NOTBPW: History written in Stone

[newbiezness]

I wasn't 100% sure but I thought McFly was going to lose, that's why I said that I QUIT made sense, but I think steel cage was a better choice. I really enjoyed this match.

 

Very good event, the end was the best part for me. Cameron Vessey vs Jay Chord is fire.

 

I think the letters in blue don't read well in dark mode.

[Wrestling Machine]

Great show and great overall rating: a bit sad for McFly, really exciting for Chord vs Vessey! Nice babyface turn for Double J as you need babyface stars now that McFly is gone.

Early in the save, who are the Top 3 workers you find very exciting to book? Mine are probably David Stone, Shooter Deeley and Brooke Tyler

[AboardTheArk]

On 8/3/2023 at 11:25 PM, 619 said:

Wow, a stacked card with a big finale. The Winters-Flame match sounded like a lot of fun and the Vessey-McFly write-up really captured the tension and how both men had their openings. In keeping with the previous shows, you used the few short segments you had to set up a lot with the Johnson development and the surprise at the end, so it should be another hot month ahead.

Honestly, I might underdeliver in the next couple months, things are a bit hazy for now. 

On 8/4/2023 at 12:00 AM, newbiezness said:

I wasn't 100% sure but I thought McFly was going to lose, that's why I said that I QUIT made sense, but I think steel cage was a better choice. I really enjoyed this match.

 

Very good event, the end was the best part for me. Cameron Vessey vs Jay Chord is fire.

 

I think the letters in blue don't read well in dark mode.

Ah, strange, actually to me the blue reads ok in dark mode and I'm strained by the shade of red that is the "NOTBPW color". It won't be permanent anyway, I will do different colors for different PPVs and hopefully I don't fumble it again. Glad you enjoyed the show, I am really excited to write Chord vs Vessey. 

6 hours ago, Wrestling Machine said:

Great show and great overall rating: a bit sad for McFly, really exciting for Chord vs Vessey! Nice babyface turn for Double J as you need babyface stars now that McFly is gone.

Early in the save, who are the Top 3 workers you find very exciting to book? Mine are probably David Stone, Shooter Deeley and Brooke Tyler

The McFly thing is pure booking masochism, but hopefully I can ride the storm. I can tell you I was most excited for JJ, Brooke Tyler and Cam Vessey. I think realistically I'm like two years too early to do compelling things with the young Stone, even though he's an awesome prospect and his story of reaching the top against a then veteran Vessey (hopefully) would be major box office.  

I am just trying to find the right use for Tyler as she completely outshines the rest of the division and I feel like she shouldn't be turning face probably.

 

And since it was adressed in all replies directly or not... Chord vs Vessey feels like those messageboard dream matches, man. It's like getting AJ vs Marufuji in 2006, except they also share a past I can draw from. Excited to see if the match will deliver, because the build will not lol.

[newbiezness]

2 hours ago, AboardTheArk said:

I am just trying to find the right use for Tyler as she completely outshines the rest of the division and I feel like she shouldn't be turning face probably.

I know the women's roster is unbalanced but she shouldn't turn face IMHO.

 

2 hours ago, AboardTheArk said:

Ah, strange, actually to me the blue reads ok in dark mode and I'm strained by the shade of red that is the "NOTBPW color". It won't be permanent anyway, I will do different colors for different PPVs and hopefully I don't fumble it again. Glad you enjoyed the show, I am really excited to write Chord vs Vessey. 

Normally blue reads well in dark mode, but I don't read well that blue in Big City Brawl. Maybe it's just me.

[AboardTheArk]

BOOKING COMMITEE UNORGANIZED THOUGHTS: FIRST PPV CYCLE - Will this even be monthly?!

 

An idea was to make the PPV's brisk viewing. Strictly 5 to 6 matches, trying to offer variety while still being loyal to the company values. This feels like a success, as the show escalated in quality as it went on. 

 

Another idea that will be implemented is to focus on not offering the same title matches in every PPV. Sometimes a big match can headline giving the world champion a night off- which is also a necessity due to the thin main event scene. But it's also a show of faith to what a Chord vs Vessey match or the women's belt can do if given the main event slot. Clash Classic will definitely be a big test for everyone involved, which is why strings were pulled to get one of the best wrestlers in the world to fight one of the best wrestlers in the world on Canadian soil. 

