Mark Cuban Does DaVE!

[Monkeypox]

[B][SIZE="4"][center]THE TRUTH ABOUT FANBOY ZILLIONAIRES[/center][/SIZE][/B] I sat back in my chair, totally sated, still smiling as the sold out crowd filed out into the icy northeastern winter all around me. Mark hadn't moved either. Still smiling, I nudged his shoulder. "Pretty good show, right?" He looked over at me, face impassive. "I'm not sure I follow." "I mean, good f'ing show! That was stellar, definitely the best show we've put on in a year, maybe one of the better shows ever. That was a great, great show. You've gotta be feeling pretty good about things right now." Mark span in his chair, jabbing his clenched fist in front of my face. "Let me tell you how I'm feeling, Jack. I give you all a little bit of wiggle room and what do you do with it? That bull**** with the barbed wires. Yeah, sure, people liked it, but they're idiots. The way I see it? That was a big risk to some of my best property." I stammered, not sure if I'd heard him correctly. "Mr. Cuban, I'm not sure that Eric or Chris would appreciate being referred to as your pro-" "Shut up, Jack. I'll tell you when you're allowed to speak again. As I was saying, Nemesis and Phil were risking some of my best property. You liked that wire match, didn't you, Jack? Well, too bad. You won't be seeing it again. Come up with some other way to get the same pop. Work on that thunderdome match idea you were so hot on a few days ago. Or hell, invent some zero-gravity grizzly bear bikini wax nine-iron match. I don't really care about the details. But I've had it with watching my main eventers take uncontrolled risks to excite a bunch of idiots in jerseys. Come up with something just as big, but safer. We can test it out on the midcarders." "But Mr. Cuban, this is a hardcore fed, the fans expect-" "First, I told you not to speak. I won't tell you again. Second, the fans expect me to make DaVE my own, and that's what I'll do. YOUR job is to make the fans like it, and if YOU can't do that, YOU get fired." He laughed to himself. "Hell, maybe I'll start calling the place MaRK." Without saying another word, he stood up, leaving me sitting alone in an arena that was suddenly dark, lonely and cold. Staring at the dark patches of blood still drying on the canvas, black in the dim light, it began to dawn on me that I didn't like Mark Cuban much at all.

[mad5226]

Nice I've bee waiting to see Mark Cubin snap, I knew he couldn't be so damn happy all the time :D

[juggaloninjalee]

Get a DaVE fan riot to kick the crap out of MaRK and get DaVE back in Phils hands!

[MrThing]

It is a good thing Mark is forcing the change, hard core wrestling hasn't been very interesting in years anyway (except real world Samoa Joe vs Butcher I, but the real sick spots did not really involve weapions but Joe giving Butcher an exploder from the ring apron head first onto the floor). DaVE needs to go cutting edge!

[Purple Cowboy]

Really looking forward to keeping up with this one. Subscription added! :)

[D-Lyrium]

Great show :D One of the easiest to read dynasties around at the moment, and I can't wait for the future :) Although, did you change Jack Giedroyc's first name for a reason or was that a typo? ¬_¬

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][SIZE="4"][FONT="Arial Black"]SPOTLIGHT ON: THE MAIN EVENTERS[/SIZE][/B][/CENTER][/FONT] I won't lie... I went home pissed that night, was pissed all evening, pissed all morning, and pissed on the drive back to work. I was only a little less pissed when I read the note in my inbox from Mark, apologizing for his harshness yesterday but reiterating that his big concern is injuries. The way he looks at it, DaVE is in a jam because of a stale product, oversized contracts, and too many injuries. I get his point, but I hope these tantrums and climbdowns won't be the norm. My only consolation, such as it is, is that Nemesis wasn't around to hear Mark refer to DaVE's main eventers as "property"... that would've meant prison for Nemesis and a year in traction for Mark Cuban, and nobody wants to see Nemesis in prison. Mark asked me to send him my honest analysis of our wrestlers from a skill and bookability perspective in terms of draw, ability and potential, as well as a short description of how they've been pushed lately. I spent this morning rooting through my old files and pages and pages of Nemesis' near unreadable writeups of old shows (we bought him two laptops and he broke them both by "typing too hard"). The process of putting the analysis together is a long one, so Mark asked me to take my time and send it along in installments. I figure I have time to draw up the main eventers before Mark's big debut the day after tomorrow. [CENTER][B][SIZE="3"][FONT="Arial Black"]THE MAIN EVENTERS[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] [B][FONT="Arial"][u]- Eddie Peak -[/u][/FONT][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][/center] [B]EDDIE PEAK[/B] is crazy, in and out of the ring. We haven't tried to "regimmick" him in awhile because he's practically taken to playing his character all the time. He mutters backstage, he writes funny symbols on the wall with crayons, his locker smells like voodoo, he's secretive, he's charismatic, he's incredibly violent in the ring. It's like trying to book Tyler Durden. His matches are fantastic not just because he's a good wrestler... it's because the fans really believe in him. They believe he's dangerous, they believe he's crazy. Eddie has solid basics, is almost totally impervious to pain, and misses less time due to injury than just about anyone on the roster. What gives me the creeps, though, are those [i]eyes[/i]. Even from up close, they're lifeless. It's like wrestling a great white shark. [b]My Rating: A[/b] [CENTER][B][FONT="Arial"][u]- Big Cat Brandon -[/u][/FONT][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BigCatBrandon_alt.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [b]BIG CAT BRANDON[/b] used to be a linebacker, and you can tell it in the way he hits. Capable of going from a deadstop to a full sprint in a very short distance, Brandon's finishing [b]Big Cat Pounce[/b] is perfect for DaVE's hardcore mileau, and over the years, we've seen him land it into chairs, through tables, off the top of cages... even into (and through) a casket. Brandon's only weakness is a plodding, dumbjock delivery that always finds him coming across thick in interviews. His total uselessness in angles that require personality may limit him in the long run, but his savage, "too worked up to talk" gimmick keeps him from having to do much mic work. Unfortunately, as a bruteforce style face, he hasn't paired well with any managers, though we've yet to attempt pairing him with Emma Chase. He is considered the #1 contender for the DaVE Unified Title. Of course, we'll probably lose him to SWF by then. [b]My Rating: A-[/b] [CENTER][B][FONT="Arial"][u]- Eric Tyler -[/u][/FONT][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] With a rock solid foundation of basic wrestling skills and a gritty, dismissive presence on the mic, [b]ERIC TYLER[/b] has been a fixture of DaVE's main event for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, that's only partially because I drink too much. Eric is old... over 40... and as a greater man once said, it's not the years... it's the mileage. His fingers, when you see them up close, are disgusting - lined with scars, bent in all the wrong directions. His shoulder sometimes pops out of the joint completely - I've seen him pop it back in without even putting down his cup of coffee, but the point remains that Eric Tyler is probably one nasty injury away from retirement. Even worse, he's injury prone. We've kept the belt off of him over the last year out of fear that he'd injure himself defending it. Eric will probably remain a fixture of the main event for awhile, but if he ever does regain the Unified Title, it'll probably represent his farewell tour. [b]My Rating: B[/b] [CENTER][B][FONT="Arial"][u]- Chris Caulfield -[/u][/FONT][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ChrisCaufield.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [b]CHRIS CAULFIELD[/b] takes a lot of crap from a lot of people - no one on this roster has taken more, over the years. With a nice guy streak that runs pretty much all the way through him, it's amazing that Chris was ever inspired to smash a bat through anyone's face in the first place - the guy literally wouldn't hurt a fly. Yeah, we all call him "Enygma Junior" behind his back and yeah, he's been the recipient of the biggest undeserved push in DaVE's history, but Phil Vibert's schoolboy chum has done everything he could to earn the push he was given retroactively. He's worked very hard to become credible in the ring, and he's shown a willingness to totally destroy his body to gain that credibility. Problem is, the guy just... never... got... over. He just doesn't draw. There are a lot of theories about why this is - I think he's honestly just too nice of a guy. He has no killer instinct. Also, Nemesis never liked him, having been forced to keep pushing him by Vibert over talent that he considered more deserving. Hard to make it all the way when the biggest authentic draw in company history is rooting against you. The real tragedy is, we'll probably end up letting him go. He's a good wrestler, but his $12,000 a month contract is the worst sort of "good ol' boy" nepotism, and even if it wasn't a financial rock around our necks, it only serves to irritate the hell out of guys like Joey Minnesota, who do a lot better work for a lot less money. [b]My Rating: C+[/b] [CENTER][B][FONT="Arial"][u]- Shawn Gonzalez -[/u][/FONT][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [b]SHAWN "Lone Wolf" GONZALEZ[/b] still moves around so well, it's easy to forget he's in his late 30s. Gonzalez puts on solid matches with just about anyone, but we've kept him around this long because of his calming backstage presence. For whatever reason, the young guys worship him, almost as much as Nemesis, and his approval is important to them. Sometimes I think he gets incredible matches out of his opponents mostly because they don't want to disappoint him. For all that backstage charisma, Gonzalez can't carry an interview to save his life, and is surprisingly weak at the actual execution of a hardcore match. He's a great guy to have in the upper midcard, but Vibert probably overcalculated by leaving him in the main event. I expect him to be slowly but consistently demoted down the card in the coming year. [b]My Rating: C[/b] [CENTER][B][FONT="Arial"][u]- Jack Giedroyc -[/u][/FONT][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JackGiedroyc.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Rounding out the Main Eventers is [b]JACK GIEDROYC[/b], a man who I think has been promoted too far, too fast. In my opinion, Giedroyc is a man operating on borrowed time. Yes, he's capable of looking very good when he's in the ring with the right opponent, but as a booker, it's my job to evaluate who is doing the actual work. I've said this so often that I'm ready to tattoo it across my own buttcheeks, and I need to say it again here: [i]"Everyone looks good when they're wrestling Acid."[/i] To me, it's unacceptable that Giedroyc gets the credit for wins over guys like Acid, Joey Minnesota or Art Reed, but can't produce a quality match on his own. To put it in Mark Cuban-speak, this isn't a guy who can "create his own shot". And that's what the main event requires, no matter what the fans think. It's an indication of just how fast the sunuva***** has gotten over that he's still got the Brass Knuckles Title around his waist... that title was meant for midcarders. Come to think of it, that belt would be perfect on Giedroyc, if he was back in the midcard where he belongs. And look at the guy. Look at the guy, and then tell me he looks hardcore. He looks like my old babysitter. She was a hell of a babysitter, though. [b]My Rating: C-[/b] [i]Coming up... "MaRK" Cuban assumes command of the sinking ship that is DaVE![/i]

