division, he was interested in bringing in some diversity and knew just the performer. Kinuye Mushashibo had been brought to NOTBPW, and Granger had been one of the proponents of the move back in 2012. Along with that, it would, in spirit, rekindle the old NOTBPW-5*SW working relationship that he had worked on back in 2012.

When word went around that he was heading out to Japan, Kate Lilly and Debbie Rose, moreso the former than the latter, pitched the idea of bringing in a couple of other wrestlers who were interested in coming back home to wrestle and gain more notoriety in America: Talia Quinzel and Selina Svelte. And that’s how he came to find himself in the crowded 5SSW arena. He half-expected to be turned away when he tried to speak with the workers he wanted to, but that was an issue for later. He decided to enjoy the show since this was the first 5SSW show he had ever seen. The show went on, and he saw all three women he had come to recruit, but they weren’t the only ones to catch his eye. Etsuko Arihyoshi and Fuyuko Higa had one of the best matches he had ever seen, which easily stole the show. Paige Croft, the third wrestler he was scouting, looked great in tag team action, as limited as it was.

After it had concluded, he made his way to the back, and after some rather frustrating conversations, he texted Lilly that he needed some help to get to the two that wanted to return. Just as he was about to be shown the door, Talia came to his rescue. She explained that he was a guest and, begrudgingly, was let through. Talia brought him to where her and Selina’s locker room, and the three hammered out their deals there. Once that had been agreed on, he explained his other motive for being there, and the two helped him out by bringing the other four he was interested in into their locker room: Etsuko Arihyoshi, Fuyuko Higa, Paige Kroft and Kinuye Musashibo. Surprisingly, Kinuye actually remembered him from when NOTBPW ran house show circuits in the Twin Cities. The other two didn’t, but after some talking, the three also agreed to a new deal, although he had to acquiesce to their condition that their primary commitment would be 5SSW, which Richter was more than happy to give in return for a contract.

He smiled as he walked out of the arena and back to the hotel. He had been sent here to get one wrestler and left with six, some of whom were phenomenal. He was over the moon. He thought back to what Evans had told him about making his roster too large. He was now sitting at 19 wrestlers, 11 women and 8 men.

 

The Wrestling Spectator

December 2nd

5SSW-SPW Working Relationship?

In an honest surprise, word has reached the Spectator that Talia Quinzel and Seline Svelte, current 5SSW Tag Team Champions, have signed on with SPW in a surprise move. Four other wrestlers from 5SSW have also signed deals with SPW: Paige Croft, Kinuye Mushashibo, Etsuko Arihyoshi, and Fuyuko Higa. Seemingly doubling down, it seems  that SPW’s future direction lies in the women’s division. What role the male wrestlers they’ve hired play is still unsure, but SPW is going in a direction that those of us here at the Spectator was not prepared for.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

December 4th, 2019: Talent Scouting Pt.3 (Mid-South)

St. Louis was a town he had only been to once in 1991, and swore he’d never work here again. He took a gig in the town for an indie show that promised to pay pretty well. He did the job he was brought in for but got stiffed on his pay, which did not endear him to the area. Today, however, he was there for a different purpose, but one he had been doing almost non-stop since he accepted the job: scouting talent. He had a couple of events planned out on this trip, ending with a Queens of American Wrestling show on the 12th. Then, it was off to Seattle.

But he was getting ahead of himself. When he made it to the event, he was surprised to see that there was an announcer. He noted that throughout the event and, by its conclusion, he knew he was good. Along with the announcer, he noted one kid. As he had done thrice before, he went to the back and spoke to those he was interested in: Dane O’Hara and Jerry Pepper. Luckily for him, they didn’t ask too much when negotiating. They were thrilled about working for an actual company and not doing these one-off indie shows. That said, he was more careful about how he went about it, waiting for those he wasn’t interested in leaving.

The next few days all followed the same trend. He went out to Oklahoma City, Little Rock, and New Orleans. Unlike his stop in St. Louis, he only had three workers across those three stops, but they were exciting prospects. DeAnna Desire was working as a valet in Oklahoma City, and she cut one hell of a promo, and he signed her because she had excellent promo skills and could be a good manager. He found Jason Petterson in Little Rock and came across as a throwback to the old-school tough guys that you would find in the area in the 70s and 80s. He was also a stiff brawler, and his stuff looked legit. New Orleans looked like it would be a bust-up until Richter saw Jay Silver. Here was a guy who exuded charisma and had a great look, but god was he green in the ring. He spoke to him after the show and was very surprised to hear that the kid was only nineteen and that he’d only been wrestling since April, which stunned Richter. He looked pretty good for being a rookie, and that enticed Richter enough that he offered a contract, which he agreed to. Now, he was on his way to Houston.

 

The Wrestling Spectator

December 6th Edition

Jackson Richter At Multiple Independent Shows in the Mid-South

It appears that Sidewinder Pro Wrestling is not yet done looking for talent, as he has been seen scouting talent at Independent events across the Mid-South Region, but specifically in St. Louis and Oklahoma City. We also have information that he was seen in Little Rock, where another independent event is scheduled for tonight. Based on what we know, SPW has signed Dane O’Hara, Jerry Pepper, and DeAnna Desire to their active roster. O’Hara’s role is presumed to be that of an announcer, and Jerry Pepper that of a wrestler, but it’s unclear what DeAnna’s role in the company will be since she is not an active wrestler. How much more talent SPW expects to bring in is unknown, but they already have a roster of 20 workers. How much more they can bring in when they haven’t run a show is unknown, as is the company's creative direction.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[TC Dale]

Definitely giving this a follow. Like the start. Thanks a lot! Enjoying it so far.

[IronWarrior22]

December 12th, 2019:  An Bit of QAW Flair

He stood in the small arena and watched the ring crew do their work. Unlike the other event he’d been to or at least ones where they let him in early enough to watch the ring be put up, this was a professional crew in an actual arena. He had looked into how much it would cost to hire one of his own but realized it was insanely expensive it was going to be. Although, for a bigger company, it would be pocket change. It was an expense that he didn’t think he’d be able to afford very much. The thought irked him as it reminded him how far down the totem pole he was.

“I figured I’d see you here.” he heard a woman say behind him.

He turned and saw Farrah Hesketh, the owner of Queens of American Wrestling. “Farrah! It’s been a while.”.

“That’s an understatement. When was it? 2007?”.

“CGC’s one and only event in the Twin Cities.” Richter said with a smile. Then it left his face. “You were expecting me.”.

“I was. I heard you were scouting in the region, and figured you’d want to come look at the talent we have here,” she said sourly.

“You don’t sound happy about it.”.

“Of course I’m not. This,” she said, gesturing to the arena around them, “is my baby. Everything I’ve worked for is right here. I did my scouting, and we’ve been successful for about decade. It feels cheap to have others scoop up the people you found and helped.”.

“I imagine I’ll get acquainted with that feeling before too long.”.

She laughed. “It comes with the territory of being a small fish in a very big pond.”, she said. She leaned on a guard rail and continued, “Congrats on the job, by the way.”.

“Thanks.”, Richter said.

“Neck still gives you problems?”.

“Occasionally it’ll get pretty stiff, but that could also just be because I’m getting old. How about your knee?”.

“Could be better. But with how everything turned out, I can’t really complain. Who knows? Maybe if you stuck around NOTBPW, you’d have done the same thing up north.”.

“Maybe. But, there’s no pay in wondering on what could’ve happened.”.

“Amen to that.”, she said. She pushed herself off the guard rail and continued, “I take it you want to watch the show first?”. Richter nodded, and Farrah stated, “Then I suppose I’ll see you after the show.”.

“You’re fine with it?”.

“Of course I am. Any company that’s looking to expand on women’s wrestling is a company I don’t mind helping. Besides, too much time in front of the same crowd can make anyone complacent. If they can show their talents to a new audience, then that’s good for them, and it’s good for QAW. Just make sure that none of them get hurt while they’re up there with you.”.

“You have my word.” Richter said, and with that, Farrah left him be. Fans started to come in soon after, and he was surprised at how electric the small crowd was for the show. And the show itself was pretty good. He already had two talents in mind when the main event came around. The main event was Juana Hurrican and Honey Badger, who had a pretty good match, and he made a mental note of the two of them as well.

