Mark Cuban Does DaVE!

[chris caulfield]

[B]Eddie Peak[/B] vs Shawn Gonzales in a ladder match for the DaVE Unified Title Eric Tyler vs [B]Acid[/B] – match type to be unveiled [B]Big Cat Brandon[/B] vs Joey Minnesota in a steel cage Adrenaline Rush (Sammy Bach and Teddy Powell) vs The Gray Dragon (Fumihiro Ota and Black Eagle) vs [B]The New Wave (Guide and Scout)[/B] for the DaVE Tag Titles [B]Joey Giedroyc [/B]vs JD Morgan vs Johnny Martin in a Hardcore Match for the DaVE Brass Knuckles Title [B]Art Reed and Vin Tanner [/B]vs Hell’s Bouncer and Travis Century

[D-Lyrium]

Eddie Peak vs [b]Shawn Gonzales[/b] in a ladder match for the DaVE Unified Title - The ladder match stip. should just about give Shawn the edge. Mind you, he's going to need an edge... [b]Eric Tyler[/b] vs Acid – match type to be unveiled - I'd guess this'll be a Submission match, or an Ironman match, or some kind of gimmick match that doesn't involve any props or setups. Maybe even a standard 1vs1 match. Traditional, basically. Tyler to win when Acid's gimmicks and tricks fail, and his fellow Cultists can't help him out. I forsee the cunning employment of safety goggles ¬_¬ Big Cat Brandon vs [b]Joey Minnesota[/b] in a steel cage - Since I've just predicted a loss for one of the most heavily pushed "new" generation guys in DaVE, I can't really predict a loss for the other one, can I? ¬_¬. Adrenaline Rush (Sammy Bach and Teddy Powell) vs [b]The Gray Dragon[/b] (Fumihiro Ota and Black Eagle) vs The New Wave (Guide and Scout) for the DaVE Tag Titles. - With Tyler winning, I can't see the New Wave winning too, and Adrenaline Rush don't seem to be doing an awful lot (I must admit, I'd forgotten they were champions ¬_¬). So while it might be a bit early, I can see the newbies getting a 'shock' win here, due to various trickery and shenanigans. Joey Giedroyc vs JD Morgan vs [b]Johnny Martin[/b] in a Hardcore Match for the DaVE Brass Knuckles Title - Giedroyc probably needs to move on from the Brass Knuckles division, and give it back to a more "hardcore" wrestler. I'll go with Martin, for the simple reason that two British champs in a row would seem weird ¬_¬. [b]Art Reed and Vin Tanner[/b] vs Hell’s Bouncer and Travis Century - El Geriatrico has managed to become interesting, and he's teaming with Art Reed, so he can't really lose. Especially not to Hell's Bouncer.

