christmas_ape Posted September 3 Share Posted September 3 Shogo v Gyula Lakatos Boo Smithson v Cesar Sionis The Crazy Blue Crew (Milton Hittlespitz, Mayhem Mulhoney, Australian Devil and East Coast Panther) v The Wild Hunt (Nightshade, Bloodsport, Slugger and Syrus) Blitz Simpson v Blood Brother Demarcus Lee v Con McReady Tim Burr, Creeper and Writhe v Rad Masteroff, Angus McMiller and Wez Dobberly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
619 Posted September 3 Author Share Posted September 3 (edited) 12: Massacre 2022 Friday 15th April 2022 The Wild Hunt (Nightshade, Bloodsport, Slugger and Syrus) defeated The Crazy Blue Crew (Milton Hittlespitz, Mayhem Mulhoney, Australian Devil and East Coast Panther) Having failed to get this match made main event, I pushed for it to be the opener instead so it had room to stand out. The finish to this weapon-heavy 10-minute melee saw Hittlespitz intercept Slugger’s attempt to throw a bat from the outside to Nightshade inside, only for Crazy Blue to turn and catch Mulhoney between the legs with it. The veteran did a great job selling the shock as Hittlespitz followed up with a shot to the face and then a Flying Knee Drop to drive it into the two-time DIW Champion’s face again before retreating to the corner so Nightshade could cover him. Milton Hittlespitz offered Nightshade a handshake after the match, signalling his intention to join The Wild Hunt. Nightshade rejected, only to hug Crazy Blue instead, before inviting the rest of the group in to celebrate with them. Blitz Simpson defeated Blood Brother In what felt like a good omen for his aspirations to establish himself as a main eventer, Simpson got more out of Blood Brother than Boo Smithson and Milton Hittlespitz had recently, before inevitably defeating him with his Lifting DDT. The Dog Pound’s music hit while Blitz Simpson was still in the ring, so he adopted a fighting stance, but it turned out we’d just sent him a short message instead: we promised him a fight on our terms and next month he could have it, taking on one of us in a one-on-one match. Rad Masteroff, Angus McMiller and Wez Dobberly defeated Tim Burr, Creeper and Writhe It was a bit weird having this old Pinn Enterprises trio not only team up twice in 2022 but win both times, while it felt like we were overdoing contenders beating champions in non-title situations at the moment. The finish saw Burr and Masteroff fight off towards the entrance, The Hired Guns hit a Contract Killing on Creeper and Lillian O’Donahue disrupt Writhe from breaking McMiller’s cover. Boo Smithson defeated Cesar Sionis Without spoiling the main event, Ares Death Cult were in a bit of a rhythm of being near-unbeatable as a team but coming up just short when facing top singles stars, being trusted in that position a lot as they were tough blokes who always looked a threat. Smithson wasn’t allowed a submission win here, instead catching Sionis’ leg when he attempted a Running Knee Side-Swipe and barely pinning his shoulders to the mat for three. Con McReady made his return, entering for his match as Boo Smithson was still heading the other way and The Wild One warned the veteran: “you want to get in my way, maybe I’ll get in yours”. Con McReady defeated Demarcus Lee This was a gentle reset for McReady, a first match since his Australian Championship rematch defeat in February and without Jaime G in his corner, and he achieved a convincing victory with his Iron Fist. Shogo defeated Gyula Lakatos After Shogo watched him beat Milton Hittlespitz last month, Mace Mueller returned the compliment, and there were two occasions where his ringside sledging disrupted the DIW Champion’s momentum and allowed Lakatos to take control. He didn’t even look at his next challenger when he finally got the Hungarian Bulldozer in position for the Inverted Piledriver, going straight into the cover. Before Death Ref could even raise Shogo’s hand, Mace Mueller whacked him in the back of the head with the DIW Championship, continuing to club him in the head with it once he was grounded and then grinding it into his face until he’d drawn blood. Mueller then raised the blood-splattered belt in the air, yelling at Shogo to consider it a mark of respect for how seriously he was taking him. --- Thanks all for the predictions and analysis. @alpha2117, @christmas_ape, @John Lions, @Satyr24, @Tiberious and @Wrestling Machine all scored 6, @DinoKea, @HiPlus and @KyTeran hit 5, @AboardTheArk got 4 and @G.B picked 3. Of the people who've called all 25 matches, @Tiberious has a 96% hit rate with 24, @DinoKea, @KyTeran and @Wrestling Machine have 21, @alpha2117, @christmas_ape, @HiPlus and @John Lions have 20 and @AboardTheArk is on 19. Welcome @Satyr24. The company have a few thousand more in the bank at this point, but the wrestling industry in Oceania is now weak. @Tiberious You're right about the name change not really being necessary, just Thornton's attempt to signal a slight shift between his initial DIW presentation and the kind of leader he's evolved into (and perhaps being a bit power-thirsty changing it just because he could). And the one positive you pointed out about everyone having a single name got ruined by the finish. Your comment on Tim and Rad's names popped me too. @John Lions I loved the unexpected Carl Paris callback: impressive memory. Good shout on management being wary on giving Gyula Lakatos too much main event exposure: if they cooled on Milton Hittlespitz because of his injuries, it's only fair that they would ration opportunities for someone who retired a DIW Champion. I liked the Nexus parallel and appreciated your ideas on ways to utilise Rad Masteroff. Edited September 4 by 619 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