[mad5226]

hey man just wanted to see if u were still doing this dynasty, I was really enjoying it, but you haven't posted anything in the past fews days

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]"A Little Man In The Big Leagues"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] Here we go, I guess. It's 10 minutes until house lights. Mark gave another address to the lockerroom before the show, but Nemesis tells me that the guys are split... Mark made an interesting booking decision earlier today upon hearing the fairly well substantiated rumor that Eric Tyler is his biggest backstage detractor, making an 11th hour shift to one of our primary plotlines to substitute Eric Tyler in for Eddie Peak as Mark Cuban's biggest initial on-camera antagonist. I discouraged the move, arguing that the storylines shouldn't cleave so close to the backstage atmosphere, but he ignored me, saying something about how it'd be "realer" this way. I still don't like the guy, but that doesn't much matter right now... the lights are going down, and as soon as the cameras start rolling, he'll be holding the mic. [CENTER][SIZE="4"][FONT="Arial Black"][COLOR="DarkRed"]DANGER ZONE TV[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER] [i][b]Being held at the Arkansas Coliseum for a sold-out crowd of 2000, February 2007, Week 1[/i][/b] [CENTER][B][U][COLOR="SlateGray"]DARK MATCH: The McWade Brothers vs The Latino Kings[/COLOR][/U][/B][/CENTER] Result: The McWade Brothers d. The Latino Kings in 6:55 w/a [b]Murder on the Mountain[/b]. [i]Jack's Notes: Bad match, really. The Latino Kings aren't really gelling as a tag team. Composed of the uneven pairing of Hector Galindo and Rudy Velasquez, the Kings are one of Vibert's old projects, and were supposed to represent the "next wave" of DaVE's tag team division. Vibert and Shawn Gonzalez put a lot of effort into training these guys, and as far as Velasquez is concerned, it's paid off a bit. He isn't stellar, but he mixes it up well and looks credible as a brawler. Galindo, on the other hand, gets all the wrong kinds of heat. He spends most of his time posturing, laughing and pointing at his crotch. He spends the rest of his time non-selling, throwing in some ineffectual grappling, and geting pinned. He does the flat-on-his-back duty for Dean McWade, this time.[/i] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Match Rating: D[/COLOR] [CENTER][B][U][COLOR="SlateGray"]DARK MATCH: JD Morgan vs Johnny Martin[/COLOR][/U][/B][/CENTER] Result: JD Morgan d. Johnny Martin in 8:43 by cheating. [i]Jack's Notes: Ah, the two best guys on the roster with absolutely no gimmicks and no plotlines. JD Martin plays the british tough relatively well, but his accent is so thick that he's not very good at doing taunt angles, so his utility as a badguy is limited. He does have a nasty, in-ring style, though - he's big on slapping, and he'll really crank the joints on rest holds, and he throws a mean european uppercut - but Johnny Martin's come-from-behind heroics just don't work with JDM, and their timing goes completely to hell. Not a good match for either wrestler, but still better than what we get from our lower midcarders.[/i] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Rating: C (Note: Bad Chemistry)[/COLOR] [CENTER][SIZE="3"][CENTER][B]***THE SHOW***[/B][/CENTER][/SIZE][/CENTER] Mark Cuban comes to the ring to his homegrown, Stooges-esque knock off music. I don't know where he got it - someone probably called in a favor - but it sucks. He takes the mic and starts talking about the changes he's going to be making in DaVE. He looks good up there, but he's trying to play a face and no one thinks of him that way. There are more boos than cheers as he starts speaking, but he rambles right over the top of it. For a few minutes, he goes through the predictable stuff - how he's here to make changes, how we're going to be seeing more of what we love from Danger and Violence Extreme with an emphasis on the EXTREME, how our fans should expect the unexpected and blah blah blah. It's mandatory, but I can only hope that the fans aren't as bored as I am. About three minutes in, he gets to the first of his "big announcements". "Ladies and gentlemen, in life, we are only as good as our friends, and we only last as far as we've got the right guy watching our backs. Conflict is about alliances, titles rise and fall on loyalty and betrayals. 90% of success is who you know, and who you've got on your side." "It is with this in mind that I introduce a new title here at DaVE - the [b]#1 Contendership Belt[/b]. This belt is a special belt insofar as it entitles you to take your best shot. Whoever holds this belt shall be able to challenge the number one contender for a title shot at the belt of their choosing, be it the [b]Brass Knuckles Title, the Tag Title,[/b] or even the [b]Unified Title[/b]. This belt will not be defended at the Pay Per View, but it will dictate who [i]makes[/i] it to the Pay Per View." "And that's not all. This is a [b]Six-Man Title[/b]." Here the crowd gets a little restless. Three on Three matches are not a rarity in DaVE, but this is the first time that they've been attached to a belt or tangible reward. "Three on Three. Winning this belt takes friends. Losing it is as easy as one moment of betrayal, one knife in the back. Alliances will be formed. Promises will be made and broken. Every wrestler has one week to find two partners and enter themselves into the tournament that will begin next week. These teams will be posted on our website as they are announced. Expect... the [i]unexpected!"[/i] [i]Jack's Notes: Well... okay, he hit all the rhetorical highpoints, but that "EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED" thing is just tired - a rookie move. Sad writing. Unfortunately, Mark insists on writing his own dialogue. The three on three title was Mark's idea too... he's taking his cues from shows like "Lost" and "Survivor", saying that what America wants to watch right now is strategic alliance formation and dissolution - he doesn't want "Sports Entertainment", but he does want factions, teams, alliances, and he's instructed me to rewire our major plotlines to fit this new framework. I haven't made up my mind about our chances, or about whether this will stick with a bunch of guys who are used to seeing chairs hit faces. The difference, as always, will be in the execution."[/i] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Angle: Interview/Hype Rating: C+ [/COLOR] [CENTER][B][U][COLOR="SlateGray"]Sammy Bach vs Scout[/COLOR][/U][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Scout.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Sammy Bach d. Scout in 9:38 after Emma Chase interferes. [i]Jack's Notes: The announcers hype this as the first half of our tag team "round robin" (an earlier match between Teddy Powell and Tank Bradley was postponed on the grounds that Nemesis thinks Tank Bradley "has a belly like a bowl of mashed potatoes and I'm ******** ***** **** * *** of seeing it in **** leather". This match was fine - Emma provided some good timing and distracted Scout with her cleavage at a crucial moment, which caused a brief quarrel between her and Sammy Bach after the match. He appeared to try to get her to button up her top. She agreed, but as soon as she returned to the announcer's table, she unbuttoned that button and the one below it.[/i] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Rating: C+ [/COLOR] A tired and dazed Sammy is helped from the ring by Teddy Powell as Emma Chase looks on with concern. They make it about halfway down the ramp before Eric Tyler hurtles down the ramp to hit Teddy Powell with a nasty shoulderblock and send him tumbling headfirst back down the ramp. He throws a DDT on Sammy back onto the steelgrated ramp, and he starts bleeding immediately as Emma looks on helplessly. Pausing to leer at Emma, Eric hits the ring and grabs a mic, pausing to help Scout to his feet. Together, they announce the reformation of [b]The School of Tradition[/b], DaVE's oldest and most venerated heel stable. Announcer Mitch Naess speculates outloud about the absence of [b]Acid[/b], a member of the School of Tradition in its last manifestation, but he doesn't appear. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Angle: Alliance Formation Rating: C+ [/COLOR] [CENTER][B][U][COLOR="SlateGray"]Alex Braun vs Guide[/COLOR][/U][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/AlexBraun.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Guide.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Guide d. Alex Braun in 11:02 w/ a [b]Guided Missile[/b]. [i]Jack's Notes: Playtime for Guide again in the second part of our Tag Team roundtable. Alex Braun is by far the better part of the New Jersey Devils, but he's not in Guide's league. Alex got in some small spurts of offense and Guide would sell them pretty well, but he just smashed any attempt at escalation. Alex just started to get rolling and went for the lariat off the ropes, which Guide ducked, poked the eyes, kicked the gut and POW - Guided Missile. Guide continues to look a little too sexy for our lukewarm tag division.[/i] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Angle: Rating: C- [/COLOR] Nemesis hits the ring and talks about how he's turned over a new leaf, he wants to support Mark Cuban as commissioner, and he thinks it's finally time to turn over a new leaf with long-time rival Chris Caulfield. The bigscreen shows footage from last week's [b]PPV[/b], which ended with Nemesis saving Caulfield from a vicious attack from Eric Tyler and preventing him from whipping Phil Vibert into the barbed-wire wrapped turnbuckle. Nemesis calls Caulfield to the ring. His music hits, and a visibly bandaged and limping Caulfield makes his way down the ramp with his guard clearly up. He enters the ring and eyes Nemesis warily as Nemesis extends a hand. Chris looks around at the crowd, which starts cheering and yelling at him to shake. Of course, when he does, Nemesis f'in flattens him. The lights go red, lighting Nemesis' face from below, and the crowd sees that not only is DaVE's Devil back, he never really left. [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Angle: In-Ring Beatdown Rating: B [/COLOR] Cuban hits the ring again, and makes the second of his big announcements. "You know what I hate about wrestling? No merit. You win a match, you lose a match, it doesn't matter. There are guys who win all their matches and never see the broad side of a PPV, and there are main eventers who spit out the same crap, week after week, and still get screen time. This is about to change. From here on out, no one is safe. No one gets screentime. From now on, this is a meritocracy. A "Mark-o-tocracy". "In basketball, we've got a little something I like to call the [i]standings[/i]. You take one look at the newspaper, you can see that the Dallas Mavericks are the best team in the league." (lots of boos here, we're in Arkansas) "There's no ambiguity. Well, guess what. I'm tired of not knowing who the contenders are. Welcome to the BIG BOARD." (here, a graphic comes up on the bigscreen - it's a ranking from 1-10, but the spots are empty except for Eddie Peak, at #1) "I reward results, and I punish failure. Once a month, we will release the power rankings for DaVE. And it isn't just words on paper. Make it to the top and you get big things - title shots, TV time, it's all done [i]your way[/i]. Ask me for a favor, you'll get it. Ask me for a raise, you just might get it." "But if you ain't on this list, I'll have you cleaning bathrooms. And don't think just because you drew a lot of water under Vibert, you'll get **** from me. You gotta do **** to get ****." (big pop - DaVE crowds love profanity) "So the following 10 wrestlers have one minute to hit the ring for an over the top Royal Rumble. I wanna see what we got. It's a cleanslate - whoever wins this thing is the Number One contender as of right now." [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Angle: Hype Interview Rating: C [/COLOR] [CENTER][B][U][COLOR="SlateGray"]***10 MAN ROYAL RUMBLE***[/COLOR][/U][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Shawn Gonzalez wins in 19:41. Order of elimination: 10. Vin Tanner 9. Art Reed 8. Jack Giedroyc 7, 6. Eric Tyler/Chris Caulfield (together) 5. Joey Minnesota 4. Travis Century 3. Acid 2. Big Cat Brandon [i]Jack's Notes: That was total chaos. The wrestlers had to run down the ramp to hit the ring in time, and as Caulfield was running down, Eric Tyler blitzed him from behind, and the two had to be separated so the match could start. They both went over when Big Cat Brandon blindsided and double-clotheslined both of them. The real meat of the match came in the last four minutes, as Acid, Gonzalez and Big Cat Brandon finally had the space to engage in some real wrestling. Acid made an amazing save off of a Big Cat Brandon clothesline by rolling all the way over, kicking the side of the ring and rolling all the way back, but Big Cat Brandon showed his power shortly thereafter, sending Acid out of the ring with a belly-to-belly so vicious that Acid barely brushed the top rope on his way over. Eddie Peak came to ringside at the end of the match and distracted Big Cat Brandon, which allowed Gonzalez to clothesline him over the side for the win.[/i] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"]Rating: C [/COLOR] [QUOTE]SHORT RESULTS: [i] McWade Bros d. Latino Kings - D JD Morgan d. Johnny Martin - C Sammy Bach d. Scout - C+ Guide d. Alex Braun - C- Shawn Gonzalez wins 10 person Royal Rumble - C[/i] [b]Show Rating: C[/QUOTE]