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]"Sharks and Wolves: Nature's Best Friends?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [i]It's the first pay-per-view of the post-Vibert era, and I'm headed into it mad at myself. I try to book my story arcs at least a month in advance, and several of the bookings tonight are as much oriented towards the future as they are to this evening... so I can't help but kick myself in the ass a bit (which you should all see, it's acrobatic as anything) when I finally force myself to accept that one of my favorite plotlines is just not gonna work, because no matter how hard I push, the wrestler is the wrong sort for what I have in mind for him, no matter how funny it might be to take this gimmick idea and slap it on someone who bases their whole identity on being from Minnesota. And this sucks, because the Big Cat Brandon matchup and steel cage were supposed to be part of something so much bigger, so much grander. Good thing I have a replacement, and he's almost as good. Too bad it's too late to put him in a cage, but I'm sure Joey will be relieved to hear I don't need him to take a 25 foot nosedive any longer. Anyhow, the box office is reporting a good turnout for tonight's PPV, which makes me breathe a little easier from the get-go. I was pretty worried about filling the arena, even though we used to fill this place out a few times a year without too much thought as recently as three years ago. There are enough ***es in seats to guarantee us at least a modest profit on the night, regardless of whether or not they ultimately get their money's worth.[/i] [CENTER][FONT="Impact"][SIZE="6"][COLOR="DarkRed"]DaVE: March Into Battle![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [FONT="Garamond"][I]Sunday, Week 1, March 2006, in front of 9,716 at Evanovich Riverside (TriState) live on PPV![/I][/FONT] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]DARK MATCH: #6 Chris Caulfield defeats Mark Cuban[/COLOR][/CENTER] [i]Jack's Notes: We let the crowd get another taste of Mark Cuban in the ring, this time doing the comedy squash thing with all-around good guy Chris Caulfield. Caulfield wasn't as nice and gentle with him as Vin Tanner had been, but he's an extremely good guy to work with. I was surprised by the little things Mark is doing right - he sold the moves reasonably well and wasn't breathing too hard after this 6 minute squash-fest. As with Tanner, Mark was provided only very limited offensive opportunities against Caulfield, managing to surprise him with a small package and a long one-count slightly before Caulfield finally put him away. For what it was worth, Caulfield looked good out there.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]RATING: D[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]DARK MATCH: Alex Braun d. Cameron Vessey[/COLOR][/CENTER] [i]Jack's Notes: In the second of our dark matches, Cameron Vessey continues his off-camera tryout for what we're hoping will be a March or April on-camera debut. His brawlfest with Braun was convincing enough to suggest that it could be on the early side, if he can show this level of commitment and intensity for a few more matches. Alex, for his side, looked downright sprightly in the ring without his deadbeat tag partner, Tank Bradley, who was mercifully kept out of action tonight.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]RATING: C-[/COLOR] [CENTER]***MAIN SHOW*** [COLOR="DimGray"]#10 Art Reed and Vin Tanner -vs- Hell's Bouncer and Travis Century[/COLOR] [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/HellsBouncer.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TravisCentury.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Art Reed and Vin Tanner d. Hell's Bouncer and Travis Century when Art Reed defeats Hell's Bouncer with a [b]Dark Matter[/b]. [i]Jack's Notes: It'd be too much to say that the show got off to a bang with this fairly predictable brawling oriented tag match. I've put these four together in about every combination imaginable and nothing much good has come of it. This match differed from the previous outings only insofar as we decided to just let Art Reed off the leash. Anyhow, since these are four guys I'm really not sure what I'm going to do with, I took the irregular step of breaking their performances down individually. [b]Hell's Bouncer:[/b] He's the youngest guy in the match by over a decade, yet he was the only one huffing and puffing and totally dogging it by the seven minute mark. And he's SO SLOW! Like a lot of young, big guys, he has terrible footwork and mediocre conditioning, and counts on his raw power to get by, which is fine for him but a nightmare for everyone he wrestles. When he attempted a military press on Vin Tanner, I practically stood up and screamed like a girl. He doesn't know how to lift, he doesn't know how to sell, he has a limited sense of in-ring safety... it's good that he has such a compelling look. Now all I gotta do is convince Nemesis to teach him to wrestle. [b]Travis Century:[/b] This guy is only as good as the guys around him. His evil priest gimmick is something to play off of, it can't fly on its own. The moments when he found himself in the match with Vin Tanner were horrible - both men showed their age. And he just may not be a tag team competitor - his gimmick doesn't play well with others, and I don't think he'll do better with someone other than H.B. I hoped and still hope that he'll be able to show him the ropes on the job, and put them together with ideas that Travis could be something of an off-camera mentor for the young guy. Not sure whether to split these two up or not, and I do still like them as enforcement muscle for the champ, as long as he isn't in the ring with them. [b]Vin Tanner:[/b] Old, violent, funny. Good enough. Doesn't get tired as quickly as the two I've already mentioned. Still having a good time with his new gimmick as a grumpy, grandfatherly type - he actually uses his cane to walk, and he loves to play possum. He seems to be wrestling with renewed energy these days. [b]Art Reed:[/b] UNLEASHED! FINALLY! Art spent the middle five of the match on the turnbuckle, watching Tanner get tandem thumped and breaking up pin attempts, but when Tanner finally lurches to the corner and makes the tag, he unleashed pure hell. Hell's Bouncer spoiled it a bit because he doesnt' really know how to sell, but Art slapped the holy **** out of Century, who did his part by squealing like a woman and selling the hell out of everything. Art's growing out his dreds and he's just... cut. He's got a dangerous, street look about him and he's not a guy I'd want mad at me, even though he was definitely the smallest guy in the ring. He absolutely shone out there.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]RATING: D+[/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EmmaChase.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TeddyPowell.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Backstage, [b]Emma Chase[/b] is sitting with her boys, [b]Teddy Powell[/b] and on- and off-screen boyfriend [b]Sammy Bach[/b] of [b]Adrenaline Rush[/b]. She's explaining to the boys that they don't need to worry too much about their title match tonight... she doesn't know or like the [b]Gray Dragon[/b], but she's pretty sure that those boys at [b]The New Wave[/b] are vulnerable to her special bag of tricks. With this, she rolls her hands down the sides of her form-fitting tanktop, glances downward, and giggles. "Well, BOTH my bags of tricks!" Still giggling, she leaves. As Sammy and Teddy get up to follow her, [i](oh my god, the continuing horror of a tag team with guys named "Sammy" and "Teddy" in a hardcore fed)[/i] Sammy remarks to Teddy, "Dude, you know I hate it when she does that. You know, her funbag thing." Teddy laughs. "Get over it, man. I think we all know who wears the pants in this one. Here's a hint - she also wears the funbags." Sammy stares at Teddy for a long moment, then shrugs and both men leave the room. [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]RATING: C+[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]Adrenaline Rush vs The New Wave vs Menace for the DaVE TAG TITLES[/COLOR] [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/Scout.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Guide.jpg[/IMG]-vs [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BlackEagle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Adrenaline Rush d. New Wave and Gray Dragon after Emma interferes. [i]Jack's Notes: It's true, but I never thought I'd say it... despite a good push, reasonable overness and opponents custom designed to make them look good, Adrenaline Rush continues to stink up the tag division just like the team they replaced as champions. I have no good ideas as to why this is. Both men have reasonable fundamentals and take to the turnbuckle well. They are capable of putting together some brilliant spots, but that's as far as it goes. And they really are just spots - Black Eagle was more than willing to go toe-to-toe with Sammy Bach with some fast moving, high flying action, but Bach couldn't keep up and pulled it back to spots pretty quickly. If I have anything to say for the champs, it's that they seem to be improving and actively working on their game. The bright spots in this carnival of disappointment were clearly Black Eagle and Guide, who both dominated the match in stretches, but didn't spend much time in the ring together. Adrenaline Rush wins off of interference again, which the crowd doesn't seem to like - Emma does her cleavage lean thing, but this time Guide sees her instead of Scout, and he's anything but... uhm... titilated? He runs to the ring and takes a swing at her but Emma, cagey kitten that she is, hops down from the apron, rears back and punches him square in his... uhm... bag of tricks. Thusly crotched, Sammy Bach lands a "Bach in Black" and the champions retain. For now. They've got a month to show me that they deserve the titles - either Guide or Black Eagle seem ready to carry the division in their absence.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]RATING: D+[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]#5 Jack Giedroyc vs JD Morgan vs Johnny Martin for the DaVE Brass Knuckles Title[/COLOR] [COLOR="Teal"]*HARDCORE 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]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JohnnyMartin.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Jack Geidroyc d. JD Morgan/Johnny Martin. [i]Jack's Notes: I track the DaVE message boards religiously - I consider them the best indicator of where the wind is blowing with the fans at any given time, and at any given time, I've got a pretty good idea what the majority of fans are thinking. And here it is: Jack Giedroyc just isn't considered "hardcore". His fighting style is effective but not brutal - he doesn't lean on the use of objects, he isn't superbig on bleeding. His character, a straight edge British gent who talks politely and doesn't hit below the belt, doesn't help, though his fighting style has gotten him quite over. This match and the follow-up was booked as the start of a transition away from that. Giedroyc won in the usual way, outsmarting his opponents with something of a rope-a-dope strategy, using a mix of standing holds and european style grappling to put both men away, nailing JD Morgan second with a "Crashing On". But he doesn't destroy JD Morgan, and Morgan is still trying to kick out when Giedroyc pins him. Immediately after, Giedroyc starts celebrating and Morgan sits up, shakes his head to clear out the cobwebs, and promptly goes for a chair. Three minutes later, Giedroyc is a mess of blood, his head sandwiched between two chairs while a furious Morgan jumps up and down on the top one, screaming his usual c-o-c-k-n-e-y gibberish. In the end, it's Johnny Martin who finally takes him out, rolling back into the ring to save his former adversary. By then, the damage is done - Giedroyc is totally limp, his face still hidden under the top chair, the blood spilling out around him.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]RATING: C+[/COLOR] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Post-Match Beatdown: C[/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/markcuban.