619 Posted September 5 Author Share Posted September 5 13: Insights Saturday 30th April 2022 I was really pleased with how the angle I’d been most involved with at Massacre had played out. The Wild Hunt had been legitimised by aligning with Milton Hittlespitz and scoring a win over a team with three stars and East Coast Panther, while Mayhem Mulhoney was so solidified as a DIW legend that the defeat to a group of relative unknowns wouldn’t affect his standing. How was I verifying this? A mate who was studying data science in Queensland told me he’d done some DIW fan sentiment research that identified who had gained and lost the most support in the first four months of 2022. I was sceptical of how enough data to do this accurately existed when our shows attracted between 200 and 220 people, but his findings mostly matched up to my perceptions. Given that my main focus had been on giving more direction to The Wild Hunt and The Dog Pound, the appearance of Nightshade, Tevita Takulua and myself on the list was encouraging. Likewise, the presence of Con McReady indicated that, even in defeat, we’d succeeded in moving him out of the Australian Championship picture without disrupting his momentum. More intriguing were the apparent spikes in popularity for Wez Dobberly and Australian Devil, who we hadn’t paid as much attention to. This and the revelation that my booking team colleague Angus McMiller was the wrestler interest was fading in fastest felt like information I might be able to use to my advantage. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christmas_ape Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Interesting way of getting across in game info. Glad to see Nightshade and Takula grow in pop. Wild Hunt are looking real strong with Milton joining, although will have have to drop one of his names to fit their style I wonder??? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberious Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 I know I predicted a turn in the match, but Milton HIttlespitz was the guy I figured would get turned on, rather than the one doing the turning. I'll be interested to see how it plays out since in my head Milton is one of those guys I have a hard time not seeing as a fan favorite, but I suppose DIW doesn't really do heels and faces so it's not hard to imagine the Wild Hunt becoming fan favorites in spite of their sort of heelish style. Will be interesting to see how Milton explains his decision to betray the team he recruited to instead join the Wild Hunt. I guess Nightshade made a case for it back when he confronted him backstage a few shows ago, but I can't help but feel like him claiming the Wild Hunt would turn around Milton's fortune feels a bit hollow given the Wild Hunt were 0-3 coming into the four vs four. Given Milton's turn is what won them the match it feels more like he's the one turning their forturnes around rather than them turning his. That being said the turn is what people will remember, so if the follow up is good no one's really going to dwell on the Bloodsport and Bat Men losing a few matches in the build up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
619 Posted September 6 Author Share Posted September 6 (edited) @christmas_ape I wish I could now pretend the name thing was an overelaborate swerve of Russo proportions "make a post on how everyone in the group's names are now short and nobody will see the guy with the 18-character name joining", but this was mostly a poor oversight, haha. @Tiberious You're right that Hittlespitz is a tough sell in this spot. I wanted to lean into his profile update and how he's gone from the heart and soul of DIW to losing favour with management and maybe fans, making him susceptible to Nightshade showing him the appreciation he became reliant on but lost. And keep it open to interpretation in this world of no set faces and heels to what extent he's a villain versus a victim. But it's true that this probably hasn't been told well enough so far, so the booking and writing will determine whether it becomes believable or not. --- 14: Spotlight Friday 13th May 2022 We announced that the three title fights we’d been hyping – Shogo v Mace Mueller for the DIW Championship, Tim Burr v Rad Masteroff for the Australian Championship and Forever Evil v The Hired Guns for the Tag Team Championships – would take place at June’s Havoc event. This left