DIW's last $2,000: Mr FU has a nephew

[Wrestling Machine]

Not familiar with DIW, let's take a guess!

 

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Cesar Sionis
Blitz Simpson v Gyula Lakatos
Mayhem Mulhoney and Con McReady v Mace Mueller and Tim Burr
Boo Smithson v Australian Devil
Rad Masteroff, Angus McMiller and Wez Dobberly v The Wild Hunt (Bloodsport, Slugger and Syrus)
Blood Brother, Demarcus Lee and East Coast Panther v The Dog Pound (Tevita Takulua, Bully XL and Jake Thornton)

[619]

5: To The Extreme 2022
Sunday 23rd January 2022

I’ll summarise DIW’s fairly well received opening card of 2022, held in front of 210 fans at Marv’s Sports Central.

Mayhem Mulhoney and Con McReady defeated Mace Mueller and Tim Burr
McReady caught Burr with an Iron Fist to pin the Australian Champion while DIW Championship hopefuls Mulhoney and Mueller brawled outside. I thought Mulhoney and Burr would’ve been more natural partners alignment-wise, but Jim Teasdale was convinced there was a spectacle to pairing DIW’s veteran wild man with his potential successor in that role.

McReady’s valet Jaime G grabbed a mic to predict her client becoming DIW’s first three-time Australian Champion at Hardcore Heatwave, as apparently we thought having him pin the champ seconds earlier might’ve been too subtle for our crowd and we needed to hammer the point home.

The Dog Pound (Tevita Takulua, Bully XL and Jake Thornton) defeated Blood Brother, Demarcus Lee and East Coast Panther)
They had us beat a group of undercard wrestlers to show we were still a threat after dropping the Tag Team Championships in November. Takulua pinned Blood Brother after a Choke Breaker and was far too pleased about being put over for my liking given it was the only logical outcome to the match.

Tag Team Champions Forever Evil stepped on the stage to offer us a rematch at Hardcore Heatwave (well, “another opportunity to encounter pure evil” were their actual words), with Writhe far better than Creeper at hitting his points. That was the fourth match confirmed for next month.

Boo Smithson defeated Australian Devil
There wasn’t much story here. Smithson is our most over wrestler and best worker and not involved in a big angle at present, so they fed him someone they thought would benefit from being in the ring with him. A Crossface Chickenwing secured the win in just over 12 minutes.

The gap between two of the three singles matches was filled with footage shown on a screen by the entrance of Milton Hittlespitz looking at the card and seeing he wasn’t on it earlier in the night. Lycan Nightshade appeared behind him without his Wild Hunt crew and acted sympathetic, saying it was bad enough management not trusting him to fight for titles, let alone not trusting him to get in the ring at all. He referenced Crazy Blue being given a Morale Officer role, and how insulting it was that DIW expected him to cheerlead for the men they actually believed in. Lycan Nightshade knew he was worth a lot more than that, telling Hittlespitz that The Wild Hunt were ready to help change his fortunes. The crowd didn’t go crazy: they weren’t used to backstage segments and Lycan Nightshade hadn’t been that established, but the 22-year-old handled the freedom given to him well.

Blitz Simpson defeated Gyula Lakatos
This was the kind of simple business Jim Teasdale and DIW handled well. Simpson needed a decent win ahead of his upcoming DIW Championship match and Lakatos had a solid motivation to soften him up as he’d be facing his partner Cesar Sionis if he dethroned Shogo in the main event. A Lifting DDT got the job done in 10 minutes and, though the crowd weren’t so hot, they had good chemistry.

Rad Masteroff, Angus McMiller and Wez Dobberly defeated The Wild Hunt (Bloodsport, Slugger and Syrus)
Why were former Pinn Enterprises associates combining to defeat an active stable? The idea was to advance the Milton Hittlespitz angle from earlier in the night. Lycan Nightshade’s attempts to give his team a numbers advantage were thwarted by Hittlespitz coming through the crowd and throwing a chair at Bloodsport, who staggered into Masteroff’s undefeated Radicalizer powerbomb. Lycan Nightshade’s attempts to recruit a fifth member had failed, but he didn’t look too fazed.

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) defeated Cesar Sionis
Fresh from a BHOTWG tour that I heard Con McReady tease him had consisted of flying out to Japan for a fortnight to fight one pre-show match, Shogo showed why his value to DIW was so much greater. With Blitz Simpson and Lori coming down halfway through to watch from ringside, Shogo finished a visibly tiring Sionis after just over 10 minutes with his Inverted Piledriver.

Shogo invited Blitz Simpson to get in the ring with him and he seemed eager, but Lori persuaded Simpson that he only had to wait a few weeks to get his hands on Shogo and the DIW Championship.

---

I figured I'd share the in-game show summaries as well for this dynasty to provide as much information as possible, but let me know if you prefer the obscured view of being solely reliant on the narrator's perspective. There probably wasn't enough violence on this show for DIW (or at least that made it through to the write-up), but that should be dialled up a bit on upcoming shows.

Thanks again for everyone's comments and predictions. I wasn't expecting such a response, so am incredibly grateful, and only slightly terrifed by how disappointed you'll all be with the end product 😁 Strong scores all round from a perfect 6 with even better rationalisations for @Tiberious to formidable 5s for @KyTeran, @christmas_ape and @AboardTheArk, fierce 4s for @John Lions, @DinoKea, @alpha2117 and @Wrestling Machine and a fighting 3 for @HiPlus backed up by being very right about Milton, Lycan and angles. Shoutout also to @alpha2117 for nailing the additional detail of Masteroff pinning Bloodsport.