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] When the blood is cleared and the cameras come back up, Mark Cuban is standing in the center of what... was... the ring. The ring has been taken down. The ring area is full of all of the trappings of an industrial warehouse - oil drums, wooden pallets, steel shelving, even a broom. Mark is standing on top of the largest stack of pallets while a brilliant spotlight shines down on him from above. "Ladies and gentlemen, here at DaVE we take nothing for granted, and nothing is beyond change. Today, we change the one thing you've all taken for granted - a mat, four corners, and ropes. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to... THE RING." [i]Here, Cuban spreads his arms. I think he looks like a buzzard. But it's good to see him implementing my match idea.[/i] "What you see around me IS the ring. I'm very inspired by movies like Half A Loaf of Kung Fu and Kung Fu Hustle... I know that skilled fighters must be ready to survive in any environment, no matter how unexpected... and I'm confident that we have these fighters here at DaVE. The rules are the same - you can lose after a pin, a submission or a knock-out, and bringing in a foreign object or using outside help leads to a disqualification. But otherwise, anything goes. Welcome - TO THE WAREHOUSE MATCH." "I've picked the fighters for tonight's inaugural stage match very carefully. I believe they represent the best DaVE has to offer - and by the best, I mean the most brutally resourceful and unrelenting. [b]ERIC TYLER[/b] VERSUS A-" [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] At that moment, Eric Tyler's music hits the ramp. Shaking his head, Eric comes down the ramp, crosses the ringfloor, and, after a short moment of hesitation, pulls himself to the top of the stack of pallets opposite Mark Cuban. "This is bull****. Seriously. Bull****. I know you're trying to be edgy and make DaVE into wrestling for girls or whatever, but this is bull****. I want to wrestle Acid in a RING with ROPES and RULES so I can take his HEAD and SPLIT IT OPEN. It's simple." Mark starts to answer and Eric puts a hand in his face. "Shut it, computer boy. I ain't done. You know what, I been here a whole lot longer than you. A WHOLE lot longer than you. And stupid as they are, I know a thing or two about DaVE fans. First of all, they sleep with their cousins. Second of all, they don't know their ***es from their elbows. Third, they like HARDCORE. Not this ****ing warehouse teaparty bull****. Now I'm gonna give you ten minutes to get your skinny peckerwood *** down there and set up the goddamn ring, or I'm gonna hafta - " The crowd starts yelling... at first it's incoherant, but then it crystallizes into "TURN AROUND!" Tyler turns and [b]Acid[/b] leaps from the top of the steel shelving, easily clearing the five foot gap and catching Tyler in the chest with a spinning heel kick. Tyler flies backwards off of the pallet, while Acid lands nimbly in a crouch. As Mark Cuban runs frantically back to the announcer's table, the match begins. [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Angle: Interview/Ambush: B- (Acid improves in acting) [/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]#3 Eric Tyler vs #8 Acid[/COLOR] [COLOR="Teal"]*WAREHOUSE MATCH*[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Acid.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Acid d. Eric Tyler w/ an Acid Rain Bomb. [i]Jack's Notes: For all of Tyler's complaining, he takes to the Warehouse Match format pretty well, turning the table almost immediately on Acid by suplexing him into the steel shelving and braining him with an oildrum. Acid has a great fighting style and does amazing things with the special stage set-up, hitting a baseball slide through the shelving, blocking a swung pallet by kicking his way through it, and attempting a moonsault off of the topshelf that draws a legit "holy ****!" moment from the crowd. But Acid's in-ring excellence is really driven by two razor-sharp affectations. First of all, he has an almost robotic style of fighting that he's spent years working on. His moves are sharp and crisply delivered. Second of all, he won't stay down. Cream him with an oil drum and he'll lay there for a moment, perfectly still. Then he'll do that scary machine sit-up and go right back to work on you. He never slows down. Tyler, on the other hand, is old school nasty. He fights like a bully, grinding Acid's head between a pallet and his knee, throwing gnarly elbows and pinning Acid against the shelves for a strong boxing combo that leaves the masked man limp. In the last few moments of the match, it's clear that Tyler has the upper hand. Acid is still getting up but it's taking him longer and longer to do so. Tyler straddles him and lands ten to the face with almost no resistance, then pulls him up and slings him into the pallets, then spears him right through, sending the pallets flying and leaving Acid sprawled and motionless. But Tyler is an arrogant man, for all of his experience, and he makes the mistake of pulling Acid up, practically nose to nose, and slapping him. Acid gets him with the steam. It's still not clear what Acid has in there... pepper spray, maybe, or some nasty concoction he picked up from the internet, but it works. Tyler immediately goes blind. The ref looks over at Cuban questioningly, but Cuban shakes his head and no disqualification is called. From there, it's short work but Acid makes the most of it, DDTing Tyler onto the remaining pallets and then climbing to the top of the steel shelving. He crosses his arms over his chest and bows his head, backlit at 12 feet above the floor, with small wisps of steam still escaping from the darkness of his mask. He stands motionless long enough for Tyler to stir, maybe look up through watery eyes and see the sliver of darkness looming above him. Then he hits the Acid Rain Bomb. And goddamn, was it fun to watch. Oh, and Acid "looked good out there". Like I need you to tell me that, Mr. Road Agent.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Rating: B [/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]#2 Big Cat Brandon vs #9 Joey Minnesota[/COLOR] [COLOR="Teal"]*STEEL CAGE MATCH*[/COLOR] [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 d. Joey Minnesota by escaping the cage. [i]Jack's Notes: It takes awhile to get the steel cage set back up, and it's something the backstage crew needs to practice a bit more... there were some problems with the turnbuckles that caused a delay, and we lost the crowd a little bit. Good thing Big Cat and Minnesota were around to get them back. Great match, maybe one of the best I've seen recently. Brandon took the lead almost immediately with a pure force-based offense - Minnesota is full of himself, and took Brandon's invitation to lock up... Brandon promptly bodyslammed him. Enraged, Minnesota charged only to get hit with a standing spinebuster... 10 seconds into the match! Minnesota eventually recovers with what can only be called a groin-based attack on Brandon, and then lays in a nice chain of methodical atomic drops, neckbusters and bulldogs on the bigger man. Minnesota's physical conditioning is amazing and he doesn't seem to struggle much with lifting the larger man. Brandon eventually powers back with a huge lariat off the ropes, and from there it's a brutal, bloody see-saw, with Minnesota eventually dodging a Big Cat Pounce and hitting the Minnesota Salute. Joey makes it about halfway up before Big Cat makes it to the top rope, wraps thick arms around Joey's waist, and throws them both back into the ring with a sick belly-to-back suplex. Big Cat crouches in the corner, stalking Minnesota and nailing him with a crunching Big Cat Pounce into the steel cage. Big Cat Brandon starts climbing but he's tired and much heavier than Minnesota, and by the time he's 3/4 of the way up, Minnesota is coming up after him. Big Cat reaches the top first and starts to climb over. Seeing that he can't win the match, Minnesota doesn't try to pull Brandon back in, but vaults to the top, grabs the descending Brandon by the shoulders and pushes him off the side of the cage. Brandon wins the match, but falls 10 feet and lands in a heap. With a disgusted look on his face, an injured Joey Minnesota stomps backstage.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Rating: B [/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] The camera goes backstage, where Eddie Peak is interviewing... himself. Eddie: (in a high-pitched, androgynous, utterly scary falsetto) So... teeheehee... EDDIE... oh Eddie EDDIE eddie edDIE... are you as excited about your match with Shawn Gonzales as I AM? Eddie: (in a dull, flateyed monotone) I love Shawn Gonzales. Eddie: Why do you LOVE Shawn Gonzales, Eddie? Is it because you LOVE the way blood is STICKY? Eddie: Yes, but it's more than that. Shawn Gonzales knows what I will do to him, but he is not afraid. He knows that I cannot help it, that I need to taste his blood, that I need to know what he looks like... under his skin. He knows that I cannot stop myself. He knows that I will hurt him, that I will make him beg, and still he comes. It absolves me. I am innocent. I am at peace. (stares at the camera) Eddie: The man craves absolution. The shark wishes only to feed. I think, and I do not think. I feel, and I do not feel. Shawn Gonzales, you have put me at ease, allowed me only to swim, to smell the water, to wait for the thrashing and to bite. I will repay you in blood and pain. [i](Emma, from the announcer's table: My God, he's actually starting to believe he's a shark...)[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Angle: Eddie Peak rants about Shawn Gonzales, and about being crazy, and about sharks. Rating: B[/color] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]#1 Eddie Peak vs #4 Shawn "Lone Wolf" Gonzales for the [u]DaVE UNIFIED TITLE[/i][/COLOR] [COLOR="Teal"]*LADDER MATCH*[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Eddie Peak d. Shawn Gonzales after retrieving the item. [i]Jack's Notes: Hmmm. The fact that the match was this good was still mostly pre-match heat and the remainder from a strong hype interview. Gonzales gets his big chance and doesn't do all that much with it... for the first ten minutes, the match was written as a back-and-forth affair, but Gonzales continued his streak of seeming somewhat disinterested and turning in a lazy match. About halfway through, I radio'd into the ref and had him signal Eddie that it was okay to open all the way up on Gonzales. Gonzales is fast, but after that order had been given, Peak was a lot more interested in using the ladder on Gonzales than he was in climbing it. Gonzales made it to the top once, straining upwards, and Peak, using his body as a fulcrum, basically suplexed the entire ladder, sending Gonzales over the top rope and practically into the crowd. After that, it headed awfully close to squashmatch country, with a split-open Gonzales getting in only sporadic and desperate offense and Peak repeatedly refusing to climb the ladder in favor of applying more pain to Gonzales. In a telling moment, Peak set up the ladder, climbed halfway up, then looked back at Gonzales and climbed back down, hitting him with a wholly gratuitous Peak of Perfection before finally claiming the title. A very convincing win for the champion and a needed loss for Gonzales, who won't be getting another shot at the title any time soon. As the show ends, Nemesis and Peak celebrate in the ring, while Peak literally licks the blood from his fingers, showing his white, overlarge teeth in a grin that is anything but friendly.[/i] [COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"]Rating: C+[/color] [b][u]Show Rating: C+ (considered a success)[/b][/u] [i]Should've been higher. Only one excuse for this one - bad booking. Still, with the crowd going crazy as the cameras go down, I think my job is safe for the month... until tomorrow, when the financials for February come out...[/i] [QUOTE][b]QUICK RESULTS[/b] [i]#6 Chris Caulfield d. Mark Cuban: D Alex Braun d. Cameron Vessey: C- #10 Art Reed and Vin Tanner d. Hell's Bouncer and Travis Century: D+ Adrenaline Rush d. The New Wave and Gray Dragon to retain the Tag Titles: D+ #5 Jack Giedroyc d. JD Morgan and Johnny Martin to retain the Brass Knuckles Title: C+ #8 Acid d. #3 Eric Tyler: B #2 Big Cat Brandon d. #9 Joey Minnesota: B #1 Eddie Peak d. #4 Shawn Gonzales to retain the Unified Title: C+[/QUOTE][/i]