When the show was over, and the fans were gone, he went to the back and found Farrah. He gave her the names of the talent he was interested in and pulled them away from the rest of the roster. Juana Hurricane, Honey Badger, Teresa Perez, and Modesty Pador were the wrestlers he was intrigued by. He made his pitch, and in a surprising twist, Farrah encouraged them to do it, stating it would give them more exposure and a new crowd to hone their craft. The topic of travel came up, and Richter explained that they had houses for the traveling talent to stay in while they were there, which would save them money on hotel costs.

Negotiations lasted longer than he would’ve liked, but he couldn't be too surprised with two long-time vets leading the charge. Fortunately for him, they agreed with the pitch, and when he left the venue, he did so with their signatures. Farrah had also agreed to a friendly relationship between their two companies. It was a paper agreement, not doing anything, but it would increase the legitimacy of SPW. Whether it would matter in Minnesota, however, he did not know.

 

The Wrestling Spectator

December 13th Edition

And The Hits Keep Coming!

Another surprising development in our ongoing ‘SPW-watch’  comes from Houston, Texas. It was known that Jackson Richter was scouting talent in the Mid-South region, but the news that broke this morning surprises all of us here at the Spectator. Queens of American Wrestling owner Farrah Hesketh and Sidewinder Pro Wrestling Head Booker Jackson Richter have announced a ‘working relationship’ between the two companies, as well as a list of QAW wrestlers signing with SPW, which include 2-time QAW World Tag Team Champion Teresa Perez, young up-and-comer Modesty Pador, ½ of the current QAW World Tag Team Champion in Honey Badger and former QAW World Women’s Champion Juana Hurricane. It appears that SPW is fully embracing women’s wrestling while operating a smaller men’s division, a reversal of normal trends in American wrestling. And with these signings brings the known roster of workers up to twenty-eight. For a small company to have gotten such a slate of wrestlers and already have working agreements with other, more established companies, and in only one month of operation, is something to keep an eye on.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

December 14th, 2019: Talent Scouting Pt. 4

Jackson Richter leaned back in the metal folding chair and massaged his neck. This was the last region he would scout, mainly because he didn’t want to get too close to the big companies in America. His little trip through Mid-South made a lot of noise, based on what he was reading, and that was as close to TCW as he wanted to get. Luckily, the other two big companies in America were east of the Appalachians, so that helped. TCW had been in California but moved to San Antonio a few years back, which made him more comfortable coming out to the West Coast, and why he went to QAW. He wanted to see how a company close to one of the big 3 in America could survive and thrive. Now that he had seen it, he was ready to continue his trip.

Which brought him to Seattle. Combat Zone was running a show before their big event back in California: Christmas Cage Chaos. Based on what he saw, they would use some independent wrestlers in matches against their guys. The one thing he was happy about was that this was a company-promoted show. He had been to enough high school gymnasiums for the time being.

The show started with Hugh de Aske, a CZCW wrestler, face against a local wrestler, Dop Kix. If the ring announcer hadn’t said that, you wouldn’t have known that Kix looked far better than Aske. That worked out for Richter, as he felt it would be easier for the local guy instead of one with a contract with an established regional company. Then the next few matches went through, and nobody caught his eye, CZCW or Indie alike. Then he saw Wolfie Tagg, perhaps the biggest guy he’d seen compete so far. The guy had a phenomenal look. While Wolfie was the biggest, his brother Kalder was the tallest, and the two just exuded a menacing tag team aura. When the ring announcer stated they were local guys from Montana, Richter could have jumped for joy. He didn’t even wait for the show to end before going to the back.

It took some convincing, but he could make it to the Independent Locker Room, where Kix was just walking out. He pulled him aside and offered him a contract, and the 25-year-old kid said ‘yes.’ The Taggs were waiting outside the locker room when they saw them walking toward him.

“Get out of here,” was all Wolfie said. Richter handed him a business card as he got closer, and the look on Wolfie’s face softened “Ah. I thought you were a fan.”.

“You aren’t the first one to think so.”.

“Hmph,” Wolfie said, handing it back to him. “I take it you want to talk about a contract, yes?”.

“ I do.”.

“We’re a package deal.”.

“Good. I planned on hiring you both.”.

Wolfie chuckled, and Kalder smirked. “That makes you smarter than any of the clowns here,” Kalder said. “They wanted just Wolfie. We made it clear to them, we go together or not at all.”.

“And they chose not at all?”.

Wolfie nodded. “And that makes it your lucky day.”.

“I suppose it does.”.

 

The Wrestling Spectator

December 20th Edition

Tag Team Addition to SPW!

In other news, SPW continues to add wrestlers to their roster, this time adding in the Hot Taggs, a tag team from the North West region. Wolfie Tagg had recently turned down a contract with CZCW, which must be a coup for the fledgling promotion. The Taggs are rumored to be one of the teams to watch over the next few years, and now they will make SPW their home for the foreseeable future. In addition to them, Drop Kix was also announced as a new signing for the company, bringing the total of workers for the fledgling company up to thirty-one.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

December 21st, 2019: Established Names

Jackson Richter walked through the pre-event fan experience and looked forward to this day to end. It was the last day he had to be on the road, and he longed to return home. He yawned when he saw all the fans meeting some of the more prominent regional names and the autograph signings. He was here for a purpose, but god was this exhausting. It didn’t help that his neck was aching something fierce, which probably came from how poorly he slept throughout his 6-week travel.

Finally, he saw who he wanted to see. At an autograph table sat Grace Harper, formerly known as Helen Wheels. The two had met several times during her NOTBPW tenure, which only lasted five years. She was signing autographs and taking pictures, so Richter decided to wait until a moment of reprieve. When it showed up, he walked up to the table, and she looked up at him, probably expecting another fan.

“Jack?” she asked.

“I’m surprised you recognized me, considering how many faces you’ve seen in the last hour,” Richter said.

“You have a distinct face.”.

Richter tilted his head. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”.

“Take it how you will. Regardless, it’s nice to see a familiar face. How’s the job going?”.

“Well, today’s the last day of my scouting trip.”.

“Ah. Congrats.”.

“Thanks,” Richter said. He didn’t have a good way of segueing into the question, so he just came out and asked, “How would you like to be my color commentator?”.

“You know, I was expecting that question to come up once I saw you, but I wasn’t expecting it to be that quick,” she said. “You have TV?”.

“No,” Richter said. “A few broadcasters are interested, but they want to ensure that we don’t fold within a few months. Although, our deals with 5*SW and QAW are definitely helping our case. We also have to show that we’re professional and can deliver a good product. Good announcers and commentators help a good product become great, and we have tapings in mind. We do well, we can get on TV.”.

Harper laughed. “Nice pitch.”.

“Thank you. I practiced it on the way here.”.

She smiled and paused for a little bit. At the same time, she thought about it. “How much?”.

“That depends.”.

“On what?”.

“How much you want.”.

Harper smirked and thought for a little bit more. “$400 a taping.”. 

Richter nodded. “It’s a deal.”.

“Just like that?”.

“Just like that,” Richter said. “I don’t have a contract on me. I’ll send one for you to sign.”.

“Great,” she said. She looked behind him and sighed. “The line formed back up behind you.”.

“Oh, well, I apologize.”.

“It’s fine. You going to watch the show?”.

“Yep.”.

“Cool. Maybe I’ll see you out in the crowd.”.

Richter laughed. “Where else would I be?” he said as he walked away. He sauntered through the fan experience for a bit longer before he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned to see someone he didn’t recognize, a young kid, maybe sixteen. The kid handed him a pen and paper, and Richter stared at him.

“You’re the guy from Minnesota, right? You look like him.”, the kid said.

“Look like who?” Richter said coyly.

“SPW? I read that you were up in Seattle a little while ago. I was curious who you were, so I looked you up, and you look like him,” the kid said.

Richter smiled. “Then i suppose that would be me, yes.”.

“Can I get your signature?” the kid asked. Richter was surprised. He took the pen and signed the kid’s paper, which had many other signatures. “Thanks!” the kid said before he left Richter standing there. 

He thought back to the last time he had signed anything. Still, he was coming up with nothing. “Always feels good, doesn’t it?” he heard from behind him.

He turned around to see an old friend. “Krissy!” he said, surprised.

Kristabel Plum smiled. “Nice to see you too, Jack.” she said. The two had met each other back when Richter was an active competitor. He remembered first meeting her in Seattle for a NOTBPW event; she was one of the local talents. Considering she was a rookie, it amazed him how laid back she was. She had that reputation even now of being a very calm person. Not only that, she was one of the better female wrestlers in America. They had met multiple times since then, considering she had been with NOTBPW since 2008. Whenever they were in town for a live event, he and Krissy would go out for drinks after the show with a couple of the other NOTBPW talent, and on one occasion, he vaguely remembered Grace Harper had joined them too.

