Empire Pro Wrestling: Tradition Takes Hold

[BriFidelity]

[B][I]It started with an obsession. A fan. Not an insider, not someone with a dad in the business, just a fan. It started as a fading business. A washed-up wrestler, pushing sixty, who knew that his way was leading him down the road to bankruptcy. It started with a wrestler Another wrestler, not quite washed up, but rapidly approaching 40, with skill rivalling almost anyone not employed by one of the big boys. All he needed was a chance. It became a phenomenon.[/I][/B] [B]The idea:[/B] traditional wrestling, without the same old wrestlers. New blood mixing with talented veterans, and it worked. In just a few years, New York City wrestling went from a company that struggled to draw 300 people at a high school gymnasium in The Bronx, to a company known across the United States, drawing thousands, with tens of thousands of television viewers, as well as profitable pay-per-views. It's an amazing success story, one that begged a new name, thus EPW, Empire Pro Wrestling was born. In case you're not up to speed, you can read from the beginning [URL="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5605"]here.[/URL]. If 17 Pages is too much, here are the people you have to know. [B][COLOR="Red"][COLOR="Red"]The Good Guys[/COLOR][/COLOR][/B] Steve Flash - The Two-Time NYCW Empire Champion has the distinction of being the first-ever EPW World Heavyweight Champion. Though he sometimes lacks self-confidence, Flash is respected by fans and peers alike, and is treated as NYCW, and now EPW's very own home grown legend. Mean Jean Cattley - The most hated wrestler in NYCW History changed his spots after dropping the Empire title for the second time. Still a dirty southern boy, this world-class wrestler has connected with the fans up North enough to be respected, even if he still wears the proverbial black hat from time to time. Scout - The most accomplished of all EPW Wrestlers, Scout is a three-time Empire Champion, and has toppled the likes of Sam Keith, Nemesis, and Haruki Kudo during his stay. He takes no crap from anyone, and usually ends up on top. The Animalz - Brawlers of the Highest Order, Big Cat Brandon and The Wolverine hit the ring like a tornado, hitting their foes with an all out attack. Their success at trouncing all comers have made them frequent targets on anyone looking to make a name for themselves, however. Frankie Perez - Dumping his underhanded ways to defend everything pure in wrestling, the revamped Frankie Perez considers himself an athlete above anything else, and is constantly looking to challenge himself in the quest to be the greatest professional athlete in the world. Esiaku Hoshino - Seemingly blackballed from Japan, "Hoshi" was plucked from wrestling oblivion by NYCW, and took full advantage of his opportunity, having won the tag titles and Tri-State title in his first six months in the States. Roland Hall - This 36 year old rookie left the NFL after an illustrious career, and has hit the ground running in professional wrestling. Not afraid to prove himself, Hall has already earned a measure of respect for taking on all comers, even the steamroller, Nemesis. Hell Monkey - Originally a heel in the early days of the revamped NYCW, Hell Monkey had a measure of success both in DAVE and Japan, which led him to grow outside of our price range early in my tenure. Monkey came back, and has, like his partner Esiaku Hoshino, enjoyed runs with the Tri-State and World Tag Team Title. Joanne Rodriguez - Don't let her beauty fool you, this former Tri-State Champion has the ability to tie men up in knots with her incredible technical acumen. Has had a run of bad luck lately -- her relationship with Scout was exposed by Nevada Nuclear, who has had a bit of an obsession with JRo, and a tag match led her to be burned by a fireball from The Swami. Arnold Jarrett - Having come to the wrestling world by way of Mixed Martial Arts, this ultracharismatic Canadian has just started to make waves with his hard hitting style and repitoire of submissions. G-Squared - An interesting tag team. Gregory Gibson, at 19, has all the makings of a superstar, and barring catastrophe, will be a major played in wrestling for decades to come. Dickie Gellar has solid potential himself, but needs to work on being more consistent with his matches. Gellar also doubles as EPW's color commentator. The Knights of the Squared Circle - Valiant is another up and comer who seems destined for stardom, and he's joined in this underrated tag team by Squire Flemmy, one of the best technicians working in the U.S. today. The Poison Brothers - NYCW mainstay Joey Poison has languished in the undercard since the beginning of NYCW, but he seems poised for a run at up the tag ranks, joined by real life cousin Jack Giedroyc, known here as Jackie Poison. Ace & Erik - Fiery babyfaces, this undercard tag team consists of Ace Youngblood and Erik Strong, who at this point are solid hands who could be more than that if they improve. Michael Washington - A definite newcomer, this 17-year-old was picked up right out of wrestling school two months ago, and has a lot of tools. A very good technician with a passable all-around game and solid fundamentals, his only setbacks come in being average looking and as dull as they come. Yeah, he'll need a manager. Ryu Kajahara - The legendary Japanese garbage wrestler is the newest addition to the NYCW family, and looks to be added to the announce position, once he masters the English Language. And what would heroes be without their evil counterparts. Say hello to... [B][COLOR="Red"]The Bad Guys[/COLOR][/B] Art Reed - After spending his entire run with NYCW as a clean cut babyface, Art Reed brutally turned on Steve Flash in an effort to stake his claim to the Empire Title. He came up short at NYCW Revolution, but remains one of the biggest threats to Flash, as does... Nemesis - The steamroller is back! Nemesis, plagued by injury, had a rough patch for a while, but has regained his form lately, and has been unstoppable over the past few months, most recently humbling NFL star Roland Hall and joining up with Nevada Nuclear to overcome The Animalz. This is the man no one in EPW wants to face right now. Nevada Nuclear - The Radioactive Wrecking Machine went from a creepy guy who was stuck in the high end of the midcard to a force to be reckoned with by doing something no one in NYCW, not even Nemesis, could do when he beat Scout in a bloody cage match at Kings of New York IV. Champagne Lover - He loves to woo the ladies, but he may love winning even more. Champagne has never had reservations when it comes to doing whatever it takes to get ahead -- including turning his back on his own partner. Lover is also a triple crown winner, one of only two men to hold the Empire, Tri-State, and Tag Team titles, the other being Steve Flash. The Swami - Not a wrestler, this devious manager, better known in SWF as The Guru, burst onto the scene in a big way, and has had incredible success in a relatively short time, having led a team of his own creation, C4, to the World Tag Team Titles while almost leading Art Reed to the Empire Title as well. Danny Jacobs - His detractors acknowledge his potential, his supporters think of him as nothing short of the future of wrestling. Jacobs is starting to believe his hype, and has gained an attitude one would not expect from a 22 year old. 1/2 of the tag team of Future Shock, the future may be now. Alex Braun - A crusader for what he calls "his people," Alex Braun believes himself to be a paragon of virtue, someone who should be beloved and treated as a hero by the public, but EPW fans disagree wholeheartedly. Jimmy Cox - "The Rising Son" is a native of the states, but carries himself as a puro star, alleging that he comes from the nation that gave us such stars as Kudo and Kikkawa. Cox seemed to be doomed for midcard status before being vaulted by a remarkably successful tag team with Steve Flash and incredible matches with Flash and the since departed Haruki Kudo. In fact, Kudo and Cox had 2008's Match of the Year. Marc Speed - The other half of Future Shock has been somewhat in Danny Jacobs' shadow, but no one doubts that this former tag team champion could do very well on his own. EPW's resident tag team specalist, Speed nearly shocked the world at the final NYCW Show, Revolution, when he came close to dethroning Tri-State Champion Esiaku Hoshino. Terry Agony - Perhaps the most successful of NYCW's rookie acquisitions, Agony is a vicious brawler with a mean streak rivaling that of any deathmatch king, but has been relegated as a mastermind of a manager, with Jimmy Cox being the last of his clients after Agony disposed of the disappointing Everest. Recently, Agony has become less interested in managing and more interested in competing. C4 - The reigning EPW World Tag Team Champions, C4 (short for Cunning, Cuthroat, Canadian Cripplers) joins together master technician John Maverick with master tactician Greg Richardson, a young man with a gift for finding weaknesses in anyone. Robert Oxford & Barry Kingman - Known collectively (behind their backs) as The Grumpy Old Men, Oxford and Kingman define old school -- they hit hard, love to slow down the pace, and cheat when they have to. Experience and skill combine to make these old men a tough task for any team. The Insane Heat - Sometimes tag partner of Nevada Nuclear, Heat has never found stardom in NYCW, but has been a steady hand who has put a lot of work into the foundation that became EPW. He's not a glamour guy, but Heat is a solid building block. The Family - Our resident wiseguys, Sammy The Shark and Tony The Tank are looking to gel a bit, then work their way up the ranks, making other teams in EPW sleep with the fishes. The Intercontinental Connection - Combining Canadian Lewis Starr and Belgian Bryan Bruce, the newest tag team to join the ranks are young (Starr is 19, Bruce is 20) and all-around talented. The ultracharismatic Belgian probably has a better upside, but Starr is a solid all-arounder, even at his young age. Ricky Douglas - Hey, the world needs jobbers. [COLOR="Red"][B]The Other Guys[/B][/COLOR] Mitch Naess - The Voice of DAVE took over play-by-play duties for us when Rip Chord went to that big wrestling ring above us. No, not heaven, NOTBPW, where he is an agent and head booker. Jez McArthur & Dewey Libertine - EPW Referees The Stomper - EPW's Owner & Lead Road Agent That's the cast, and [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW: Live From New York[/COLOR][/B] will be where they'll begin writing a new chapter in traditional wrestling. Here's what the card looks like... C4 makes a tag title defense Frankie Perez battles Alex Braun After seeing girlfriend Joanne Rodriguez burned at the hands of The Swami, Scout is sure to be out for blood, but tonight he has to face Terry Agony's charge, Jimmy Cox Steve Flash defends the newly rechristened EPW World Championship against the unpredictable Nevada Nuclear.

[eayragt]

Glad to see this one back - looking forward to the future of the Empire!

[bigguy9854]

I am also glad to see this one back. Man I am geeked for this one!!!!!!

[JonnyV1]

Scout is one of your main guys, I should go read your 17 page dynasty.

[BriFidelity]

[SIZE="3"][B][COLOR="red"]Week 1, May 2009[/COLOR][/B][/SIZE] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][SIZE="2"]Empire Pro Wrestling: Live From New York[/SIZE] Seen Across The U.S.A. on National Pride TV Crowd: 6,756 Viewers: 100,040 (Nice, we break six figures!)[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR="royalblue"][B] Nevada Nuclear is In The Ring To Start The Show[/B][/COLOR] And he's rambling, as usual. "We fear changeees..." Nevada says in his creepy, LoTR influenced hiss, "We want to be NYCW again, We don't like the Empire!" Nevada got a pop from that, probably from some New York natives wishing that the company identified more directly with them, though the Empire was still good enough for others. "But we love changessssss too. We want to see more changesss tonight. YES.... We need a big change, a change of champions.... The title is soooo shiny and beauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutiful. We need it. WE NEED IT NOW!!!" Nevada got his wish, as we led off with the first-ever EPW World Title match. [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="royalblue"]EPW World Heavyweight Title Nevada Nuclear vs Steve Flash (c)[/COLOR] [/B] Nuclear ambushed the champ before he could even unstrap the belt, though he stopped to unstrap it for him, so Nevada's not a totally bad guy. Nevada looked positively entranced by the title for a moment -- studying it, caressing it -- apparently, JRo has competition for his affections, even if she has no desire to compete -- and by the time Nevada broke his trance, Flash was up and fighting back, The babyface comeback lasted a while before Nevada answered back with a Mushroom Cloud for two. Back and forth action ensued, leading up to a Flash Bang and a pinfall at 8:33. [B]Winner, and Still EPW World Heavyweight Champion: Steve Flash Rating: B- [COLOR="royalblue"]Scout came out to the ring next[/COLOR][/B] A clip package of the fireball on Joanne Rodriguez preceding him. Scout didn't dance around the issue, simply stating: "Swami, get out here now" and dropping the mic. Someone did come out, Terry Agony, and he had some words for Scout. "Agony had some words of his own. "Scout," Terry started, "This was the weakness I warned you about. Weakness led this to happen to your girlfriend, and you need my help to be strong. Now, I got out of the managing business -- I even sold off Jimmy Cox's contract, and he was the last of Agony Inc, but Scout... you and me, we can be partners, and take this place by storm!" Scout answered simply and efficiently, slugging Agony in the face, dropping him with Danger Ahead, then debuting a new move, dubbed the Special Force Armbar by Mitch Naess. Security had to pull Scout off and lead him to the back, allowing the medical staff to tend to Agony, one of them heard screaming "It's Broken!" It's Broken!" [B]Rating: B- [COLOR="royalblue"]EPW World Tag Team Titles Knights of the Squared Circle vs C4 (c) [/COLOR][/B] A split screen showed Scout being locked in a room backstage while The Swami led out the new tag champions. Maverick and Squire Flemmy had a great technical exchange to start, before the lethal Canadian tagged out and Richardson threw some hard shots Flemmy's way. Valiant kept trying to interject, as if the match were building to a hot tag, but that tag never came, which Mitch Naess attributed to C4's incredible ability to cut the ring in half, finishing the Knights off rather quickly with his Deadly Silence sleeperhold at 4:31. [B]Winners, and still NYCW World Tag Team Champions: C4 Rating: B- [COLOR="royalblue"]Alex Braun Promo[/COLOR][/B] Braun brushed over his loss to Mean Jean Cattley, giving a generic variation on the "live to fight another day" speech. Braun went on to say how everyone in the locker room, all the fans he's met in public, they've all been crowing on and on about the Mexican Death Match. "Frankie Perez this, Frankie Perez that, it makes me sick. This kid Perez might think he's big stuff, but I was making my name back when he was playing with little action figures." That got a few boos, many from the younger fans in the crowd. "Kid," Braun said in closing, "You might think you're big time, but you're no one until you get by me." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Alex Braun vs Frankie Perez [/COLOR][/B] Youth meets experience, and both are very good workers, so there's nothing to worry about here. Perez, showing the energy that comes with youth, took control early by sticking and moving, never letting Braun really get close enough to do serious damage, but the wily veteran was ready for Frankie, ducking a High Knee and coming from behind, clipping the knee. Braun continued targeting Frankie's left knee, dealing out a lot of pain, but not enough to keep Frankie from rallying back, catching Braun in the P-Clutch for the submission win at 8:16. [B]Winner: Frankie Perez Rating: B- [COLOR="royalblue"]The Swami came to the ring, looking very happy[/COLOR][/B] Even though Art Reed didn't win the gold, Swami claimed that Revolution was still a success for him, as he got new tag team champions, even if there was some.. "Collateral damage," as the Swami put it. "Scout, you've been looking for me all night," The Swami called, "Here I am, tough guy." Another split screen showed security letting the abrasive 3-Time champ out of the locked room, with Scout coming toward ringside with evil in his eyes. Swami, to his credit, stood bravely as Scout walked intently to ringside. Swami's unexplainable confidence was revealed as treachery as Jimmy Cox walked down to ringside, blindsiding Scout as he was halfway to the ring. "See Scout, that's what makes me the greatest mind in wrestling today: I'm always one step ahead! When Terry Agony sold off Mr. Cox's contract... [b]he sold it to me![/b] With that, Cox rolled Scout into the ring, the bell sounded with Dewey Libertine charging for the ring, and the match was on. [B]C+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Scout vs Jimmy Cox[/COLOR] [/B] Two of the most fundamentally sound guys on the planet, of course this is going to be good. Very competitive early, with Cox systematically targeting Scout's back, with Scout indiscriminately firing shots, showing a ton of aggression, and chasing Swami around a bit for good measure. The pace settled eventually, but Scout maintained his aggressiveness the whole way through, though things looked bleak seven minutes in, when he found himself caught in the Nagasaki Crab, though he powered out, and secured a submission of his own about two and a half minutes later when he secured the Special Forces Armbar, leading to the submission win at 9:49 [B]Winner: Scout Rating: A [COLOR="royalblue"]Again, Scout wasn't letting go of the armbar.[/COLOR][/B] This time, security didn't stop him, either: Art Reed did, driving a rushing knee into Scout's head to separate him from Cox before dropping him with the Art Attack and slapping on the Dread Lock. The show closed with Scout trapped in the painful submission, having to endure the humiliation of being slapped repeatedly by The Swami. [B]Rating: B+ OVR: B+[/B] [B]Up Next: EPW Showdown sees a stacked card. The Animalz are in action! Frankie Perez takes on Danny Jacobs Hell Monkey faces Nevada Nuclear and in our main event... Mean Jean Cattley, the 2-Time Empire Champion, meets EPW's Steamroller: Nemesis And we return to PPV at the end of May with [COLOR="Red"][SIZE="2"]The Empire Strikes Back[/SIZE][/COLOR]. One match has already been signed for this one, as you might've guessed: Scout will face Art Reed in what will assuredly be a vicious grudge match.[/B]