[mad5226]

Great show man. I like the Warehouse match, did you actually make a match and put it in the game or did u just use a preset match and call it something else?

[Gozer]

Dude! No titles changed hands! I want my thirty bucks back! Anyhow, I said this once already, but I'm digging this dynasty mostly on characterization - that's what you have going over some of the others. There are a lot of good c-verse dynasties right now and they all have their own selling points, but this one scores mostly on the ability to put a lot of depth into the characters. With some of these guys (particularly Acid and Eric Tyler - you're doing a really good job on that storyline and I hope it doesn't stop after the PPV, especially given the awesome rating), I feel like they're real - I have a strong sense of how they talk. Dug the show, but I think you're gonna need to make some changes in your tag division, dude! Every tag match you've ever had has gotten awful ratings! Seriously! I looked! It's depressing! ;)

[Adam Ryland]

I'm awarding this the Cornellverse diary of the month for February. So you get the Power Of The Sticky Thread~!

[mystic]

this makes 2, congrats (DAVE diaries to win Cornellverse diary of the month)

[theoutlaw321]

Another congratulations. I so enjoy how you make the characters come to life.

[Scapino1974]

Congratulations!

[D-Lyrium]

Ok, so you went the other way with Tyler/Acid, which also made my Brandon/Joey pick wrong. And I was just plain incorrect about the others ¬_¬ But it was a great show. Acid is awesome. Congratulations on the pinning, too :)

[Monkeypox]

Woohoo! Thanks, everybody, and thanks in particular for the pinning, Adam. I wonder how much/little that had to do with the revelation of your distention powers with regard to a certain Vampire Slayer? Anyhow, I'll try to justify the pinning as best I can! This was a very nice thing to wake up to.

[Jehovah]

Sweet, look who got pinned! A well deserved accolade and a great PPV to boot. I loved the Warehouse match as well as the finish to the steel cage match, I can't ever remember seeing one end that way. Way to go!