@alpha2117 SubUrban Legend remains with APW for the moment. @HiPlus thanks for your supportive comments on predictable booking and post frequency. Noted too on the idea of bring a few old-timers back for one-offs, that could be fun. I'm also very grateful for your kind words @KyTeran.

[alpha2117]

5 minutes ago, 619 said:

5: To The Extreme 2022
Sunday 23rd January 2022

I’ll summarise DIW’s fairly well received opening card of 2022, held in front of 210 fans at Marv’s Sports Central.

Mayhem Mulhoney and Con McReady defeated Mace Mueller and Tim Burr
McReady caught Burr with an Iron Fist to pin the Australian Champion while DIW Championship hopefuls Mulhoney and Mueller brawled outside. I thought Mulhoney and Burr would’ve been more natural partners alignment-wise, but Jim Teasdale was convinced there was a spectacle to pairing DIW’s veteran wild man with his potential successor in that role.

McReady’s valet Jaime G grabbed a mic to predict her client becoming DIW’s first three-time Australian Champion at Hardcore Heatwave, as apparently we thought having him pin the champ seconds earlier might’ve been too subtle for our crowd and we needed to hammer the point home.

The Dog Pound (Tevita Takulua, Bully XL and Jake Thornton) defeated Blood Brother, Demarcus Lee and East Coast Panther)
They had us beat a group of undercard wrestlers to show we were still a threat after dropping the Tag Team Championships in November. Takulua pinned Blood Brother after a Choke Breaker and was far too pleased about being put over for my liking given it was the only logical outcome to the match.

Tag Team Champions Forever Evil stepped on the stage to offer us a rematch at Hardcore Heatwave (well, “another opportunity to encounter pure evil” were their actual words), with Writhe far better than Creeper at hitting his points. That was the fourth match confirmed for next month.

Boo Smithson defeated Australian Devil
There wasn’t much story here. Smithson is our most over wrestler and best worker and not involved in a big angle at present, so they fed him someone they thought would benefit from being in the ring with him. A Crossface Chickenwing secured the win in just over 12 minutes.

The gap between two of the three singles matches was filled with footage shown on a screen by the entrance of Milton Hittlespitz looking at the card and seeing he wasn’t on it earlier in the night. Lycan Nightshade appeared behind him without his Wild Hunt crew and acted sympathetic, saying it was bad enough management not trusting him to fight for titles, let alone not trusting him to get in the ring at all. He referenced Crazy Blue being given a Morale Officer role, and how insulting it was that DIW expected him to cheerlead for the men they actually believed in. Lycan Nightshade knew he was worth a lot more than that, telling Hittlespitz that The Wild Hunt were ready to help change his fortunes. The crowd didn’t go crazy: they weren’t used to backstage segments and Lycan Nightshade hadn’t been that established, but the 22-year-old handled the freedom given to him well.

Blitz Simpson defeated Gyula Lakatos
This was the kind of simple business Jim Teasdale and DIW handled well. Simpson needed a decent win ahead of his upcoming DIW Championship match and Lakatos had a solid motivation to soften him up as he’d be facing his partner Cesar Sionis if he dethroned Shogo in the main event. A Lifting DDT got the job done in 10 minutes and, though the crowd weren’t so hot, they had good chemistry.

Rad Masteroff, Angus McMiller and Wez Dobberly defeated The Wild Hunt (Bloodsport, Slugger and Syrus)
Why were former Pinn Enterprises associates combining to defeat an active stable? The idea was to advance the Milton Hittlespitz angle from earlier in the night. Lycan Nightshade’s attempts to give his team a numbers advantage were thwarted by Hittlespitz coming through the crowd and throwing a chair at Bloodsport, who staggered into Masteroff’s undefeated Radicalizer powerbomb. Lycan Nightshade’s attempts to recruit a fifth member had failed, but he didn’t look too fazed.

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) defeated Cesar Sionis
Fresh from a BHOTWG tour that I heard Con McReady tease him had consisted of flying out to Japan for a fortnight to fight one pre-show match, Shogo showed why his value to DIW was so much greater. With Blitz Simpson and Lori coming down halfway through to watch from ringside, Shogo finished a visibly tiring Sionis after just over 10 minutes with his Inverted Piledriver.

Shogo invited Blitz Simpson to get in the ring with him and he seemed eager, but Lori persuaded Simpson that he only had to wait a few weeks to get his hands on Shogo and the DIW Championship.

---

I figured I'd share the in-game show summaries as well for this dynasty to provide as much information as possible, but let me know if you prefer the obscured view of being solely reliant on the narrator's perspective. There probably wasn't enough violence on this show for DIW (or at least that made it through to the write-up), but that should be dialled up a bit on upcoming shows.

Thanks again for everyone's comments and predictions. I wasn't expecting such a response, so am incredibly grateful, and only slightly terrifed by how disappointed you'll all be with the end product 😁 Strong scores all round from a perfect 6 with even better rationalisations for @Tiberious to formidable 5s for @KyTeran, @christmas_ape and @AboardTheArk, fierce 4s for @John Lions, @DinoKea, @alpha2117 and @Wrestling Machine and a fighting 3 for @HiPlus backed up by being very right about Milton, Lycan and angles. Shoutout also to @alpha2117 for nailing the additional detail of Masteroff pinning Bloodsport.