[BriFidelity]

[B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][SIZE="3"]EPW Showdown[/SIZE] Eminating from New York City, and seen across the U.S. and Canada on The Pop! Network Crowd: 6127 Viewership: 100,717[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Danny Jacobs opened the show[/COLOR][/B] And did so by claiming that Future Shock's recent win over Hoshi and Hell Monkey, combined with his singles win over the masked simian should be enough to get him some attention, and a "long overdue" shot at Hoshino and his Tri-State title. "But first, Danny said, I have to deal with the athlete. Mr. Let's-show-the-world-wrestlers-are-great-athletes." Wow, that's a long name, but the taunting brought out Frankie Perez. "The difference between you an me Danny," Frankie started, "I know the meaning of respect, and you still have to learn." Perez offered to teach the Future of EPW tonight. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Animalz vs The Intercontinental Connection [/COLOR][/B] Basic squash match, as the Brandon and Wolverine threw Lewis Starr and Bryan Bruce around for a while, eventually pinning Bruce after Wolverine hit The Maul, ending things at 4:59. The Animalz celebrated in the crowd afterward, doing so until they were interrupted by a woman who appeared at the entrance. "I'm sure most of you are too ignorant to know who I am," she said. "I'm Tracy Brendon, and I'm here on behalf of my client, and my client has entrusted me to see to it that the Animalz are, how should I say this... put down." That got some boos. Mr. Brandon, Wolverine, I'm here to extend a challenge. In a few weeks, EPW will be on pay-per-view again, and my client has arranged for a very well known, well travelled team to face you boys, if you're game." Brendon left the challenge hanging, heading backstage as the show cut to commercial. [B]Winners: The Animalz Match: B- Celebration: B Brendon Promo: C+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Esiaku Hoshino & Roland Hall vs Art Reed & Alex Braun [/COLOR][/B] Decent match here, and it began with Hall and Braun mixing it up, throwing shots, and even trading a few holds. Hall held his own with Braun, but found himself in trouble against Art Reed, who overwhelmed the rookie with takedowns and scientific holds. Hall managed to escape the situation by sliding out of a gutwrench suplex, bouncing off to hit a shoulder tackle, and making the hot tag to Hoshino, who blitzed both men before the pace slowed and he had an excellent technical exchange with Reed. Nevada Nuclear, of all people, came to ringside to marvel at the Tri-State Title, marvelling it at a distance first, then grabbing it and cradling it. When Hoshino went over to see what was happening, Braun took the opportunity to distract the referee, letting Nevada blast Hoshi with the belt, leading to Reed scoring the pin at 8:54 [B]Winners: Art Reed & Alex Braun Rating: B+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Champagne Lover Promo[/COLOR][/B] Champagne was still bruised and battered from the Mexican Death Match, and came to the promo area limping, still selling his back injury from being caught in the P-Clutch. Champagne acknowledges that he's ailing, but claims that he is such an amazing man, he will not only wrestle in this battered state, but he will compete with and defeat two people. "Like a matador who takes a charge from a bull, I am getting up and fighting back again." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Triangle Match Jackie Poison vs Champagne Lover vs Valiant [/COLOR][/B] Another solid match, with all three man getting a decent amount of offense, including a great exchange between Jackie and Champagne, with Valiant getting his licks in as well. Poison planted Champagne with a DDT for a close two, which surprised the crowd, but Valiant was smart enough to break the count. The rest of the match consisted of three way spots, and the end came around 7:54, when Jackie clotheslined Valiant out of the ring, but was taken to the mat by Champagne Lover, locked in the Champagne breakfast, and that was the end of that. [B]Winner: Champagne Lover Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Frankie Perez vs Danny Jacobs [/COLOR][/B] Whenever these two promising young workers get together, their shared weakness comes to light very, very quick, and it's selling. This was more stunt show than wrestling match, especially on DJ's end, but damn it, it was an entertaining stunt show. Jacobs overwhelmed with speed early, but Frankie fought his way into the match in a big way, getting more and more momentum as time rolled on, finishing the deal at 6:41 after catching Jacobs in the P-Clutch and earning a clean submission victory. [B]Winner: Frankie Perez Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Nevada Nuclear Promo[/COLOR][/B] Nevada Nuclear was backstage on promo duty, where Mitch Naess, via audio transmission from the booth, asked him why he interjected himself into Esiaku Hoshino's business. "The gold, Rip, it wasssssss the gold," Nevada answered, thinking everyone's favorite better than you, substance abusing legend was still on the payroll. Before Naess could correct him, Nevada started screaming "WE NEED GOLD! WE HAVE TO HAVE IT. WE'LL STOP AT NOTHINGGGGGGGGG!" Nuclear rocked back and forth to bring the segment to a close [B]Rating: B- [COLOR="royalblue"]Hell Monkey vs Nevada Nuclear[/COLOR][/B] Solid match, as Monkey led the way with vicious leg kicks, but Nuclear seemed oblivious to the pain, instead foregoing any semblence of defense, instead opting to walk into punches, so long as it earns him an opportunity to beat up on Monkey a little bit. That reckless style led Nevada to eat a Hellfire Kick around 4:00 for a long two count, but that seemed to enrage Nuclear, who spent the rest of the match relentlessly beating on Monkey, who couldn't answer the flurry, ending it with the Mushroom Cloud at 6:50. [B]Winner: Nevada Nuclear Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Nemesis cut a promo[/COLOR][/B] "The powers that be have made it very simple," Nemesis stated. "I beat Mean Jean, and I get a crack at the EPW World Title on pay-per-view at The Empire Strikes Back." That brought a smile to the ever surly monster's face. "Now I've been called the steamroller by the announcers, and that's for a damn good reason: I simply run over, crush, and just plain destroy everyone in front of me. I have for decades now, and no one gets out of the way. Mean Jean, you're just the next to be flattened, my man." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Nemesis vs Mean Jean Cattley [/COLOR][/B] Nemesis has been invigorated by his lack of injury, and has really had his working boots on since the clean bill of health was issued. Cattley is getting a decent response again, as the fans were sick of seeing the same old heel MJC, even if he is damn good at playing that heel. Cattley did a great job of playing the underdog babyface, throwing everything he had at Nemesis, but never really getting anywhere. Nemesis responded by being a monster, throwing Cattley around liberally, finishing it off with a Nemesis Arrow at 12:35 to cement his spot in the main event of The Empire Strikes Back. [B]Winner: Nemesis Rating: A OVR : B+[/B] Coming up next: EPW Live gives us a big showdown in the main event, as Nemesis faces his former... well, nemesis: Scout. The Animalz are also in action, and Alex Braun takes on Roland Hall.

[The Ego]

Dude i like your style, you write nicely, and in 4 months since ive been highly active on these boards, this is the only Cornellverse diary ive been interested in!! Keep it up!

[BriFidelity]

I'm in the process of getting ahead in game time right now, so I'm going to take a break from the shows to present the lineage of the [B][COLOR="Red"]EPW World Heavyweight Title[/COLOR][/B], formerly known as the NYCW Empire Title . [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]American Buffalo[/COLOR][/B] This current DAVE an CGC star was the champion I inherited with the book. A decent hand with power and charisma to spare, Buffalo's salary led him to be eliminated from my early plans. Plus I was looking to rebuild around smaller, more technically minded workers, and there was only one guy I was willing to pay 4 figures to... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Joey Minnesota (def. American Buffalo, Sat. Wk1, Dec 2005)[/COLOR][/B] Before a crowd of 253 people, The King of New York won the Empire Title over Buffalo, and main evented December-February, turning back the likes of The Big Problem, The Masked Mauler, Champagne Lover, and his biggest challenger, Hell Monkey. While new faces like Brent Hill, Joey Poison, Champagne Lover, and rookie Dickie Gellar were making names for themselves, Joey kept the shows watchable, or even good. His defection to the SWF in March of 2006 was quite the blow, but at the first-ever Kings of New York, NYCW found a savior in.. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Brent Hill (def. Hell Monkey in a tournament final. Sat. Wk1, Mar 2006)[/COLOR][/B] The plan for Hill was to bring him in as a heel to be the next big feud for Joey after Hell Monkey's program ended, but Hill never debuted, and Minnesota left, so Hill won a 4-Man tournament on his first night to win the Empire Title. Going by the moniker "Mr. Tradition," Hill, now a midcard act in NOTBPW, was the old school babyface turning back the challenges of scheming heels. Brent's run ended thanks to the debuting Rip Chord, a man who helped put NYCW on the map. Chord was a manager at first, and his first client was... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Champagne Lover (def. Brent Hill, Thu. Wk1, Jul 2006)[/COLOR][/B] Rip Chord ran in after a ref bump, spiked Hill with the Rip Chord DDT, and Camp Chord -- consisting initially of Chord, Champagne, Frankie Perez, and Mean Jean Cattley, proceeded to run roughshood over NYCW for a long time to come. Champagne was great as the cowardly heel champion, and every cowardly heel needs a driven babyface to be his foil. Usually, this driven babyface finally conquers the world, and this time was no different. Here's where we find reign number one of... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Steve Flash (def. Champagne Lover, Fri. Wk3, Oct 2006)[/COLOR][/B] After chasing through August and September, Steve Flash was finally able to secure a victory over his nemesis Champagne Lover. Putting his career on the line against Champagne's title, Flash won with his new finisher, the "Flash of Brilliance" Vertebreaker, and claimed his first championship gold. Flash would turn back a friendly challenge from ally Brent Hill, and repel Champagne Lover's bids to reclaim his gold, but Rip Chord had an ace up his sleeve in the form of former TCW standout... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Wolf Hawkins (def. Steve Flash, Thu. Wk4, Jan 2007)[/COLOR][/B] He was supposed to be the future of the company, and he looked the part when turning back Flash's challenge, as well as the challenge of veteran DAVE wrestler Rick Sanders, but Hawkins wasn't long for NYCW. Like Joey Minnesota, SWF came calling, and Wolf answered the call. Unlike Joey, Hawkins would go out on his back, dropping the title to... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Donnie J. (def. Wolf Hawkins, Fri. Wk3, Feb 2007)[/COLOR][/B] Donnie J was never intented to be Empire Champion, but he seemed as good a candidate as any to relieve Hawkins when we only had seven days to do so. Simply a transition champion, Donnie would hold the title for just over a month before losing it to the man who put NYCW on the map. Wolf Hawkins was a false prophet, the turning point of NYCW came with the emergence of... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout (def. Donnie J, Fri. Wk1, Apr 2007)[/COLOR][/B] The Scout era started before a sellout crowd of 1,000 in April, and by the time he dropped the belt in October, those houses had doubled. The hated Scout took on the best of the best head-on, and beat them. Art Reed, Scout's current rival, was the first to give him a major challenge, but was turned back in an Ironman Match. The Legendary Sam Keith was next to try, but several close calls were all he could muster. In October, Scout lost to another DAVE mainstay, and another man who still calls EPW home... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Alex Braun (def. Scout, Fri. Wk2, Oct 2007)[/COLOR][/B] Another temporary champion, Braun was feuding with Scout, and had the gimmick of having our dominant champion's number. While Scout was always his main rival, Braun had a series of very, very good matches with The Insane Heat in what would be Heat's only sniff at the top. Looking back to write this Braun's reign was longer than I remembered, but it ended at familiar hands... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout (def. Alex Braun, Fri. Wk4, Dec 2007)[/COLOR][/B] 3,172 had packed into the building to see Scout end 2007 as the Empire Champion. As with his first reign, Scout took on all comers from across the country, and as we'd soon learn, across the world. Scout's second reign would be relatively disappointing, and last just over a month. Our next champion came from the great wrestling nation of Japan, he was the great... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Haruki Kudo (def. Scout, Thu. Wk1, Feb. 2008)[/COLOR][/B] A great worker whose matches with the likes of Scout, Eric Tyler, Jimmy Cox, and others helped build NYCW in our banner year of 2008, Kudo's title reign was a short one, and it'd end at Kings of New York III, the first real Supercard in NYCW's history. The night The Fly Boys (sadly) invaded NYCW, the night Nemesis burst onto the scene, The Night Sam Keith made Eric Tyler quit. The real story that night, the ascension to the top of... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Mean Jean Cattley (def. Haruki Kudo, Thu. Wk4, Mar. 2008)[/COLOR][/B] MJC worked his way from the middle all the way up to the top. Though he was MAW to begin with, Cattley's really the first "homegrown" NYCW guy to work his way to even footing with the Kudos, Scouts, Keiths, and Tylers, and did so because of a great feud with Sam Keith in late '07. Cattley would lead NYCW on our Spring and Summer "Invasions," cards all along the East Coast that brought NYCW to a level where we could secure a television slot by the fall. By the time we hit TV, Cattley had lost the gold, to an all-too familiar face. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout (def. Mean Jean Cattley, Thu. Wk2, Aug. 2008)[/COLOR][/B] 5,778 people were on hand this time around, as the newly babyface Scout claimed his third, and final run as NYCW Empire Champion. A deal had been signed with National Pride TV, and Scout was in a better position than Cattley -- who was HUGE along the East Coast but not so popular nationwide -- to carry the company, at least for the first month of TV, which would cap off with seeing Scout drop the title to... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Eric Tyler (def. Scout, Thu, Wk3, September 2008)[/COLOR][/B] This was my first lesson in why long-term booking with a cult fed may be a bad idea. Scout's reign was cut short to make room for Tyler as the dominant champion, which would lead to Kings of New York IV, which I hoped would be our first PPV (it wound up being the third, as we got a clearance sooner than expected) Tyler wound up inking a written deal with SWF weeks before our maiden PPV, Rush Hour, and a last-minute switch gave another title run to a man who has had them across the world... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Sam Keith (def. Eric Tyler, Thu Wk2, Jan 2009)[/COLOR][/B] A sold out crowd of 10,000 joined dozens of NYCW fans watching at home to see Sam Keith slay the dragon. Keith, known for his longevity, is now down as the shortest reigning Empire Champion of all time. Two weeks later, it was reign #2 for... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Mean Jean Cattley (def. Sam Keith, Fri Wk4, Jan 2009)[/COLOR][/B] The first NYCW Pay-Per-View saw Mean Jean the Wrestling Machine take down Sam Keith. The subsequent PPV saw Cattley win the rematch in Keith's final big match in NYCW. Cattley had a lot of momentum going into Kings of New York IV, but that wasn't enough to stop... [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Steve Flash (def. Mean Jean Cattley, Fri Wk4, Mar. 2009)[/COLOR][/B] And here's where we are now, with the improbable hero, Steve Flash, rising back to the top of the company after two years in the midcard. A great worker in the prime of his career, who knows how long Flash, the first ever EPW World Champion, will hang on to his gold? Up next: A quickie look at the tri-state and tag titles, then back to the cards.