[mad5226]

Great show man, I really like the "standings" thng you have going that's creative. I have this book marked, it s easily my favorite read

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]"The #1 Contender Belt"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] From my monitoring of DaVE's internet forum (one of my favorite parts of this job), it became pretty clear that Mark's introduction of the [b]#1 Contender Belt[/b] left quite a lot to be desired. First of all, while he said that holding the belt would get you a shot at the #1 contendership of your choice, he didn't explain how, or when, or who. Some good questions on the board today, which I answered as "Mark". [i]So it's a six man belt, though... does EVERYONE get a shot at the #1 contender of their choice?[/i] No, just one per PPV. So if you're a team consisting of one main eventer and a tag team, either the tag team or the main eventer gets a shot, not both. [i]How are they gonna work out who gets the shot, then?[/i] That's up to them. [i]Won't that cause a lot of infighting and hurt feelings?[/i] The whole point of this belt is to create discord, shifting alliances, and factions. So that's a very enthusiastic yes. [i]When is the belt defended?[/i] On Danger Zone TV and at non-PPV events. Usually not on PPVs, though that rule isn't hard and fast. [i]When can competitors "cash in" their #1 Contendership Challenge?[/i] Whenever they want to, but only once per PPV period (i.e. once per month). I also posted the preview for the six man tournament assembled around this belt earlier today. Nemesis and I decided to start by introducing four teams, though we'll very quickly be introducing at least one and possibly two more after this. I'm happy with the teams, and with their basis. These are four very different teams that each bring something unique to the ring. [QUOTE][B][SIZE="3"][FONT="Arial Black"]NEXT WEEK ON DANGER ZONE TV:[/FONT][/SIZE][/B] Four entries have been announced in the two-round tournament to determine the [b]#1 Contendership Belt[/b], and all teams will be in action this week on [b]Danger Zone TV[/b] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]TEAM ONE:[/COLOR] [b]The School of Tradition.[/b] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Guide.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Scout.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [i][b]Eric Tyler, Guide [/b] and [b]Scout[/b] are bringing back DaVE's most feared heel tandem, [b]The School of Tradition[/b]. A devastating totalitarian force that dominated federation politics for years and even succeeded in temporarily stripping Phil Vibert of his authority in 2003, the [b]School of Tradition[/b] was disbanded following the Vibert orchestrated defeat and humiliation of the Unified Title holder, [b]Eric Tyler[/b]. With Tyler angry at the changes being made to "his" DaVE, this is a team to fear.[/i] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]TEAM TWO:[/COLOR] [b]Pure Adrenaline.[/b] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ChrisCaufield.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TeddyPowell.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [i]Tag Champions [b]Adrenaline Rush[/b] have formed an alliance with former Unified Champion [b]Chris Caulfield[/b]. This team has a proven track record of taking the big hits and coming out ahead. No bump is too big, no hit is too heavy. Three men who never stay down.[/i] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]TEAM THREE:[/COLOR] [b]Menace.[/b] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TravisCentury.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/HellsBouncer.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [i][b]Eddie Peak, "The Devil's Right Hand" Travis Century[/b] and the hulking [b]Hell's Bouncer[/b] have announced the formation of an unholy alliance to be guided by the merciless hand of Nemesis. Backed by the most storied and vicious heel in the history of the federation, this trio combines brute force with a complete lack of humanity. Enter the ring with this team on your own power if you want to, but plan on taking the stretcher back out. [/i] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]TEAM FOUR:[/COLOR] [b]The Wolfpack.[/b] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ArtReed.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/VinTanner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [i][b]"The Lone Wolf" Shawn Gonzales[/b] continues his pursuit of the Unified Title with the support of crippling technician [b]Art Reed[/b] and the veteran leadership of [b]Vin "Silverback" Tanner[/b]. This team is hungry and smart, and they'll find a way to beat you. All you can count on is this - when it happens, you won't see it coming.[/i] [b][i]NEXT WEEK: The School of Tradition *vs* The Wolfpack Pure Adrenaline *vs* Menace[/b][/i][/QUOTE] Thanks again for the kind words. Predictions welcome.