@alpha2117 SubUrban Legend remains with APW for the moment. @HiPlus thanks for your supportive comments on predictable booking and post frequency. Noted too on the idea of bring a few old-timers back for one-offs, that could be fun. I'm also very grateful for your kind words @KyTeran.

Good show. 

If you are looking at freshening up your Roster at any point take a look at these guys Carey Fry, Davey Ice, Edwin Velasquez, Gareth Case, Peril, Rob Edwards, Nathan Rigger, Hack the Hunter and Surfer Dude Lucas.  The last 2 are really good whilst the others all have a fair bit to offer and kind of look like DIW guys.

Legit shocked RAW hasn't nabbed SubUrban Legend as thats very much the go in almost all watcher games I've done.

[AboardTheArk]

Pleasantly surprised by the 63 in the main, especially after you noted Sionis being tired. I think this show went well especially for how much was a set up for next month, and I see our new narrator is a lot more disillusioned about what happens at the shows...

 

Milton vs Lycan is an interesting direction. Will CTE turn him heel? Is he cooked and only a vessel to put over the new guy? We're putting Milton in a tag team with another face? And I did pop for the insider reference, especially since DIW is such a mom and pop's shop tiny promotion that has a morale officer.

[Tiberious]

Great show! Surprised I was right about the Wild Hunt match. I really like Boo in DIW for some reason, I know he's older and has no entertainment skills or hardcore skills, but idk there's just a part of me that really likes a wrestler who has there strengths and weaknesses and Boo is that personified. Kind of the reason why I don't like TCW too much since their top guys are mostly in that good at everything category and blend together to me. Bloodsport is one of those guys who I looked at and red their bio and was like, wow this guy seems cool. Then I looked at his actual stats and well, he's only 22 I guess but yeah there's a lot of work to do before he's ready to push.

With your money woes I doubt you're planning to bring in too many people, and there isn't quite as much obvious dead weight in your roster compared to your starting one in your last save from what I can tell. Alpha already mentioned some good choices, but I'll throw in a few names as well. You already have a lot of solid workers, so I'm going to suggest a couple people based on entertainment and character potential: D-Pod is already decently over in your home region thanks to his APW run, but not elsewhere in Australia so he should still be cheap to hire, and is a fantastic talker. In ring he's not at the level of your top guys, but his selling is excellent and he could potentially do well in a sort of combined Wrestler-Manager role. Moonchild is my other suggestion and more of a stretch, but he's really not bad and I feel like his hippy gimmick would at least set him apart compared to everyone else.

Edited August 18 by Tiberious

[Wrestling Machine]

Realized just now that Australian Devil is a 212lbs high flyer, thought he would be a big huge MF from the name lol

Blitz Simpson could be my diary fav!

[alpha2117]

37 minutes ago, Tiberious said:

Great show! Surprised I was right about the Wild Hunt match. I really like Boo in DIW for some reason, I know he's older and has no entertainment skills or hardcore skills, but idk there's just a part of me that really likes a wrestler who has there strengths and weaknesses and Boo is that personified. Kind of the reason why I don't like TCW too much since their top guys are mostly in that good at everything category and blend together to me. Bloodsport is one of those guys who I looked at and red their bio and was like, wow this guy seems cool. Then I looked at his actual stats and well, he's only 22 I guess but yeah there's a lot of work to do before he's ready to push.

With your money woes I doubt you're planning to bring in too many people, and there isn't quite as much obvious dead weight in your roster compared to your starting one in your last save from what I can tell. Alpha already mentioned some good choices, but I'll throw in a few names as well. You already have a lot of solid workers, so I'm going to suggest a couple people based on entertainment and character potential: D-Pod is already decently over in your home region thanks to his APW run, but not elsewhere in Australia so he should still be cheap to hire, and is a fantastic talker. In ring he's not at the level of your top guys, but his selling is excellent and he could potentially do well in a sort of combined Wrestler-Manager role. Moonchild is my other suggestion and more of a stretch, but he's really not bad and I feel like his hippy gimmick would at least set him apart compared to everyone else.

One of the reasons I made the suggestions was the Money woes - the style, the incompetence of some workers and the status of a few peoples bodies means there will be turnover eventually.  McMiller, Simpson, Blood Brother, Sionis, East Coast Panther, Mueller, Mulhoney, Milton, Slugger & Wez are all totally Yellow or worse physically.  The company has 26 active wrestlers and 10 of them are at a point where any injury could be it.   Heck a bad headshot to Mulhoney could kill him (only half joking).  It's the sort of situation where you need to do some forward planning and consider who you can bring in to fill the inevitable gaps.  They aren't going to be able to go after anyone that costs a lot.  The people I suggested aren't banged up and are all cheap.  Hack and Lucas are actually guys who could Main Event.  D-Pod is a decent suggestion - his consistency is a worry but same goes for Peril who I suggested (he was the most borderline choice for mine). D-Pod can definitely work the mic but he has a few Yellow areas, so physically he's starting to enter the same sort of area that many of the current roster are.  Moonchild is okay but again his consistency is a worry.  Blackwell Bush & Maelstrom are the two guys I didn't mention who bring something to the table. Maelstrom in particular feels very DIW.  

       

[619]

@AboardTheArk I haven't been able to beat that 63 yet, which doesn't say much for the quality of booking on the horizon. I loved the line on CTE turning Milton Hittlespitz heel, and it's true that The Comedian handing out a Morale Officer job title is probably the least credible development across any of these DIW dynasties, even beyond the fan who donated millions of dollars.