 

Young David Stone got injured in the Derek Frost match and will be out through February. A shame because there've been plans to feature the young guys, try to make something out of them being pin eaters. We will see if they will still be needed. 

 

Two big signings will enrichen the Women's Division, following the nice and handy Mimic signing. There aren't major plans to revamp the roster unless a great opportunity pops up, but the Alliance loans will be heavily used and there's a thought on bringing in more freelancers on non-exclusive contracts, like these two women are already.

 

Speaking of the women's division, it's a mess but in a good way. There's depth in reliability, the top 3-4 workers are excellent. The biggest issue is the depth isn't too exciting. Something will need to be done with the shooters. We already resisted pressing the "in case of emergency" button with Lauren getting the belt again. Nadia Snow can talk and she can wrestle but she can't wrestle as well as she can talk.

 

The big storyline focus other than Cam Vessey has clearly been putting Jared Johnson and Sonny Wildside together. Jared Johnson seems more than ready for a main event role. 2020 or 2021 will be his year. Sonny on the other hand, despite his clear superstar potential and charisma, probably needs a little more time. We need to face the fact however we may not have that time. He'll main event a PPV this year for sure. 

 

The Television title scene has been very active and lively. Shingen Miyazaki is probably best put in a tag team role- something even GCG realized and they literally went bankrupt despite having an extremely talented roster and a fair amount of financial banking, almost as if someone arbitrarily decided they're not interesting enough and besides, BCG exists now so screw the company with 60 years of rich history and... getting ahead of myself here. Seems like Mountie Mann would make sense as a stabilizer, but he's not the only choice. Plans of turning Mr. Impact face have been floated. 

 

And through all this, there's the product change. More talking. More in-ring variety. Feels like we're stretching the roster thin however. But it's early, and the fans haven't responded too negatively to these wild-brawls appearing. The steel cage match wasn't a bet per se, but it was a tease. Maybe in the summer we can try some...stipulations. 

 

All in all, this month was very positive, but we will see how the new PPV plan works and how the main events and midcard hold up with the reshuffling of the roster. Sean will be missed and was a consummate professional, but when you screw someone's wife out of the book and a job for life, he'll walk. It's how it is sometimes. Onwards and hopefully upwards.

Edited August 5, 2023 by AboardTheArk

[619]

It's always interesting to get a peek behind the curtain and a few clues as to what's coming up. The line about planning to make something out of the younger guys being pin eaters intrigues me as this is something I always find challenging. I liked how you squeezed in a rant about GCG closing, and how McFly's exit tied into this diary's backstory, as I'd forgotten the significance of that.

[AboardTheArk]

NOTBPW CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING - 2020 EPISODE 5 

 

MATCH 1: MIMIC VS SHINGEN MIYAZAKI (C) FOR THE NOTBPW TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP

  

Well, this match wasn't kept in the backpocket for long at all! The thing about a puro wrestler trained by the Stones is that Miyazaki has essentially been built in a lab to have a solid match with anyone. As a result, this acted as a further showcase of Mimic's abilities, with Miyazaki leading the match carefully into him eating shit all the time thanks to his opponent's high agility. The issue was... there wasn't much for Mimic to imitate. He tried going for the Stone Hold ankle lock but in truth, his moves don't really damage a leg at all, so even locking it in was an issue. That having been said, he's also his own man. A beautiful crossbody led to a really close nearfall, but Miyazaki's rallying ability meant it was Screwdriver or bust, and he didn't hit it. Instead, the champ retained with an ankle lock. (13:35)

Rating: 55

 

SEGMENT: WHEN YOU SHOOT A WORK AND WORK A SHOOT BROTHER? 

We go backstage in a specifically-designated promo/conference area where Cam Vessey can be found, draped in his merch. He addresses Jay Chord stealing his thunder at the end of Big City Brawl, saying it's natural that Jay would resort to such actions for his and the crowd's attention. All the time they were together in MAW, Jay was the next big thing and Vessey the megastar, the man that is the reason MAW still exists today. And when they both got signed by major companies in 2012, this persisted. In 8 years, one of them has become the World Champion, the other still talks about fulfilling his destiny by doing it. He asks Chord if he feels the weight of his own potential crushing him and that's why he can't quite get to the biggest stage. Maybe he needs a couple more years, after all, his match with Ace Andrews at Malice in Wonderland was "match of the year" (92 in comparison to Vessey vs McFly's 87). Well, while he's losing in world title matches trying to leech off of Andrews' and Vessey's starpower, he's the reason while the Ace takes paycuts to keep the company afloat. He hopes Chord hasn't forgotten the things he was taught, and that he's ready to beat Vessey rather than have a great match together.