[mad5226]

The School of Tradition *vs* [B]The Wolfpack[/B] [B]Pure Adrenaline[/B] *vs* Menace I think Pure Adrenaline will win the whole thing =)

[Dochappy]

Seriously this diary is probably the easiest to read diary that I've seen. I love the standings idea and the backstory was great as well.

[D-Lyrium]

Great show, as usual. Some thoughts: - You "Geidroyc'd" JD Morgan's name during the notes. Although it was more of an anti-Geidroyc in fact, since you called him JD Martin ¬_¬ Sure, it doesn't matter, but it proved I read the shows, right? :p - #1 Contendership titles that physically exist as a belt/trophy/prize are one of my least favourite things ever (due to the amount they restrict you generally. If you have a number one contendership belt, it's either going to get vacated extremely regularly, or a lot of people who aren't the number one contender are going to get title shots, making it pointless). But you've even managed to make THAT interesting. Grats. The "three-man title but only one gets a shot" thing is hugely interesting. - My love of the Wolfpack almost eclipses my hatred of Vin Tanner. But not quite. Mind you, Shawn Gonzalez (his character anyway) is one of the least trustworthy people in wrestling, so I'm guessing he's just using them to get a shot at Eddie. I'm guessing a lot of that type of thing is going to go on, in various forms though, so making Shawn interesting is going to be... well, interesting. - Travis Century sticks out like a sore thumb in his team ¬_¬ I'm guessing that, or at least his presence in it, will be short lived. Or he'll get a makeover character-wise. I don't usually do predictions with so little to go on, but I'm going to anyway because I enjoy this diary immensely: The School of Tradition vs The Wolfpack - Gotta be the Wolfpack. Although Tyler is set to be the main man, either he or Peak need a babyface turn to do that effectively, and New Wave are already a successful team, while Menace would fall apart without Peak (in my mind, at least. Managed by Nemesis they might survive I guess), so I'm picking the Wolfpack. Gonzalez needs the title shot more than Tyler (from a "who's most likely to get one any other way?" perspective), Tyler needs someone to blame for why he doesn't get it yet (assuming, of course, that he doesn't get it yet). So this match would solve both problems if the Wolfpack won it. This also assumes that there is such a thing as a title shot without the contendership belt. I imagined it as more of a "This guarantees you a shot, if you can't get one naturally" thing, otherwise there'd only be one title shot a month at one of three titles ¬_¬ Pure Adrenaline vs Menace - I'm gonna go for Menace. Simply because Caulfield sucks. Plus, Menace need to be built up, because they and the Wolfpack are the only trio that aren't "natural" trios. One is a stable anyway, and the other is an existing tag team with logical main eventer leading them. Menace are just thrown together, and... the Wolfpack are pretty much thrown together too, actually, but two of them are good workers, and I like them. So there ¬_¬

[Monkeypox]

Loved the analysis, D-Lyrium. Very rewarding as an author to see someone put some heavy thinking into the underpinning rationales behind the alliance formations. You're right that the Peak/Tyler dilemma is a big one, since neither can play a face to save their life... but as a reminder, we haven't seen, among others, [b]Big Cat Brandon[/b] make an appearance in the six man thing. Anyhow, this post is mostly to clarify that I dont update on weekends for logistical reasons, but we'll be back with a new show on Monday. Have a nice weekend.