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]"The Human Resources Department"[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] No rest for the weary, I guess. I came in this morning and the financials for February were already sitting in a sealed manila envelope on my desk. Even more, Mark had sent out an E-Mail to me, Nemesis and Emma Chase requesting our presence for something called a "Monthly Performance Review". I had no idea what that might mean - Vibert certainly didn't go in for anything like that. I slid the envelope to the side of my desk, closed my E-Mail, and opened my browser. The day after a PPV is always a little frantic for the booker, especially if you're a datajunkie like I am. It's hard work, trying to stay on top of every blog and low-rent wrestling website on the block, hanging out in the chatrooms and on the message boards, trying to sniff out the next big play. [u][i]PWI.com[/i][/i] gave [FONT="Impact"][COLOR="DarkRed"]DaVE: March Into Battle![/COLOR][/FONT] a stellar rating, and most of the professional reporters described the show as way beyond expectations. This was about as nice as a backhanded compliment can be... one of the harsher PWI writers made the point that had been on my mind all morning: The show was good relative to expectations of what we've been putting out lately, but it wouldn't make the Top 10 of what we got done when we were poppin in the '90s. But the main course of any data survey has gotta be the DaVE message boards. Much of the time, the fans and the professional critics want a totally different product - when it comes down to it, I do what I can to roll with the fans. So it was on to the big pay-out, punching up [u][url]www.dave.com[/url][/u]. I brought up the very first comment on the message board with my heart in my throat, as always: [QUOTE=Gozer;196005]Dude! No titles changed hands! I want my thirty bucks back![/QUOTE] Ouch. Not off to a great start. I logged in and started to reply (I have a whole range of phantom identities on the DaVE boards that I use to try and direct conversation and start rumors - it's some Orwellian **** but it's free and it works), but the knock on my door was loud, and too staccato to be Nemesis, who usually didn't knock in the first place. I switched off my monitor and yelled at the knocker to come in. It was Eric Tyler. [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Eric didn't usually come to see me. Eric preferred to talk to Nemesis, who he saw as a kindred spirit, a veteran wrestler, a guy who understood the nuts-n-bolts mechanics of life in the ring. I was just another skinny-tie booker, a books-n-computers nerd who existed only to make life harder for guys like him. It was no secret that Eric resented Mark Cuban, and I had no illusions about why he was here to see me. I rose and slapped on a smile, extending my hand for a shake. He took it, and crushed it. I squeezed back as hard as I could, knowing that there was some calculus of respect connected to the pressure coming from my screaming fingertips. After a shake that went on for way too long, Eric let go and took a seat, sitting a little awkwardly in the office chair. I resisted the urge to shake out my crushed fingers, then resisted the urge to run. Eric Tyler is a professional, for all of his arrogance. I knew he wouldn't dare hit me, or even think seriously about wanting to. But he's an intimidator. Up close, his thick forearms are a mess of scars and discolorations, the physical memory of a thousand matches, shards of glass, lines of barbed wire, and 1000 hard falls and spills. He watched me watching him and smiled, instinctively seizing on the moment to press the point we both knew he was here to make. Eric: "Jack, I'm not stupid. I know why you're here. I've been in this business a looooong time, Jack. I was in this business during the Reagan administration. I was in this business when [i]you[/i] were still in business school. I might not read the World Wide Waste of Time or whatever, but that doesn't mean I can't smell change in the air. You and that geek Cuban are here to bring in the new blood and send us old guys out to pasture. I can see that. And I'm sure you think that'll help. And that's fine. But I ain't gonna sit here and let you job me out week after week to build up your little kiddie parade. I've put in way too much time for this fed to put up with this **** from you. Stop and think, for a second, how much of my blood I've spilled all over the ****ing ring for a skinny peckerwood like you over the years? How much blood YOU spilled for this company, Jack? You ever been hit by a car for this company? No? Thrown through a glass window? No? I think we might need to talk about a buyout." Me: "I can't give you a buy-out, Eric. That's not on the table." Eric: "Look, I like Acid. He's a good kid and he's a good worker, and he doesn't complain and he takes his licks. But this stuff with the steam and the gimmick matches... I'm sorry, Jack, but it's bull****. It ain't even hardcore. Me and Phil and Nemesis built this fed from the ground up, and I guarantee you that if I walk out, you're gonna feel it, the fans are gonna make you feel it. I ain't gonna sit around and do nothing while you skinnyneck mother******s put me out to pasture." (I sat for a long time, staring at the scattering of papers across my desk. Eric, quickly impatient, sighed loudly and stared angrily at the top of my head. I made a quick calculation about how much Eric Tyler was really worth to DaVE, emitted a sigh of my own, and raised my head.) Me: "You're right, Eric. Everything you've said is true. Mark has ordered me to start phasing out the older guys and bringing up newer, fresher talent. And over the next few months, the face of the main event is going to change. Guys are going to see a lot less TV time. The older guys will be taking on smaller roles. Some of them will probably be phased out completely. And particularly in the main event, there's going to be a real shake-up, and the older workers will probably suffer for it." (I paused for only a second, seeing a dark storm of dangerous anger starting to gather over Tyler.) Me: "All of them, that is, [b]except you[/b]." (I almost dared a smile, but held back. I had succeeded in surprising him, taking him out of his game.) Me: "You see, Eric, for the last month, I've been carefully evaluating our older workers in angles and matches, and yes, I've made some decisions to reduce on-screen time for some of the guys, in some cases substantially. But not you. Your match with Acid was as good as anything we've put out in months. I don't know how you do it. You're 47 ****ing years old, and you're one of the best workers we have. Hell, pair your in-ring abilities with your on-mic charisma, and you're as good as any worker we have. I don't know how you do it, Eric. Your conditioning must be insane. But I'm glad you came in here to see me today. I want to tell you face-to-face... you should be expecting more screentime. Your storyarc with Acid was a winner - everyone loved it. The critics called it your second coming, the fusion of the old and new. I had no idea you could get another worker over that effectively, Eric. It's incredible. But I need you to relax. You and the main event, Eric... you ain't goin' anywhere. You're gonna retire a main eventer for DaVE. And I'll shake on that right now." (Eric's face was a mask of distrust, but it was splitting, slowly, into a huge grin. He stood up, and I did the same, extending a hand. The second handshake was as bone-crushing as the first) Eric: "Ah hell, partner, maybe you ain't so stupid after all. I'll be seein' you at the show. Let me know if there's anything you need. If you want me to keep workin' with Acid, well hell, that'd be fine with me. Just toss me a couple wins, you know? I just get goddamn tired of gettin' my goddamn face steamed for me. If I wanted that, I'd go to a spa with my goddamn ex-wife." (Eric slammed the door behind him, and I could hear him whistling as he walked down the hallway. I returned to my computer, confident that at least 60% of what I'd told him was true.)

[Ramaeno]

Thanks a bunch for the feedback man. You do a hell of a job with this dynasty and definitely deserve to have it featured like this for the month. keep up the kick ass work man

[Payne]

[QUOTE](Eric slammed the door behind him, and I could hear him whistling as he walked down the hallway. I returned to my computer, confident that at least 60% of what I'd told him was true.) [/QUOTE] That was funny. We need the old guard to show these young bucks how to work it!!! And, I didn't do too bad on the PPV predictions. And, you started it, Cuban needs to get his ass kicked. BY ERIC TYLER!!!! God damned Warehouse match! What does Cuban think this is? A soap opera! I am a DaVE fan, and I want my WRESTLING HARDCORE! At least barbed wire ropes are still ropes!