“What brings you out here?”.

“Same reason as Gracie over there.”.

“You have a booth?”.

“Had. Technically, I’m supposed to be there, but I felt like having a break for a little bit. Don’t like sitting down for too long.”.

“Fair enough.”.

“Heard you got the book over in Minnesota. Congrats.”.

“Thanks.”.

“I’ve also heard you’ve been making one helluva women’s division.”.

“Wasn’t my original intention, but things have a way of working out.”.

“Seems that way,” she said. “I take it you and Gracie were talking business?”.

“We were.”.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. She’s all business, all the time. You get her to come on board?”.

“I did.”.

“Huh.”, she said. A brief moment of silence passed. You got room for one more?”.

Richter looked at her sideways. “You want to come work for me?”.

“Work with you.”.

Richter shrugged and nodded. “Same difference. I thought you retired.”.

“I did. Granger wasn’t the only one who burnt some bridges when North and CGC combined. They didn’t see me as a contender, and I didn’t much see of a reason to stick around.”.

“I remember reading about it, yeah.”.

“So, do you see me as a contender?”.

“I guess that depends. Do you think SPW can last?”.

“I think it will.”.

“Then I think I see a World Champion. How much do you want?”.

“Eh. $300 sound good?”.

Richter extended his hand, and Plum shook it.

***

The show began, and it was another electric crowd. The matches were pretty good, but only one wrestler caught his eye: Onslaught. He was a high flyer and watching him wrestle reminded him that he did not sign many of them. He noted that in the back of his mind, he made his way to the back once the show was over, only after convincing the guards.

He waited for Onslaught to leave the room, and that’s when he pitched the idea. The guy clarified that his loyalty was with CZCW, but Richter explained that he understood that his first commitment was with CZCW and that working with SPW would be an opportunity to gain exposure to a new audience. When that didn’t appear as though it would be enough, he asked if he was worried about travel expenses, which Onslaught confirmed. Richter then explained that hotels were covered and that SPW would be for the plane ride to Minnesota and back. That was enough to get Onslaught to agree to terms.

Once that was over, he returned to his hotel room and fell asleep. When he’d wake up, it’d be back on a plane, but not back home. He had one last stop to make.

 

The Wrestling Spectator

December 27th Edition

A Couple of Christmas Presents for SPW!

According to our sources who were at CZCW’s Christmas Cage Chaos, Jackson Richter was present at the fan experience before the show and was in attendance. Before the show, he met with Grace Harper and Kristable Plum. It has been confirmed that Grace Harper has signed with SPW as a Color Commentator, to be paired with Dane O’Hara. Kristabel Plum has also been signed. Many here at the Wrestling Spectator believed she would be hired in a Color Commentator role due to her recent retirement from in-ring competition. However, we can now confirm that this is not the case and that she has been signed as a full-time wrestler. This is a surprise, as she only retired six months ago. Plum, a former 3x NOTBPW Women’s Champion, joins a strong women’s roster in SPW. Along with these reports, we have also learned that Wilson Granger, Owner of SPW, has been in talks with broadcasting companies to get a TV deal. Nobody knows how those efforts have gone, as they have been very close to the chest on that subject.With WrestleWorld set to launch at the beginning of March, one has to wonder whether that will be the future home of Sidewinder Pro Wrestling, or if they will sign a traditional television deal.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

December 23rd, 2019: Meeting an Old Friend

It had been some time since he had been at this ranch. Back when he was wrestling with the Texas Wrestling League in the early 90’s, this was like a second home. He couldn’t have thanked Ricky more for housing him while he was down here, and there were many fun times here. A few bad, but that wasn’t much to hamper his memories of the place. It surprised him that it was so renovated and clean looking. Although, he supposed that retirement afforded one the ability to do some home maintenance.

The rental car he nabbed came to a stop just as a familiar face came outside the house.He put the car in park and hopped out. From the front porch, he heard his old friend shout, “Hey, Jack. Long time, no see!”.

Richter smiled, walked up the steps and shook the hand of Ricky Dale Johnson. He had met him working the independents in 1990, and wrestled him a handful of time both in America and in Japan. When Ricky went to TWL and tagged with Skully, they gained so much heat that people were getting frustrated that they weren’t getting any comeuppance. So they got a manager, and Ricky got him a job there as their #3 guy. While those two went out and dominated the tag division, he would win meaningless matches and be the guy the babyfaces got their revenge on, along with the manager. It was one of the funnest years of his career. Of course, when his contract came up, he wasn’t brought back, and he went back home to Minnesota and ended up with NOTBPW. Skully went to SWF and Rick went to TCW, eventually putting the legendary Rip Chord into retirement at the beginning of 2005. He would wrestle for another decade before he retired.

While he was out of the business for some time, Ricky just retired a few years prior, and as Jack could see on the way in, was using his retirement to spruce up his abode. “How’s retirement treating you?”.

“I’m bored out of my mind,” Ricky said. “Finally had time to work on all those home improvement projects. You know, they always seemed like they’d take forever. Next thing I know, I’ve got all that done, and I’ve got nothing else to do except tend to the animals.”.

“You got any ranch hands?” Jack asked.

“I did, back when I was doing the home improvement stuff. Now? I’ve got all the time in the world and not a whole lot to do. I heard about the company up there.”, Ricky said. “Congrats.”.

“Thanks.” Jack said. “It was a surprise.”.

“But a welcome one, I imagine?” Ricky said. Jack nodded, and Ricky continued. “You know, I’m happy for you. To be gone for as long as you were, and get that chance? Treasure it. You might not get another one.”.

“I’m aware,” Jack said. “What about you? If you got another chance, would you take it?”.

“If TCW came around, I would. I never wanted to retire, you know. My contract was coming up and they felt that it was time for me to retire and move to being a color commentator or do something in the back. Maybe train some of the younger guys they had. I disagreed, and I started talking with SWF and USPW. That’s when I realized that I wasn’t going to get a better offer from them. They all thought I was too banged up. Didn’t want to pay someone big money to do nothing.”.

“So you retired anyways?” Jack said.

Ricky laughed. “I got the last word in that regard. I retired before they had me put someone else over on the way out. They didn’t get to take that from me, at least. Didn’t make them happy. Not one bit. That’s why they haven’t brought me back, you know.”.

An uneasy silence came down as the two looked out over the landscape. A nice little breeze came through, carrying a warm wind that gently shook the trees. Ricky spoke up first. “You want me to come up there, right? It’s why you’re down here.”.

Jack tentatively nodded. “Yeah. Having a big name would’ve helped get TV. Put us on the map.

Ricky nodded. “Have you asked Sean?”.

“Skully? God, I think he’d rip my head off for asking.”, Jack said.

Ricky laughed. “Maybe, maybe. It’d sell a few tickets though.”.

“I’d hope,” Jack said.

“So, how much were you going to offer?”, Ricky asked.

“I didn’t really have a number. I was just going to ask you what you wanted, and go from there.”, Jack said.

“Bad idea. Never let the talent pick their pay,” Ricky said. “That being said, I do appreciate it. Forty.”.

“Forty?”, Jack said.

“That’s what TCW offered me at the end. It would’ve been a pay cut of about twenty thousand. They needed more money to keep Aaron Andrews, so they planned on taking it from me. I guess in the end, that’s just what they did, but I wasn’t there anymore.”.

“And you’re fine with coming up north for that much?”.

“Well, I did tell them that I’d rather go work for some Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling for that much than take a pay cut,” Ricky said. “Different company, but it works all the same. Does that sound fair to you?”.

Jack laughed. “Yeah, that sounds fair.”.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

December 25th, 2019: Christmas with the Richters

Jackson Richter opened the front door and leaned against the wall as he took his shoes off. For the first time in over a month, he was home. He could hear the commotion up stairs as the realization that he was back became clear, and he ascended the stairs. When he made it to the top, Alison came around the corner and gave him a hug and a kiss. “Merry Christmas,” she said. “How was Ricky’s place?”.

“Good. He agreed to come on for the tapings,” he said.

“That’s great!”, she said. “What’s he gonna do?”.

“He’s gonna be doing guest commentary and we’re going to have him be the mentor to one of the guys.”, he said.

“Do you know who”, she asked.

“I’ve got an idea, but we’ll see.”, he said. “How was the homefront?”.

“Oh, you know. Myles was at University, Lyla broke up with her boyfriend and Fred’s been a hassle, but that’s nothing you don’t already know.”, she said. “It’s good to have you back.”.