a danger that Devil May Care four weeks earlier would feel like a filler show, but I saw it as an opportunity to put more of a spotlight on the Dog Pound and Wild Hunt stories that I had more influence over. The latest card would grant Blitz Simpson the opportunity to get his hands on one of us for the first time since we attacked him after his DIW Championship defeat to Shogo in February. He was fighting Bully XL, while apparent Wild Hunt recruit Milton Hittlespitz would face East Coast Panther, one of the teammates he betrayed at Massacre. Beyond that, Jim Teasdale wanted Mueller to battle someone ahead of his Shogo showdown, so I saw an opportunity to suggest Australian Devil for that spot, citing his strong recent reactions rather than those insights I had access to. Two of the men booked for midcard title fights at Havoc would also collide in Burr and Angus McMiller. Devil May Care 2022 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Blitz Simpson v Bully XL East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) Edited September 6 by 619 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AboardTheArk Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Usually in your diaries "filler cards" are a ruse to be honest. We'll see about this one considering we're still early on. I do treat the Milton thing as a turn and it seems like the kind of thing that fans would be on the fence about until it plays out. Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Blitz Simpson v Bully XL East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) I do think you're building to the big Bloodsport win but idk if it'd be against Smithson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DinoKea Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Devil May Care 2022 Mace Mueller def. Australian Devil Blitz Simpson def. Bully XL Milton Hittlespitz def. East Coast Panther Tim Burr def. Angus McMiller Boo Smithson def. Bloodsport Ares Death Cult def. Demarcus Lee & Blood Brother 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lions Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Devil May Care 2022 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Australian Devil should prove a great bumping partner for Mace to look like a monster heading into a rematch with Shogo, and it also proves a test to see if Devil's rise in popularity is matched with some top level performances - if he does well here maybe he's worth a more serious storyline and push? Blitz Simpson v Bully XL God I love that you happily offer up your tag partner to get shitcanned by Simpson, I like the idea of playing a character on the booking team actively looking out for themselves as I tend to lean toward the opposite and be too giving when I play a UC that is a wrestler. East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz East Coast Panther gets to be the first victim of a newly energized Milton Tim Burr v Angus McMiller A subtle reminder to your booking team cohort that his best days are long behind him by putting him up against the big hot young prospect tearing through your midcard Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Interesting match up as it seems like it might lead to Boo being the first real target of the new and improved Wild Hunt. Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) The Death Cult build up their momentum after they impressed in singles action. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha2117 Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 Devil May Care 2022 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller You mentioned the buzz on AD and whilst he's flawed he's also different to everyone else which makes giving him a push a sensible move. Blitz Simpson v Bully XL Bully will be good one day but not yet East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz ECP will work for food ... not really any doubt where this goes Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Tim needs to be kept strong for now at least Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Bloodsport is young and with luck might end up being something but right now he's the Wild Hunt designated pin taker Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) Sigh ... Ares Death Cult suck but they aren't the job squad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satyr24 Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 Devil May Care 2022 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Blitz Simpson v Bully XL East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christmas_ape Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Blitz Simpson v Bully XL East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberious Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 (edited) Sorry if my last post came across as overly critical. I always enjoy your writing and didn't mean for that to come across as nitpicky as it did re-reading it. Devil May Care 2022 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller I think Australian Devil has potential to be a star for you, but Mace is a star already and has a title match coming up. Blitz Simpson v Bully XL No reason to have one of your best guys lose to the least important member of the stable. East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz No way is Milton losing here. Tim Burr v Angus McMiller I'm not the bigest Tim Burr fan, but I feel like Angus is at the point where he might be better off transitioning into more of a manager style role than a full time worker. Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Hopefully Bloodsport with develop and eventually have his big moment, but I don't think it's happening here. Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) You seem to be pushing Ares Death Cult as the top of the tag division and gatekeepers of the main event in singles, so given this is a tag match against the two least pushed guys on your roster the outcome is pretty clear here. Edited September 7 by Tiberious 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiPlus Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Mace is too far ahead of his opponent and high up the food chain. Blitz Simpson v Bully XL Id love to see a Bully win here but it seems like that win would be better suited to Takalua overall. East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz Milton wins easy here. Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Tim Burr unless he isn't the future of company. Isn't losing to a tag team guy like Angus.Especially when it's not Wez his partner gaining momentum. Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyTeran Posted September 7 Share Posted September 7 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Blitz Simpson v Bully XL East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80085 Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 I am liking this diary bruv. Keep on making and I keep on reading. I haven't done the predictions though because I know nothing about fictional Australian wrestling, but the reading of this it is fun and I like it a lot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrestling Machine Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 Australian Devil v Mace Mueller Blitz Simpson v Bully XL East Coast Panther v Milton Hittlespitz Tim Burr v Angus McMiller Boo Smithson v Bloodsport Demarcus Lee and Blood Brother v Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
619 Posted September 8 Author Share Posted September 8 15: Devil May Care 2022 Thursday 19th May 2022 Blitz Simpson defeated Bully XL Once again, I took the approach that if I couldn’t get one of the matches I was most invested in positioned as the main event, push for it to be the opener instead, and my partner and Simpson gave the rest of the roster a tough act to follow. We surprisingly honoured our promise that it would be one on one, and Simpson was generous in how much offence he allowed Bully before putting him down with the Lifting DDT. Tevita Takulua and I hit the ring after the pinfall and initially overwhelmed Blitz Simpson, but he fought valiantly and got us under each shoulder to line up a Double Lifting DDT to a loud reaction. He didn’t notice a hooded behemoth slide into the ring behind him through the crowd though until the intruder locked in a choke, and it was only when he leaned backwards as Simpson faded under the strain that the hood slid back to reveal former DIW Champion Vaughan. Once his fellow Barracuda was out, he took turns to fist bump every member of The Dog Pound before leaving with us. Ares Death Cult (Cesar Sionis and Gyula Lakatos) defeated Blood Brother and Demarcus Lee This was a simple piece of business to reestablish Sionis and Lakatos as a dominant team after their singles defeats last month. A weapon-heavy bout ended with Lakatos putting Lee through a table with a Choke Bomb and then pinning him. Milton Hittlespitz defeated East Coast Panther Nightshade had the whole of The Wild Hunt accompany Hittlespitz to ringside just to make it clear he had indeed joined the stable and ensure he felt loved. This went longer than you’d expect with that setup, with Panther having a few flurries of offence halted by the crew at ringside. The ending saw Crazy Blue smash Panther in the head with his trademark chair, which Nightshade handed him, whispering something as he did. Instead of the crowd-pleasing Flying Knee Drop, Hittlespitz did a close-range Leg Drop plunging the chair into his opponent’s neck for the three count. The move looked surprisingly more sinister without the athletic flourish. Mayhem Mulhoney had seen enough and stormed the ring with a cricket bat. Nightshade directed The Wild Hunt to exit despite their five-on-one advantage. The leader went to speak on the entrance but handed his microphone to Milton Hittlespitz instead. Crazy Blue told Mulhoney he didn’t need to be an enemy: he himself said recently that they were similar. They’d both sacrificed their bodies at the altar of DIW to an ungrateful boss and crowd. Mulhoney was just in the wrong place at the wrong time last month. Crazy Blue never asked