@Tiberious Interesting point about Boo and being drawn to wrestlers with clear weaknesses. It's definitely true that most of DIW's best in-ring guys don't have great entertainment skills, and those who are most entertaining or menacing can't back it up as much between the ropes, so it makes for an interesting challenge trying to pair the workers with people who can carry feuds outside the ring.

Really appreciate the recommendations @alpha2117 and @Tiberious, they'll all go on the shortlist. Just to manage expectations, there won't be too much roster turnover early on: partly as my preferred play style is to get as much out of the inherited roster as possible initially (I appreciate that's not so compelling from a dynasty perspective) and partly due to the financial situation, but that will change with time so it's good to get a feel for who people would be interested in seeing. D-Pod is definitely after our attention already: he turned up at one show and has bulked up too.

@Wrestling Machine Haha, AusDev is a bit of an enigma: he's got the tough name, fairly fierce render and agitator personality, but only 18 for menace and is the second shortest man on the roster.

---

6: Stability
Friday 11th February 2022

When my uncle told Jim Teasdale and Angus McMiller that I was going to sit in on some booking meetings, I doubt any of them expected my first suggestion to be setting another stable, The Wild Hunt, up for a storyline with one of DIW’s most popular stars, Milton Hittlespitz. However, it was the best possible development for me and The Dog Pound.

I’d noticed they seemed a bit lost over what to do with Hittlespitz since I’d been there, having seen his ascent to DIW Championship contention slowed by a series of injuries. So it reflected well on me that my initial intervention was something that gave fresh direction to at least five roster members, when they probably expected me to just look out for myself.

And yet I was just looking out for myself. Two afterthought undercard stables would get in one another’s way so, if The Wild Hunt went one way, it actually created space for The Dog Pound.

I’d seen people speak about The Wild Hunt as DIW’s new ultra-violent faction in the tradition of Pinn Enterprises and The Barracudas, but that wasn’t how I saw them. What set them apart was Lycan Nightshade’s charisma and creativity, uniting a group of misfits through cult of personality.

If anyone was following the path blazed by Pinn Enterprises and The Barracudas, it was us. Tevita Takulua, Bully XL and I were as menacing as anyone in DIW, we just needed a platform to show it. So yeah, sometimes you’ve got to help others to help yourself, but other times you have to hurt others.

The suggestion I got signed off at February’s booking meeting meant someone becoming my first casualty at Hardcore Heatwave 2022, but I didn’t feel bad. I was doing what I thought was necessary to ensure there was a Hardcore Heatwave 2023. Or at the very least that I’d be booked somewhere that weekend if there wasn’t.

Hardcore Heatwave 2022
DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson
No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller
Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady
Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee
Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother
Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)

[christmas_ape]

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson
No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller
Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady
Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee
Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother
Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)

I changed my mind about a couple of these, which makes me think I'll end up regretting my choices. 

[John Lions]

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson
Shogo is way too good and potentially a flight risk - given how talented he is, if he keeps touring Japan he might not be DIW for life. Keeping him strapped up and re-running matches with all of your top guys seems ideal, figuring which one he puts over is the tougher part.
No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller
Mace is great and Mulhoney seems primed to be the "casualty" you mentioned.
Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady
Con is the real deal while I think Tim Burr needs a bit more time in the oven. Have him become the first 3 time champ and carry the division on his back like Shogo is doing with the top strap.
Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
I can't imagine that after two shows you were able to convince the booking team to strap you guys back up, but I could be wrong
Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee
Seems a no brainer. Not sure who ends up as Boo's next storyline
Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother
I can only see Milton losing to Lycan any time soon
Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)
Heat the Death Cult back up for a feud with the champs I'd say

[AboardTheArk]

Hardcore Heatwave 2022
DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson

Feels like this Shogo reign is a chance to establish things as different

No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller

Mulhoney must be on his last legs, Mueller is a big leaguer

Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady

This feels like a good place for the first title change of the dynasty 

Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)

They're going over next time. 

Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee

Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother

Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)

[Tiberious]

Hardcore Heatwave 2022
DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson
Blitz is good, but Shogo is just on another level.

No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller
This could go either way since Shogo can get a good match out of just about anyone, but Mayhem is on the downswing of his career so Mace winning seems the safe bet.

Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady
Tim Burr is weird since his ring name makes it seem like he's a comedy lumberjack guy, but he's actually a tough ex-military guy. I believe McReady dropped the title to Tim Burr in December the show before the start of the dynasty, so it would certainly make his reign a bit of a dud if he immediately lost it back to the guy he won it from.

Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
I'd say it's too early for Dogs of War, but apparently they already had a (short) reign as tag team champions last year already. That being said I feel like they will need to chase a bit longer.

Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee
This is definitely one of the matchups of all time. I imaigne Boo will be facing Shogo or one of your other main eventers at some point, though his lack of speaking ability certainly makes it harder to build programs around him. With Boo getting older I feel like a fun longer term storyline for Boo might be to have him form a tag team/partnership with a younger wrestler where Boo could help them develop in ring and they could handle the talking for the team. Not sure who would fit the role, of your current roster Rad Masteroff might be a good option since he clearly has a ton of potential and is an okay if not great talker, but still has room to grow when it comes to psychology especially. Of course given wrestling it would likely end in a sudden but inevitable betrayal, but that's the breaks.

Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother
Blood Brother really isn't that bad, probably a kind of replacement level hardcore wrestler if I'm bring honest, but by the same measure he isn't nearly good enough to be beating someone on Miltons level. He's also got the unfortunate downside of having negative starting momentom in the company, which tends to lead to the death spiral of getting worse reactions and getting pushed further and further down the card until they're all the way out of the company.

Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)
In another universe Australian Devil and East Coast Panther could have been a championship winning high flying tag team, but in the universe we live in they're going to get absolutely battered by angry Euro-Australian men looking to take out some frustration over losing last month.

Edited August 19 by Tiberious

[alpha2117]

Hardcore Heatwave 2022
DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson

Blitz is one of your banged up guys and Shogo is your best guy so it doesn't make sense for Blitz to go over.

 

No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller

Meh ... I cant see either winning the title - both are banged up.  Mulhoney is right at the end of his usefulness so feeding him to Shogo one last time whilst he can still compete makes sense to me booking wise.

Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady

Burr is your best choice as a back-up to Shogo right now so keeping him strong is important

Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)

If DoW lose then where do you go? So have the War Dogs cheat to win and you have yourself a rematch set up and a decent feud.  

Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee

Lee is eating the pin 

Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother

The last show set up Milton for a bit of a run so lets go with him starting that here.

Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)

I dont like the ADC - I think they are a problem rather than an asset - that said an established tag team like them should go over here

As for my potential hiring suggestions - they are only made because I know just how banged up close to half this roster is.  Sadly injuries are inevitable in this style and having back-up plans already in place is usually worth it.  I'm by nature more ruthless than you - when I take control I usually do a clear out of people I see as deadwood.  Your banged up guys aren't so much deadwood but more dying wood and with your finances you are limited in regards to who you can eventually replace them with so planning for that would always have been my first priority.  I wouldn't cut those guys but I would be sacrificing most of them to the guys on your roster who have the capacity to help long term.  Like I said I'm a bit of a ruthless bastich but when you are down to your last 2 grand thats probably the time you need to be.

Edited August 20 by alpha2117

[DinoKea]

Hardcore Heatwave 2022 Predictions

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) def. Blitz Simpson

No. 1 Contender Match: Mace Mueller def. Mayhem Mulhoney

Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) def. Con McReady

Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (c) def. The Dogs of War

Boo Smithson def. Demarcus Lee

Milton Hittlespitz def. Blood Brother

Ares Death Cult def. Australian Devil & East Coast Panther

[Wrestling Machine]

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson
No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller
Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady
Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee
Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother
Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)

[KyTeran]

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson
No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller
Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady
Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee
Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother
Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)

[HiPlus]

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) v Blitz Simpson - Shogo continues to build although Blitz is one of the guys potentially to dethrone him long term.
No1 Contender Match: Mayhem Mulhoney v Mace Mueller - Mace should keep being pushed, Mayhem is high up the card. 
Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) v Con McReady -Two pieces who are future of the company. Tim Burr doesn't lose yet without build up. 
Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) v The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
Boo Smithson v Demarcus Lee
Milton Hittlespitz v Blood Brother
Australian Devil and East Coast Panther v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos)

[619]

7: Hardcore Heatwave 2022
Friday 18th February 2022

Mace Mueller defeated Mayhem Mulhoney to earn a future DIW Championship shot
The most violent match of the night opened the show, telling the story of two men willing to do anything for the chance to become a three-time DIW Champion. The younger wrestler succeeded, thwarting Mulhoney’s comeback by dumping a bin on his head then capitalising on his obscured vision to ground him and strike with a Punt Kick.

Milton Hittlespitz defeated Blood Brother
A Flying Knee Drop through a table secured a 10-minute victory for Crazy Blue in his first bout of 2022.

The real fun occurred after that match as Lycan Nightshade, Slugger, Syrus and Bloodsport surrounded each corner of the ring. The Wild Hunt’s leader asked if Milton Hittlespitz noticed the cheers weren’t as loud tonight: that was because the people were disappointed he didn’t take up their offer. He insisted he wasn’t an unreasonable man: they could destroy Crazy Blue right now, but they weren’t going to. They still liked him and wished him well, unlike the vampire who ran this company, drinking up every drop of blood Hittlespitz had to offer then casting him aside. But they had to at least try to show him the error of his ways, and proposed doing that with a traditional 4-v-4 Massacre match in April. Crazy Blue accepted without hesitation.

Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) defeated The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
We were given a competitive match against the team who took the titles off us, but they further established themselves as the top duo in the company right now, finishing off Bully with their Eternal Damnation move.

Boo Smithson defeated Demarcus Lee
DIW’s biggest name once again found himself mingling with a midcarder, tapping out Lee after 8 minutes with the Crossface Chickenwing.

Lillian O’Donahue, Angus McMiller and Wez Dobberly were shown on the screen between matches, with The Hired Guns’ manager informing The Comedian that after their victory over former Tag Team Champions The Bat Men last month, they believed they were next in line to challenge Forever Evil.

Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) defeated Con McReady
Rad Masteroff appeared at ringside here, signalling his intention to challenge the winner. That factored into the finish when McReady’s valet Jaime G became frustrated with Masteroff messing around with the title, which in turn distracted The Wild One, who fell foul of the Tree Slam.

McReady scolded Jaime G after the bell, noting that he’d beaten Tim Burr last month and would’ve done so again if not for her getting in his way. She was holding him back and he was fed up of carrying her, demanding that she leave the ring and upping the decibel levels until she finally did.

Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) defeated Australian Devil and East Coast Panther
It was time to heat the European duo back up after their singles defeats last month, and a Blood Sacrifice to East Coast Panther helped them do just that.