[Liamo]

Glad to see a less daunting topic to read through. I loved the NYCW diary, but got lossed somewhere along the way and never caught up again. I've read through this whole topic, and I'm in love again :)

[TCP1]

I love you BriFidelity. I loved the NYCW diary and it's great to see you've taken the step up to the next level. All my knowledge of the Cornellverse comes from this diary. Just super!

[BriFidelity]

Up next, a brief history of the [COLOR="Red"][B]EPW Tri-State Title[/B][/COLOR]. Travis Century was the Tri-State Champion I inherited, but I retired the title, and never used Travis due to the sheer expense of doing so. After NYCW Built a head of steam, the title was revived, and a tournament set up to crown a new champion. [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Mean Jean Cattley (def. Joey Poison in tournament final, Feb.2007-Apr 2007)[/COLOR][/B] Mean Jean's run in the winter-spring of 2007 was highlighted by frequent intentional disqualifications in matches against Chance Fortune, Rick Sanders, and Joanne Rodriguez, leading to a no-DQ 4-Person match for the title, won by... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Rick Sanders (Apr. 2007-May-2007)[/COLOR][/B] This started a mini-feud between MJC and Sanders, won by... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Mean Jean Cattley (May 2007-July 2007)[/COLOR][/B] MJC's second title reign was more of the same, two months of using every dirty trick in the book to keep the belt. The tricks weren't enough, however, when MJC found himself against... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Joanne Rodriguez (July-September 2007)[/COLOR][/B] The only female wrestler to ever hold gold in NYCW, J-Ro served as a very over transition champion, and her matches with Cattley were always stellar, which led to a small feud between the two over the Empire Title in 2008. The transition was made in September to the most dominant Tri-State champion of all time... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Steve Flash (September 2007-August 2008)[/COLOR][/B] As the reigning king of the midcard, Flash took on everyone, and kept a stranglehold on the Tri-State gold for almost a year. At that point, the decision was made to groom Flash for bigger and better things, and the switch was made to... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Hell Monkey (August-October 2008)[/COLOR][/B] Returning to NYCW with a vengeance, Hell Monkey finally dethroned Flash, and had a busy two month reign, successfully defending the gold seven times, more than any champ to that point besides Flash. Monkey did lose the title, however, to another very successful Tri-State Champion... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Frankie Perez (October 2008-February 2009)[/COLOR][/B] Frankie and Champagne Lover earned a title shot in a ladder match. Everyone assumed that they'd cash in for a shot at The Animalz, then NYCW Tag Champions, but they didn't, instead each opting to vie for the Tri-State gold, with Perez winning in an effort against Hell Monkey. That ladder match would come back to haunt Frankie... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Champagne Lover (February-April 2009)[/COLOR][/B] Champagne took his crack at the Tri-State title at the Love & War Pay-Per-View, cheating his way to victory -- accidentally he claimed -- to dethrone his partner in the Latin Kings. Champagne turned fully on Frankie in the rematch at Kings of New York IV, but would soon drop the title to... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Esiaku Hoshino (April 2009-Present)[/COLOR][/B] The Japanese Sensation took the title from Champagne Lover on a NYCW Showdown telecast, and became the first EPW Tri-State Champion. After fending off Marc Speed in his first major defense, Hoshi now has two major threats to the gold -- Speed's partner Danny Jacobs, as well as the unpredictable Nevada Nuclear. That's not all kids, we also have a look at the [B][COLOR="red"]EPW World Tag Team Titles[/COLOR][/B]. Wiley Steinway & Coyote Dynamite were the champs, but I didn't want to hire tag teams early on, too expensive. When the titles were reinstated, they went to... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Cowboys & Indians (Tennessee Bennett & Ace Youngblood, Apr-May 2007)[/COLOR][/B] This unlikely duo defeated Frankie Perez & Champagne Lover for the tag titles, back when that tandem still wrestled under the Camp Chord banner, but soon dropped the belts to... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Unstable (Nevada Nuclear & The Insane Heat, May-July 2007)[/COLOR][/B] This unpredictable duo made but a single defense of their titles in their two month reign, losing their second bid to... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Camp Chord (Frankie Perez & Champagne Lover, July 2007-January 2008)[/COLOR][/B] Frankie and Champagne began a dominant stretch here, having their way with the rest of the NYCW Tag roster, and quietly building a name for themselves as a premiere tag team, but they fell short against... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Cowboys & Indians (January 2008)[/COLOR][/B] The team that beat them for the titles originally. This reign didn't last at all, as Camp Chord was gone, and it was time for the reign of... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]The Latin Kings (Frankie Perez & Champagne Lover, January-March 2008)[/COLOR][/B] Frankie & Champagne, on their own now, dethroned Bennett & Ace in short order, and were set to face a mystery team at Kings of New York IV... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]The Fly Boys (Jimmy P & Donnie J, March-April 2008)[/COLOR][/B] Donnie J had been working NYCW for about a year at this point, but Jimmy debuted here, and the boys took the belts from the Kings. It soon became apparent that Jimmy P. wasn't a good fit for NYCW, and the trigger was pulled on... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]The Latin Kings (April-June 2008)[/COLOR][/B] A return to dominance for the Kings, who beat the former champs, then won a rematch that sent Jimmy P. away from NYCW forever. For a while, it looked like the Kings were more dominant than ever, until some young blood came in the form of... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Future Shock (Marc Speed & Danny Jacobs, June-August 2008)[/COLOR][/B] The Shock-Kings feud opened some of the hottest shows in NYCW history in our great run over the summer of 2008, and the energetic young guns got the better of their energetic young, but nasty, counterparts, at least until... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]The Latin Kings (August-September 2008)[/COLOR][/B] The Kings claimed their fourth, and ultimately final tag team titles. Future Shock was disposed of, but there was a larger, more savage threat on the horizon, in the form of... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]The Animalz (September-October 2008)[/COLOR][/B] The most dominant team in NYCW blitzed through everyone, the Kings included, before falling victim to... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Flash N' Cox (October 2008-February 2009)[/COLOR][/B] Steve Flash and Jimmy Cox, led by Terry Agony, upset the Animalz, then went on a tear, defeating all the competition before imploding on themselves when Steve Flash earned an Empire Title shot. That led to a tournament, the finals being won by... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Esiaku Hoshino & Hell Monkey (Feburary-April 2009)[/COLOR][/B] The Strong Style Dreamteam paired up to win the belts vacated by Flash N' Cox, winning a Triangle match with Future Shock and the tandem of Robert Oxford & Barry Kingman. Future Shock were unhappy about losing, and wound up causing Hoshi & Monkey to drop the title to... [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Oxford & Kingman (April 2009)[/COLOR][/B] Champions for two weeks, Oxford and Kingman, unaffectionately known as The Grumpy Old Men, took seige of the titles thanks to good old killer instinct, but a fireball led to new champs in the form of... [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]C4 (April 2009-Present)[/B][/COLOR] John Maverick & Greg Richardson, led by The Swami, won a three way with Oxford & Kingman and the makeshift tandem of Gregory Gibson & Joanne Rodriguez, thanks to a fireball launched in JRo's face. C4, with ruthlessness and skill, look to be dominant champions. That covers our title histories, and next time, we'll move on with NYCW Live! We'll see... [B][I]C4 defending the tag titles against The Poison Brothers The Animalz facing Grumpy Old Oxford & Kingman Alex Braun faces off with Roland Hall In our main event, bad blood is rekindled, as Scout faces Nemesis.[/I][/B]

[BriFidelity]

[B][COLOR="Red"][SIZE="3"]Week 2, May 2009[/SIZE][/COLOR][/B] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][SIZE="2"][B]EPW Live![/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] [B][COLOR="royalblue"]On Location in Huntsville, AL Crowd: 4,138 Viewers: 102,472[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="royalblue"]EPW World Tag Team Titles The Poison Brothers vs C4 (c) [/COLOR][/B] Decent enough action to start, as Greg Richardson, one of the homegrown EPW talents starting to rise, locked up with Joey Poison, who was in the first match I ever booked for NYCW back in late 2005. Solid wrestling all around, no matter what combination of the four workers was in the match, but lack of overnes really hurt them. The finish came at 6:15, with Richardson putting Joey away after the Detonator, a maneuver where Richardson hoists the victim on his shoulder, and Maverick plucks them off with a Diamond Dust. [B]Winners, and still EPW World Tag Team Champions: C4 Rating: C+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Scout Promo[/COLOR][/B] Scout took some time to recall days gone by, when he had a real hate for Nemesis. He went on to describe in length a cage match that he had with Nem in 2008, accompanied with clips of said match. "I had hate then, but Swami, that's nothing compared to the hate I have for you right now, and that hate is seeping, forming new hatred for Art Reed. Go back and watch the tape Art. Watch what I did to Nemesis in that cage match and know that I'm coming at you in two weeks with hatred far exceeding that. In fact Art, I know you're watching this right now, watch what I do to Nemesis now, and realize you're in for a whole lot worse." Very good promo. [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Robert Oxford & Barry Kingman vs The Animalz [/COLOR][/B] Tracy Brendon sat in on commentary, and talked about how her team matched up with the Animalz perfectly -- they've been together for a long time, and they brawled better as rookies than the Animalz ever have. Robert Oxford actually got the jump on The Wolverine to start, and the Grumpy Old Men did a good job of cutting the ring in half for about three minutes. The hot tag to Brandon was the beginning of the end, as The Cat came in a house of fire, and never really cooled off, putting Kingman away with the Brandon Bomb at 5:01. [B]Winners: The Animalz Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Nemesis Promo[/COLOR][/B] "You know, I was sitting in the back about ten minutes ago, and I saw Scout out here talking about how much he hated me, how much he hates The Swami and Art Reed, and I just had to laugh," Nemesis said with a cold, emotionless tone. "Scout, I didn't hate you, not for a second. I don't hate Steve Flash now, this is business, my boy, and when we come out here to finish the show tonight, that's just another day at the office. You don't have to be mad to beat the hell out of someone, kid, learn that tonight." [B]B+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Alex Braun vs Roland Hall [/COLOR][/B] Braun, the consumate professional, had a solid outing here with the ex-NFL fullback, who is rapidly improving, by the way. Braun worked Hall down early, but Hall, showing decent babyface fire, rallied back hard, and took Braun out of the ring with a clothesline, after which Braun took a walk. Very good old school match, which ended when Braun attempted a superplex, but Hall threw him off of the second rope. When Braun came to his feet, Roland came off the top and hit a Flying Shoulderblock for the pinfall at 10:57 [B]Winner: Roland Hall Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Nemesis vs Scout [/COLOR][/B] A very, very good main event, as Nem's career resurrection continued with a seventeen minute brawl that'll be one of the better ones you'd see. True to their characters, neither man backed down, and it had the vibe of an honest to goodness fight. Both men took a lot out of each other, as the first fifteen minutes saw both men take shots at one another and nearly score pinfalls. The Finish came when The Swami stood out at the entrance to watch the match, and his mere presence distracted Scout enough for his opposition to hit the Nemesis Arrow, keeping momentum strong for Nemesis as he readied to face Steve Flash at The Empire Strikes Back. Time of match, 17:35. [B]Winner: Nemesis Rating: A[/B] [B]Overall: B- (needed more angles/interview segments)[/B] [B][I]Up Next: NYCW Showdown is on the way, and we'll see some huge tag matches. Steve Flash and Frankie Perez join forces to face the dangerous Art Reed and Jimmy Cox. Former tag champions Hoshino and Hell Monkey take on the men vying for Hoshi's Tri-State title: the team of Nevada Nuclear and Danny Jacobs. Tag match #3 sees G-2, Gregory Gibson and the returning Dickie Gellar, to take on the Intercontinental Connection of Lewis Starr & Bryan Bruce. Also in action: Roland Hall, Scout vs Champagne Lover, and the return of Joanne Rodriguez.[/I][/B]

[BriFidelity]