[Monkeypox]

[QUOTE=Payne;196565] Cuban needs to get his ass kicked. BY ERIC TYLER!!!![/QUOTE] If that's what you think, I recommend you keep checking in, you might not be disappointed... :D

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][FONT="Book Antiqua"][size="4"]"Performance Review"[/size][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] I spent most of the rest of the morning alone in my office, skipping lazily through the same websites and message boards, pounding the refresh button on my browser, trying to ignore the throbbing waves of bad news coming from the still-sealed financial reports for February. It wasn't until my computer's scheduler beeped to remind me that I had a "Performance Review" of some sort with Emma Chase, Nemesis and Mark in five minutes that it occurred to me that if the performance review had anything to do with the financials, it would probably be smart to read them before I got there. I took a deep breath, tore the envelope open, read the first page, choked back a sob, and headed to the meeting. [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EmmaChase.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Nemisis.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] I was the last to arrive other than Mark, who kept us waiting like usual. Emma is a totally different creature outside of the ring - still beautiful, but not ostentatious - understated in dress and demeanor. Nemesis, on the other hand, is the same no matter where you get him, and he looked silly and uncomfortable in the seemingly childsized office chair, shifting his weight around, not knowing how to get comfortable. Vibert rarely called meetings. [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/markcuban.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Mark arrived 15 minutes late in a brown tracksuit and tennis shoes, his arms full of drinks. "Hi everybody! Sorry I'm late! I brought everyone what they asked for!... letsee... black coffee for Nemesis... nonfat latte for Emma... and for Jack... a pack of Marlboro Lights." He set the pack down in front of me, giving me a look that could only be described as disappointed. As he sat and I withdrew the lighter from my pocket, he looked up. "Oh, Jack... yeah... I'd really rather you didn't -" Nemesis interrupted. "Hey Jack, mind if I bum one of those?" Fixing Mark with a lingering glare, Nemesis sparked up, inhaled deeply and leaned back in his too-small chair. It's worth noting that Nemesis doesn't smoke. Mark stared at us both for a second and shot a glance at Emma, who shot back her patented "boys will be boys" face, which she spends a lot of her time wearing. "Allright," he started, "today is the first of our monthly check-ins, and it's going to be really painless... I just want you to fill out this short survey and - " "Hey Mark," Emma interrupted, "what are you drinking?" I looked at his drink, which looked like some sort of weird green mash. "Oh... this... it's called [i]yerba mate[/i]. They drink it in Argentina." Nemesis sniffed loudly. "It smells like grass." I leaned forward. "What are you drinking it out of... an eggplant?" Mark shook his head. "It's a gourd, it's a very traditional... okay, forget it. Just fill out the forms and then we'll talk about your answers." Laughing under our breaths, we took up our pencils. The form only took a moment to complete, being only four questions long. Mark explained that we would each give our answers out loud, with reasons. [B][U][CENTER]QUESTION ONE: WHICH DaVE WRESTLER IS MOST IN NEED OF A BIGGER PUSH?[/CENTER][/U][/B] Nemesis: Oh, I remember this game! This was an option back in TEW2004! No problem! Mark: TEW2004? What? Nemesis, shaking his head: Forget it, Mark... it's another Adam Ryland thing. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JackGiedroyc.jpg[/IMG][B]Me:[/b] I'm gonna go with [b]JACK GIEDROYC[/b]. He's got the [b]Brass Knuckles Title[/b] but he almost never defends it, and we didn't even write a storyline for his event at the last PPV. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Scout.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Guide.jpg[/IMG][b]Nemesis:[/b] Easy. [b]THE NEW WAVE.[/b] Those boys put in their time, they wrestle as well as anyone we got, and our tag division stinks. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG][b]Emma:[/b] (fixes Nemesis with an unhappy look) I pick [b]SAMMY BACH[/b]. Me: You're porkin' him, Emma. Pick someone else. Emma: No. He's a good wrestler. Nemesis: He's practically a girl. I think the most masculine thing he's capable of doing is what he does with you. Who names their son "Sammy", anyhow? Mark: On task, people. [B][U][CENTER]QUESTION TWO: WHO ARE WE PUSHING TOO HARD?[/CENTER][/U][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ShawnGonzalez.jpg[/IMG][B]Me:[/B] Easy. [b]SHAWN GONZALES[/b]. Pushed him all the way to the main event. Can't say he did much with it. Nemesis: He did fine. You just didn't write a storyline that used him correctly, and you saddled him with the wrong sort of help. Me: Oh, bull****, Art Reed is ten times the worker that - Mark: Okay, children. [b]Enough.[/b] Nemesis? [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BlackEagle.jpg[/IMG][b]Nemesis:[/b] [b]THE CULT OF THE GRAY DRAGON.[/b] They ain't put in their time. I ain't even met that Ota guy or seen Black Eagle without his mask. They should be working their way up the ranks and payin' dues. You got 'em gettin' wins over main eventers. I got no problem with what you're doin' with Acid, but those other two clowns need to wait in line like everyone else. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TravisCentury.jpg[/IMG][b]Emma:[/b] [b]TRAVIS CENTURY.[/b] It makes me feel old just to watch him, and he's ALWAYS on. I think he wrestles in every show. He wrestles more than [b]Adrenaline Rush[/b], and they're the Tag Team Cha - " Mark: Emma, stay on topic. [B][U][CENTER]QUESTION THREE: IF YOU HAD TO FIRE ONE WORKER TOMORROW, WHO WOULD IT BE?[/CENTER][/U][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/HectorGalindo.jpg[/IMG][b]Me:[/b] [b]HECTOR GALINDO[/b]. He gets boo'd out of every arena we go to, and I don't care if he's young. He isn't any good and he doesn't seem to be improving. And his gimmick sucks. Nemesis: Jack, you designed his gimmick. Me: Yeah, that's how I can be so [i]sure[/i] it sucks. (everyone laughs except Mark) [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TankBradley.jpg[/IMG][b]Nemesis:[/b] Easy. Easier than Emma back when Emma was still Easy and before she started dating girls. (Emma starts to reply but Mark stares at her warningly) [b]TANK BRADLEY[/b]. I'd rather watch midgets chase chihuahuas than watch jellybelly try to wrestle. Me: That's a very apt comparison, dude. Nemesis: Thank you. Mark: (sighs) [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/CatJemson.jpg[/IMG][b]Emma:[/b] I wouldn't fire anyone. Maybe [b]CAT JEMSON[/b]. Did I even spell her name right? She was [b]Kurt Laramee's[/b] girlfriend and we hired her for that reason, right? Why is she still on the roster? Me: (shuffles through papers) She's still on the roster? Let me che - Mark: We can resolve this pressing Cat Jemson crisis later, okay? One last question. Focus, guys. I need you to [b][i]focus[/b][/i]. [B][U][CENTER]QUESTION FOUR: ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, WHO IS OUR BEST WORKER?[/CENTER][/U][/B] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][b]Me:[/b] The champ. [b]EDDIE PEAK[/b]. He deserves exactly what he has. No question. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][b]Nemesis:[/b] (he pauses, shooting me a strange look before he speaks.) [b]ERIC TYLER[/b]. Mark: Care to elaborate on that? Nemesis: No. [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/SammyBach.jpg[/IMG][b]Emma:[/b] [b]SAMMY BA - [/b] Nemesis: Woman, I swear, if the words "Sammy Bach" escape your lips, I'm gonna slap the hell outta you. Emma: (smiles slowly, eyes twinkling) S-A-M-M-Y B-A (with a massive roar, Nemesis throws the pack of cigarettes at Emma, then starts laughing. Emma swiftly throws it back. After a brief hesitation, I throw Nemesis' empty cup at Emma. Mark tries to call the meeting to order a few times, then packs up his stuff and heads for the door. He pauses at the threshold.) Mark: Thanks for being such professionals, guys. Emma, you can E-Mail me your answer later. (slams door) (Suddenly, Emma and Nemesis are serious.) Nemesis: (smiling) Well, that went perfectly. Me: How exactly did that go [i]perfectly[/i], dude? We ran him out of the room! Nemesis: Exactly. He walked out of his own meeting. We're that much closer to running DaVE the right way. [b][i]Our way[/b][/i]. (I look from Emma to Nemesis and back again. Their eyes are stoney, their faces determined. With suddenly clammy hands, I light another cigarette, wondering if I'm a part of "our" way.)