“I am very happy to be back, you have no idea.”, he said. He looked around the corner and down the hallway towards the kitchen. He walked down and poked his head in the kitchen. Myles was leaning back in his chair, leg propped up on another. Lyla was getting things set up around the table, and Fred was eyeing up the presents under the tree.

Lyla saw him first, and said, “Hey, Dad. How was Montana?”.

“Cold.”, he said with a smile. He looked to Myles and asked, “How’d Finals week go?”.

“Passed everything.” he said. “It was actually quite boring.”

“You’re getting a degree in Math,” Lyla said. “Of course it’s going to be boring.”.

“Economics. Not math.”, Myles said.

“Same thing,” she said.

“Well, how abou-”, Myles began to say before Fred interjected.

“Dad, can you get them to shut up?” he asked. “They’ve been doing this since he got back.”.

“Oh, I’m sure they’ve got to catch up on their sniping quota,” he said. “It’s good to see everyone again.”.

“Didn’t like being on the road?” Myles asked.

“Not necessarily, but I can say that it wasn’t something I missed.” he said as he sat down. “It’s good to see you all getting along.”. Myles and Lyla laughed. Fred pulled out his phone and acted like he was engrossed in it.

“How’s training coming along?”, Jack asked to Myles.

“Fine enough, I suppose. Can only do so much during the winter, and the field house isn’t the best place to practice digging out plays,” Myles said. “We’re pretty much just working on cardio and weight training through the winter.”.

“That’ll be good. Maybe get some power behind your swing. Hit home runs instead of doubles,” Jack said.

“If it were that easy, Dad,” Myles said. “You heard about the scholarship Lyla got?”.

“I was gonna tell him that later,” she snapped at Myles.

“You got a scholarship?” he asked.

She sheepishly nodded and said, “UofM offered it. We were waiting for you to get back to tell you.”.

“And we did,” Myles said. Lyla threw a kitchen mitt at him, which he caught, laughing all the while.

“That’s great, honey,” he said. “You been looking up dorms or apartments?”.

“Well, I’m not sure if I’m going to go.” she said.

Alison walked into the room and said, “Still on the fence?”.

When Lyla nodded, Jack asked, “Why?”.

“I don’t know if I can take four more years of volleyball,” she said.

“I thought you liked volleyball.” Jack said,

“Oh, I like volleyball. Just nothing else around it. Practice is a bore half the time because we just keep doing the same routine over and over again.” she said.

“Well, you guys did win the conference championship the last three years. I’d say it’s working,” Myles said.

“It worked alright, but it became work. I wasn’t having fun with it anymore.” Lyla said. She looked to Jack and said, “And what did you always tell us.

“If you get a job doing something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” he said.

Lyla shrugged. “I just I don’t love it anymore.”.

That statement created an awkward air around the table that, after a minute, Jack broke by saying, “If that’s what you want to do, then i support you in that. However, you need to start thinking of what you’re going to do. If you’re going to turn down a scholarship, you need to pay, and you’re going to have to get a job.”.

“I’m not too worried about that,” she said.

“You got something lined up already?” he asked.

“Yeah. I can just go work for you?” she said like it was nothing at all.

“Oh, you want to be a wrestler?” he asked.

Lyla laughed. “Nothing like that. But you’ll need workers, right?”.

“I will, yeah.”, he said.

Lyla shrugged. “So I guess theres nothing to be worried about on that front. Hey, who knows? Maybe Myles here can help too.”.

“Keep me out of your schemes,” Myles said. “Besides, baseball is gonna start here in a month. We’ll be down in warmer climates for a while. Season doesn’t end til Mid-May.”.

“So we can count on your help for the summer!”, Lyla said, slugging Myles in the arm while he just seemed annoyed at the whole affair.

Jack smiled. It was nice to be back home.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[TC Dale]

This looks like a nice buildup. Following along, and enjoying it. Keep it up!

[IronWarrior22]

December 28th, 2019: Marketing Strategy

Jackson Richter woke up and his body felt incredibly sore. He had spent the last few nights on Granger’s couch as they tried to figure out how to optimize their marketing. None of them knew how much money they’d start with, even though he knew Granger could provide a hefty sum and Evans had experience in getting merch made and how much it would cost. Granger was cheap, but it helped him become successful. The question was whether or not he’d give a lot to achieve his goals.

Richter wanted to skimp on the merchandise. He’d offered to buy a press and have it installed in Richter’s house so they could make the shirts in his garage. Richter wasn’t happy about that development, but as things stood, paying a lot of money for a company to make the merchandise was not an avenue they could afford. Richter felt they could hardly afford the current route they planned, but he had to admit that having no merchandise was not an option. Shockingly, Granger wanted to go big, and he was willing to pay a lot. It made Richter more confident about the whole enterprise. If he was paying that much money to get their merchandise business off the ground, he wondered how much he would give the company.

It was easy for Jack to relent. After all, why look a gift horse in the mouth. That being said, it did necessitate him going to everyone he’d contracted, and they negotiated their merchandise deals. Most of them were a standard 25%. Others less. Only one was above that standard, and that came with being the most popular guy on the roster.

Jack told Granger about their big signing, and Granger was over the moon. Here we got one of the biggest names in American wrestling, albeit pushing 50, and we did so for just forty thousand dollars. That was still their most expensive contract, but now they had a marque name. One that would sell tickets and help get TV.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

December 31st, 2019: A Set Date

The meeting concluded and Jackson Richter rubbed his temples.  A lot had just been hammered out. To his surprise, Granger had secured a try out with the new WrestleWorld service. They wanted to see our production before they fully agreed to a television deal. That was more than he and Evans had anticipated. Along with that, the final size of their roster was confirmed at thirty-four. 18 women and 16 men. A balanced roster was not the original intent, but as they went over it, Richter was happy with the roster that had been assembled. Evans thought the roster was too large, and Granger was unhappy with low number of male wrestlers.

Richter didn’t care, however. Now, he looked forward to what their shows were going to be. Evans pitched a monthly format for their shows, while Granger wanted a weekly show. Evans explained how expensive it was to do so, but Granger wanted more wrestling out than what other promotions were doing. At the start though, Richter pitched a bi-weekly format as a way to compromise, and after a discussion, the bi-weekly format won out. Until they could get a traditional television deal, the bi-weekly format would be the way to go.

Then came the date of the tapings. Granger wanted them to happen before the end of January, while Evans wanted February. Richter sided with Evans, saying that they needed the time to get the logistics ready, the belts made and storylines planned out. Granger reluctantly gave in.

Ticket prices was the next hurdle, and where Evans wanted cheap prices, Granger wanted more average prices.  This time, Richter sided with Granger, which made Evans shake his head. He explained that what mattered more in the long-run was the appearance of a full show. The more people would mean more sponsors paying more money. Granger brushed that off, since he could gain sponsors from the local area.

The date confirmed, tickets posted, venue booked and tv formats ironed out. Granger stood up from the table and took his leave so that Evans and Richter could begin booking their 4 tapings. And Richter knew just how to start it.

 

 

The Wrestling Spectator

January  3rd Edition

Ricky Dale Johnson Comes out of Retirement, signs with SPW!

Starting the year off with one of the biggest stories that we’ll probably see this year. Ricky Dale Johnson, formerly of Total Championship Wrestling, retired from the business in 2017, but has signed with the fledgling promotion, Sidewinder Professional Wrestling. The deal is official, but the amount of the deal is not. Regardless, this is a major coup for SPW as they now have their big name star. Along with that, their first show is confirmed to happen in the month of February. With the new signing, one simply has to wonder how their first show will go.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

January 4th, 2020: Granger’s Contributions

Jackson Richter rubbed his temples as he poured over the relatively mountainous stacks of paper. When he asked for every detail of the company's financial side, this was not what he had in mind. All expenses from the last two months of traveling and negotiations were all there. Granger hadn’t even had the courtesy to sort the files, which did not make Richter very happy. 

After spending the better part of 2 days sifting through the papers and organizing them all, he started filing them away until he got to the reports on what sponsors he could expect. While he had been galavanting throughout the US east of the Appalachians, Granger had been back here and abroad in Japan, gathering sponsors to give them money to have their advertisements present for the show. Of course, Granger’s company would do some advertising, and other Minnesota-based companies would also be involved. Oddly enough, Granger also spent time making business deals in Japan and they had gone so well that they were okay with sponsoring their shows, giving them a little bit of money for each show. All in all, the sponsorship money totaled up to $26k. That did not include whatever money they made from Wrestleword, tickets and merch. It was a pretty nice sum, and he hoped that it would cover the production costs, as that was far and away the most painful aspect of the endeavor.