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) defeated Blitz Simpson
The former Barracuda was made to look a credible threat in his first ever DIW Championship match, gesturing for his Lifting DDT when he noticed Lori grounded at ringside clutching her ankle. She insisted she was fine and told him to fight on but, as he went to pick up Shogo, a large arm reached out from under the ring to grip hold of his leg. By the time he’d shaken free, he’d surrendered his momentum and fell prey to Shogo’s Inverted Piledriver and a three count.

As Blitz Simpson searched the ringside area for his attacker, Shogo helped Lori to the back. Simpson finally conceded defeat and started heading to the entrance himself when he was jumped from behind by Tevita Takulua, Bully XL and myself. A vicious assault ended with us choking him out with a dog lead. And credit to Simpson, he never complained once about putting us over in such a way, despite being far more established.

---

Hot Heatwave predictions all round: a perfect 7 for @Tiberious, @DinoKea, @Wrestling Machine, @KyTeran and @HiPlus, 6 for @John Lions and @AboardTheArk and 5 for @christmas_ape and @alpha2117.

Overall, I believe we have @alpha2117 on 9, @christmas_ape, @HiPlus and @John Lions on 10, @AboardTheArk, @DinoKea and @Wrestling Machine on 11, @KyTeran on 12 and @Tiberious still perfect with 13.

@Tiberious I found your comments on Tim Burr and Boo Smithson in particular interesting. I feel in the same situation of knowing Burr is someone to take seriously but not quite having a feel for how to distinguish him yet. And your idea of how to get the best out of Boo was compelling too. In these early shows, I'm trying to integrate the idea that Big Jim Teasdale is also a bit lost on how to use him: he will get more direction, but his first story still arguably isn't as fun as what you laid out, so you've definitely given me something to think about if he keeps going for a decent length of time.

@alpha2117 I fully agree with the logic of clearing out the deadwood and bringing in younger, healthier guys and I liked your dying wood line too. As I say, it's just my lame playstyle, particularly with dynasties, to treat it more as a roleplay than a sandbox, so I'd find it tough narratively to justify The Comedian suddenly overhauling the roster and knowing all the can't-miss prospects to hire. I feel like it's more in the DIW ethos to flog people like Mayhem and Milton until they can't go no more and to hell with the consequences than get fresh bodies in to protect them, and I enjoy trying to make the best of those limitations and the challenges they create over winning at all costs. But I appreciate that it might not be what you and others are looking for in a dynasty. I've shortlisted the names you and @Tiberious mentioned though so will look to integrate some outsiders in time, but apologies for the fact it's more likely to be a handful than a takeover unless there's a narrative reason (mass walkout, injury crisis, cash injection, etc). I thought you made a good case for why Mulhoney should have won too, especially as you say, there might be limited time to run Shogo v Mulhoney in future.

Edited August 26 by 619

[alpha2117]

3 minutes ago, 619 said:

7: Hardcore Heatwave 2022
Friday 18th February 2022

Mace Mueller defeated Mayhem Mulhoney to earn a future DIW Championship shot
The most violent match of the night opened the show, telling the story of two men willing to do anything for the chance to become a three-time DIW Champion. The younger wrestler succeeded, thwarting Mulhoney’s comeback by dumping a bin on his head then capitalising on his obscured vision to ground him and strike with a Punt Kick.

Milton Hittlespitz defeated Blood Brother
A Flying Knee Drop through a table secured a 10-minute victory for Crazy Blue in his first bout of 2022.

The real fun occurred after that match as Lycan Nightshade, Slugger, Syrus and Bloodsport surrounded each corner of the ring. The Wild Hunt’s leader asked if Milton Hittlespitz noticed the cheers weren’t as loud tonight: that was because the people were disappointed he didn’t take up their offer. He insisted he wasn’t an unreasonable man: they could destroy Crazy Blue right now, but they weren’t going to. They still liked him and wished him well, unlike the vampire who ran this company, drinking up every drop of blood Hittlespitz had to offer then casting him aside. But they had to at least try to show him the error of his ways, and proposed doing that with a traditional 4-v-4 Massacre match in April. Crazy Blue accepted without hesitation.

Tag Team Championships: Forever Evil (Creeper and Writhe) (c) defeated The Dogs Of War (Bully XL and Jake Thornton)
We were given a competitive match against the team who took the titles off us, but they further established themselves as the top duo in the company right now, finishing off Bully with their Eternal Damnation move.

Boo Smithson defeated Demarcus Lee
DIW’s biggest name once again found himself mingling with a midcarder, tapping out Lee after 8 minutes with the Crossface Chickenwing.

Lillian O’Donahue, Angus McMiller and Wez Dobberly were shown on the screen between matches, with The Hired Guns’ manager informing The Comedian that after their victory over former Tag Team Champions The Bat Men last month, they believed they were next in line to challenge Forever Evil.

Australian Championship: Tim Burr (c) defeated Con McReady
Rad Masteroff appeared at ringside here, signalling his intention to challenge the winner. That factored into the finish when McReady’s valet Jaime G became frustrated with Masteroff messing around with the title, which in turn distracted The Wild One, who fell foul of the Tree Slam.

McReady scolded Jaime G after the bell, noting that he’d beaten Tim Burr last month and would’ve done so again if not for her getting in his way. She was holding him back and he was fed up of carrying her, demanding that she leave the ring and upping the decibel levels until she finally did.

Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) defeated Australian Devil and East Coast Panther
It was time to heat the European duo back up after their singles defeats last month, and a Blood Sacrifice to East Coast Panther helped them do just that.