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"][B]"The Last Days of Indefinite Equality"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] Mark's spent a little more time sending out memos (and he does love memos) elaborating on the ranking system. We'll put it out once per month, and the first list comes out after this week's Danger Zone TV. Mark emphasized that although the list will be somewhat worked and essentially kayfabe, it'll also be something of a barometer on how you're doing in the company. Losing is bad, sure, but winning a terrible match isn't much better. To move up the list, you have to DRAW, not necessarily win. Mark's philosophy that a wrestling federation should be a meritocracy is partially his on-screen character, but is also a reflection of his own business philosophy. Also, the rankings are to be constantly reflected in the way matches are paired and announced... so it won't be unusual, after this week, to hear a match announced as [b]#2 Big Cat Brandon vs #8 Acid[/b], or something similar. The guys are a little nervous about this too... and I don't blame them. Vibert seemed a lot more willing to let coasters slide along the upper midcard than Cuban is, and he's given us no indication that he intends to "respect the veterans" as a matter of course, even if a few of them are older than he is. [center][SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkRed"][B][FONT="Arial Black"]DANGER ZONE TV[/FONT][/B][/COLOR][/center][/SIZE] [B][I]February 2007, Week 2, held in front of a crowd of 3,406 at the McGraw Arena[/I][/B] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]DARK MATCH: Steve Flash vs Rudy Velasquez[/COLOR][/CENTER] Result: Rudy Velasquez d. Steve Flash in 7:11 w/ a [b]Street Cutter[/b] [i]Jack's Notes: I was a little surprised when Mark informed me that the first new hire of his era would be the aging Steve Flash, and all the more surprised when I learned it was Nemesis who decided to bring him in. Mark has made no secret of a desire to undergo something of a youth movement in the coming months, and I have been tasked with canvassing America to find untapped 19 year olds who might be able to make it in the big leagues. I still think expecting greenhorn kids to make it in a Hardcore Fed is straight stupidity, but this is what happens when you aren't allowed to hire anyone who already has a job - you're left with has-beens and never-beens. Anyhow, Steve agreed to work as a backstage trainer and in-ring teacher, and here he does the job of carrying Rudy to his best result in Fed history.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]RATING: C-[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]DARK MATCH: Joey Minnesota vs Johnny Martin[/COLOR][/CENTER] Result: Joey Minnesota d. Johnny Martin in 11:10 with an [b]Empire Spiral[/b]. [i]Jack's Notes: Ah, Johnny Martin, how you bore me. I know you're an icon, I know you're a contender, etc, etc... and while you have a good understanding of psychology, you've got the breadth of a tapeworm and the aesthetics of a tic-tac. I don't know what to do with you. I DO appreciate your willingness to put that smart psychology to work letting Minnesota apply some boot to your chin, though. This was a good match from a wrestling perspective - wish there'd been room for it on the main show. Minnesota could use the exposure.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]RATING: C[/COLOR] [CENTER]***MAIN SHOW*** [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Big Cat Brandon vs Nathan Coleman[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BigCatBrandon_alt.jpg[/IMG]vs[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/NathanColeman.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Big Cat Brandon d. Nathan Coleman in 7:03 w/ a [b]Big Cat Pounce[/b] [i]Jack's Notes: The announcers followed instruction and spent some time speculating on how Big Cat Brandon hasn't joined a three-man team yet, how he's too dangerous to work in a teamwork structure, but how he may be vulnerable without allies in this new, increasingly partisan DaVE. He looked fine in the ring, though, making relatively short work of in a mostly one-sided contest.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]RATING: C[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Menace v. Pure Adrenaline[/COLOR] [COLOR="SlateGray"]SIX MAN TOURNAMENT MATCH[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TravisCentury.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/HellsBouncer.jpg[/IMG]vs[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ChrisCaufield.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TeddyPowell.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Menace d. Pure Adrenaline in 12:23 after Eddie Peak pins Teddy Powell. [i]The announcers hype this as the first six man match in history, but it could've gotten off to a more auspicious start. Menace is... well... menacing, but they don't do the business of wrestling very well. Hell's Bouncer is unconvincingly slow against lightweight workers... there was one stretch where Sammy Bach had to play the dazed game for a full five minutes while Hell's Bouncer landed clotheslines which looked both painful and as though he was running through molasses. Even worse, he takes hits the same way. He isn't much of a seller to begin with, but it takes him so long to react to a hit that it loses a lot of realism. "The Devil's Right Hand" Travis Century, for his part, ran out of gas about five minutes into the match and confined himself to a lot of huffing and puffing on the turnbuckle. Eddie Peak wasn't able to carry the team and spent a lot of time fighting a rapidly rotating three-on-one game. The match ended when Peak found himself alone in the ring with Teddy Powell. Emma, as she often does when her boys are in trouble, ran to the apron and started fiddling suggestively with one of her buttons. Eddie started towards her with the usual glazed look on his face, but when he reached her, his face twisted, those dead shark eyes flashed, and he clotheslined her off the side. Sammy freaked out and ran down to check on her and Eddie made short work of Powell in a three-on-two, with Hell's Bouncer catching Caulfield with a lariat as he ran to help.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]RATING: D[/COLOR] [b]Emma Chase[/b] is stretchered out with [b]Sammy Bach[/b] assisting, and doesn't announce any more matches tonight. [b]Menace[/b] advances in the tournament. [COLOR="Sienna"]ANGLE: Injury. RATING: C-[/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Acid.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Backstage, we see [b]Acid[/b] in the locker room, standing perfectly motionless. [b]Eric Tyler, Scout[/b] and [b]Guide[/b] are standing in a close semi-circle around him. "What I'm sayin', good buddy, is that it's time to restore some order to this Federation." Eric Tyler is doing his best to sound convincing while Guide and Scout are busy nodding agreement to everything he says. "We've had some good times, you and me. We've put our mark on this place together. We've put fear in the hearts of those cowardly bastards, we kept Vibert in line and we can sure do the same to this billionaire debutant Mark Cuban. It's time to reopen the [b]School of Tradition[/b] and we can't do that without you. Whatdoya say, man?" For a moment, Acid just stands there like a robot with an offswitch... then, almost imperceptibly, his head shakes back and forth. Eric rears back, shocked. "I'm pretty sure you didn't just say no to me, Acid. You don't leave the [b]School of Tradition[/b], man. Once you're signed on as a teacher, you're a lifer. Look, I know you're getting into some weird **** lately, some dark-***ed ****, but I'm gonna give you a chance to put all that hoodoo voodoo garbage behind you and come back to the family. What. Do. You. SAY?" Tyler has leaned in very close to Acid's masked face. A strange noise breaks the silence... a strange, repeated mechanical sound, like gears shifting or metal grinding - something in the dark auditory space between a scrape and a hiss. After a moment, it becomes clear that the sound is coming from Acid. He's laughing. Tyler immediately turns bright red and grabs Acid by the front of his uniform. "Now listen you little fa-" Acid inhales, his hands come up and seize Tyler by either wrist and his head snaps forward with a sharp exhaling noise. In a blast, a cloud of thick gray mist shoots forward from Acid's mouthpeice, almost like steam, and Tyler screams in pain. The steam billows in front of the camera and we see Guide and Scout step over Tyler to grasp at the space Acid had filled, catching only the dissipating mist and shadows. Acid is gone. [COLOR="Sienna"]ANGLE: Attack. RATING: B-[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Jack Giedroyc vs JD Morgan[/COLOR] [COLOR="SlateGray"]DaVE BRASS KNUCKLES TITLE MATCH "Table Match"[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JackGiedroyc.jpg[/IMG]vs[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JDMorgan.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Jack Giedroyc d. JD Morgan in 14:22. He makes defense number 6 of his title. [i]Jack's Notes: The man with the easiest name to misspell in all of professional wrestling has a pretty good match with resident ****ney nastyman JD Morgan. I like Morgan's style - he makes submission holds look painful, and he's constantly babbling incoherant ****ney cusswords at Giedroyc. Giedroyc sells the near taps like a champion, working his way to the ropes and eventually duping JD Morgan into putting himself through a table by playing possum and dodging a turnbuckle avalanche.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]RATING: C+[/COLOR] [b]Menace[/b] has a general hype interview congratulating themselves on their big win tonight. [b]Nemesis[/b] hypes them and talks a bit about the "Black clouds of retribution and despair that are gathering over DaVE" and the futility of challenging [b]"The Devil's Champion", Eddie Peak[/b]. [b]Travis Century[/b] gets in a few lines about his Ministry of Blood. [b]Eddie Peak[/b], in his moment on the mic, inexplicably but convincingly confesses to tearing the wings off of butterflies. [i]If they could wrestle half as well as they posture, this fed's problems would be over. But Nemesis, for all of his upperbody strength, is on a regimen of painkillers that would get a rhino stoned. He's in no condition. He can't save us. A shame.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]ANGLE: Hype Interview. RATING: B[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]School of Tradition vs The Wolfpack[/COLOR] [COLOR="SlateGray"]SIX MAN TOURNAMENT MATCH[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ArtReed.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/VinTanner.jpg[/IMG]vs[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Guide.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Scout.jpg[/IMG][/center] Result: The Wolfpack d. The School of Tradition in 19:14 after Shawn Gonzales pins Scout. [i]Jack's Notes: Oh man. Note to self: Don't ever put Vin Tanner in a match that long again. The tragedy of this federation might be how often I have to tell guys to WATER IT DOWN. Halfway through the match, Nemesis had to radio into the ref to let Art Reed know that he's making Shawn Gonzales look bad. A minute later, he had to do the same thing to Guide. And then, horror of horrors, the two of them ended up IN THE RING together. And for a moment, it was beautiful. Holds were reversed, moves were sold perfectly, the arena went nuts. But when it came time for the inevitable Eric Tyler vs Shawn Gonzales finale, it looked flat by comparison - just two old men throwing slow punches, landing stock issue clotheslines, doing a lot of posing. A perfect metaphor for all that is wrong with DaVE, played out as a tragicomedy for the audience. There was an extensive debate about whether to get Acid involved in this match, and we decided against it, limiting ourselves to putting some convincing burn damage make-up on Tyler, and that too was a mistake... it's clear that the crowd wanted him to come in and make trouble. I booked this finale all wrong. Hopefully Cuban is too green to know the difference, but wow, did I screw the pooch on this one. I need to spend a long weekend with a bottle of vodka and a headful of ideas about what on earth I'm gonna do with guys like Tank Bradley, Vin Tanner and Travis Century, who seem to exist only to blow my momentum and screw up my plotlines.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]RATING: D+[/COLOR] [B]SHOW RATING: C-[/B] [QUOTE][B]QUICK RESULTS: Steve Flash d. Rudy Velasquez: C- Big Cat Brandon d. Nathan Coleman: C Joey Minnesota d. Johnny Martin: C Menace d. Pure Adrenaline: D Jack Giedroyc d. JD Morgan: C+ The Wolfpack d. The School of Tradition: D+ Show Rating: C- [/B][/QUOTE]

[D-Lyrium]

Whoo, 2 and 0 ¬_¬ Vin Tanner's unique form of anti-wrestling has shown itself early I see. I really hate that guy :p You might've noticed. The Acid segment was badass. He could be very interesting, as well as great in the ring. You seem to be doing quite well at giving people character, which is quite difficult when everyone is made up and we don't really have any evidence of what they're supposed to be like. It'll be interesting to see how you handle guys like Reed, Minnesota and Giedroyc, who don't really have any obvious characters to start from. Nice to see the two Brits getting match of the night, too ;)