[COLOR="black"][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][SIZE="3"][B]EPW Showdown[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR="royalblue"][B]Seen across the U.S. and Canada on The Pop! Network Crowd: 4138 Viewers: 98477 Joanne Rodriguez vs Marc Speed [/B][/COLOR] J-Ro returned wearing a special mask, one that covered only her face, leaving her hair flowing free. Of course, Marc Speed tried early and often to remove the mask, good heel that he is, but that didn't happen. Short match, but very good for what it was -- showcasing J-Ro's mat skills, which were complimented nicely with Speed's... well, speed. Speed worked the mask about halfway up, and Rodriguez immediately went to pull it back down, giving Marc the opening to boot J-Ro in the stomach, deliver a DDT, then finish things off with a Triple Jump Moonsault for the pinfall at 4:34 [B]Winner: Marc Speed Rating: B- [COLOR="royalblue"]A clip from backstage, labled "Earlier Today" played.[/COLOR][/B] Dickie Gellar was shown in a wide shot, displaying a bag of ice on his left knee. "I really want to get back in there," Dickie said to someone unseen, "But the docs aren't gonna clear me for another week. So I was wondering, you know, if maybe you could join up with Gibby, I bet the two of you would make a great team." After a moment of silence, an "All right, you got it," was heard, and the shot swung around to reveal the partner in question: the one and only Mean Jean Cattley [B]Rating: C+ [COLOR="royalblue"]The Intercontinental Connection vs Gregory Gibson & Mean Jean Catley[/COLOR][/B] Bryan Bruce was a brazen, boisterous Belgian (wow... I'm dizzy from the aliteration) daring Mean Jean Cattley to start the match. Bruce pounded away on the two-time Empire Champ... for about fifteen seconds, before Cattley grabbed an attempt at a forearm blow, slapped on a hammerlock, and took Bruce down. MJC got a lot of offense in, but didn't make the Connection look like total losers, plus Bruce and Starr did join up to beat down Gregory Gibson a bit before a hot tag and a Mood Swing put Lewis Starr away at 5:44. [B]Winners: Gregory Gibson & Mean Jean Cattley Rating: C+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Champagne Lover's Music Played Post-Match[/COLOR][/B] And the NYCW/EPW Triple Crown winner was at the top of the aisle, shaking his head and smiling. "How the mighty have fallen, mi madre, how the mighty have fallen," Champagne said dissapointedly. "Meen Jeen Cattlee," Lover dramatically yelled with an overstated accent, "You were the baddest man on the block, and now you're out here, playing with... with... leetle keeds," again with the overstated accent, which was sorely missing from Champagne's recent promos. "I tell you what Jean, how about at The Empire Strikes Back, you fight a real man, you fight the Champagne Lover?" Cattley's demeanor in-ring told the story: he'd be more than happy to fight his former ally in Camp Chord. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="royalblue"]Robert Oxford vs Roland Hall [/COLOR][/B] The older, slightly more talented half of the Grumpy Old Men duo locked up with the 36 year old rookie, and a decent, hard hitting match ensued, with Oxford obviously leading the dance, and Hall keeping up his end of the bargain as well. The psychology here was fairly simple -- Hall would stay outside and strike, Oxford would catch him in some obscure submission rarely seen since the 70's, and Hall would find a way to power out. It was a more modern move, the Abdominal Stretch, that Hall powered out of last, taking to the second rope and flying off with his shoulderblock, now dubbed The Scoring Drive, for the win at 5:43. [B]Winner: Roland Hall Rating: B- [COLOR="royalblue"]Scout vs Champagne Lover[/COLOR][/B] Well done match, with Champagne selling his backside off for the ultra-aggressive Scout, who pounded on Champagne with vicious force. Lover did manage to get offense in, but only after the initial flurry. Champagne Lover controlled most of the middle of the match, but Scout rallied back. Art Reed made his presence know, but Mean Jean Cattley came out to run him off, and the two fought to the back before the match could be seriously disturbed. 11:39 saw the finish, where The Champagne Breakfast was avoided, then Scout locked on the Special Forces Armbar for the submission victory. [B]Winner: Scout Rating: B+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Esiaku Hoshino Promo[/COLOR][/B] Hoshino was out, the fans giving him a lot of support, and Hoshi really fed off of their energy. "Are you ready for WARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" Hoshino screamed. "Jacobs, Nevada, both will be DESTROYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEDDDDDDDDDD!!!" Crazy Hoshi was out in full force, and the fans ate it up. "Both men together, don't have the POWAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Yeah, that was basically it, Hoshino playing the over the top Japanese television presenter, then he headed to the ring, where he was all business. [B]B [COLOR="royalblue"]Nevada Nuclear & Danny Jacobs vs Esiaku Hoshino & Hell Monkey[/COLOR][/B] Mitch Naess and Dickie Gellar noted that the former tag team champions would have an edge over a makeshift team, consisting of two men vying for the same title shot. Didn't matter early, as Nuclear pounded Hell Monkey, who tagged out to Hoshino, but even The POWAHHHHH wasn't enough to stop the Radioactive Wrecking Machine, who was going strong when Jacobs slapped his back for a tag. That led to an argument between Nevada and Jacobs, allowing Hoshino to pull DJ in. A so-so match ensued, culminating with a 4-way brawl and a double countout at 8:37 [B]Result: Draw Rating: C+ [COLOR="royalblue"]Frankie Perez Promo[/COLOR][/B] A subdued, almost serene Perez came out, in full ring gear, and spoke softly. "I look back to where I was six months ago -- a thug, a cheater, someone who fought without pride, without honor, and I just have to marvel at how far I've come, how much I've grown -- I became a man, right here on television, in front of the world. At the same time, I've seen Art Reed, a man who used to fight with pride, who used to fight with honor, turn his back on everything good about him for a little bit of fame, for a chance at the big time. And tonight, he teams with Jimmy Cox, an American who disgraces a great nation by draping himself in the Japanese flag. You need to grow up Jimmy, and I'll help you, starting tonight." [B]B [COLOR="royalblue"]Jimmy Cox & Art Reed vs Steve Flash & Frankie Perez [/COLOR][/B] Good match, of course, that started with some good back and forth between Art and Frankie, with Reed finally getting an edge before a tagout to Flash, and a fiery exchange, reminiscent of the Revolution main event, ensued. All four men had a lot of time in the match, which came to the end late, as Flash made a blind tag to Perez, who rolled Cox up for a two, but Perez took Jimmy's back after the kickout, keeping him grounded and securing the P-Clutch. Flash clotheslined Reed over the top and made sure The Swami wouldn't get involved, and that was enough for the submission at 14:42. [B]Winners: Steve Flash and Frankie Perez Rating: B+[/B] OVR: B+ Looking down the line, we'll have [COLOR="Red"][B]EPW: The Empire Strikes Back[/B][/COLOR], live on Pay-Per-View thanks to Public Access Select. Already announced for this Pay-Per-View spectacular: [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]JUST ANNOUNCED: 6-Person Tag Team Rodriguez vs Team Speed[/B][/COLOR] After the heinous victory Speed won over Rodriguez, who is still recovering from burns suffered at the hands of The Swami, EPW management has decided to book this match, where Rodriguez and Speed both get to select two people who aren't already booked for action elsewhere on the card. [B][COLOR="royalblue"]The Animalz vs Tracy Brendon's Mystery Team[/COLOR][/B] Only on rare occasions have there been teams as all-out dominant as The Animalz anywhere in pro wrestling. Brendon debuted in EPW, making it known that her team would not only compete with, but best this formidable duo. Who could it be? Find out at The Empire Strikes Back. [B][COLOR="royalblue"]JUST ANNOUNCED: EPW Tri-State Title Esiaku Hoshino (c) vs Danny Jacobs vs Nevada Nuclear[/COLOR][/B] With both men making equally convincing cases for a title shot, EPW management has decided to grant both Nevada Nuclear and Danny Jacobs a shot at Esiaku Hoshino's Tri-State Title. Will the psychotic Nuclear be crazy enough to claim gold, or will Jacobs prove the future is now? If either of those is to come true, someone will have to step up their game to unseat the Japanese Superstar. [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Champagne Lover vs Mean Jean Cattley[/COLOR][/B] Mean Jean Cattley did a favor for young Gregory Gibson, joining forces with the prodigy to defeat Lewis Starr & Bryan Bruce, after which Champagne Lover burst on the scene to ridicule MJC for wrestling with young guys on the lower end of the card. Will a loss to The Lover bump Cattley down for good, or will the 2-Time Champ show that he's still one of the best. [B][COLOR="royalblue"]Art Reed vs Scout[/COLOR][/B] This one is all about bad blood, no doubt about it. Scout has a definite grudge with The Swami and all of his men, Reed being at the top of the list after brutally attacking Scout. In a new development, EPW officials have decided to ban Swami from ringside, in a move they say is for his own protection. [B][COLOR="royalblue"]EPW World Heavyweight Title Steve Flash (c) vs Nemesis[/COLOR][/B] Two men on the hottest of hot streaks will meet up at Plum Park in New York City when the revived and rejuvinated Nemesis, who has been unstoppable for months now, takes on a man who defines the word champion: Steve Flash. Both champion and challenger seem unstoppable right now, which one truly is? [B][I]Up Next: A week of grudge matches starts on EPW: Live From New York, with Steve Flash taking on former tag team partner Jimmy Cox for the EPW World Title. Art Reed will be in action too, facing Arnold Jarrett. The Animalz and Oxford & Kingman meet again too. Also in action: Frankie Perez, C4, and more.[/I][/B]

[Clarity]

Awwww dont die dynasty. This one ruled

[the ismailite]

Seconded! This was a nescessary bump!

[BriFidelity]

I know my updates are sporadic at best, but as long as the mods allow it, I'll keep updating this as much as possible, which may not be that much. I'm sure I'll be more inspired as TEW07 comes forward, though I may do something different there. [COLOR="Red"][SIZE="3"][B]Week 3, May 2009[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]NYCW: Live From New York Seen across the continental U.S. on National Pride TV Crowd: 6787 Viewership: 91,067 [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]The Swami Was Out To Open The Show "There's an old saying, a true saying, that tells us history is written by the winners. And if that is to hold true, the history of tag team wrestling -- from now until the night they decide to hang up the tights for good -- will be written by two men, the two men with me tonight. They are John Maverick and Greg Richardson, and they are Cunning, Cutthroat, Canadian, Cripplers, but you can call them C4!" [B]Rating: C+[/B] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]6-Man Tag Frankie Perez & The Knights of the Squared Circle vs The Insane Heat & C4 [/COLOR][/B] Heat and Squire Flemmy started this one off, locking up, with Heat powering down his smaller opponent, only for Lemmy to fight from the ground, slapping on a drop toe hold and transition into a side headlock. Good technical wrestling followed the rest of the way through this short affair, with The Swami being held in check most of the way through. It finished up when the two teams brawled while Perez and Heat, both the legal men, mixed it up with Frankie securing the P-Clutch for the submission victory at 4:39. [B]Winners: Frankie Perez/Valiant/Squire Flemmy Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Arnold Jarrett Promo[/COLOR][/B] The ex-shootfighter was out to talk about so-called "Legitimate Athletes," of which he was one. "Guys like me, like (Roland) Hall, we have a dark cloud hanging over us. We don't get respect from the old guard because we didn't start when we were teenagers. I may have spent my formative years training in kickboxing, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, and other things apart from this sport, but right here, right NOW, I put my passion, my respect for the sport of professional wrestling, is second to none, and anyone who has a problem with that, they can see me at The Empire Strikes Back." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Arnold Jarrett vs Art Reed[/COLOR] [/B] Very good match, as Art's machine-like style really meshed well with the authenticity that came with an MMA fighter. Jarrett actually kept Art down for a while, trying various submission holds that Reed managed to escape from time after time. Wrestling is often described as a game of human chess, and this match fit that billing, as it was move, contermove, repeat, all the way up to the end, when Reed caught The Art Attack and scored the pinfall on his fellow Canadian at the 7:49 mark. [B]Winner: Art Reed Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Tracy Brendon Promo[/COLOR][/B] Brendon was back with more of the same, boasting that she wasn't here to sit in the background and play with the little guys, she was here to go after the big men in the business, and there were non bigger than The Animalz. "My team," Brendon boasted, "has it all: power, technique, teamwork, everything it takes to be a great duo in this business. Animalz: prepare to be neutered." [B]Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] The Animalz vs Robert Oxford & Barry Kingman[/COLOR][/B] This rematch from last weeks show served as another tuneup for Brandon & Wolvie, who spend most of the match throwing the Grumpy Old Men around, only stopping to let them get enough offense to save face. As close to a squash as you can get without going over, The Animalz won this one with relative ease, Wolverine finishing Kingman with The Maul at 6:18, and celebrated with the fans afterward. [B]Winners: The Animalz Rating: B+ (Match & Celebration) [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] EPW World Title Jimmy Cox vs Steve Flash (c)[/COLOR][/B] Now this would've been an A* match a while ago, but Mitch Naess just doesn't quite live up to the announcing standard set by Rip Chord, so a lot of the A* became A matches, the A's became B-pluses, and so forth. Still and excellent match, with Cox dominating early, keeping the fight on the ground, and even locking on Frankie Perez's P-Clutch, which Naess called "A sign of flat-out disrespect" Flash rallied back with dazzling counters and high flying moves, as well as some good old fashioned brawling, and pulled the duke on the "Japanese" superstar with the Flashbang at 17:34. [B]Winner, and still EPW World Champion: Steve Flash Rating: A[/B] Just Added to The Empire Strikes Back: Shortly after the show, a call was made to EPW offices by one of our wrestlers, who eagerly accepted the challenge laid down by Arnold Jarrett. That man: Alex Braun. [B]Up Next:[/B] The Week of Grudge Matches continues, with Hoshino & Hell Monkey taking on Future Shock, C4 meeting Gregory Gibson and the returning Dickie Gellar, Scout facing Nevada Nuclear, and Nemesis squaring off with Roland Hall.

[BriFidelity]