He began to work on their first show. It would be a month away, but he was confident. Everything was shaping up to be in his favor. He had a professional production crew. He had a roster of solid wrestlers, headlined by a big name talent from one of the big three promotions. All that was left was to get a venue, hopefully one that looked good. He knew of a venue called The Junkyard, which could fit 1k people in it regularly. A regular sized crowd, and a steady venue were, in his mind, advantageous. He called up the establishment, and got the venue booked with nary a problem. He leaned back in his chair as he put the phone down. It was coming together pretty well, he thought. Hopefullym ti continued to do so.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

January 16th, 2020: Wilson Granger’s Grace

Jackson Richter sat at the head of his kitchen table. Across from him sat Wilson Granger, and on the sides were Jason Evans and Alison Richter. This was supposedly the last meeting before the first show, as Granger had some business on the East Coast. He almost left before they could have this meeting in the first place, but Richter and Evans blew up his phone enough to get him to come in person to answer a straightforward question: How much liquid finance would the company have on the record?

Yes, the company was owned by Granger, and he could put in more or less if he wanted to. But it always seemed like he wanted to do things on the cheap. He and Evans wanted to know what they would have to start with and if they could expect more money if needed. Before they discussed that, Granger wanted to know what they had planned and how much they expected to bring in and spend. For about an hour, Richter and Evans poured over the finances that Granger had given them about three weeks prior and everything that they had come to terms with since then.

“That’s quite a lot you have planned there.”, Granger said. He was dressed in a suit-and-tie and looked ready to get out of there and onto a plane when the conversation ended.

That lifted Richter’s spirits. Evans said, “And along with that, we’ve also calculated that it will probably cost us about $1,500 for catering, and more than likely another $1,500 for a ring crew.”.

“So, $3,000, huh? You think you can make that back up?”.

“In one show?” Richter asked. “Yes. In totality, after we pay everyone? Probably not. But I do think that by the end of the year, we will be making a profit.”.

Granger nodded. “Always comes back around to money, huh? Well, I like the work that you’ve done. Building the roster, got a venue all booked out and we even got some deals with other companies. With that being as it is, here’s what I’m going to be giving to the company.”.

Granger gave an envelope to Evans, who gave it to Richter. Well, here it is, he thought as he opened up the envelope and looked at the amount that Granger would give them.

Jackson Richter had to be honest with himself. He had prepared himself to be let down, yet when he looked at the seven-figure sum on the check, and he was pleasantly surprised.

"Wow," was all Richter said at the start.

"Well, don't act too surprised," Granger said. "I do want you to succeed.".

"I know. It's just that I wasn't expecting that much. I was expecting 100-250k. This'll make the next two months pretty bearable.".

Granger nodded and stood up from his chair. "I’d be mad if it didn’t. If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting I'd like to be on time for.".

Richter and Evans stood up, shook Granger's hand, and saw him off. Afterward, the two sat down and planned out the first two shows. Richter took the time to call up the talent to let them know the plan, while Evans took the time to fix up a presentable presentation for the flyers.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22
Update to Story

[IronWarrior22]

2nd Week of February 2020: The Inaugural Show

The start of the show was fast approaching. Most of the talent working it was there, except perhaps the second most important one. Plum was late, which did not inspire much confidence in Jackson Richter. She was a little carefree, but she usually wasn’t this late. Although, the time waiting for her to show up allowed him time to mingle with the workers. He could look across the room and see Jason Evans and Ricky Dale Johnson working with Jay Silver. Since the moment Silver walked in the door about a week ago, RDJ and Evans were on him and mentoring him.

 

While that was happening in the back of the room, he looked around and saw some couples talking. The whole thing surprised him, to be honest. At an independent event sometime in January, a lot of talent he signed worked. And as a result, some of them started seeing one another romantically. That included Mercutio Sleep/Talia Quinzel and February Malaise/Drop Kix.

 

He was happy for them, but he was also somewhat worried about what would happen during a breakup, as they would probably not want to be working with their ex if they could help it. Before he could get further along on that train of thinking, he heard the door open behind him. In walked Plum carrying a cooler full of beer. “I hope I’m not too late.”, she said with her usual, carefree smile. She was by about 30 minutes, but considering the swarm of talent that had come over to congratulate her return to the ring (and, more importantly, thank her for the beer), Richter decided to let it go. After things died down, he talked to Plum and told her the plan for her match tonight and about a potential Women’s championship run shortly. He wasn’t sure when it would come, but he knew she would be one of the people hunting for the title. 

 

“As much as I’d like to do that today, let’s see how things go first.” Plum said, stretching. And that was about all he got out of her. He walked out of the locker room and to his office. There he changed from his business attire and got into one he hadn’t worn in almost twenty-five years. He held the striped shirt in his hands for a few minutes, remembering the first few years he ref’d matches while training. A quarter of a century had passed, but he was about to do the same thing again. This time, however, it had more weight to it. When he nearly paralyzed himself in 1999, he lost what he thought was his only chance at achieving his childhood dream. He would've never guessed that another chance would reveal itself after so long. Yet, it filled him with unshakeable resolve. This would be his last chance. And he would run with it for as long as he could.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22

[IronWarrior22]

SPW Sudden Impact! #1

Pre-Show Match

Mr. Kite (Jerry Pepper) and Billy Shears (Pepper Pelton) def. Minnesota Awesome (Perry Longstaff and Clark Smallbone) in 5 minutes and 30 Seconds (4)

 

Opening Match

Fuyuko Higa and Etsuko Arihyoshi open the first ever Sidewinder Professional Wrestling show, showing off the SPW-5*SW partnership. A hot opener goes for 6 Minutes and 52 seconds, with Higa pinning Arihyoshi with the Higa Green Driver. (52)

 

RDJ Return Promo

Following the opener, Ricky Dale Johnson made his way down to the ring. He welcomed the crowd and began to cut a promo, when Connor Threepwood and the Prime Time Players (Jason Patterson and Jack Pryde) interrupted him, calling him a washed up old man who’s trying to show he’s still the man. Ricky states that even if he were an old washed up man, he’d still kick all three of their hinds. Just when it seems like the three of them are going to attack RDJ, Roger Monteiro (Threepwood’s opponent later tonight) and Jay Silver  come down to even the odds. The three heels bail out of the ring and leave the faces in the ring.

 

Backstage Promo with Lilly & Rose

We cut backstage where Kate Lilly and Debbie Rose are preparing for their match against The Uprising (Selina Svelte and Talia Quinzel). They touch upon their previous matchups throughout their careers, when Fuyuko Higa arrives, and offers her help to the duo. “It’s better to have allies than enemies, especially when allies are in shortcoming”. Lilly & Rose tell Higa that they’ll think about it, and will watch her matches to see if she’s any good as one match doesn’t mean a whole lot. Higa states she’s fine with that, and adds “Just so you know, that cuts both ways.”.

 

The Uprising vs Lilly & Rose

In SPW’s first televised tag team match, Uprising faced off against Lilly & Rose. These two teams are quite aware of one another. Lilly & Rose are former 4-time AAA tag team champions, and one of the teams they lost the titles to are their opponents tonight, The Uprising. They are 1-time AAA tag team champions, and the current reigning 5*SW tag team champions. This’ll be the first time they’ll have faced each other since AAA closed down.

The match is short, mainly due to a quick flash pinfall attempt by Selina Svelta, who rolled up Debbie Rose for the quick victory. The match went for 7 Minutes and 8 seconds, and at the time of the roll-up, Lilly & Rose were in the driver seat.  (39)

 

Backstage Promo with Jay Silver and Roger Monteiro

Monteiro is getting ready for his upcoming match with Threepwood, and Silver is getting him hyped up for the fight. Before he can do much of that however, RDJ walks into the locker room, and the three start talking about what happened earlier in the show, with RDJ thanking both of the younger wrestlers, but says he could’ve dealt with them on his own. “True, but dealing with thugs like them is a lot easier to do with people behind you.”, states Monteiro. RDJ agrees and tells him “Good luck.”. As Monteiro leaves for his match, RDJ looks at Silver and tells him that he wants to talk to him.