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][FONT="Arial Black"][SIZE="4"]POWER RANKINGS - FEBRUARY 2007[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][b]#1. Eddie Peak[/b] - [i]No surprises here, as undefeated Eddie continues to ride a strong alliance with [b]Nemesis[/b] and defeat all comers.[/i] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BigCatBrandon_alt.jpg[/IMG][b]#2. Big Cat Brandon[/b] - [i]It's been a quiet couple of weeks for Brandon, who has a few coaster victories but has faced weak competition since his loss to Peak at [b]Counter Culture[/b][/i] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][b]#3. Eric Tyler[/b] - [i]With lots of screen time, an alliance with DaVE's most promising tag team in [b]New Wave[/b] and an emerging antagonism with DaVE's new owner, this has been a good month for the decorated heel fixture [b]Eric Tyler[/b][/i]. [b]#4. Shawn Gonzalez[/b] - [i]Solid wins over good competition with a huge upset victory at the 10-man Royal Rumble that inaugerated Cuban's reign.[/i] [b]#5. Jack Giedroyc[/b] - [i]Comfortably holding down the Brass Knuckles Title, but facing mostly midcard competition and not making any waves higher up the ladder.[/i] [b]#6. Chris Caulfield[/b] - [i]Former [b]Unified Title[/b] holder falling in the rankings due to losses to recent losses to long-time rival Eric Tyler and poor in-ring performance. Unlike Tyler, not charismatic enough to rely on angles to buttress declining athleticism.[/i] [b]#7. Guide[/b] - [i]Has been the best wrestler of every match he's participated in so far in 2007. Somewhat mired by weak competition, though new six-man structure and partnership with Eric Tyler seems likely to open up new opportunities for this rising star to show his stuff outside of a soft Tag Division.[/i] [b]#8. Acid[/b] - [i]Solid in the ring and a well-known backstage favorite of the booking team, Acid has created major problems for himself by breaking from long-time allies [b]The School of Tradition[/b], though his recent disappearance into shadow and stealth make him a difficult mark for any attempt at revenge.[/i] [b]#9. Joey Minnesota[/b] - [i]Wonderfully consistent ring work, gradually positioning himself for a run at the [b]Brass Knuckles[/b] title and considered, alongside Acid, to be the most generally gifted of the midcarders.[/i] [b]#10. Art Reed[/b] - [i]Something of a lost soul during the last days of the Vibert administration, Art Reed has attempted to jumpstart his career by tethering his horse to [b]Shawn Gonzales'[/b] wagon. Though Gonzales is clearly the motor that drives [b]The Wolfpack[/b], Art seems to be working to position himself as a valuable ally and asset for the would-be [b]Unified Champion[/b][/i]. [i]On the bubble: Travis Century, Scout, Sammy Bach, Vin Tanner[/i]

[Monkeypox]

[QUOTE=D-Lyrium;185151]Whoo, 2 and 0 ¬_¬ Vin Tanner's unique form of anti-wrestling has shown itself early I see. I really hate that guy :p You might've noticed. The Acid segment was badass. He could be very interesting, as well as great in the ring. You seem to be doing quite well at giving people character, which is quite difficult when everyone is made up and we don't really have any evidence of what they're supposed to be like. It'll be interesting to see how you handle guys like Reed, Minnesota and Giedroyc, who don't really have any obvious characters to start from.[/QUOTE] 1. Vin Tanner is human waste. 295 more days to get him down to "Lower Midcarder". I should've run more test darkmatches before I put [b]The Wolfpack[/b] together, which I can see now would've profitted tremendously from the inclusion of [b]Johnny Martin[/b] over Tanner. 2. I love Acid, and I know just how I want to write him. I have much less of an idea how to write... say... Nathan Coleman. 3. My idea for Joey Minnesota's character might be why I started this diary. Are you a fan of Klaus Kinski, by chance?

[Gozer]

This goes without saying, but from one DaVE player to another, PUSH ACID. I'd never thought to match him against Eric Tyler, but I'd love to see him break that egomaniac's head open a few times. I can't imagine Tyler would go for that, tho. He protests having to lose to guys like Big Cat Brandon, much less a midcard dood like Acid. Hell, I don't think Tyler's ever been willing to job to ANYBODY. PRick. Anyhow, like the power rankings but I'm so-so with the #1 Contender thing. Travis Century and Vin Tanner SUCK, dude, and you're gonna waste guys like Art Reed (in particular) because having Tanner in his matches is gonna ruin his ability to get over. But enjoying this, keep it up.

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][FONT="Arial Black"][SIZE="4"]"THE NEW HIRES"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] Caught something of a break after last night's crap [COLOR="DarkRed"]"DANGER ZONE TV"[/COLOR] - Mark Cuban was so excited about the Mavs beating the Suns in Phoenix that I don't think he spent too much time with the tape, but I'm still smarting. The sad fact of it is, I overestimated guys like Tanner and Century. Worse yet, I'd made them parts of developing plotlines when I didn't need to, picked them over more talented guys who haven't sat as high up the card, maybe, but who are comparatively bursting with long-term potential. I'd sided with the old saps over the young blood. Basically, I'd acted just like Vibert. There was a memo in my inbox from Mark this morning, but it didn't mention last night's show at all. In addition to my usual question to raise ratings and stop the financial bloodletting, I was to put some effort into another of Mark's pet projects, the revitalization of our anemic tag division. [b]Adrenaline Rush[/b] hadn't had a tag defense since they won the title at [b]Culture Clash[/b], mostly because there was no one worth a serious look. [b]New Wave[/b] was busy backing Eric Tyler and would continue to remain occupied for a few weeks, yet. [b]The New Jersey Devils[/b] hadn't ever managed a good match against Adrenaline Rush, [b]The Latino Kings[/b] were literally getting food thrown at them by short-fused New Yorkers every time they entered the ring, and [b]The McWade Brothers[/b], while good for a solid match, didn't represent much of an improvement over the NJ Devils as a draw. I had already been forced to scratch two potential tag pairings after poor performances in house shows and dark matches, but I was able to respond to Cuban with the promise that I would be debuting a new and very important tag team in the next week, with the possibility of another to follow soon afterward. Cuban had also asked me to make five new hires, including his hire of Steve Flash two weeks ago, and having completed the last of the signings, I sent him a write-up on the new hires: [QUOTE][FONT="Arial Narrow"][SIZE="3"]"The New Hires"[/SIZE][/FONT] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG][B]FUMIHIRO OTA[/B]. [i]Projected starting position: Lower Midcarder[/i] Ota fills a quick need for us by offering some solid technical skills and matwork in a federation not known for either. It is my feeling that guys like Art Reed, Acid and Guide have been held back substantially by being forced to overutilize their brawling at the expense of other skills. Ota is meant to help this along, and should receive substantial exposure from the moment he's introduced. On the downside, Ota is a career heel and our fed is already unbalanced in that direction, and his brawling/hardcore skills are horrible. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SteveFlash.jpg[/IMG][B]STEVE FLASH.[/B] [I]Projected Starting Position: Opener[/I] At this point in his career, Steve Flash is best suited to using his incredible fundamental skills to help train the next generation of workers, and he's agreed to wrestle with DaVE occasionally in furtherance of this purpose. He's probably destined to lose most of his matches and may never move substantially up the card, but will serve an important face role for us and reliably make mediocre workers look great. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BlackEagle.jpg[/IMG][B]BLACK EAGLE[/B]. [I]Projected Starting Position: Opener[/I] This was my one smooth move. By pure coincedence, I hired Black Eagle in the one day between the end of the Vibert regime and Cuban's imposition of a total ban on employed workers... so even though Black Eagle is a long-time CZCW favorite, we get to use him. And if I had it all to do over again, I'd probably use that one-in-a-million exception on him all over again. Black Eagle is thrilled to be here, and I was happy to promise him substantial airtime when he inked his contract. Like Ota, I expect to be giving Black Eagle real burn as soon as the next [b]Danger Zone TV[/b]. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/KashmirSingh.jpg[/IMG][B]KASHMIR SINGH[/B]. [I]Projected Starting Position: Enhancement Talent[/I] Strong, tough and pleasant to work with, 29 year old Indian Kashmir Singh was hired mostly because he agreed to work for $150 dollars a pop. With obvious natural athleticism and an incredible tolerance for pain, Kashmir is a natural fit for DaVE's ultraviolent style. Unfortunately, Kashmir is a long way from knowing how to wrestle. We hired Steve Flash specifically to help a guy like Kashmir fill in the blanks. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/CameronVessey.jpg[/IMG][B]CAMERON VESSEY[/B]. [I]Projected Starting Position: Enhancement Talent[/I] With a natural sense of timing in the ring that I can only assume is genetic, Cameron Vessey shows a lot of potential and already shows some promise as a generalist with just the sort of hardcore streak we look for, but has "PROJECT" written all over him in bright, neon letters. Still, with Cuban bugging me to find a "diamond in the rough" that he can take credit for in two years, I think he'd struggle to find a candidate as good as this one.[/QUOTE] Also now on the website: [QUOTE][I]From [COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"][U][url]www.dave.com[/url][/U][/COLOR]... [/I] [CENTER][COLOR="Black"]This week on [FONT="Arial Black"][COLOR="DarkRed"]DANGER ZONE TV[/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]... [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/HellsBouncer.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TravisCentury.jpg[/IMG] -vs- [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ArtReed.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/VinTanner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] It's the finale of the tournament for the [b]#1 Contendership Title[/b] as [b]Menace[/b] pairs off against [b]The Wolfpack[/b]! Under the veteran leadership of [b]Shawn Gonzales[/b], [b]The Wolfpack[/b] seems to have gelled in a hurry, but with [b]Nemesis[/b] in their corner and the belt on the line, it's hard to bet against [b]Menace[/b]. [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Scout.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Acid.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [b]The School of Tradition[/b] seeks revenge for last week's betrayal as one-half of [b]New Wave[/b] matches up against [b]Acid[/b]! [i]Also scheduled...[/i] [b]Adrenaline Rush[/b] set to defend their titles against [b]The McWades[/b]! [b]Big Cat Brandon[/b] in singles action! SHORT FORM: Menace vs The Wolfpack Scout vs Acid Adrenaline Rush vs The McWades Big Cat Brandon vs ???? [/QUOTE]