[B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW: Showdown Seen across the U.S. and Canada on The Pop! Network Crowd: 6,787 Viewership: 101,407 Bryan Bruce started off the show in the ring[/COLOR][/B] Bruce, the pride of Belgium, started off with a simple statement. "Me and Lewis Starr, we are the future of tag team wrestling." The ultracharismatic 20 year old continued, "And any team that thinks the Interncontinental Connection isn't the best in the world today, they can come out here and tell me to my face." It didn't take long as Jackie Poison and Sammy the Shark (of The Family) headed down, and the inevitable 3-way brawl was imminent before the Knights of the Squared Circle music hit. Valiant appeared, mic in hand. "Mr. Bruce, with all due respect, I must deny your claims and accept your challenge." Keeping his words to a minimum, Val hit the ring, and the four men paired off, leading to an impromptu tag match. [B]Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Sammy The Shark & Bryan Bruce vs Valiant & Jackie Poison[/COLOR][/B] Jackie and Bruce started against one another, trading a very quick succession of holds, which Jackie got the better of, leading to Sammy the Shark being tagged in. Jackie mixed it up for a while before tagging out to Valiant, who dominated the Shark, who tagged out to Bruce. The Belgian turned the tide, thanks to a cheap shot when Valiant gave him a clean break. Valiant was able to rally back, however, and showed some decent teamwork with Poison, cutting the ring in half and allowing Jackie Poison to finish the deal with his "Crashing On" Jawbreaker to end it at 6:24. [B]Winners: Valiant and Jackie Poison Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]G-Squared was backstage[/COLOR][/B] "Dickie, if you're not 100%, I can try to find another partner. Joey Poison would do it, I know he would." Gregory Gibson was pleading to his partner, the eccentric Dickie Gellar, ready to go despite the kneebrace over his tights. "Flemmy would do it too, there are a lot of guys who want a shot at C4. Hey, I bet I could even get Scout to do it -- he'd team up with me even though he's wrestling Nevada Nuclear tonight, I bet -- he wants to kill those guys." "Hey..." Gellar interrupted, sounding uncharacteristically serious, "I'm ready to go. I'm ready to get even." Gibson just nodded, and the two began the walk to the ring. [B]C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Non-Title: C4 (John Maverick & Greg Richardson, EPW World Tag Team Champions) vs G-Squared (Dickie Gellar & Gregory Gibson) [/COLOR][/B] It was Richardson and Gibson to start, and the two put on a pretty solid wrestling match, which only got better once John Maverick came in and lent some experience to the match, working over Gibson methodically. Things really heated up after the hot tag to Dickie Gellar, who cleaned house on the World Tag Team Champions, a complete house of fire for a minute or better before the Swami tripped him up, providing a distraction that allowed Gellar to be caught with a clip to the knee by Greg Richardson. Maverick was set to do even more damage to Gellar's bad knee, dragging him to the corner and readying to fire the knee into the ringpost, but Gregory Gibson broke it up with a chairshot to Maverick's back, leading to an official DQ at 6:45, which didn't stop Gibson, who cracked Richardson in the head with a chair before chasing off The Swami, who escaped unscathed. [B]Winners, by DQ: C4 Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Esiaku Hoshino Promo[/COLOR][/B] In pretty good (all things considered) English, Hoshi explained that the saw Future Shock for what they were all the way back at Kings of New York IV, they were Jackals. "And what happens to Jackals when they try to fight a tiger? They get eaten." Hoshino was calm, eerily calm explaining this point until expolding with a scream. "IIIIIIIIIIII AM A TIGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! JACOBS.... SPEED.... PREPARE TO BE EATENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!" [B]Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Future Shock vs Esiaku Hoshino & Hell Monkey [/COLOR][/B] More good tag team action. Hell Monkey and Danny Jacobs started off, with men trading holds at a good 50/50 clip before Monkey rocked DJ with a few elbows before tagging out to Hoshino. Hoshino and Jacobs traded punches with incredible tenacity, with Hoshino backing Jacobs into the corner, where Jacobs instinctively dropped down and tossed Hoshino out of the ring, distracting the referee long enough for Marc Speed to come down with a double axe handle from the apron. The action continued fast and furious until a ref bump, where Jacobs grabbed Hoshi's Tri-State title, swung at the champion, but Hoshi rolled Jacobs up, with referee Dewey Libertine waking up to count the pin at 7:54. [B]Winners: Hoshino & Hell Monkey Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nevada Nuclear was on the mic backstage[/COLOR][/B] In the old style, used when matches would be held in TV studios, Mitch Naess interviewed Nuclear as he came out of the entrance way. "Nevada," Mitch began, "you have been a major thorn in Scout's side." Before Naess could ask an actual question, Nevada grabbed the microphone from his hands. "No Mitch! We aren't afraid! We're never afraid, we don't have to be scaaaared...." Naess got the mic back long enough to note to Nevada that he didn't ask him if he was scared, though that was all he could get out before Scout chased him down, all the way to the ring. [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout vs Nevada Nuclear[/COLOR][/B] Good intensity all the way through, as these two managed to recapture the "grudge match" feel even though they haven't really been feuding for two months. Scout beat Nevada down early, but Nuclear weathered the storm and was able to break out of an early attempt at Danger Ahead with an elbow, following up on that with a vicious lariat that resonated throughout Evanovich Riverside. A few knees transitioned into an armbar for Nevada, who didn't slow down long, firing more elbows into Scout's arm. It'd be arm work that'd eventually do in Nuclear, however, as Scout's Special Forces Armbar sealed the deal at 9:55 [B]Winner: Scout Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Frankie Perez & Mean Jean Cattley vs Champagne Lover & Jimmy Cox [/COLOR][/B] Cox, still claming Japanese heritage, was announced as the "Foreign Legion of The Swami's Army," beating out Art Reed because, apparently, Canada is now a U.S. territory. Another really good TV match that saw Cox and Lover (wow... that's an interesting tandem name) cut the ring in half on Perez, leading, of course, to a hot tag to Mean Jean Cattley, who had every soul in the stands behind him as he wailed. The Swami tried to shift the tide by throwing in a 2x4 wooden plank, but Cattley and Champagne both got a hand on it. Cox tried to knock Cattley off with a kick to the chest, but MJC backed up, pulling the boad in the way, with Cox breaking it in half in a very well done spot. Cattley hit Cox with the board, Champagne did the same to Perez, then they swo, er, boardfought as Jez McArthuer called for the DQ at 9:45 [B]Result: Double DQ Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Nemesis Promo[/COLOR][/B] "We're just about a week away now, people," Nemesis stated, very calm. "A week away from the night where Steve Flash, as a man, as a champion, is called before his peers and his title reign is put on trial. A loss this early in the game Steve, and that's a very short title reign. That's a failure of a title reign -- not of Sam Keith proportions, but very short still." Never hurts to throw a jab at someone now working for another company. "Steve, you really need to ask yourself if you're up to the challenge, or if it's better to just stay home when The Empire Strikes Back comes around. Remember that, my friend, losing by forefeit and losing by pinfall are the same in the end." Mitch Naess was amazed that Nemesis would even think Steve Flash would throw in the towel like that. [B]B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Roland Hall vs Nemesis[/COLOR][/B] Hall is a very quick study in wrestling, and has been performing beyond expectations so far, especially when he's paired up with The Steamroller. This match was pretty competitive, considering Hall isn't really in a program right now and Nemesis is being pushed at the top of the card, but Hall remained strong, in fact scoring a two count after a succession of shoulderblocks. It was an attempt at a Flying Shoulderblock that'd be the beginning of Hall's downfall, as Nemesis turned it into a powerslam for two, then closed the deal soon thereafter with the Nemesis Arrow at 11:35. [B]Winner: Nemesis Rating: A Overall: A[/B] [I][B] Up next:The week leading up to The Empire Strikes Back begins Live from New York, and it's a Tag Wars special with Tracy Brendon making her in-ring debut, teaming with Future Shock to go against Joanne Rodriguez and The Animalz in mixed tag action. A 6-Man is on the cards as well, with Nevada Nuclear teaming with Nemesis and Alex Braun to face the former World Tag Team Champions, Esiaku Hoshino & Hell Monkey, who team with Ace Youngblood. It's a more standard 2-on-2 tag match in the main event, with Art Reed and Champagne Lover teaming up against the unlikely duo of Scout & Mean Jean Cattley[/B][/I]

[BriFidelity]

[B][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"]Week 4, May 2009[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW: Live From New York Seen Across The Continental U.S. on National Pride TV Crowd: 6,670 Viewers: 100,650 Danny Jacobs opened up the show on the mic[/COLOR][/B] "The powers that be here in NYCW, namely that old man living in the past, The Stomper, have given me a little warm up tonight, a mixed tag match. And who do I get put up against in the prelude to my Tri-State Title win? Two big, ugly guys in war paint and a chick." Jacobs didn't sound too impressed with the opposition, to say the least. "Let me just say this about Joanne Rodriguez," Jacobs said brashly, "I don't know why she's going around in a mask, that fireball from the Swami could've only made an improvement. That got some boos from the JRo admirers in the crowd. [B]Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Future Shock & Tracy Brendon vs Joanne Rodriguez & The Animalz[/COLOR] [/B] Marc Speed and The Wolverine started off in classic big man chases little man style, all the way up to the clothesline nearly knocking the Speedball out of his boots. Jacobs fared a little better, but was eventually overpowered by the Big Cat, leading to a despiration tag to Brendon, who wouldn't come within 5 feet of Brandon, waiting for Rodriguez to enter the ring before she'd step foot in. Dealing with EPW's dominant female didn't work out much better for Tracy, who was thrown around and soundly pinned after a J-Rocker at 5:02. Mitch Naess and Dickie Gellar suggested that Brendon may be better off sticking to management. [B]Winners: Joanne Rodriguez & The Animalz Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Nemesis and Nevada Nuclear are backstage[/COLOR][/B] "Nemesissssssssssssssss.... Nemesissssssssss... we're going to have the gold soon. We are going to be championssssssssss." While Nuclear addressed Nemesis, the Steamroller addressed the camera. "Kid's crazy, I know," he started, "but when he's right, he's right. It's only a matter of time before this nutcase here is toting around that Tri-State title that's around your waist, Hoshino. And Flash, brother, even you know that I'm walking out this Friday night as the new World Heavyweight Champion." "We forgot about that Nemesis! You'll be a champion too! This is great!" Nuclear exclaimed. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]6-Man Tag Nemesis, Nevada Nuclear, & Alex Braun vs Esiaku Hoshino, Hell Monkey, & Ace Youngblood [/COLOR][/B] Ace was out of his generic peppy babyface getup and back in traditional American Indian gear, signaling the end of the Ace & Erik tag team (and, with it, the end of Erik Strong in EPW) That couldn't help him early on as he was thrown about mercilessly by Nemesis. Hoshino tagged in and held his own against the Steamroller, who tagged out to Braun. The heels kept control for a while by making quick tags, but a hot tag to Hell Monkey turned the tide, with Braun taking the brunt of the assault. A sneaky knee to the back from Nemesis would stop Monkey's momentum, and Nuclear's Mushroom Cloud ended the match at 9:54. [B]Winners: Nemesis, Nevada Nuclear, & Alex Braun Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Champagne Lover takes the mic[/COLOR][/B] "Meeen Jeeeeeeen Cattlee." Sometimes Champagne's overexaggerated Mexican accent is the greatest thing in the history of wrestling. Actually, it's more of a Cuban tone than anything else -- Champagne's done acting, and knows how to project exactly what he wants to be heard over the stick, which in this case is just over the top enough to enhance the character, but not enough to make him a wacky stereotype. "You've always been jealous of the Champagne Lover. You're jealous because I was a better champion than you (false) because I'm a better wrestler than you (possibly true) and I'm much, much better looking than you (definitely true). Meester Cattlee, we'll go mano a mano very, very soon, but until then, I'll take this tag team tango as an opportoonity to dance all over your face." [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Art Reed & Champagne Lover vs Mean Jean Cattley & Scout[/COLOR] [/B] This was a wild brawl from start to finish, with just enough science thrown in to make it qualify as a wrestling match -- lots of emotion here, particularly between Scout and Reed, with the announcers putting Scout over as thrown over the edge by the attack on his girlfriend and subsequent beatings of Scout himself. Cattley and Champagne did their own thing too, and did it well. The brawl wound up spilling out of the ring, out of the ringside area, and eventually out of the building, the four men battling down the street, the ref calling making the double countout official at 17:00 as the show came to a close. [B]Result: Double Countout Rating: B+ Overall: B+ [I]Up next: One show to go before The Empire Strikes Back, an it's stacked. Mean Jean Cattley takes on Jimmy Cox in what should be a technical showcase, Scout takes on Alex Braun in a rekindling of a feud that helped put the old NYCW on the map. The Swami's main man, Art Reed, gets ready for Scout by taking on another tough customer, Big Cat Brandon. The main event sees a definite preview for TESB, as Nemesis and Steve Flash square off in tag action, each man allowed to choose a partner.[/I] [/B]

[BriFidelity]

[B][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Red"]Week 4, May 2009[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW: Live From New York Seen Across The Continental U.S. on National Pride TV Crowd: 6,670 Viewers: 100,650 Danny Jacobs opened up the show on the mic[/COLOR][/B] "The powers that be here in NYCW, namely that old man living in the past, The Stomper, have given me a little warm up tonight, a mixed tag match. And who do I get put up against in the prelude to my Tri-State Title win? Two big, ugly guys in war paint and a chick." Jacobs didn't sound too impressed with the opposition, to say the least. "Let me just say this about Joanne Rodriguez," Jacobs said brashly, "I don't know why she's going around in a mask, that fireball from the Swami could've only made an improvement. That got some boos from the JRo admirers in the crowd. [B]Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Future Shock & Tracy Brendon vs Joanne Rodriguez & The Animalz[/COLOR] [/B] Marc Speed and The Wolverine started off in classic big man chases little man style, all the way up to the clothesline nearly knocking the Speedball out of his boots. Jacobs fared a little better, but was eventually overpowered by the Big Cat, leading to a despiration tag to Brendon, who wouldn't come within 5 feet of Brandon, waiting for Rodriguez to enter the ring before she'd step foot in. Dealing with EPW's dominant female didn't work out much better for Tracy, who was thrown around and soundly pinned after a J-Rocker at 5:02. Mitch Naess and Dickie Gellar suggested that Brendon may be better off sticking to management. [B]Winners: Joanne Rodriguez & The Animalz Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Nemesis and Nevada Nuclear are backstage[/COLOR][/B] "Nemesissssssssssssssss.... Nemesissssssssss... we're going to have the gold soon. We are going to be championssssssssss." While Nuclear addressed Nemesis, the Steamroller addressed the camera. "Kid's crazy, I know," he started, "but when he's right, he's right. It's only a matter of time before this nutcase here is toting around that Tri-State title that's around your waist, Hoshino. And Flash, brother, even you know that I'm walking out this Friday night as the new World Heavyweight Champion." "We forgot about that Nemesis! You'll be a champion too! This is great!" Nuclear exclaimed. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]6-Man Tag Nemesis, Nevada Nuclear, & Alex Braun vs Esiaku Hoshino, Hell Monkey, & Ace Youngblood [/COLOR][/B] Ace was out of his generic peppy babyface getup and back in traditional American Indian gear, signaling the end of the Ace & Erik tag team (and, with it, the end of Erik Strong in EPW) That couldn't help him early on as he was thrown about mercilessly by Nemesis. Hoshino tagged in and held his own against the Steamroller, who tagged out to Braun. The heels kept control for a while by making quick tags, but a hot tag to Hell Monkey turned the tide, with Braun taking the brunt of the assault. A sneaky knee to the back from Nemesis would stop Monkey's momentum, and Nuclear's Mushroom Cloud ended the match at 9:54. [B]Winners: Nemesis, Nevada Nuclear, & Alex Braun Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Champagne Lover takes the mic[/COLOR][/B] "Meeen Jeeeeeeen Cattlee." Sometimes Champagne's overexaggerated Mexican accent is the greatest thing in the history of wrestling. Actually, it's more of a Cuban tone than anything else -- Champagne's done acting, and knows how to project exactly what he wants to be heard over the stick, which in this case is just over the top enough to enhance the character, but not enough to make him a wacky stereotype. "You've always been jealous of the Champagne Lover. You're jealous because I was a better champion than you (false) because I'm a better wrestler than you (possibly true) and I'm much, much better looking than you (definitely true). Meester Cattlee, we'll go mano a mano very, very soon, but until then, I'll take this tag team tango as an opportoonity to dance all over your face." [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Art Reed & Champagne Lover vs Mean Jean Cattley & Scout[/COLOR] [/B] This was a wild brawl from start to finish, with just enough science thrown in to make it qualify as a wrestling match -- lots of emotion here, particularly between Scout and Reed, with the announcers putting Scout over as thrown over the edge by the attack on his girlfriend and subsequent beatings of Scout himself. Cattley and Champagne did their own thing too, and did it well. The brawl wound up spilling out of the ring, out of the ringside area, and eventually out of the building, the four men battling down the street, the ref calling making the double countout official at 17:00 as the show came to a close. [B]Result: Double Countout Rating: B+ Overall: B+ [I]Up next: One show to go before The Empire Strikes Back, an it's stacked. Mean Jean Cattley takes on Jimmy Cox in what should be a technical showcase, Scout takes on Alex Braun in a rekindling of a feud that helped put the old NYCW on the map. The Swami's main man, Art Reed, gets ready for Scout by taking on another tough customer, Big Cat Brandon. The main event sees a definite preview for TESB, as Nemesis and Steve Flash square off in tag action, each man allowed to choose a partner.[/I] [/B]

[BriFidelity]