 

Connor Threepwood vs Roger Monteiro

Monteiro starts the match like a house on fire, and Threepwood has to roll out of the ring several times to catch his breath. When he does get back in, Monteiro comes back at him with the same vigor. Threepwood capitalizes on this by hoisting Monteiro up and hitting him with a Stun Gun off the top rope. Threepwood, now in the driver seat, whips Monteiro shoulder first into the post. Monteiro tries to gain the upper hand, but Threepwood zeroes in on that shoulder, wringing the arm. Monteiro momentarily regains control with a DDT, but when he goes to pick up Threepwood, he gets hit in the groin with the back of Threepwood’s leg. The ref, unaware that this has happened, does nothing, and Threepwood hits his opponent with his finisher before pinning him for the victory. (36).

 

Aftermath Beatdown on Monteiro

After the match, Threepwood begins assaulting Monteiro, while the Prime Time Players start to come down to the ring. Silver and RDJ come out shortly after and a brawl ensues in the entrance way, and in the ring. RDJ and Silver gain the upper hand on the outside, and RDJ slowly ascends the steel steps and onto the ring apron, while Threepwood gets ready for him in the ring. RDJ enters the ring, and Threepwood bails. (36)

 

Main Event Match Hype

In the back, Kristabel Plum gets ready for her first match since coming out of retirement, which only happened about 6 months prior. While she does, Paige Croft interrupts and congratulates her on coming back, stating that beating her will do a number for her career. Plum laughs it off and warns the younger competitor not to make out checks she can’t cash.

 

Main Event: Kristabel Plum vs Paige Croft

The match starts off with some chain wrestling that Plum dominates. Croft gains the upper hand by hitting Plum with a drop-toe-hold into the turn buckle, and she holds onto it for awhile. Plum struggles to gain much offense for a couple minutes, until Croft goes for a top rope manuever that ends with a catch-DDT. Plum, now in the driver seat, focuses on Croft’s legs, eventually getting her into a limp. Croft drop kicks Plum’s leg out from under her, but has difficulty moving around the ring with her own leg having received a wealth of damage. She goes for another aerial manuever, but Plum beales her off the middle rope, picks her up and hits with the Plum Tucker for the victory. (51)

 

Post Match Scrum

Following the match, Plum begins to celebrate before she is attacked by Honey Badger. Croft joins the beatdown and Plum takes a great deal of punishment unti Kinuye Musashibo comes down to make the save, chop blocking Croft’s bad leg, and getting into a 1v1 with Badger that ends in Kinyue’s favor once Plum gets back to her feet. The shows ends as Kinuye and Plum stand tall. (25)

 

Overall Rating: 51

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22

[IronWarrior22]

SPW Sudden Impact #2

Preshow Match #1

Drop Kix and Wild Red Stallion make their debut in SPW in a non-televised match. A face vs face matchup that started out slow picked up by the end when Wild Red hit Kix with the Lakota Cutter, picking up the victory. (24)

 

Preshow Match #2

Fuyuko Higa defeated Juana Hurricane in 14:44 by pinfall with a Higa Green Driver. Juana Hurrican was making their SPW debut, and went to a near 15 minute match against Higa. This is, so far, the longest match in SPW history. (52)

 

Opening Angle

Paige Croft and Honey Badger are backstage getting limber for their match later on tonight. Croft is running her mouth while Badger remains silent. As Croft continues to talk, Badger gets more and more frustrated, finally blowing up after Croft states that she wants revenge. Badger gets into Croft’s face, states that she wants to win, and if that’s not what Croft wants, then tonights the last night they stand on the same side. Croft says that she wants to win too, but wants to pin Plum for the victory. Badger says she just wants the win, and warns Croft not to get in the way of that. (20)

 

QAW Opening Match

Teresa Perez, a two-time QAW Women’s tag team champion took on Modesty Pador, who only debuted last summer. Both competitors debut for SPW in this match. Perez controlled the pace of the match from bell to bell, as experience beat out youth on this occasion, as she made Pador tapped out in five and a half minutes. (36)

 

The Lonely Hearts Club Band’s Promo

We cut to a pre-recorded vignette debuting to the audience The Lonely Hearts Club Band. Lovely Rita introduces the group, with Kite and Shears stating their intention of claiming tag team gold. (18)

 

Backstage Segment with Monteiro, Silver and RDJ

We go from the previous promo right into this backstage segment, where Silver and Monteiro are hyping each other up for their tag match tonight. As they do, RDJ enters the room and does the same, wishing them luck, and that he’ll be watching from the back. (48)

 

Roger Monteiro and Jay Silver vs The Prime Time Players

Silver starts out the match for the face team, while Patterson leads it for the Prime Time Players. The two exchanged blows, with Silver beginning to gain the upper hand. Patterson tags out to Pryde and chop blocks Silver, leading to a shoulder block, knocking him down. Pryde stays on the offensive, and keeps Silver isolated. Pryde tags out to Patterson. Pryde hits Silver with an inverted atomic drop, followed by a clothesline from Patterson. Patterson goes for the pin but Silver kicks out.  Patterson picks up Silver and beats on him, until he goes for a clothesline, which Silver ducks, diving to Monteiro and tags him in. Monteiro clothesline Patterson, and hits Pryde with a drop kick as he tries to get into the ring, sending him to the floor. Monteiro controls the match for an extended period until Patterson tags out to Pryde, who reached out and slapped his hand as Monteiro dragged him past, unbeknownst to Monteiro. Pryde runs across the ring, and forearms Silver off the apron, and attempts a clothesline, which Monteiro ducks, responding with a basement dropkick to the leg. Monteiro goes to pick up Pryde, but Patteron attacks, and draws the ref away from the two competitors, giving Threepwood the opportunity to interfere, which he takes. Threepwood smacks Monteiro in the back of the head with a chair, staggering him. Pryde then hits Monteiro with a powerbomb. Silver tries to get in the ring, but Threepwood grabs his leg and drops to the floor. Pryde pins Monteiro for the victory. (26)

 

Post Match Attack

Threepwood and the Prime Time Players attack Silver and Monteiro, with the Prime Time Players attacking Monteiro in the ring, and Threepwood attacks Silver with the steel chair. RDJ comes out from the back, and Threepwood slides into the ring. RDJ checks on Silver before climbing on to the apron. He gets into the ring and Threepwood gets out of the ring while teh Prime Time Players attack RDJ. He takes on the both of them, dispatching Patterson with a clothesline over the top rope and Pryde with a back body drop, followed by him rolling out of the ring. Threepwood comes up from behind and waps RDJ with a steel chair across the back, which RDJ no sells, and goes for Threepwood who bails from the ring. Silver rolls into the ring and RDJ checks on Monteiro. (39)

 

Main Event Hype Segment

Kristabel Plum and Kinuye Musashibo get ready for their match. Both wrestlers have a shared history as both worked with each other in NOTBPW for a lengthy amount of time. They fought each other twice, and tagged with one another the same amount. Kinuye, more of a tag team specialist, and Plum the former Women’s champion. They talk about that past for a minute, and say that regardless of the past, they need to focus on the present. (23)

 

Main Event: Kristabel Plum and Kinuye Musashibo vs Honey Badger and Paige Croft

The match starts with Kinuye making her SPW debut, with Croft on the otherside. As they meet in the center of the ring in a lockup, the announce team touch on the history of Kinuye and Croft. Both wrestlers also work in 5*SW and just a few weeks prior, reluctantly tagged together in a losing effort. The competitors know each other well, and it shows as they engage in chaan wrestling, with reversals, ending with neither individual in control of the pace. Badger takes this moment to tag herself in, and unlike Croft, Musashibo doesn’t have the knowledge to execute effectively, as Badger takes a attempted arm twist into a devastating clothesline. Badger drags Kinuye over to Kinuye’s corner and taunts Plum. Plum tags herself in and gets into a collar-elbow tie up with Badger, who overpowers Plum.