[Gozer]

Dude, even though there's no wrestling in this one, I think this might be my favorite post from you. Again, I find myself struggling to find one part that I liked the most... probably this: [QUOTE]Me: HECTOR GALINDO. He gets boo'd out of every arena we go to, and I don't care if he's young. He isn't any good and he doesn't seem to be improving. And his gimmick sucks. Nemesis: Jack, you designed his gimmick. Me: Yeah, that's how I can be so sure it sucks.[/QUOTE] The bit about yerba mate was a contender, though. And dug the plot twist at the end - I figured Mark had it a little *too* easy. And hey, congrats about gettin pinned - it makes you that much easier to find!

[keefmoon]

100% deserving of the monthly pinning. I like your writing style and general work a lot. Many parts of this are worth praising, and I like it alot. Well done and good luck with what I imagine is an added pressure being the pinned diary.

[D16NJD16]

So what's this, two out of two pinned diarys that are Cornell Verse? BIASED! :D JK, this definatly deserves it, its been really good so far.

[mystic]

[QUOTE=D16NJD16;197027]So what's this, two out of two pinned diarys that are Cornell Verse? BIASED! :D JK, this definatly deserves it, its been really good so far.[/QUOTE] if I counted right try 8 out of 8

[Gozer]

[QUOTE=mystic;197033]if I counted right try 8 out of 8[/QUOTE] Yeah, Adam pins the best [i]C-Verse[/i] diary of the month - call it the designer's prerogative... (I'm all for it!)