[B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW: Showdown Seen across the U.S. and Canada on The Pop! Network Crowd: 6670 Viewership: 103,012 Mean Jean Cattley started off the show[/COLOR][/B] "Champagne Lover wants you to think that the mighty have fallen," Cattley shouted, a roaring crowd behind him. "He wants you all to believe that the Mean Machine came grinding to a halt when I lost that World Title to Steve Flash." Boos for that. "Champagne, these people are in on a secret that you're not in on, my man, Mean Jean Cattley is better than ever!" Huge pop there. "And in just a few days time, live and in living color on pay-per-view television, you're prime to find out just how mean I can be!" [B]Rating: B [/B] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Robert Oxford & Barry Kingman vs Erik Strong & Michael "The Patriot" Washington [/B][/COLOR] Washington, claiming to be a descendant of George Washington, is a 17 year old jobber doing an All-American boy gimmick, and there's a lot of potential here, provided he never touches a microphone. His partner, Strong, is nearing the end of a contract that won't be renewed. Needless to say, Kingman and Oxford had little trouble here, throwing around the low men on the totem pole for a while, and getting a good match out of it, before Kingman made Strong tap to the Kingman Klutch at 4:46 [B]Winners: Oxford & Kingman Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]A viginette aired[/COLOR][/B] A man, dressed head to toe in black, stood with his back to the camera, bright red hair flowing down to his shoulders. One arm looked noticably larger around the forearm than the other, strangely enough. "I've felt pain, pain most of you could never imagine. You could say I've been through agony." With a smile, the man turned, revealing Terry Agony, who was sporting evil looking black and red facepaint to go with his dye job. Holding up his left arm, Agony revealed a cast. "Scout did more than break my arm four weeks ago. He changed my very essence, he made me feel what pain is," Agony said with a wicked smile, "and I loved it." "And because of that action, everyone in Empire Pro Wrestling now has something to fear -- Terry Agony, the man, is dead, and now it is time to wreak Havoc on the world." [B]Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]4 Corners Match Gregory Gibson vs Greg Richardson vs Valiant vs Jackie Poison[/COLOR][/B] Another preview of the 4 Corners tag match for the titles at TESB, this was conducted with tag style rules: two men in the ring, and two waiting to tag in. The three babyfaces paired up to batter Richardson early on, but eventually the every man for himself idealology won out and everyone took on everyone, leading to an impressive exchange between Jackie and Gibson. It would up being Poison and Richardson in the ring in the end, where Jackie elbowed out of and attempted Urinage, and hit his Crashing On maneuver to score a clean pinfall on 1/2 of the World Tag Team Champions at 5:41, giving him and Joey tons of momentum headed into the title match. [B]Winner: Jackie Poison Rating: C [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Jimmy Cox vs Mean Jean Cattley [/COLOR][/B] Very good technical wrestling, of course, with Cox using dirty tricks to gain his advantage, and Cattley fighting just as dirty to get it back -- that's been the magic of MJC's face turn, he's still mean, he's still, as he would say, a down and dirty Southern boy, but he fights heels and plays to the crowd, and they love it. Swami interjected, breaking a two count late in the match, and got popped for his troubles, but Cox rolled Cattley up for a razor-close two count. Cattley intercepted a palm thrust late, rolling up Cox in a small package for a flash pin at 10:04. [B] Winner: Mean Jean Cattley Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Alex Braun promo[/COLOR][/B] I think it's high time for EPW to make a return to what's brought it to this point. It's time to take the same magic that took us out of the tiny school gymnasiums and into big areas, onto television, onto pay-per-view, and do you people know what that is? Wrestling. Good, old fashioned wrestling, not the quote unquote "Mixed Martial Arts" not Scout, and his picking on managers, we need a wrestler again, and there's no better wrestler in Empire Pro Wrestling than me. [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Scout vs Alex Braun[/COLOR][/B] These two don't exactly click in the ring, but they're over like gangbusters and always do well as far as the crowd is concered. Braun worked an intentionally old school style, wearing Scout down with strikes, headlocks, armdrags in the like, but Braun's dominance didn't last long enough to bore the crowd as Scout fought back and used a bit more of a modern offense. The Swami showed up, distracting Scout momentarily,though Braun missed his Braun Damage attempt and found himself caught in the Special Forces Armbar. Before Scout could get the submission, Art Reed did the run-in and caused a DQ at 7:53 [B]Winner: Scout Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout tried to brawl with Reed, but was escorted out by security[/COLOR][/B] "Your match is over!" The Swami barked, "It's Art Reed's time now." Reed took his spot in the corner. "I have a lot to say and a short time to say it, so Scout, l want you to pay special attention to what's about to be broadcast over The Pop! Network -- Art Reed will put on a clinic against one of the best tag team wrestlers in America today." The Swami smiled. "And speaking of tag team wrestlers, John Maverick and Greg Richardson are in a 3-on-1 situation, but you have my personal guarantee, they will still be the World Tag Team Champions when all is said and done. And that leaves me with Frankie Perez, Mr. Honor, Frankie, you're going to learn soon enough, my friend, that success and morality don't always go hand in hand, if you get my drift." Having crammed enough hype into a spot, Swami returned the mic to the timekeeper while Big Cat Brandon's music started up. [B]Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Big Cat Brandon vs Art Reed [/COLOR][/B] At first glance, this looks like a classic technician vs brawler matchup, and it was booked as such, but it was pleasantly surprising to see these two consumate professionals show that they're not one trick ponies. Brandon tried slugging it out early, to good effect, but Reed, ever the scientist, took him down with some amateur style takedowns, locking him into several joint locks and armbars, which the Cat slugged his way out of. Tracy Brendon came out late, tripping Brandon up during an attempted Big Cat Pounce, allowing Reed to roll Brandon up and yank the tights for a pin at 7:44. [B]Winner: Art Reed Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nemesis was uncharacteristically happy[/COLOR][/B] Steve Flash was out first for their match, and had Frankie Perez as his partner. Nemesis appeared at the entrance and cracked a smile, a major league show of emotion for him "We're almost there Steve, almost at the night that defines your career, the night that decides if you were a lucky champion or the real deal." Nemesis also admitted that he had no idea who he would select as his partner, just because he wanted to play the game of human chess with Flash. Seeing Frankie Perez made the choice very, very easy. [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Steve Flash & Frankie Perez vs Nemesis & Champagne Lover[/COLOR][/B] A brawl between Frankie and Champagne allowed the buildup for the climactic clash of champion and challenger to wait, and it was a pretty big wait at that. The former Latin Kings wrestled one another, Flash paired off with Champagne, and Nemesis mixed up with Frankie, but it took a full 11 minutes for Flash and Nemesis to be in the ring with one another, with Flash coming in off a hot tag and battering Champagne, who fled to his corner and brought in the steamroller. Nemesis weathered the storm, but was caught with the Flashbang late. The World Champion tried to follow up with a frog splash, missing, Nemesis capitalized, driving Flash into the mat with the Nemesis arrow for a clean pin at 14:33. Mitch Naess made sure to note that Nemesis just proved he can beat Steve Flash, and had tons of momentum going into The Empire Strikes Back. [B]Winners: Nemesis & Champagne Lover Rating: A OVR: A [/B]

[BriFidelity]

[B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW: Showdown Seen across the U.S. and Canada on The Pop! Network Crowd: 6670 Viewership: 103,012 Mean Jean Cattley started off the show[/COLOR][/B] "Champagne Lover wants you to think that the mighty have fallen," Cattley shouted, a roaring crowd behind him. "He wants you all to believe that the Mean Machine came grinding to a halt when I lost that World Title to Steve Flash." Boos for that. "Champagne, these people are in on a secret that you're not in on, my man, Mean Jean Cattley is better than ever!" Huge pop there. "And in just a few days time, live and in living color on pay-per-view television, you're prime to find out just how mean I can be!" [B]Rating: B [/B] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Robert Oxford & Barry Kingman vs Erik Strong & Michael "The Patriot" Washington [/B][/COLOR] Washington, claiming to be a descendant of George Washington, is a 17 year old jobber doing an All-American boy gimmick, and there's a lot of potential here, provided he never touches a microphone. His partner, Strong, is nearing the end of a contract that won't be renewed. Needless to say, Kingman and Oxford had little trouble here, throwing around the low men on the totem pole for a while, and getting a good match out of it, before Kingman made Strong tap to the Kingman Klutch at 4:46 [B]Winners: Oxford & Kingman Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]A viginette aired[/COLOR][/B] A man, dressed head to toe in black, stood with his back to the camera, bright red hair flowing down to his shoulders. One arm looked noticably larger around the forearm than the other, strangely enough. "I've felt pain, pain most of you could never imagine. You could say I've been through agony." With a smile, the man turned, revealing Terry Agony, who was sporting evil looking black and red facepaint to go with his dye job. Holding up his left arm, Agony revealed a cast. "Scout did more than break my arm four weeks ago. He changed my very essence, he made me feel what pain is," Agony said with a wicked smile, "and I loved it." "And because of that action, everyone in Empire Pro Wrestling now has something to fear -- Terry Agony, the man, is dead, and now it is time to wreak Havoc on the world." [B]Rating: B- [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]4 Corners Match Gregory Gibson vs Greg Richardson vs Valiant vs Jackie Poison[/COLOR][/B] Another preview of the 4 Corners tag match for the titles at TESB, this was conducted with tag style rules: two men in the ring, and two waiting to tag in. The three babyfaces paired up to batter Richardson early on, but eventually the every man for himself idealology won out and everyone took on everyone, leading to an impressive exchange between Jackie and Gibson. It would up being Poison and Richardson in the ring in the end, where Jackie elbowed out of and attempted Urinage, and hit his Crashing On maneuver to score a clean pinfall on 1/2 of the World Tag Team Champions at 5:41, giving him and Joey tons of momentum headed into the title match. [B]Winner: Jackie Poison Rating: C [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Jimmy Cox vs Mean Jean Cattley [/COLOR][/B] Very good technical wrestling, of course, with Cox using dirty tricks to gain his advantage, and Cattley fighting just as dirty to get it back -- that's been the magic of MJC's face turn, he's still mean, he's still, as he would say, a down and dirty Southern boy, but he fights heels and plays to the crowd, and they love it. Swami interjected, breaking a two count late in the match, and got popped for his troubles, but Cox rolled Cattley up for a razor-close two count. Cattley intercepted a palm thrust late, rolling up Cox in a small package for a flash pin at 10:04. [B] Winner: Mean Jean Cattley Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Alex Braun promo[/COLOR][/B] I think it's high time for EPW to make a return to what's brought it to this point. It's time to take the same magic that took us out of the tiny school gymnasiums and into big areas, onto television, onto pay-per-view, and do you people know what that is? Wrestling. Good, old fashioned wrestling, not the quote unquote "Mixed Martial Arts" not Scout, and his picking on managers, we need a wrestler again, and there's no better wrestler in Empire Pro Wrestling than me. [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Scout vs Alex Braun[/COLOR][/B] These two don't exactly click in the ring, but they're over like gangbusters and always do well as far as the crowd is concered. Braun worked an intentionally old school style, wearing Scout down with strikes, headlocks, armdrags in the like, but Braun's dominance didn't last long enough to bore the crowd as Scout fought back and used a bit more of a modern offense. The Swami showed up, distracting Scout momentarily,though Braun missed his Braun Damage attempt and found himself caught in the Special Forces Armbar. Before Scout could get the submission, Art Reed did the run-in and caused a DQ at 7:53 [B]Winner: Scout Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout tried to brawl with Reed, but was escorted out by security[/COLOR][/B] "Your match is over!" The Swami barked, "It's Art Reed's time now." Reed took his spot in the corner. "I have a lot to say and a short time to say it, so Scout, l want you to pay special attention to what's about to be broadcast over The Pop! Network -- Art Reed will put on a clinic against one of the best tag team wrestlers in America today." The Swami smiled. "And speaking of tag team wrestlers, John Maverick and Greg Richardson are in a 3-on-1 situation, but you have my personal guarantee, they will still be the World Tag Team Champions when all is said and done. And that leaves me with Frankie Perez, Mr. Honor, Frankie, you're going to learn soon enough, my friend, that success and morality don't always go hand in hand, if you get my drift." Having crammed enough hype into a spot, Swami returned the mic to the timekeeper while Big Cat Brandon's music started up. [B]Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Big Cat Brandon vs Art Reed [/COLOR][/B] At first glance, this looks like a classic technician vs brawler matchup, and it was booked as such, but it was pleasantly surprising to see these two consumate professionals show that they're not one trick ponies. Brandon tried slugging it out early, to good effect, but Reed, ever the scientist, took him down with some amateur style takedowns, locking him into several joint locks and armbars, which the Cat slugged his way out of. Tracy Brendon came out late, tripping Brandon up during an attempted Big Cat Pounce, allowing Reed to roll Brandon up and yank the tights for a pin at 7:44. [B]Winner: Art Reed Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nemesis was uncharacteristically happy[/COLOR][/B] Steve Flash was out first for their match, and had Frankie Perez as his partner. Nemesis appeared at the entrance and cracked a smile, a major league show of emotion for him "We're almost there Steve, almost at the night that defines your career, the night that decides if you were a lucky champion or the real deal." Nemesis also admitted that he had no idea who he would select as his partner, just because he wanted to play the game of human chess with Flash. Seeing Frankie Perez made the choice very, very easy. [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Steve Flash & Frankie Perez vs Nemesis & Champagne Lover[/COLOR][/B] A brawl between Frankie and Champagne allowed the buildup for the climactic clash of champion and challenger to wait, and it was a pretty big wait at that. The former Latin Kings wrestled one another, Flash paired off with Champagne, and Nemesis mixed up with Frankie, but it took a full 11 minutes for Flash and Nemesis to be in the ring with one another, with Flash coming in off a hot tag and battering Champagne, who fled to his corner and brought in the steamroller. Nemesis weathered the storm, but was caught with the Flashbang late. The World Champion tried to follow up with a frog splash, missing, Nemesis capitalized, driving Flash into the mat with the Nemesis arrow for a clean pin at 14:33. Mitch Naess made sure to note that Nemesis just proved he can beat Steve Flash, and had tons of momentum going into The Empire Strikes Back. [B]Winners: Nemesis & Champagne Lover Rating: A OVR: A [/B]

[BriFidelity]

Up next, EPW returns to Pay-Per-View with [COLOR="Red"][B]The Empire Strikes Back[/B][/COLOR], and this is looking like a can't miss show. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Havoc in action[/COLOR][/B] The man is gone, or so he claims, did Scout create a monster when he broke the man formerly known as Terry Agony's arm? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B][B]EPW World Tag Team Titles The Poison Brothers vs G-Squared vs The Knights of the Squared Circle vs C4 (c)[/B][/B][/COLOR] The Swami's team has been absolutely ruthless as World Tag Team Champions, injuring Dickie Gellar, throwing fire in Joanne Rodriguez's face, and doing whatever else it takes to stay on top. They'll have a huge test in this one, though, as they take on three teams at once. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Alex Braun vs Arnold Jarrett[/B][/COLOR] If nothing else, Alex Braun is a man who stands behind his principles, and as a grizzled vet, he has to take issue with Jarrett, and his "new age" mixed martial arts based philosophy. Will old ways win out over new concepts, or will Arnold Jarrett be able to tap out The Iceman? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Team Rodriguez (Joanne Rodriguez, Hell Monkey, & Roland Hall) vs Team Speed (Marc Speed, Robert Oxford, and Barry Kingman)[/B][/COLOR] Speed is the catalyst here, his battles with Hell Monkey are well documented, and he recently stole a win from Joanne Rodriguez. The scored twosome has enlisted the help of Roland Hall in this battle, while Speed has fired back with the team unaffectionately known as the Grumpy Old Men. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Frankie Perez vs Jimmy Cox[/B][/COLOR] This is aptly billed as a battle of respect. Frankie Perez has done a complete 180 in the past few months, devoting himself entirely to fighting with pride and honor, speaking out vehemently against the shortcuts and underhanded tactics he once stood for. Jimmy Cox, on the other hand, seems to respect nothing, with his rampant cheating and claims of Japanese heritage. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]The Animalz vs Tracy Brendon's Mystery Team[/B][/COLOR] Brendon has dropped a lot of hints as to the identity of her mystery team, but no one knows for sure what Big Cat Brandon and The Wolverine are in store for. No one except Brendon, that is. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW Tri-State Title Nevada Nuclear vs Danny Jacobs vs Esiaku Hoshino (c)[/COLOR][/B] Nevada wants gold, Jacobs wants fame, and Hoshi wants to keep his momentum going strong. The history between Hoshino and Jacobs goes back to the ladder match where Hoshino and Hell Monkey claimed the World Tag Team Titles and D.J. showed his true colors with a brutal attack afterward. Nuclear is the wild card, he's beaten some of the best in NYCW history, and definitely has what it takes to unseat Hoshi for the Tri-State gold. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Champagne Lover vs Mean Jean Cattley[/COLOR][/B] Champagne has trumpeted a charge as of late that Cattley, since losing the main event of Kings of New York IV, has lost his luster, but MJC has decided to let Champagne find out for himself just what the Mean Machine has left in him. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Art Reed vs Scout[/COLOR][/B] Big emotion here. Scout has waged war on the Swami's Army ever since Swami burned Scout's girlfriend Joanne Rodriguez with a fireball. Swami's charge Greg Richardson was also the person who "outed" Scout & Rodriguez as a couple, something they tried to keep private. Scout is aiming for the top here, going against Reed, Swami's top client, but he's sure to have his hands full. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW World Heavyweight Title Nemesis vs Steve Flash (c)[/COLOR][/B] It doesn't get any bigger than this one. Steve Flash has turned back challenges ever since winning the title -- Mean Jean Cattley, Nevada Nuclear, Art Reed -- but has yet to face anyone with as much experience or momentum as EPW's steamroller, Nemesis. Can Steve Flash hang on? Or will Nemesis continue to dominate EPW?