The match devolves into Badger using her strength advantage against Plum and Kinuye, tagging out in intervals with Croft. Despite their earlier disagreements, in the ring, Badger and Croft work quite well together. Plum takes advantage of a lull in the current interval, and rolls up Croft, who kicks out at 2. She starts to get up and gets hit with a dropkick, sending her out of the ring. Badger gets into the ring, but Plum hits a drop toe hold into the ropes, which hits Badger in the throat. Kinuye rushes into the ring and clotheslines Badger over the top rope and out onto the floor, before sliding out of the ring and throwing Croft in. Plum hits Croft with the Plum Tucker and tags out to Kinuye, who hits a top rope elbow. She goes for the pin, but Badger rushes into the ring and breaks up the pin. Plum gets back into the ring and starts to fight Badger. Badger ducks a punch, and back suplexs Plum out of the ring over the top rope. Badger drags Croft over to their corner, hops onto the apron and tags herself in, before hitting Kinuye with a implant DDT, and puts Kinuye into a Anaconda Vice. Kinuye taps out. (43)

 

Overall Rating: 38

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22

[IronWarrior22]

SPW Sudden Impact #3

Preshow Match #1

Mercutio Sleep made his SPW debut in a non-televised match, defeated Drop Kix, who also made his debut, in 10:12 by pinfall with a Go To Sleep. (36)

 

Preshow Match #2

Fuyuko Higa and Lilly & Rose defeated Modesty Pador, Juana Hurricane and the debuting Olivia Diamond in 8:35 when Fuyuko Higa pinned Modesty Pador with a Higa Green Driver. (50)

 

Preshow Match #3

Honey Badger defeated Kinuye Mushashibo in 9:53 by pinfall with an Exploder Suplex. (34)

 

Opening Segement

Rickey Dale Johnson announces that he will face Connor Threepwood next week, and that he plans on finally putting the little weasel in his place. And to make sure he can’t run away, he’s going to have people inthe crowd and in the back. (84)

 

Backstage Segment with Paige Croft, Honey Badger and Fuyuko Higa

Paige Croft and Honey Badger talk about their victory last week, and how dominant they were. The idea of creating a tag team being an idea on both their minds. While they speak on the matter, Fuyuko Higa walks into their locker room and congratulates them, and lets slip a rumor she heard. That next week, the first ever Women’s Champion will be crowned. The talks of making a team fall apart on the spot. (32)

 

Debut of the Hot Taggs

The next match starts as The Prime Time Players make their way to the ring, followed by Minnesota Awesome. As those two teams get ready The Hot Taggs make their entrance for the first time on SPW television, with their valet Kali Fornia. (15)

 

The Hot Taggs vs The Prime Time Players vs Minnesota Awesome

The Hot Taggs defeated Minnesota Awesome in 5:44. Wolfie started in the ring with Perry longstaff and threw him around the ring like a sack of potatoes. The Taggs control the match from bell to bell, just abusing Minnesota Awesome. The Prime Time Players watched on, not seeming to keen on getting into the ring, and when opportunities arise for them to do so, drop from the apron to avoid going in. The Taggs eliminate Minnesota Awesome, and turn their focus on the Prime Time Players who get disqualified after using chairs. (19)

 

Semi-Main Hype Promo

Plum starts the promo talking about he ongoing spat with Paige Croft and Honey Badger when Perez shows up to remind her who shes facing tonight. (41)

 

Kristabel Plum vs Teresa Perez

Teresa Perez started the match with momentum after hitting Plum with a basement dropkick. Keeping Plum on the ground, she continued to stomp on Plums legs, and turned her focus towards her arms. Plum fights her way back to a vertical base, but is limping as she goes on the offensive. She goes for a suplex, but pauses due to damage  on her leg, which gives Perez the opportunity to reverse into a brainbuster. Plum kicks out at 2, but Perez maintains the pace by unleashing wicked kicks to Plum’s back. Perez picks up her opponent, and goes for a back suplex which Plum rotates through, landing on her feet. Her legs still being hurt, cause her to immediately drop to a knee, giving Perez the window to go for a shining wizard, which Plum counters by catching her leg, transitioning to a STF. Perez makes it to the ropes, but Plum is now firmly in the driver seat, focusing on Perez’s leg ina reversal of fortune. Perez mounts one last comeback attempt, when Plum reverses a suplex attempt and hits Perez with the Plum Tucker to win the match. (42)

 

Women’s Championship Match Announced

A Four Corners match is announced for next week, and is for the SPW Women's Championship. The four women involved in the match are Kristabel Plum, Honey Badger, Paige Croft and Kinuye Musashibo. (29)

 

Main Event: Jay Silver vs Connor Threepwood

The match starts with Connor trying to be a weasel nd escape the ring when Silver gains any momentum, but that comes to an abrupt halt when, after rolling out of the ring, walks around the post into a clothesline. Silver rolls Threepwood back in and begins to control the match, hitting arm drags, hip tosses and a Gorilla Press Slam. Silver goes to drag Threepwood back up to his feet, when Threepwood hits him with a low blow, getting himself disqualified. (29)

 

Ending Segment

Threepwood attacks Silver, beating him down when Ricky Dale Johnson sprints down the aisle. This time, Threepwood isn’t able to get out in time, and gets clothesline over the top rope and out to the floor. (52)

 

Overall Rating: 45

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22

[IronWarrior22]

SPW Sudden Impact #4

Preshow Match #1

Fuyuko Higa defeated Modesty Pador in 13:11 by pinfall with a Higa Green Driver. (42)

 

Opening Segment

Following the introduction of the show, we got to the back where The Prime Time Players are getting ready for their match when Connor Threepwood walks in and tries to enlist their help in his main event match tonight. Pryde and Patterson tell him to sod off, saying that he’s on his own tonight since he keeps leaving them out in the lurch. So, now he’s out on his own. Threepwood leaves, not very happy. (29)

 

The Prime Time Players vs The Hot Taggs

The match starts with Kalder getting into a test of strength with Patterson. Kalder wins it, and unleashed a barrage of power moves with the help of his brother as they tag in and out. Patterson makes the hot tag to Pryde who fights both of the Taggs by himself for a bit, but Wolfie puts a stop to it when he reverses a suplex into his power slam finisher, the Montana Slam. He pins Pryde and the Hot Taggs win. (22)

 

The Hot Taggs Celebrate their win.

The Hot Taggs and Fornia pose in the middle of the ring after the match. (20)

 

Pre Championship Match Segment

Grace Harper unviels the SPW Women's Championship. Grace Harper, better know by her active ring name Helen Wheels, held the Women’s Championship in two separate companies in two separate countries. She won the NOTBPW Women’s Championship in 2007, and then moved on to AAA, where she would win the top prize on three separate occasions. (40)

 

SPW Women’s Championship Four Corners Match: Paige Croft vs Kristabel Plum vs Honey Badger vs Kinuye Musashibo

The competitors start the match with Kinuye fighting Badger, and Croft fighting Plum. The match morphs into a pseudo-tag match, with interlocking moves where the competitors switch off without missing a beat. In this do-si-do, Plum and Kinuye come out ahead. They take a moment to breathe before they engage each other.

Plum gains the upper hand, but before she can really take advantage, Badger chop blocks her at the knees. Plum sells the knee and rolls out of the ring, allowing Badger to take advantage of the hand Plum won. Badger hits Kinuye with a powerbomb and goes for the pin, but it’s broken up by Croft. Badger and Croft exchange words before they start throwing punches at each other. Plum gets back into the ring and dropkicks Croft in the back, allowing Badger to hit her with a power bomb. Badger goes for the pin, seemingly unaware that Plum was there, and s a basement dropkick. Plum brings Badger to her feet, and Kinuye helps Plum, executing various tag team maneuvers. During the final one, Plum goes to run off the ropes when Croft hits her with a drop toe hold into the ropes, causing Plum to roll out to the floor. Kinuye responds by hitting Croft with kick to the gut and an implant DDT. Kinuye turns to see Badger gettings to her feet and goes for a clothesline, which Badger catches. She then hits Kinuye with an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle, pinning her and winning the bout. (42)

 

Championship Celebration

Honey Badger celebrates as she is crowned the first ever Women’s Champion. Grace Harper leaves the announce desk and puts the belt around the waist of Badger. (26)

 

Ricky Dale Johnson Makes His Wrestling Return

Connor Threepwood comes out first, and then out comes Ricky Dale Johnson. He gets into the ring and Connor goes to leave, when Monteiro, Silver and some security block all routes of escape. RDJ grabs Threepwood and throws him back into the ring, and the match officially starts. (79)

 

Main Event: Ricky Dale Johnson vs Connor Threepwood

Connor starts the match begging Ricky to not beat him up, which RDJ does not oblige. In a dominating display, RDJ tossed Threepwood around the ring like he was a sack of potatoes. Stiff punches and clothesline finally put Threepwood on the mat with gusto. Threepwood hits RDj with a low blow out of view of the referee, and plays it to the crowd, as he plants RDJ with a DDT. A DDT that RDJ promptly no sells as he gets to his feet. Threepwood, stunned, stands as RDJ takes his head off with a Leaping Lariat for the victory. (52)

 

Post Match Interview with Ricky Dale Johnson

Ricky Dale Johnson celebrates the win, and grabs a microphone. He talks about coming back and wrestling after so long and while he’s happy to be back, says that he will instead focus up on the next generation. He getures to Monteiro and Silver and says that he’ll still be around, and if need be, he’ll still get in the ring, but for now, it’s ‘see you later’. (59)

 

Overall Rating: 60

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22

[IronWarrior22]

The Wrestling Spectator

February, 2020 Edition

First Month for Sidewinder Professional Wrestling

With the first four shows taped, Sidewinder Professional Wrestling goes on hiatus as they navigate negotiations with television companies. Based on what we have heard from our sources,  It appears that, like many of the smaller companies, Sidewinder Professional Wrestling will have to abandon their hopes for a television deal and make a deal with WrestleWorld as that appears to be their only option for television.