DIW Championship: Shogo (c) defeated Blitz Simpson
The former Barracuda was made to look a credible threat in his first ever DIW Championship match, gesturing for his Lifting DDT when he noticed Lori grounded at ringside clutching her ankle. She insisted she was fine and told him to fight on but, as he went to pick up Shogo, a large arm reached out from under the ring to grip hold of his leg. By the time he’d shaken free, he’d surrendered his momentum and fell prey to Shogo’s Inverted Piledriver and a three count.

As Blitz Simpson searched the ringside area for his attacker, Shogo helped Lori to the back. Simpson finally conceded defeat and started heading to the entrance himself when he was jumped from behind by Tevita Takulua, Bully XL and myself. A vicious assault ended with us choking him out with a dog lead. And credit to Simpson, he never complained once about putting us over in such a way, despite being far more established.

---

Hot Heatwave predictions all round: a perfect 7 for @Tiberious, @DinoKea, @Wrestling Machine, @KyTeran and @HiPlus, 6 for @John Lions and @AboardTheArk and 5 for @christmas_ape and @alpha2117.

Overall, I believe we have @alpha2117 on 9, @christmas_ape, @HiPlus and @John Lions on 10, @AboardTheArk, @DinoKea and @Wrestling Machine on 11, @KyTeran on 12 and @Tiberious still perfect with 13.

@Tiberious I found your comments on Tim Burr and Boo Smithson in particular interesting. I feel in the same situation of knowing Burr is someone to take seriously but not quite having a feel for how to distinguish him yet. And your idea of how to get the best out of Boo was compelling too. In these early shows, I'm trying to integrate the idea that Big Jim Teasdale is also a bit lost on how to use him: he will get more direction, but his first story still arguably isn't as compelling as what you laid out, so you've definitely given me something to think about if he keeps going for a decent length of time.

@alpha2117 I fully agree with the logic of clearing out the deadwood and bringing in younger, healthier guys and I liked your dying wood line too. As I say, it's just my lame playstyle, particularly with dynasties, to treat it more as a roleplay than a sandbox, so I'd find it tough narratively to justify The Comedian suddenly overhauling the roster and knowing all the can't-miss prospects to hire. I feel like it's more in the DIW ethos to flog people like Mayhem and Milton until they can't go no more and to hell with the consequences than get fresh bodies in to protect them, and I enjoy trying to make the best of those limitations and the challenges they create over winning at all costs. But I appreciate that it might not be what you and others are looking for in a dynasty. I've shortlisted the names you and @Tiberious mentioned though so will look to integrate some outsiders in time, but apologies for the fact it's more likely to be a handful than a takeover unless there's a narrative reason (mass walkout, injury crisis, cash injection, etc). I thought you made a good case for why Mulhoney should have won too, especially as you say, there might be limited time to run Shogo v Mulhoney in future.

Loved the show - wondering who Jamie will end up with or if this means she is gone.

The most important thing with diaries and just playing the game in general is doing what YOU want to do.  Dont worry with what we say - we are making suggestions not demands and wont be offended by you going your own way.  I would say you should probably hire SDL and Hack the Hunter though - DIW has pretty slim pickings at the top and those two will still be cheap at the start and are clearly good.  Trying to get them into the fold makes logical sense for the Comedian.  If you can get the best talent you can afford and who are marketable like those two you can maybe turn around your current situation.  Purely from a business point of view it's what you'd do. If he was to wait then maybe they go to ZEN or APW and they are then a lot more difficult to sign.  If you spend an extra 60 to 100 a show to get two potential Main Eventers thats money well spent.  Honestly look at Hack - you could easily do something like slot him in with Milty against the WIld Hunt and it would make total visual and storyline sense.  SDL meanwhile is just so good both in ring and backstage that there is no downside.  The other suggestions we've made are guys who may well still be around the indy scene for the forseeable future anyway so if people go down you can look around at those guys as potential replacements if and when that happens.

[Tiberious]

Good Show! I like the idea of Blitz battling the Dog Pound, it gives him a bit of an out for the loss in the main event and since they've got size and numbers it makes him an underdog even if they're not on his level in terms of popularity, accomplishments, experience, or skill. Blitz is also a great guy to help get your guys up to speed since he's one of your best in ring guys and can carry them to something passable.

I find myself more on your side in terms of how to sign and use people. I disagree pretty heavily about the guys on your roster being deadwood just because they've got some wear and tear on them. At low level the penalties really aren't that big of a deal, and until it starts really dragging down their performances I wouldn't be too worried. It'll be a bit different when/if you get TV since multiple matches a month with your style could really wear people out and at that point you might need to worry more about depth.

I know you've gotten way too many hiring suggestions for a promotion with no budget, but if I were to suggest one more it might be Bounce and Flip Buchannon. They're not future main eventers like Alpha's suggestions, quite the opposite really, but they'd be great underdog babyfaces who can sell a beating and make your monster heels look especially intimidating. In order to push some of your guys you'll need some folks to lose, and your current job squad seems to mostly be Demarcus Lee, East Coast Panther, and Blood Brother; all of whom have questionable levels of selling or safety. The Buchannons are also actually pretty decent high fliers for being so young, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that they eventually get over with the crowd and get an actual run at some point; though they're so good at being punching bags that seems less likely.

Edited August 22 by Tiberious

[alpha2117]

5 hours ago, Tiberious said:

Good Show! I like the idea of Blitz battling the Dog Pound, it gives him a bit of an out for the loss in the main event and since they've got size and numbers it makes him an underdog even if they're not on his level in terms of popularity, accomplishments, experience, or skill. Blitz is also a great guy to help get your guys up to speed since he's one of your best in ring guys and can carry them to something passable.