[BriFidelity]

Up next, EPW returns to Pay-Per-View with [COLOR="Red"][B]The Empire Strikes Back[/B][/COLOR], and this is looking like a can't miss show. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Havoc in action[/COLOR][/B] The man is gone, or so he claims, did Scout create a monster when he broke the man formerly known as Terry Agony's arm? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B][B]EPW World Tag Team Titles The Poison Brothers vs G-Squared vs The Knights of the Squared Circle vs C4 (c)[/B][/B][/COLOR] The Swami's team has been absolutely ruthless as World Tag Team Champions, injuring Dickie Gellar, throwing fire in Joanne Rodriguez's face, and doing whatever else it takes to stay on top. They'll have a huge test in this one, though, as they take on three teams at once. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Alex Braun vs Arnold Jarrett[/B][/COLOR] If nothing else, Alex Braun is a man who stands behind his principles, and as a grizzled vet, he has to take issue with Jarrett, and his "new age" mixed martial arts based philosophy. Will old ways win out over new concepts, or will Arnold Jarrett be able to tap out The Iceman? [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Team Rodriguez (Joanne Rodriguez, Hell Monkey, & Roland Hall) vs Team Speed (Marc Speed, Robert Oxford, and Barry Kingman)[/B][/COLOR] Speed is the catalyst here, his battles with Hell Monkey are well documented, and he recently stole a win from Joanne Rodriguez. The scored twosome has enlisted the help of Roland Hall in this battle, while Speed has fired back with the team unaffectionately known as the Grumpy Old Men. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]Frankie Perez vs Jimmy Cox[/B][/COLOR] This is aptly billed as a battle of respect. Frankie Perez has done a complete 180 in the past few months, devoting himself entirely to fighting with pride and honor, speaking out vehemently against the shortcuts and underhanded tactics he once stood for. Jimmy Cox, on the other hand, seems to respect nothing, with his rampant cheating and claims of Japanese heritage. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][B]The Animalz vs Tracy Brendon's Mystery Team[/B][/COLOR] Brendon has dropped a lot of hints as to the identity of her mystery team, but no one knows for sure what Big Cat Brandon and The Wolverine are in store for. No one except Brendon, that is. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW Tri-State Title Nevada Nuclear vs Danny Jacobs vs Esiaku Hoshino (c)[/COLOR][/B] Nevada wants gold, Jacobs wants fame, and Hoshi wants to keep his momentum going strong. The history between Hoshino and Jacobs goes back to the ladder match where Hoshino and Hell Monkey claimed the World Tag Team Titles and D.J. showed his true colors with a brutal attack afterward. Nuclear is the wild card, he's beaten some of the best in NYCW history, and definitely has what it takes to unseat Hoshi for the Tri-State gold. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Champagne Lover vs Mean Jean Cattley[/COLOR][/B] Champagne has trumpeted a charge as of late that Cattley, since losing the main event of Kings of New York IV, has lost his luster, but MJC has decided to let Champagne find out for himself just what the Mean Machine has left in him. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Art Reed vs Scout[/COLOR][/B] Big emotion here. Scout has waged war on the Swami's Army ever since Swami burned Scout's girlfriend Joanne Rodriguez with a fireball. Swami's charge Greg Richardson was also the person who "outed" Scout & Rodriguez as a couple, something they tried to keep private. Scout is aiming for the top here, going against Reed, Swami's top client, but he's sure to have his hands full. [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW World Heavyweight Title Nemesis vs Steve Flash (c)[/COLOR][/B] It doesn't get any bigger than this one. Steve Flash has turned back challenges ever since winning the title -- Mean Jean Cattley, Nevada Nuclear, Art Reed -- but has yet to face anyone with as much experience or momentum as EPW's steamroller, Nemesis. Can Steve Flash hang on? Or will Nemesis continue to dominate EPW?

[BriFidelity]

[I]A few hours before showtime, we were pulling our hair out. For the first time in my tenure at NYCW/EPW, I truly felt like a moron. "What do you mean they don't have contracts yet," The Stomper barked, "We've been teasing this for weeks, I called in the favors, it was all worked out." "I know," I tried to respond, not knowing what to say next because there really was no excuse for something like this. "It was one of those things I thought I did, and didn't realize I didn't until it was too late. I FedExed their contracts last night, but they didn't make it in time. They'll be ready for TV next week though, I swear it." "That's all well and good, but we have a pay-per-view tonight, and we don't have a mystery team! What do you suggest?" I looked over at the locker room surveying who we had available, and something struck me. I had a plan. "Sammy, Antonio, glad you guys showed up!" "The Family? No way." "Hold on," I assured The Stomper, I'm not done. Then I called Michael Washington and Greg Richardson over -- they were the perfect size for what I had planned.[/I] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Empire Pro Wrestling proudly presents The Empire Strikes Back Live from Plum Park, and only on Pay-Per-View Crowd: 9,840 Buys: 14,610[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Havoc vs Michael Washington [/COLOR][/B] A very important learning experience for Washington, who is very good at the basics and was on the All-Iowa wrestling team as a high school senior, so the technical aspect came very easy to him, but he needs to learn how to brawl, and Terry Agony (Havoc) is one of the better brawlers on the roster. Havoc massacared the young patriot, bloodying him early with punches, then biting the wound, appearing to lap up the blood like some kind of cannibal. Havoc ended this one with his Maximum Havoc finisher, a Torture Rack that ends with Havoc dropping on his backside, that scored the pin at 6:40 of an okay opener. [B]Winner: Havoc Rating: C [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Arnold Jarrett is backstage[/COLOR][/B] "Alex Braun is a legend," Jarrett started, going against the grain from most of the promos you see by praising the opposition. "He's been the champion here, he's been the champion down south three times, he's been champ in the land of Extreme twice, that's as impressive a record as anyone in this business," Jarrett remarked. "Me? I've had some success in Canada, but this is my biggest fight ever. I'm the underdog, I'm the unproven guy in this fight, but I'm that fighter that's one punch away from being someone, I can make my name, I can be one step closer to the World Title, and all I have to do is make Alex Braun tap out." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] The Animalz vs Tracy Brendon's Mystery Team [/COLOR][/B] The Animalz were out first, followed by Brendon, who seemed genuinely unnerved (knowing the crowd was probably about to dump all over this) "I said a lot of things about my team," Brendon stated, "and a lot of them were lies, because they would never, ever get noticed if I said who they were, but I'm too smart for that, and I got them a big match against a top team. I give you Tony the Tank and Sammy the Shark, they are The Family!" A decent match ensued, but it was a glorified squash, with the Animalz going over with a Big Cat Pounce at 3:58.As they were celebrating, Brendon announced that she had a feeling that the Family couldn't get the job done, but The Animalz would soon have to deal with her aces in the hole. With that, two large men, dressed head to toe in black, wearing black ski masks, hit the ring and totally beat Brandon & The Wolverine down. Brendon said they'd see more of the two masked men in a little while, on EPW: Live from New York. [B]Winners: The Animalz Rating: B (Match) B- (Attack) [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW World Tag Team Titles The Poison Brothers vs G-Squared vs The Knights of the Squared Circle vs C4 (champions) [/COLOR][/B] This was first fall wins it all rules, and started with KotSC's Squire Flemmy mixing it up with Joey Poison in a very, very entertaining display of solid mat work. The entire match was a sucession of quick tags, double teams, and near falls, which was entertaining for what it was, but lacked a real sense of psychology overall, and suffered for it. Things were really good for a stretch between Jackie Poison and John Maverick, but Poison ate a huge knee to the face and wound up tagging Flemmy, who soon found himself on the wrong end of a C4 double team, and the Detonation (Super Powerbomb) led to the champs retaining at 12:19. [B]Winners, and still EPW World Tag Team Champions: C4 Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nevada Nuclear is acting bizzare[/COLOR][/B] Nevada continued his gold obsession, coming out, foregoing his usual red trunks adorned with biohazard symbols and mushroom clouds for a gold singlet with a black biohazard on the front, he was painted head to toe in gold as well, for some reason. "It's almost time," Nevada squealed, "Almost time for us to have gold all our own. It's so beautiful... I almost want to cry. We shouldn't cry, but I'm so excited..." So Nevada wept openly, and the EPW camera crew left him be, naturally. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Arnold Jarrett vs Alex Braun[/COLOR][/B] Pretty good match here, as Jarrett and Braun are both guys who can stand up and slug it out in an entertaining brawl, but if that's not going well, they can turn it into a mat war in a hurry. The theme of the match was simple, Jarrett gaining an advantage, only to see Braun take over the match using underhanded veteran tactics, thumbing to the eyes to get out of takedowns and the like. It was a more lawful deception that ended the match. After taking a leg kick, Braun buckled, then tried to hobble up, feigning a knee injury. Jarrett tried to shoot in, but Braun quickly sidestepped, when Jarrett came up from the shoot, he sustained Braun Damage, and was pinned at 8:17. [B]Winner: Alex Braun Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]6-Person Tag Robert Oxford, Barry Kingman, & Marc Speed vs Hell Monkey, Roland Hall & Joanne Rodriguez [/COLOR][/B] Very good match, actually considerably better than expected. Speed and Rodriguez work well together, which has allowed what was to be a one shot to get Speed face time into a mini-feud leading to this match. The supporting cast played their roles well too, with Oxford and Kingman playing their usual sneaky heels, and overselling Hell Monkey's kicks just the right amount to make the match more entertaining. Roland Hall got his time too, throwing around Speed, with Rodriguez playing the babyface that takes the punishment, making a hot tag to Hall, who cleaned house, finishing with a flying shouldertackle on Kingman for the win at 11:36 [B]Winners: Team Rodriguez Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Esiaku Hoshino was backstage[/COLOR][/B] Ryu Kajahara held the mic for this, speaking to Hoshino in Japanese. Mitch Naess said that we were listening in on an interview that'd be on the Japanese DVD release of this show (a work, we're unknown in Japan) Danny Jacobs walked up to them, scoffing at Ryu. "I don't know what you're saying Hoshino, but I want everyone in Japan to see my face. I want them to see what the future of wrestling looks like. And if they don't like it, they can send some of the so-called great Junior Heavyweights to EPW - Awesome Kiyaru, Sensational Dragon, Rocket Muruyama." Jacobs announced he'd take on anyone, any time, conveniently forgetting he hadn't won a title yet. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW Tri-State Title Nevada Nuclear vs Danny Jacobs vs Esiaku Hoshino (champion)[/COLOR][/B] Solid 3-way, but nothing spectacular, as the luster of Jacobs and Nuclear has been lost somewhat. Hoshino did a good job though, keeping this on the better side of good, pounding both challengers with his hard hitting strong style offense in the beginning. Nuclear used more contemporary moves -- powerslams, eye rakes, and the like, to get the advantage back, and Jacobs kind of sat back and picked his spots a little bit. Hoshino nailed Nuclear with the Explosion Suplex late, but Jacobs caught him before he could follow up, hitting The Prodigizer out of nowhere for the pin and the title at 10:32. [B]Winner, and new EPW Tri-State Champion: Danny Jacobs Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Frankie Perez vs Jimmy Cox [/COLOR][/B] The early portion of the match was straight up technical -- with Cox refraining from his usual nefarious tactics, and it was a very entertaining technical clinic for the first six or seven minutes, then Cox started taking shortcuts, putting thumbs in the eye, pulling tights, and relying heavily on The Swami whenever he got the chance, but Cox never cheated enough to take away from the match, which was absolutely stellar. The end came almost sixteen minutes in, when The Swami distracted referee Dewey Libertine and slid a metal pipe to Cox, who swung and missed, giving Perez time to disarm Jimmy and lock him in the P-Clutch, never even utilizing the pipe, instead just throwing it out of the ring. Cox soon realized he was trapped, and submitted at 15:59. [B]Winner: Frankie Perez Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Champagne Lover vs Mean Jean Cattley [/COLOR][/B] Mean Jean was a house of fire to start off, throwing down with Champagne Lover, dominating for two minutes before clotheslining Champagne over the top and out ot the floor, where Champagne stayed, taking a breather until Cattley followed him out and rolled him back into the ring. That was just what Champagne wanted, however, as he popped up and dropped a knee across Mean Jean's back as he rolled into the ring. The match seesawed most of the rest of the way until Cattley was whipped into the ropes, where Champagne tried to leapfrog him on the way out, only to be powerbombed. Cattley was able to finish the deal soon thereafter, a Mood Swing ending things at 15:25. [B] Winner: Mean Jean Cattley Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout was out next[/COLOR][/B] And showed off some of the quiet intensity that has helped make him one of, if not the biggest star in this company's history. He noted that his problem was with the Swami, not Art Reed. "Art, I always thought you were a decent guy, but you made the call that you were going to let this guy take you to the top, no matter what the cost, and I can even respect that." Having Scout trash the heels indiscriminately would just feel forced. "Art, you just lined up on the side against me, that's my beef. And let me make this known to the world. C4... Maverick, Richardson... I'm coming after the two of you next." [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Art Reed vs Scout[/COLOR][/B] Excellent, excellent energy here. Scout threw down on Reed something fierce, with Reed going into all out defense mode by covering up and taking the blows. He waited until the perfect opening -- an attempted lariat -- to strike, dropping Scout with an inverted Atomic drop in a beautiful counter. Reed struck with rapid elbows and busted Scout open, the three time champion returning the favor via a flying forearm and a charging knee to the head. The rest of the match had the same brutal feel to it, like a genuine shootfight, almost. Of course, the ending had The Swami getting involved, but his attempt at interference was thwarted by Mean Jean Cattley. MJC's presence distracted Reed long enough to get him caught in the Special Forces Armbar, which earned Scout a submission victory at 18:12. [B]Winner: Scout Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Mean Jean Cattley stared down an enraged Swami and Art Reed[/COLOR][/B] "They say that an elephant never forgets, well lemme be the first to tell you that Mean Jean ain't too forgetful himself. See, I remember a little while back, not long, when I was the Empire Champion, I had Steve Flash's belt. And yeah, he got me, he got me in the rematch, but I was thinking that I'd be able to work my way back up the ladder, get one more shot, but then Art Reed came into the picture, and he took the easy way to the top. Art, my man, I'm putting you on notice right now -- you ain't taking the easy way any more." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Nemesis Promo[/COLOR][/B] "We've been through all the hype, we're nearly through all of the hyperbole, and now it's come time for everyone to realize that everything that's been said, everything that's been done, every moment that's led up to the match that going to happen in just a little while -- it all means nothing. It's going to come down to two men, and what they can do in the next 15, 20, 30 minutes changes the course of wrestling history forever. Steve, you and I are already in the history books, both of us, but it's time for one man to write a new chapter, and the other to close one, and I plan on writing." [B]Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] EPW World Heavyweight Title Nemesis (challenger) vs Steve Flash (champion)[/COLOR] [/B] Non-stop action from bell to bell, as Flash, 42, and Nemesis, 50, proved that they still have what it takes to put on great matches. Flash was a house of fire early, striking quickly and staying out of the Steamroller's range, though when Nemesis finally did hit, he hit very very hard. Even as the match stretched on, neither man really relented, and the tide started to turn in Flash's favor, so Nemesis went home -- taking the fight to the outside, where he found the edge once more. Flash had one move left in him however, hopping up onto the guardrail, flying off with a bodypress that sent Nemesis crashing into the exposed concrete (which had been exposed, conveniently enough, by Nemesis for an attempted Nemesis Arrow not long before. Unfortunately for Flash, the momentum sent him sailing as well, as he crashed headfirst into the ring apron. As referee Jez McArthur's count neared 20, Nemesis fought to his feet at 18. Realizing he wouldn't have enough time to pick up Flash and roll him in, The Steamroller crawled under the bottom rope to secure a bittersweet countout victory at 14:51. [B]Winner, by Countout: Nemesis (Steve Flash retains the EPW World Title) Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]In closing...[/COLOR][/B] Nemesis didn't stay in the ring long, picking up the champion, and dropping him with the Nemesis Arrow on the exposed concrete. While the medical staff tended to the champ, Nemesis walked off with what he now considered his EPW World Title belt [B]A OVR: A[/B] The buyrates continue to climb steadily as we strengthen our standing throughout the continental U.S. and continue to slowly, steadily expand in Canada and Puerto Rico. The Empire Strikes Back was a stunning success, earning almost 4,000 more buys than Revolution, our previous high water mark. TESB beat out every show put on by UCR and CGC, the only companies ahead of us on buys are The big two in Japan (BHOTWG, PGHW) and the big three in the States (SWF, TCW, DAVE) [B][I]Up next: Nemesis meets Esiaku Hoshino, Tracy Brendon's team revealed, and Jimmy Cox battles Roland Hall.[/I][/B]