Rating: 65 

 

MATCH 2: AMBER ALLEN & ARIEL BREAKS VS CLAIRE WINTERS & LAURA FLAME 

  VS  

Pairing the two martial artists is probably more of a decision to not throw away Winters' tv time for Flame but can also definitely be seen as lazy. This match was way overlong, going past the 20 minute mark and it suffered for it. Nevertheless, it did tell the story of Amber Allen purposefully making herself an obstacle to the young wrestlers all while smiling for the fans and camera. The dynamics at self were intriguing but the match turned out a bit self-indulgent, even if still solid. Amber pinned Winters with a Northern Lights Suplex, but made sure to put over her prowess in the finishing stretch, narrowly avoiding a KO loss. (20:22)

Rating: 55 

 

SEGMENT: CHALLENGE OFFERED

After the match, Amber Allen informed Laura Flame that she's not ready for a title shot yet, and that she can prove it even further than tonight, at Clash Classic! Laura scoffed at her and exited the premises, more annoyed than anything. 

Rating: 55 

 

SEGMENT: SOME UNSOLICITED GUIDANCE

In the backstage area right before his match, we see Jared Johnson accompanied by Sonny Wildside, getting a pre-match pep talk that you can all imagine is very entertaining, when Johnny Bloodstone interrupts. Johnson's trainer expresses very loudly his worry about the path Jared has taken, not only getting into another tag team instead of spreading his wings solo, but also downgrading. Johnson stands up for his new friend, but not too passionately because he still has too much respect for Bloodstone. This leads to Bloodstone announcing an exhibition match against Wildside for next week. 

Rating: 62 

 

MATCH 3: JARED JOHNSON VS SOLOMON GOLD 

 VS 

This was more fun than you would expect, but also nothing special. Jared showed off his new face tricks, blending them seamlessly with his usual offense, while Gold got a lot of sympathy for not getting easily pinned. Wildside was a really good cheerleader at ringside, and Johnson won with an MDK powerbomb. Simple as. (13:08)

 

MATCH 4: BROOKE TYLER, DEMELZA WADE & SALLY ANNE CHRISTIANSON VS THE QUEEN'S COURT 

   VS   

A 6-man tag that was...not good when someone not named Brooke Tyler or Nadia Snow was in, luckily in those instances it was great. It was also kept shorter than the previous women's match on the card to highlight Brooke's dominance as she's marching towards a title shot. Snow was almost too defeated to cower behind her minions, eventually just surrendering Jessica Conroy to a Brooke Breaker instead of breaking things up. (15:05)

 

MAIN EVENT: ERIK STRONG & MR. IMPACT VS MOUNTIE MANN & SHOOTER SEAN DEELEY 

  VS  

 

A solid main event tag where everyone performed up to par, this essentially ended the Strong-Deeley feud definitively. Strong's arm was still injured, so Mr. Impact had to dominate and he did as much as he could before Mann's dirty tricks and Deeley's absolute champion-like precision took over. A pretty simple story, Strong tagged himself in for the finishing stretch, almost getting Deeley into a pinning predicament multiple times, but he went to that well one time too many, instead being caught into an inverted armbar and immediately having to tap. (20:04) After the match, Deeley announced he doesn't see any challengers on the horizon, so he's not defending the belt until that changes. 

Rating: 75 

 

Show Rating: 71 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by AboardTheArk

[619]

It's impressive how many people you managed to fit on a five-match card here. The Johnson-Bloodstone dynamic is interesting: it feels both like a natural next step for establishing Johnson as a babyface and smart in terms of the product shift that, as you're introducing more angles, you're grounding them in reality to bring the long-term fans along with you. The Vessey segment seemed to do a similar job of setting the table in a way that NOTBPW fans would get invested in.

[newbiezness]

The Cam Vessey-Jay Chord segment was the best of this show for me.

[kinnikuniverse]

I like this diary. Hope we see more content

Edited August 19, 2023 by kinnikuniverse