[D-Lyrium]

Kashmir Singh is a signing I wouldn't have bet on in a million years, but it's a good thing to see some different workers being used here. It kinda fits the DaVE feel to use the people that no other dynasties really use. I'm still going for the Wolfpack. Although if they lose, I can see sparks flying (mostly in Vin Tanner's direction). I'm not sure whether sparks are ready to fly this week though. Acid is pretty much a shoe-in. It'd look pretty damn weak if he lost his first match after turning on Tyler. Lost it to Scout, no less. Adrenaline Rush are highly unlikely to drop the tag titles on free TV if you've got a new team lined up ¬_¬ So they're a safe bet. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Brandon suffers a shock defeat to Black Eagle or Ota :p

[JonnyV1]

From my experience, you've probably picked one of the hardest federations to run in the game along with USPW. Your getting about the same show ratings as I am, all though I'm about six months in and still C is about my average, C+ being good and occasionally I get a B-. But it always says I'm getting more over, it's just the tri-state area I want to get over in most for revenue. Hard to pick between Menace and The Wolfpack. My fav's would have been House of Tradition, cause I love New Wave and have been getting fonder of Eric Tyler since I've played as DAVE. But out of the two, I'd give it to Menace, just cause they have Eddie Peak. Love Art Reed, he's a go to guy for good matches. Shawn Gonzalez I don't mind, all though he was doing well for me, then I push him all the way to the title, and now he's a very average champion for me. Eddie Peak is Eddie Peak, hate Vin Tanner and Hell's Bouncer. Travis I've never got into, but I can see potential. Course, I'm probably wrong, but I just think Eddie's to over to have his team lose. I love Scout, he was my fave New Wave guy at first, till I got to use Guide. Acid is Acid though, and the effort you put into that segment, to make him look that cool, he isn't going to lose. Unless you build the McWades up, they aren't really in title contention. So Adrenaline Rush. [B]Predictions[/B] [B]Menace[/B] vs The Wolfpack Scout vs [B]Acid[/B] [B]Adrenaline Rush[/B] vs The McWades Big Cat Brandon vs ????