[BriFidelity]

[I]A few hours before showtime, we were pulling our hair out. For the first time in my tenure at NYCW/EPW, I truly felt like a moron. "What do you mean they don't have contracts yet," The Stomper barked, "We've been teasing this for weeks, I called in the favors, it was all worked out." "I know," I tried to respond, not knowing what to say next because there really was no excuse for something like this. "It was one of those things I thought I did, and didn't realize I didn't until it was too late. I FedExed their contracts last night, but they didn't make it in time. They'll be ready for TV next week though, I swear it." "That's all well and good, but we have a pay-per-view tonight, and we don't have a mystery team! What do you suggest?" I looked over at the locker room surveying who we had available, and something struck me. I had a plan. "Sammy, Antonio, glad you guys showed up!" "The Family? No way." "Hold on," I assured The Stomper, I'm not done. Then I called Michael Washington and Greg Richardson over -- they were the perfect size for what I had planned.[/I] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Empire Pro Wrestling proudly presents The Empire Strikes Back Live from Plum Park, and only on Pay-Per-View Crowd: 9,840 Buys: 14,610[/COLOR][/B] [B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Havoc vs Michael Washington [/COLOR][/B] A very important learning experience for Washington, who is very good at the basics and was on the All-Iowa wrestling team as a high school senior, so the technical aspect came very easy to him, but he needs to learn how to brawl, and Terry Agony (Havoc) is one of the better brawlers on the roster. Havoc massacared the young patriot, bloodying him early with punches, then biting the wound, appearing to lap up the blood like some kind of cannibal. Havoc ended this one with his Maximum Havoc finisher, a Torture Rack that ends with Havoc dropping on his backside, that scored the pin at 6:40 of an okay opener. [B]Winner: Havoc Rating: C [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Arnold Jarrett is backstage[/COLOR][/B] "Alex Braun is a legend," Jarrett started, going against the grain from most of the promos you see by praising the opposition. "He's been the champion here, he's been the champion down south three times, he's been champ in the land of Extreme twice, that's as impressive a record as anyone in this business," Jarrett remarked. "Me? I've had some success in Canada, but this is my biggest fight ever. I'm the underdog, I'm the unproven guy in this fight, but I'm that fighter that's one punch away from being someone, I can make my name, I can be one step closer to the World Title, and all I have to do is make Alex Braun tap out." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] The Animalz vs Tracy Brendon's Mystery Team [/COLOR][/B] The Animalz were out first, followed by Brendon, who seemed genuinely unnerved (knowing the crowd was probably about to dump all over this) "I said a lot of things about my team," Brendon stated, "and a lot of them were lies, because they would never, ever get noticed if I said who they were, but I'm too smart for that, and I got them a big match against a top team. I give you Tony the Tank and Sammy the Shark, they are The Family!" A decent match ensued, but it was a glorified squash, with the Animalz going over with a Big Cat Pounce at 3:58.As they were celebrating, Brendon announced that she had a feeling that the Family couldn't get the job done, but The Animalz would soon have to deal with her aces in the hole. With that, two large men, dressed head to toe in black, wearing black ski masks, hit the ring and totally beat Brandon & The Wolverine down. Brendon said they'd see more of the two masked men in a little while, on EPW: Live from New York. [B]Winners: The Animalz Rating: B (Match) B- (Attack) [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW World Tag Team Titles The Poison Brothers vs G-Squared vs The Knights of the Squared Circle vs C4 (champions) [/COLOR][/B] This was first fall wins it all rules, and started with KotSC's Squire Flemmy mixing it up with Joey Poison in a very, very entertaining display of solid mat work. The entire match was a sucession of quick tags, double teams, and near falls, which was entertaining for what it was, but lacked a real sense of psychology overall, and suffered for it. Things were really good for a stretch between Jackie Poison and John Maverick, but Poison ate a huge knee to the face and wound up tagging Flemmy, who soon found himself on the wrong end of a C4 double team, and the Detonation (Super Powerbomb) led to the champs retaining at 12:19. [B]Winners, and still EPW World Tag Team Champions: C4 Rating: C+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Nevada Nuclear is acting bizzare[/COLOR][/B] Nevada continued his gold obsession, coming out, foregoing his usual red trunks adorned with biohazard symbols and mushroom clouds for a gold singlet with a black biohazard on the front, he was painted head to toe in gold as well, for some reason. "It's almost time," Nevada squealed, "Almost time for us to have gold all our own. It's so beautiful... I almost want to cry. We shouldn't cry, but I'm so excited..." So Nevada wept openly, and the EPW camera crew left him be, naturally. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Arnold Jarrett vs Alex Braun[/COLOR][/B] Pretty good match here, as Jarrett and Braun are both guys who can stand up and slug it out in an entertaining brawl, but if that's not going well, they can turn it into a mat war in a hurry. The theme of the match was simple, Jarrett gaining an advantage, only to see Braun take over the match using underhanded veteran tactics, thumbing to the eyes to get out of takedowns and the like. It was a more lawful deception that ended the match. After taking a leg kick, Braun buckled, then tried to hobble up, feigning a knee injury. Jarrett tried to shoot in, but Braun quickly sidestepped, when Jarrett came up from the shoot, he sustained Braun Damage, and was pinned at 8:17. [B]Winner: Alex Braun Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]6-Person Tag Robert Oxford, Barry Kingman, & Marc Speed vs Hell Monkey, Roland Hall & Joanne Rodriguez [/COLOR][/B] Very good match, actually considerably better than expected. Speed and Rodriguez work well together, which has allowed what was to be a one shot to get Speed face time into a mini-feud leading to this match. The supporting cast played their roles well too, with Oxford and Kingman playing their usual sneaky heels, and overselling Hell Monkey's kicks just the right amount to make the match more entertaining. Roland Hall got his time too, throwing around Speed, with Rodriguez playing the babyface that takes the punishment, making a hot tag to Hall, who cleaned house, finishing with a flying shouldertackle on Kingman for the win at 11:36 [B]Winners: Team Rodriguez Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Esiaku Hoshino was backstage[/COLOR][/B] Ryu Kajahara held the mic for this, speaking to Hoshino in Japanese. Mitch Naess said that we were listening in on an interview that'd be on the Japanese DVD release of this show (a work, we're unknown in Japan) Danny Jacobs walked up to them, scoffing at Ryu. "I don't know what you're saying Hoshino, but I want everyone in Japan to see my face. I want them to see what the future of wrestling looks like. And if they don't like it, they can send some of the so-called great Junior Heavyweights to EPW - Awesome Kiyaru, Sensational Dragon, Rocket Muruyama." Jacobs announced he'd take on anyone, any time, conveniently forgetting he hadn't won a title yet. [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]EPW Tri-State Title Nevada Nuclear vs Danny Jacobs vs Esiaku Hoshino (champion)[/COLOR][/B] Solid 3-way, but nothing spectacular, as the luster of Jacobs and Nuclear has been lost somewhat. Hoshino did a good job though, keeping this on the better side of good, pounding both challengers with his hard hitting strong style offense in the beginning. Nuclear used more contemporary moves -- powerslams, eye rakes, and the like, to get the advantage back, and Jacobs kind of sat back and picked his spots a little bit. Hoshino nailed Nuclear with the Explosion Suplex late, but Jacobs caught him before he could follow up, hitting The Prodigizer out of nowhere for the pin and the title at 10:32. [B]Winner, and new EPW Tri-State Champion: Danny Jacobs Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Frankie Perez vs Jimmy Cox [/COLOR][/B] The early portion of the match was straight up technical -- with Cox refraining from his usual nefarious tactics, and it was a very entertaining technical clinic for the first six or seven minutes, then Cox started taking shortcuts, putting thumbs in the eye, pulling tights, and relying heavily on The Swami whenever he got the chance, but Cox never cheated enough to take away from the match, which was absolutely stellar. The end came almost sixteen minutes in, when The Swami distracted referee Dewey Libertine and slid a metal pipe to Cox, who swung and missed, giving Perez time to disarm Jimmy and lock him in the P-Clutch, never even utilizing the pipe, instead just throwing it out of the ring. Cox soon realized he was trapped, and submitted at 15:59. [B]Winner: Frankie Perez Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Champagne Lover vs Mean Jean Cattley [/COLOR][/B] Mean Jean was a house of fire to start off, throwing down with Champagne Lover, dominating for two minutes before clotheslining Champagne over the top and out ot the floor, where Champagne stayed, taking a breather until Cattley followed him out and rolled him back into the ring. That was just what Champagne wanted, however, as he popped up and dropped a knee across Mean Jean's back as he rolled into the ring. The match seesawed most of the rest of the way until Cattley was whipped into the ropes, where Champagne tried to leapfrog him on the way out, only to be powerbombed. Cattley was able to finish the deal soon thereafter, a Mood Swing ending things at 15:25. [B] Winner: Mean Jean Cattley Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Scout was out next[/COLOR][/B] And showed off some of the quiet intensity that has helped make him one of, if not the biggest star in this company's history. He noted that his problem was with the Swami, not Art Reed. "Art, I always thought you were a decent guy, but you made the call that you were going to let this guy take you to the top, no matter what the cost, and I can even respect that." Having Scout trash the heels indiscriminately would just feel forced. "Art, you just lined up on the side against me, that's my beef. And let me make this known to the world. C4... Maverick, Richardson... I'm coming after the two of you next." [B]Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Art Reed vs Scout[/COLOR][/B] Excellent, excellent energy here. Scout threw down on Reed something fierce, with Reed going into all out defense mode by covering up and taking the blows. He waited until the perfect opening -- an attempted lariat -- to strike, dropping Scout with an inverted Atomic drop in a beautiful counter. Reed struck with rapid elbows and busted Scout open, the three time champion returning the favor via a flying forearm and a charging knee to the head. The rest of the match had the same brutal feel to it, like a genuine shootfight, almost. Of course, the ending had The Swami getting involved, but his attempt at interference was thwarted by Mean Jean Cattley. MJC's presence distracted Reed long enough to get him caught in the Special Forces Armbar, which earned Scout a submission victory at 18:12. [B]Winner: Scout Rating: B+ [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Mean Jean Cattley stared down an enraged Swami and Art Reed[/COLOR][/B] "They say that an elephant never forgets, well lemme be the first to tell you that Mean Jean ain't too forgetful himself. See, I remember a little while back, not long, when I was the Empire Champion, I had Steve Flash's belt. And yeah, he got me, he got me in the rematch, but I was thinking that I'd be able to work my way back up the ladder, get one more shot, but then Art Reed came into the picture, and he took the easy way to the top. Art, my man, I'm putting you on notice right now -- you ain't taking the easy way any more." [B]Rating: B [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] Nemesis Promo[/COLOR][/B] "We've been through all the hype, we're nearly through all of the hyperbole, and now it's come time for everyone to realize that everything that's been said, everything that's been done, every moment that's led up to the match that going to happen in just a little while -- it all means nothing. It's going to come down to two men, and what they can do in the next 15, 20, 30 minutes changes the course of wrestling history forever. Steve, you and I are already in the history books, both of us, but it's time for one man to write a new chapter, and the other to close one, and I plan on writing." [B]Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"] EPW World Heavyweight Title Nemesis (challenger) vs Steve Flash (champion)[/COLOR] [/B] Non-stop action from bell to bell, as Flash, 42, and Nemesis, 50, proved that they still have what it takes to put on great matches. Flash was a house of fire early, striking quickly and staying out of the Steamroller's range, though when Nemesis finally did hit, he hit very very hard. Even as the match stretched on, neither man really relented, and the tide started to turn in Flash's favor, so Nemesis went home -- taking the fight to the outside, where he found the edge once more. Flash had one move left in him however, hopping up onto the guardrail, flying off with a bodypress that sent Nemesis crashing into the exposed concrete (which had been exposed, conveniently enough, by Nemesis for an attempted Nemesis Arrow not long before. Unfortunately for Flash, the momentum sent him sailing as well, as he crashed headfirst into the ring apron. As referee Jez McArthur's count neared 20, Nemesis fought to his feet at 18. Realizing he wouldn't have enough time to pick up Flash and roll him in, The Steamroller crawled under the bottom rope to secure a bittersweet countout victory at 14:51. [B]Winner, by Countout: Nemesis (Steve Flash retains the EPW World Title) Rating: A [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]In closing...[/COLOR][/B] Nemesis didn't stay in the ring long, picking up the champion, and dropping him with the Nemesis Arrow on the exposed concrete. While the medical staff tended to the champ, Nemesis walked off with what he now considered his EPW World Title belt [B]A OVR: A[/B] The buyrates continue to climb steadily as we strengthen our standing throughout the continental U.S. and continue to slowly, steadily expand in Canada and Puerto Rico. The Empire Strikes Back was a stunning success, earning almost 4,000 more buys than Revolution, our previous high water mark. TESB beat out every show put on by UCR and CGC, the only companies ahead of us on buys are The big two in Japan (BHOTWG, PGHW) and the big three in the States (SWF, TCW, DAVE) [B][I]Up next: Nemesis meets Esiaku Hoshino, Tracy Brendon's team revealed, and Jimmy Cox battles Roland Hall.[/I][/B]