I find myself more on your side in terms of how to sign and use people. I disagree pretty heavily about the guys on your roster being deadwood just because they've got some wear and tear on them. At low level the penalties really aren't that big of a deal, and until it starts really dragging down their performances I wouldn't be too worried. It'll be a bit different when/if you get TV since multiple matches a month with your style could really wear people out and at that point you might need to worry more about depth.

I know you've gotten way too many hiring suggestions for a promotion with no budget, but if I were to suggest one more it might be Bounce and Flip Buchannon. They're not future main eventers like Alpha's suggestions, quite the opposite really, but they'd be great underdog babyfaces who can sell a beating and make your monster heels look especially intimidating. In order to push some of your guys you'll need some folks to lose, and your current job squad seems to mostly be Demarcus Lee, East Coast Panther, and Blood Brother; all of whom have questionable levels of selling or safety. The Buchannons are also actually pretty decent high fliers for being so young, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that they eventually get over with the crowd and get an actual run at some point; though they're so good at being punching bags that seems less likely.

I said dying wood rather than deadwood - one is legit right at the end and the 9 that are all in yellow are inherently at risk in this style.  I spent many years testing and analysing results and it's what I inherently do.  I look at a company with 26 workers and see 10 of them all yellow and worse physically and warning bells go off.  If these guys were on RAW or ZEN it might be different but with DIW's style and some of the workers being pretty unsafe ... yes I'm looking at you Gyula but not just you ... it's not an if but a when one of those 10 goes down injured and when they do they may not ever be coming back.  I'm less worried about general wear and tear than I am botches. Canonically Gyula ended Vaughn's career and realisitically it's not hard to see him or Tevita or Lycan or Jake or BB or even lesser unsafe guys like AD, Angus, ECP or Cesar making mistakes.   I would make cuts but thats me and I understand and respect loyalty to these guys so not cutting is fine but not at least having tentative plans for disaster recovery would be a mistake.

The thing is my opinion is just that, an opinion.  Ultimately the ONLY opinion that really matters is the person playing the game.  We all do this for our own joy and as long as 619 is happy thats what matters to me in this diary.    

Edited August 22 by alpha2117

[DinoKea]

5 hours ago, 619 said:

As I say, it's just my lame playstyle, particularly with dynasties, to treat it more as a roleplay than a sandbox, so I'd find it tough narratively to justify The Comedian suddenly overhauling the roster and knowing all the can't-miss prospects to hire. I feel like it's more in the DIW ethos to flog people like Mayhem and Milton until they can't go no more and to hell with the consequences than get fresh bodies in to protect them, and I enjoy trying to make the best of those limitations and the challenges they create over winning at all costs. But I appreciate that it might not be what you and others are looking for in a dynasty.

Personally either style can be fun and it depends how you play it, buying all the best prospects however has a lot higher chance of feeling a bit repetitive too me (only so many diaries I can read with Ernest Youngman as champion). Personally do appreciate keeping the old guys around even if there are better options out there, it's closer to how I'd book as I tend to get attached to guys. Having read your last diary, I have enough faith in your writing to know it'll be great whatever way you want to take it too

Fun first shows of the diary and getting interesting to see where this is going. Simpson vs. Dogs is an interesting feud, wouldn't have picked it as your plan but a really good end to the show. Wild Hunt are looking to be a really interesting faction too.

[AboardTheArk]

Good show! I did not expect this push for the Dog Pound and it'll be really interesting to see how you get them to leech off of Blitz's pop. Also, 4v4 Massacre is back! I wonder if there will be old friends coming back to help Milton... if they've not turned to enemies of Comedian.

[christmas_ape]

Good to see the big dogs get their moment. Although I'm sure their rise in general will likely be a realistic speed, a little part of me wants Jake to be able to fully politic his career way past his depth. 

I agree though with DinoKea that it's always good to get to follow a great diary that features characters you don't often see. I don't think I have any knowledge of DIW outside of this (and your previous) diary.

Is it wrong that I like the idea of them botching and causing major injuries? I'm normally pleased when I get an injury in TEW just because I don't think they happen often enough and in the real world injuries can end up benefiting a wrestler (from a viewers perspective anyway...) 

[alpha2117]

9 hours ago, christmas_ape said:

Good to see the big dogs get their moment. Although I'm sure their rise in general will likely be a realistic speed, a little part of me wants Jake to be able to fully politic his career way past his depth. 

I agree though with DinoKea that it's always good to get to follow a great diary that features characters you don't often see. I don't think I have any knowledge of DIW outside of this (and your previous) diary.

Is it wrong that I like the idea of them botching and causing major injuries? I'm normally pleased when I get an injury in TEW just because I don't think they happen often enough and in the real world injuries can end up benefiting a wrestler (from a viewers perspective anyway...) 

Not sure Vaughan would agree 😉

Vaughan (Marcus Vaughan) was a massive powerhouse from Australia whose tattooed physique and general psychotic aura made him a natural killer heel. He had a relatively short career which was spent almost entirely in DIW, where he worked from 2010 onwards. There, he was the leader of The Barracudas, a three man stable (alongside Chopper Rourke and Blitz Simpson) who genuinely met while in prison. A perfect fit for DIW, for seven years they were renowned for their hardcore brawls and the brutal gang beatdowns they'd dish out. Unfortunately, Vaughan suffered a severe concussion in 2017 after a botched powerbomb from Gyula Lakatos and was forced to retire from wrestling.