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]"Chemistry, Psychology, and Everything Else I Never Took In College"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] Very little by way of preamble today. Mark continues to give me a long leash, though I can see that changing when the financials come in. Projections are bleak and Nemesis and I are at a collective loss about how to stop the bleeding. The latest idea involves introducing another medium sized event per week and taking advantage of our workers on written contracts. The logic is simple - if we're paying Eric Tyler, say, 8k a month, if we work him 9 times instead of 4, he's cheaper than our medium priced PPA workers. On the other hand, if we work him 9 times a month, his arms are likely to fall off. And if we start having to use PPA's with any frequency, we don't make money any faster. On the other hand, we improve our coverage... and one hour of airtime per week is causing a lot of sore feelings in the backroom - a lot of guys have been feeling neglected, and not just on the bottom half of the card, either. [CENTER][B][FONT="Arial Black"][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="3"]DANGER ZONE TV[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/B] [FONT="Arial Narrow"]February, Week 2, 2007 in front of 2,000 people at the sold-out Arkansas Coliseum[/FONT] [FONT="Arial"][COLOR="SlateGray"]DARK MATCH: The Latino Kings vs Steve Flash/Johnny Martin[/COLOR][/FONT][/CENTER] Result: Johnny Martin d. Hector Galindo w/ a Twist on the Rocks [i]Jack's Notes: Johnny Martin looked good, Galindo didn't. I don't know what it'll take for DaVE fans to collectively step off of the throat of Hector Galindo... probably his retirement or death. He's clearly becoming distracted by the constant booing, which smacks less of heat and more of hatred. I put the Latino Kings in a match with Flash and Martin for two reasons - to trial run Martin and Flash as a possible face tag pairing, and to see if the presence of two of our steadiest and surest veterans would calm Galindo enough to pull his weight in the match. Our answers? Maybe on the tag team, and hell no on Galindo.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]Rating: D[/COLOR] [CENTER][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="SlateGray"]DARK MATCH: Nathan Coleman vs Kashmir Singh[/COLOR][/FONT][/CENTER] Result: Nathan Coleman d. Kashmir Singh w/ a Pioneer Twist [i]Jack's Notes: Maybe I should try Coleman with Martin, since they both insist on ending their matches with TWISTS. They could be Team Twisted, or Twist and Shout, or Twisted Sister, or Panties In A Twist. These are all good ideas. This is why I am head booker. Kashmir and Nathan put on a reasonably convincing brawlfest with lots of sizing up and punch-drunkness. Kashmir continues to have some potential and had the crowd responding even to him on the first run.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]Rating: D+[/COLOR] [CENTER][b]***MAIN SHOW***[/b][/center] The show opens with an angle. Emma Chase tries to interview a clearly agitated Joey Minnesota, who has just received word that he is ranked #9 in the inaugural monthly [b]Power Rankings[/b], and will be facing #2 ranked [b]Big Cat Brandon[/b] in action later tonight. Minnesota reiterates to Chase that [i]he's[/i] the next big thing at DaVE, and if Cuban's coming along means anything, it should mean no more waiting in line behind deadwood losers like... you guessed it... Big Cat Brandon. He keeps talking and talking and TALKING AND TALKING while Emma's eyes get wider and wider and she starts shaking her head, first slowly and then dramatically. Minnesota stops midway through a sentence about Big Cat Brandon's terrible breath... [i]"He's right behind me, isn't he?"[/i] And as the camera pulls back, we see that he is, with a huge smile. He cracks his knuckles loudly, pats the smaller Minnesota on the head with a massive mitt of a hand, and exhales into his face from close up. Minnesota blanches for a second, then looks surprised and turns back to Emma, totally unintimidated. [i]"Actually, his breath is reasonable... even sorta lemony. But he's still dead weight."[/i] The two men stand chest to chest for another minute, and then storm off. [COLOR="Sienna"]Angle: Joey Minnesota rant against Big Cat Brandon - C+[/COLOR] [CENTER][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="SlateGray"]Adrenaline Rush vs The McWades[/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT="Impact"][COLOR="Teal"]***Tag Team Title Match***[/COLOR][/FONT] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TeddyPowell.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/DeanMcWade.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/DallasMcWade.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Sammy Bach pins Dean McWade w/ a Heart Attack (joint finisher w/ Teddy Powell) [i]Jack's Notes: I spent this match peering out through my fingers hoping nothing terrible would happen. Both of these teams are good at what they do, but the McWades are good at hitting people in the face with boards and being hit with boards in return. Adrenaline Rush is good at setting up crazy spots, tag team dropkicks, youth energy splashes and planchas. They're not so good at the wedding of boards with faces. Sammy Bach, in particular, thinks of himself as much too pretty for that sort of thing. Teddy Powell was the man of the match, skillwise, and looked pretty good out there. Only interesting booked aspect of this match - Sammy seemed constantly distracted, staring off in the direction of Emma Chase throughout the match and almost blowing it as a result.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]Rating: D+[/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EmmaChase.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] After the match, Emma meets up with Sammy Bach in the locker room and asks him what was wrong during the match. He denies being distracted, but we see Teddy Powell roll his eyes as he loads his locker in the background, and Emma presses the point. Sammy: [i]"I dunno, I can't stop thinking about what happened last week, that bastard Eddie Peak hitting you, hurting you, and me not doing **** about it."[/i] Sammy is clearly getting angry, and Emma puts a hand on his chest. Emma: [i]Sammy, I'm fine. Please don't do anything stupid. Don't get involved with those animals - I watch them every night from up close. They're heartless. They really hurt people. Promise me you won't do anything stupid, Sammy. Please."[/i] Sammy nods and Emma plants a kiss on his cheek and hugs him. As the camera pans around her shoulder, his face is still twisted with anger. [COLOR="Sienna"]Angle: Emma Chase and Sammy Bach discuss Eddie Peak: B- [/COLOR] [CENTER][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="SlateGray"]#2 Big Cat Brandon vs #9 Joey Minnesota[/COLOR][/FONT] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BigCatBrandon_alt.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JoeyMinnesota.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Big Cat Brandon draws with Joey Minnesota due to Double Count-Out. [i]Jack's Notes: Ah... that was a refreshingly good match. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever see one of those again, except when I watch NOTBPW on my satellite TV, slam a bottle of vodka, and cry myself to sleep, which I do occasionally. Big Cat Brandon opened the match like a maniac, just bullying Minnesota for a few minutes before Joey managed to turn an eye-gouge into a little momentum. Some nice spots on this one - BCB tagged a powerslam that made the whole audience wince, and Joey got so much extension on a superkick that he actually left a heelmark on Brandon's forehead - but the real moment came after Minnesota came up groggy from a clothesline and Big Cat Brandon squared him up for the Big Cat Pounce. Seeing what was coming, Minnesota rolled out of the ring and started up the ramp, holding his neck and shaking his head. Brandon stared after him for a second, then started after him. The two men brawled around the ramp with Brandon taking only a slight advantage, and the ref counted them out. Best match we've had in awhile.[/i] [COLOR="Sienna"]Rating: C+[/color] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/VinTanner.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Vin Tanner is walking down a corridor backstage, thinking whatever it is that Vin Tanner might think upon in his moments of reflection and solitude, thoughts like "My knees always ache when it's about to rain" and "Do you remember when a bowl of soup cost a nickel?" and "It's hard to find a good creamed corn these days." He's so distracted, he doesn't notice Menace until they're already standing around him. But they notice him. They notice him up a chair in the face, then notice him through a table, then notice their feet in his face for awhile, then leave him there on the ground. Message sent! The Wolfpack finds themselves facing a potential 2 on 3 tonight for the [b]#1 Contendership Belt[/b] after Menace's backstage assault on Vin "Silverback" Tanner! [COLOR="sienna"]Angle: 4 on 1 Menace Ambush of Vin Tanner - C+[/color] [CENTER][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="SlateGray"]#8 Acid vs Scout[/COLOR][/FONT] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Acid.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Scout.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Acid d. Scout w/ an Acid Rain Bomb. [i]Jack's Notes: A few hours before the show started, I begged Mark Cuban to let me take the unusual step of moving the Acid vs Scout contest up to the main event and demote the Menace vs Wolfpack bout to the undercard. I explained that Scout and Acid were great technical wrestlers who had never been in the ring together before, and there was just NO WAY that the old men of the Menace/Wolfpack shindig could put on the sort of show we were likely to see from these two UpperMidcarders. I was willing to stake my credibility on it. He cut me off - didn't matter, he said. It would send the wrong message to demote the [b]#1 Contendership Belt[/b] on the very day of its introduction. A good thing, too. It's hard to describe "bad chemistry". On some levels it's like porn - you know it when you see it. For technicians, it's a problem of anticipation. Mat wrestlers need to have a sense of what's coming next, so they can set up a reversal, sell a hold, whatever. The opposite of what these two did. It was painful to watch this match. It was awkward. Non-convincing. Tragicomic. Only the moxie of the wrestlers saved this from being the accidentally hilarious event of the year. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but that's the way it works with disappointed expectations. It's hard to climb back. Acid manages to win even with Eric Tyler and Guide at ringside working to distract him. Yippee. Fortunately, these two will never fight one-on-one again.[/i] [color="sienna"]Rating: D+[/color] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Acid.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BlackEagle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Acid's win comes fast when it happens - he hits the Rain Bomb too fast for Guide and Tyler to react, but they're in the ring as soon as the ref counts three, helping Scout (who was more surprised than incapacitated) to his feet and spreading out in a triangle around Acid, who they are clearly preparing to rush. Acid stands in the center of the ring, motionless, betraying no emotion, fear, or humanity. He looks like a robot, or a statue, or a potted plant in a luchadore mask. After a long pause, he bows his head and crosses his hands in front of him. Immediately, the ring starts to fill with the same acrid smoke/steam that blinded [b]Eric Tyler[/b] last week. There's commotion, and when it fills, [b]The School of Tradition[/b] occupies one side of the ring, while the other houses Acid, still holding the same pose, and two men, one perched on either turnbuckle... [b]Black Eagle[/b] and [b]Fumihiro Ota[/b]. With the same languid, trained gait as Acid, they slowly descend and flank their leader. The two sides stare at eachother for a moment before Eric Tyler gives the order to withdraw, pointing at Acid and promising to "catch up with you later." [color="sierra"]Angle: Debut of the [b]Cult of the Gray Dragon[/b]: C-[/color] [CENTER][FONT="Arial"][COLOR="SlateGray"]The Wolfpack vs Menace[/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT="Impact"][COLOR="Teal"]***#1 Contendership Belt***[/COLOR][/FONT] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ArtReed.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/VinTanner.jpg[/IMG] -vs- [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TravisCentury.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/HellsBouncer.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Vin Tanner d. Travis Century after interference from Sammy Bach. [i]Jack's Notes: That's a relief. This didn't go as badly as I'd feared. Not great, but certainly not all bad. Eddie Peak and Art Reed looked excellent out there... not just good. Art Reed continues to show up Shawn Gonzales despite repeated warnings that he isn't the biggest dog on the team... yet. Vin Tanner and Travis Century did their old man slapfest, with Vin Tanner getting a bigger-than-usual pop for showing up to wrestle injured. In fact, this would be his night to shine, when Sammy Bach interrupts Eddie Peak following a ref bump that had allowed Travis Century to isolate Vin Tanner in the corner and choke the hell out of him (while making scary, eye-rollish "Evil Preacher Face"). Sammy nails him with a chair and then goes after Eddie Peak, but Nemesis grabs him off of the apron and flings him to the ground. Bach manages to get up and scamper off, but in the meantime... well, in all my years of booking, this is not something I ever thought I'd get to say, but here it goes. Vin Tanner hits the turnbuckle and the crowd goes wild. Here he is, 200 years old, with dust literally crumbling from his moveset, and he's [b]up on the top rope.[/b] No one has ever seen this before. And he jumps, and he lands the nastiest, ugliest elbow drop in history, and he MAKES THE COVER. All of it totally unplanned. Gotta say, the old man made me smile. I never saw this coming and I'm at a loss to explain it, but it's safe to say that [b]Vin Tanner has improved in flying skills[/b]! Anyhow, The Wolfpack wins the [b]#1 Contendership Belt[/b].[/i] [Color="sienna"]Rating: C-[/color] [b][FONT="Impact"]SHOW RATING: C-[/FONT][/b] [QUOTE][b]SHORT FORM[/b] [i]Johnny Martin/Steve Flash d. The Latino Kings: D Nathan Coleman d. Kashmir Singh: D+ Adrenaline Rush d. The McWades to retain the Tag Titles: D+ #2 Big Cat Brandon draws w. #8 Joey Minnesota: C+ #8 Acid d. Scout: D+ The Wolfpack d. Menace to win the #1 Contendership Belt: C-[/QUOTE]

[Ramaeno]

Where to start? First of all I am a massive fan of the NBA. My first love is boxing followed by Football (as in "soccer") and Basketball tied for second. I exhaust myself sometimes in how heatedly I pursuit reading up on NBA history, players, foreign players and foreign leagues and as such, knowing about Cuban I mean he is the ultimate all time best owner of any sports related organization. The man is awesome. That being said I figured this diary could go either way. I didn't know what I thought at first about bringing a real life celebrity/well known person into the C-Verse but man I must say I was definitely surprised to see that this was executed incredibly well. Witty, fun and perfectly constructed. This diary does deserve its 5 star rating man, great job. I am most excited about seeing Ota jumping into DAVE now and it should be interesting to see his role shape up. Maybe hell team up with Plague? This has been going sweet thus far man!