 

Supreme Wrestling Federation in Dire Straits?

Earlier this morning, SWF announced to their shareholders that they recorded a loss for the second straight month in a row, and the decline was worse this month than last. This, coming off the back of multiple contract extensions has many in the business worried. Earlier in the magazine, we mentioned the state of the Wrestling industry being poor, and we’re seeing the effects of it now. The oldest and most prestigious of the Big 3 is being hamstrung by the state of things. TCW stayed about the same this month, and USPW, while still making money, had revenue fall by $1 million. The heavyweights of the wrestling world are feeling the pinch, one can only imagine how the smaller companies feel.

Edited April 4 by IronWarrior22

[IronWarrior22]

Beginning of March, 2020: Wilson’s Goals

 

Jackson Richter rubbed his eyes as Wilson Granger stewed. Jason Evans looked uncomfortable in his seat, and Jack couldn’t really blame him. Granger tossed the papers onto the table, and shouted, “What an absolute waste. We lost $165k, and not one company even listened!”, he shouted at him, standing up from the table.

“USPW lost $1 million from January to February. SWF lost a couple hundred thousand. TCW’s just about the only company that stayed stable here in America. This funk that the business is in is hurting everyone.”, Jack said.”It’s a failure, but a failure isn’t a waste. We lost money, and we didn’t get television. We knew we wouldn’t be making money with the tapings. The whole point was to put up money to make ourselves look as good as possible to try and get TV. We didn’t. Alright, we size that down, and we save how much. Jace?”, Jack asked as he looked over to Evans.

“Oh, uh… Per show or month?”, he asked.

“Either.”, Jack said.

“Oh, well, uh… We did four tapings, and it cost us $62k. If we do that every time, four shows in a day, we can bring that down to… about $22k. If we go weekly, it’ll cost close to $40k.”, Evans said.

“We’re still in negative territory. By a lot.”, Will said.

“You’re right, but keep in mind about 80k of that comes from RDJ’s deal, which we knew was going to bloat our losses, and will continue to do so in the future. Being in the negative at the start isn’t surprising. We knew we would be in that position.”, Jack said.

Will grimaced as he turned away, walked over to the sliding glass door leading to the deck, and stared outside. “So what do you expect to do with no TV?”, Will said.

“WrestleWorld. Everyone else is going to keep up what they’re doing. Run the one big show, and move on. Frankly, for a lot of the boys and gals in the locker room, they can’t survive on that. It’ll make us more trustworthy. ‘Come here and do your job, and you’ll get steady employment’. 1 day a month, 12 days a year, isn’t enough. We’ll build a name for ourselves in a way the others can’t. We go weekly.”, Jack said.

Evans shook his head. “That’s a pipedream. There’s a reason everyone does their monthly event: it’s the only way to make money.”.

“And that comes with not having storylines. Nobody runs house shows any more, all these small companies have no TV. The only way people get over is by having good matches, which isn’t a small number anymore, and getting exposure. Why do you think people are going off to Japan? At least they get their tour matches broadcast on TV.”, Jack said.

Evans chimed in with, “That’s gonna change.”.

“Is it? How many people are going to tune in to a random three or four hour event where they know nobody and it’s just matches being thrown together with story increments being 4 weeks apart? We’ll give them storylines and shorter shows, more digestible for people to come home, put up their feet and watch.”, Jack said.

Evans leaned back in his chair, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. Will turned to look at Jack. “And how much is that going to cost me?”.

“$40k a month, plus whatever we have to pay the wrestlers. And the $40k we have to pay RDJ. Over the next ten months, our expenditures are expected to be close to $800k.”.

Will reacted negatively to that news. “And how much are we expected to bring in?”.

“$250k from sponsorships, $200k from ticket sales, merch and, hopefully, whatever we can get from advertisign revenue. Of course, that’ll only go up as we get more people in the building, get more people watching the show. We’re going to lose money. Instead of worrying about it, let’s keep doing what we think will work, and if things start to trend poorly, we’ll re-evaluate.”, Jack said.

“You want to do the opposite of everyone else?”, Evans said. “That’s not gonna work.”.

“It didn’t work before. Now, everyone can get exposure. Falling into that line isn’t going to help us any more than them. We gotta break away from them, and go forward on our own.”, Jack said.

Evans leaned forward, and looked at Will. “If I may, as the only one here who did this for years, what’s most important is establishing ourselves here before worrying about how we look to the rest of the country. If we can’t turn a profit, it doesn’t matter how many people see us, we’ll be out of business before it matters.”.

Will stood there and thought on it, walking back over to the sliding glass door. He remained silent until he turned to the other two higher ups in the company. “We’re going weekly.”, he said. “But, let me be clear: If you haven’t brought the company up to a level that I find acceptable by the end of the year, you’re out.”.

“Well, what’s your definition of acceptable?”, Jack said.

“I want you to regularly sell out the Junkyard, and I want 100k viewers weekly. I will consider that a success for our first year.”, Will said.

Jack nodded. “It’ll be done.”.

[IronWarrior22]

2nd Week of March, 2020

Scrolling through the wrestling news the last few days were something akin to looking at the obituaries in the newspaper. The Big 3 had let go of somewhere north of thirty wrestlers in the last two weeks. He felt bad for them. Having their contracts come up during the worst time of the wrestling business in recent memory could not have been worse timing for them. Chances were they weren’t going to get a deal until the business righted itself.

That being said, he was writing down names from the bigger companies that he thought he’d be able to entice to come to SPW, at least until they got brought back or go to a different one of the 3. 

Eddie Chandler was released and Jack’s mind was already coming up with ideas. Eddie was a good wrestler, he cut good promos and he was pretty over. Comes with the territory of being on TCW TV for 6 years.

Nelson Callum was a guy that looked like he could be a World Champion. Good wrestler, good promo, good mind for the business. Was in the middle of negotiating a deal with TCW, but they put it on hold due to everything going on.

Ant-Man. Shorter than he’d like, but looked like he could feasibly punch above his weight class. Good promo, good look, average wrestler. Based on what he was reading, he was getting close to going to USPW, but like Callum, negotiations are put on hold.

There were a lot more wrestlers that he was reading about whose potential deals were nixed due to the downturn of the business. A handful of people were in that boat, and Jack figured they could be useful, so he made some phone calls, starting with the big name guy.

The phone took a while to be answered. “Yeah?”, was the response through the phone.

“This is Eddie Chandler, correct?”, Jack asked.

“It is.”.

“Hi, this is Jackson Richter. Head Booker of SPW an-”.

“God, how many of you people do I have to tell that I’m not desperate for employment. Take your offer and shov-”, He spat out in clear anger.

“You don’t even know what the offer is.”, Jack said,

“Probably around $500.”, Eddie said.

“I was thinking closer to $1,500.”, Jack said. “And a run as the main champion, along with a feud involving Ricky Dale Johnson.”.

A pause. “I don’t know how much of a feud I’d have when you only run a show a month.”.

“Actually, we’re going to be weekly.”, Jack said.

“Oh, you’re that company.” Eddie said.

“...I’ll take that as a compliment.”, Jack said.

Another pause “$2,000.”, Eddie said.

“I’ll send over the paperwork.”, Jack said. They exchanged goodbyes and hung up. The call made Jack pleasantly surprised. It took just over a minute, and everything was taken care of. Well, there was the lawyers on each side that needed to snipe at each other over detailed, but that was not his problem. Not yet anyway. He made a few other calls that day, and over the next few, he hired some other workers on a pay-per-appearence deal.

Of course, when he told Evans and Granger the news, neither were very exuberant about the news. Granger didn’t care as they would only be paid if they were used. Evans was upset that he wasn’t consulted and chastised him. He then pitched a few names saying, “If we’re hiring, get these guys.”. Out of kindness and respect for his friend, he obliged.