for him as a partner, he followed him onto that team, and maybe Mulhoney should think about following him again. As Hittlespitz turned to leave, he was embraced by Nightshade, who said he couldn’t have put it better himself. Tim Burr defeated Angus McMiller It’s hard to believe I know (apparently not based on the predictions 😆), but for once we didn’t have an upcoming title challenger win at a champion’s expense. A chaotic contest was punctuated by Rad Masteroff, Chopper and Writhe and Wez Dobberly taking turns to join Lillian O’Donahue at ringside, but the Australian Champion refused to lose focus and finally finished The Tax Man with a Tree Slam. A messy brawl down the entranceway between the six men fighting in undercard title matches next month at Havoc followed, with nobody gaining a clear advantage. Boo Smithson defeated Bloodsport Bloodsport was on his own here, something I suggested to attempt to imply that Nightshade might be distracted by his new Wild Hunt toy Milton Hittlespitz. He was never beating DIW’s most established star in such circumstances, falling foul of the Crossface Chickenwing. Con McReady interrupted Boo Smithson from the entranceway after his win. He said he got rid of Jaime G to do things his way. So even though everyone thought he should shoot straight for Shogo, Smithson had his attention. He’d beaten Shogo before and would do so again, it was just a matter of time, but when he beat Smithson, he’d be even more than DIW Champion, he’d be DIW figurehead. Mace Mueller defeated Australian Devil Australian Devil made me look like an idiot for pitching him for this spot, putting in a rotten performance in our weakest main event of the year so far. The fans seemed to love him regardless. Mueller won, building momentum for his DIW Championship match with a Punt Kick and three count. Shogo appeared looking to avenge the beating Mace Mueller put on him at Massacre, but the New Zealander didn’t hang around, exiting via the crowd saying he’d already given Shogo a taste of what to expect and would finish the job at Havoc. The DIW Champion responded by raising his title high. --- Apologies as it seems that, even by my standards, this card was too predictable, perhaps even the most predictable card in this forum's history. On the bright side, it means that hopefully even I can't screw up the maths. Total scores (out of 31 unless stated): @Tiberious 30 @DinoKea, @KyTeran and @Wrestling Machine 27 @christmas_ape, @HiPlus and @John Lions 26 @AboardTheArk and @alpha2117 25 @Satyr24 12 (out of 12) @G.B 7 (out of 12) --- @AboardTheArk I appreciated your comment about filler shows being a ruse. This one probably didn't justify your faith but, in my Barracuda mark head, the Vaughan reappearance would've been a pretty big deal for the live crowd. @John Lions I had the same thought about needing to take AusDev more seriously, though unfortunately this was a rough first step. I loved the comment about Bully getting shitcanned too. @alpha2117 Sorry for not going all in on AusDev yet, and for continuing to inflict Ares Death Cult on you. Hopefully one of your wishes will be granted soon. @Tiberious You always provide brilliant feedback so absolutely no apology needed. Everything you wrote about The Wild Hunt development was justified and didn't come across as overly critical. Congratulations on maintaining your near-flawless prediction record too. @HiPlus Apologies for the gimmick infringement with bringing back Vaughan. I always had this direction planned, but can guarantee he won't do anything nearly as compelling here as how you introduced him at the start of your dynasty or be as prominent a protagonist. @80085 Thanks for the comment and for following along. Huge thanks again to everyone for reading and interacting. I'm thinking of switching to daily posting as I'm going to be out of action for a few weeks next month, so I'd need to up the post rate to get to the end of 2022 before then and avoid pausing at an awkward point. However, if it starts to feel like too much and makes the dynasty harder for anyone to follow, please say and I'll figure out a better way forward. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christmas_ape Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 I know you've somewhat criticised the booking of Boo Smithson yourself/using it to fuel the wider storyline of BJT's lack of vision but in some ways it's worked out really well. Him being fed lesser workers in straight forward wins now makes Con's challenge stand out. Vaughan was a nice surprise, I looked forward to hearing Jake's thoughts on it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiPlus Posted September 8 Share Posted September 8 I always say book to how you want to book. You want to increase your posts go for it, it will just be more about playing catch up sometimes. In terms of the Vaughan thing, definitely don't mind seeing him pop up. The fact you don't intend to use him much means you haven't changed the database to make him active in-ring worker again. He adds a really interesting wrinkle to The Dog Pound considering all the interest that the Wild Hunt have been getting instead. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha2117 Posted September 9 Share Posted September 9 2 diaries with Vaughan is no bad thing and the Dog Pound needs help. I agree Aus Dev is problematic to push but feeding him lower card guys for a while might work. I kind of knew he probably wasn't getting that win but I sort of thought you may have gone for a DQ finish to start AD's rise. As for Ares Death Cult - people like what they like and hate what they hate, as a fan I hate their sloppy work but I totally get why they are kept around this hardcore fed. They are like a few of the old ECW guys - dangerous and problematic behaviorally but inexplicably over. They are sort of DIW's version of New Jack and Mustafa Saed. Much like those guys ADC will eventually do something stupid either in ring or backstage because that's just who they are - I imagine a lot of the roster already distrust Gyula. I actually dont mind them being in this diary because I enjoy hating on them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
619 Posted September 9 Author Share Posted September 9 (edited) @alpha2117 I really liked your Ares Death Cult-Gangstas comparison. Incidentally, without hopefully peeling back the curtain too much or appearing too derivative, the most consciously ECW-inspired beat in this dynasty (in terms of dynamics more than individual personalities) is The Wild Hunt and Raven's Nest where Nightshade first got through to a few guys low down the food chain like Stevie Richards and The Broad Street Bullies before really levelling up by onboarding a hardcore legend going through an identity crisis in Cactus Jack. @HiPlus I appreciate the feedback. I'll give daily or near-daily a trial but adjust if anyone says they're finding it hard to follow or too overwhelming, as I think that was an issue with my last dynasty. You're right about having no plans to activate Vaughan in ring again. @christmas_ape Good point about Boo Smithson: fans would hopefully just be relieved to see him doing something meaningful again, plus it enabled him to build up quite a bit of momentum. And I'm also very grateful to you for setting up the next part so well with your closing line. 22 hours ago, christmas_ape said: Vaughan was a nice surprise, I looked forward to hearing Jake's thoughts on it. --- 16: Vaughan Friday 20th May 2022 The few times I went to DIW shows as a teenager, Vaughan was the wrestler who captured my imagination, not my uncle or anyone else on the roster. The 6’5” powerhouse’s career was stopped in its prime in 2017 by a botched Gyula Lakatos’ Powerbomb and he hadn’t been back to Marv’s for five years. I knew people thought I was a sexist for questioning the number of female valets we were employing during a period of financial hardship, but how did you find a spot on your shows for Lillian O’Donahue and leave a former DIW Champion who still looked terrifying and cut strong promos at home? Mic skills were the one thing Tevita Takulua, Bully XL and I lacked that I thought could stop us being seen as a serious upper-card threat. Vaughan, a bloke who could still make most men flinch with a single step their way, was a far better solution to that issue than another Lillian or Lori. His record as the leader of one of DIW’s toughest ever gangs and history with Blitz Simpson made it even more perfect. Unlike the decision to fire Jaime G, it was obvious my fingerprints were on this hire, so I just needed to hope him and Lakatos didn’t kill one another. That was the only way I could see this backfiring on me. Edited September 9 by 619 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha2117 Posted September 9 Share Posted September 9 Oh Gyula might get shanked 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiPlus Posted September 10 Share Posted September 10 Interesting dynamic for Vaughan. The problem I see as having him as a manager is that he is far too I intimidating to not get physical himself. I look forward to seeing how you balance that tightrope of him being the most intimidating member of the group but not getting physical. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha2117 Posted September 10 Share Posted September 10 47 minutes ago, HiPlus said: Interesting dynamic for Vaughan. The problem I see as having him as a manager is that he is far too I intimidating to not get physical himself. I look forward to seeing how you balance that tightrope of him being the most intimidating member of the group but not getting physical. Weirdly he isn't the most intimidating ... all 3 of the others are close to him or in Tevita's case slightly above. He's actually visually a pretty perfect match for them as they already feel like a prison gang. I think the issue is the fact that any of them might bond with a guy who at heart is a small time criminal and probably always will be. That and the fact he may well shank Gyula. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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