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][B][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]"You Will Respeck My Authoritay"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/CENTER] Not much more news to come from yesterday's meeting. Cuban has been silent and absent since he stormed out of his own performance review meeting, and Nemesis and Emma haven't given any indication as to what they meant by "our way" of doing things at DaVE. I spent most of last night awake and screwed up over all the possible permutations - in the best case scenario, they were trying to shove DaVE back in the direction of their hardcore fanbase - at the worst, they were undermining Mark's authority directly. It wasn't really a question of who I was loyal to - as head booker, I was loyal to myself, mostly, with a bit of concern for the federation. I liked Nemesis and had nothing but confidence in his skills as a booker and manager, but Cuban had the cash. We needed both. [CENTER][FONT="Impact"][SIZE="5"][COLOR="DarkRed"]DANGER ZONE TV[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] [FONT="Book Antiqua"]Week 1, March 2007, held in front of 2,000 people at a sold-out Perry Hall (South East)...[/FONT] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]DARK MATCH: Vin Tanner vs Kashmir Singh[/COLOR][/CENTER] Result: Vin Tanner d. Kashmir Singh w/a [b]V for Victory.[/b] [i]Jack's Notes: Not much to say here. Kashmir gets another try-out opportunity and doesn't wow me. He's strong, very sturdily built, and I like his athleticism, but this should've been the sort of knock-down street fight match that he's built for, and Vin did most of the heavy lifting. Vin continues to enjoy something of a second life as "Old Man Tanner" and his new gimmick as a wily veteran who loves to play possum, suckering Kashmir into getting ****y and then doing him in with the cane. An acceptable dark-match, but not anything I'd want on the main show.[/i] [COLOR="Blue"]Rating: D[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]DARK MATCH: Nathan Coleman vs Steve Flash[/COLOR][/CENTER] Result: Nathan Coleman d. Steve Flash w/a [b]Pioneer Twist[/b] [i]Jack's Notes: Now, here are two men who are doing their best to convince me they deserve a spot on the main roster. Despite a virtual absence of overness and a crowd still settling into their seats and talking, these two veterans put on an old-school, mixed brawling and matwork show that got the place moving again. Steve is really the crazy carnival mirror of the wrestling world - he makes everyone who steps into the ring with him look like a totally different person, and Nathan Coleman has never looked so dangerous. I think Flash will be great as a mentor for the young guys, but I've got half a mind to throw him in a tag team and move him up the card.[/i] [COLOR="Blue"]Rating: C[/COLOR] [CENTER][B]***MAIN SHOW***[/B] [COLOR="DimGray"]The Cult of the Gray Dragon vs The New Jersey Devils[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BlackEagle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/FumihiroOta.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/AlexBraun.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/TankBradley.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: The Cult of the Gray Dragon d. The New Jersey Devils when Black Eagle d. Alex Braun w/a [b]New Jersey Turnpike[/b]. [i]Jack's Notes: Ugly, sloppy match, but we wrote it that way. Tank Bradley's gimmick has changed slightly... we've tightened up his tanktop a bit to make him look heavier, and told him not to shave for a few days before a match. He comes out scruffy and seems totally distracted and inattentive throughout the match, getting his *** handed to him by Black Eagle for a few minutes in his only appearance in the match, then refusing to tag back in. Alex Braun puts on a brave showing against superior numbers, but is quickly worn down and defeated. By the end of the match, the crowd is heartily booing Tank Bradley. Tank tries to help his partner to his feet after the match, but Alex throws off the assistance and storms backstage alone. Black Eagle was the worker of the match, despite being the lowest on the card, and continues to impress early in his DaVE career.[/i] [COLOR="Blue"]Rating: D+[/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/markcuban.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Mark Cuban is in the ring, hyping the results of the PPV and soaking in some somewhat deserved applause. He starts to hype the warehouse match and explain that another batch of power rankings will be released on [i][u][url]www.dave.com[/url][/i][/u] later this week, when Eric Tyler's music hits the ramp. [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EricTyler.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Tyler storms out with a mic in his hand, talking as he approaches the ring. Tyler: Rankings, warehouse matches, cupcakes, ballerinas, BULL****. Wrestling with no ropes, men with no balls. This place is goin' to hell in a handbasket, skinnyneck, and you're the man at the wheel. What you gonna do about that? Mark: (starts to answer and looks around, clearly afraid, but there's no one nearby to help him) Tyler: Shut it, prettyboy. You ain't gonna do nothin except what I tell you to do. And here's what I'm tellin' you. I want a rematch with that googly-eyed featherpants [b]Acid[/b], and I want it in a goddamn [b]cage[/b] with goddamn [b]ropes[/b], and no more of this goddamn warehouse powerranking steambath bull****. Just an honest whoopin. And I want it [i]tonight[/i]. Mark: I... I can't do that, Eric... Acid isn't even here and we've already got a ... Tyler: (cups his ear) What? Did I hear that right, boy? Did you just say no to me? Hell, I think I'm gonna hafta kick some of those teeth in and see if you still talk so pretty. Tyler rushes the ring. Cuban tries to escape, but Tyler catches him and draws back to strike. There's a mix of cheers and boos as [b]Chris Caulfield[/b]'s music hits the speakers and he appears flanked by [b]Adrenaline Rush[/b]. [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/ChrisCaufield.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Chris: I can't let you do that, Eric. Tyler: (sighs) Caulfield, I shoulda known. Just when I think you've maxed out as a lame, brown-nosing, dead-end of a man, you find some new way to impress me. (releases Cuban, who scurries out of the ring) Alright, fine. I don't mind at all. If I can't take it out on Acid, I'll take it out on you. Get your boys together - we got a date for later. [COLOR="Blue"]Angle: Tyler threatens Cuban. Rating: C+[/COLOR] [COLOR="Blue"]Angle: Save by Caulfield, face off. Rating: C+[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]JD Morgan vs Johnny Martin[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JDMorgan.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JohnnyMartin.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] JD Morgan d. Johnny Martin by DQ after interference from Jack Giedroyc. [i]Jack's Notes: This match is plugged as a revenge rematch after Johnny Martin interrupted JD Morgan's post-match brutalization of Jack Giedroyc. They put on a good one at the PPV but all the sudden they've developed a real case of bad chemistry, and the match isn't much to watch, especially given the lack of much overness this far up the card. Technical matches really suffer with bad chemistry - terrible timing. JDM is just getting the upper hand when Jack Giedroyc hits the ramp with a head wrapped in bandages and crowned with a bizarre looking helmet. He walks right into the ring like nothing is bothering him and has an animated conversation with the ref, who tries to stop him. He doesn't look angry at all... until JD tries to push him out of the ring. Now, to give a complete picture of just how bad the ensuing ***-whupping really is, it's important to understand that a lot of hardcore purists have spilled a lot of ink about Giedroyc's rapid rise up the card, and some of that criticism has stung him and us. So it was decided that his straight-edge Brit routine was about as hardcore as The Talking Heads. This explains why JDM couldn't have expected Giedroyc to split him open like that, as he'd never been known as a headsplitter. And when he took the chairs and duplicated the same headstomp JDM had nailed on him? That was a surprise too. And an easy DQ. Blood all over your shoes.[/i] [COLOR="Blue"]Rating: D+[/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/JackGiedroyc.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Jack Giedroyc stands in the center of the ring with his boot laid across the throat of a still bleeding JD Morgan, still wearing that strange helmet and the mess of bandages around his skull. After a brief pause, he begins to speak. "I am Jack Giedroyc. [i][b]I AM THE WRATH OF GOD.[/i][/b]" The crowd is confused. "When JD Morgan laid my head under a chair last week on [b]March Into Battle[/b], he not only opened my head... he [i]opened my mind[/i], opened my eyes. I can see into the hearts of men. My divination is wisdom, My truth is divine. And My vengeance is terrible... for I am Him, the manifestation of His wrath... and it is so anointed that I can see into the truth, into the center, into the soul of things." (pauses, looks down at JD Morgan) "This JD Morgan, for example, has not changed his underwear in four days. He is not superstitious, just lazy. Sammy Bach is wearing Emma Chase's underwear, but Emma Chase is not wearing any underwear at all. The wrestler known as Hell's Bouncer grew up wanting to be a ballerina but was turned away because of his size... the wrestler known as Travis Century sucks his thumb at night. Tank Bradley is a coward, Eric Tyler is afraid of spiders, Chris Caulfield eats an ice cream cone before every match. All of these things I know, because I do His will, and be His cleansing fire." "I am the Wrath of God. Who's with me?" (drops the mic, walks out to a fairly serious pop) [i]Interesting bit... we realized that Jack Giedroyc is something of an untapped comedic talent and would be served by a gimmick more in line with that style, but we didn't want him to become just a joke or something to laugh at... anyhow, he's completed his gimmick shift and it seems to have gone well. PS: Big points to anyone who figures out where this gimmick came from...[/i] [COLOR="Blue"]Angle: Jack Giedroyc gimmick change. Rating: B- [/COLOR] [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/EddiePeak.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/Nemisis-1.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Nemesis and Eddie Peak do a bit describing their invincibility, the deathgrip they have over DaVE. Then Nemesis preps Hell's Bouncer, emphasizing that Big Cat Brandon is a rising threat and needs to be defeated quickly. Hell's Bouncer nods, looks menacing, and shambles out of the room like an oversized hardcore penguin. Nemesis, as always, makes a good angle out of nothing. [COLOR="Blue"]Angle: Nemesis hypes Eddie, preps Hells Bouncer: B-[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]#2 Big Cat Brandon vs Hell's Bouncer[/COLOR] [COLOR="SlateGray"]*TABLE MATCH*[/COLOR] [IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BigCatBrandon_alt.jpg[/IMG]-vs-[IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/HellsBouncer.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] Result: Big Cat Brandon d. Hell's Bouncer in a table match after avoiding Nemesis' interference. [i]Jack's Notes: At this point in his career, I think this match represents the apex of what we can expect out of Hell's Bouncer. Put with a very strong brawler who is capable of having a good match at pretty slow speed (Big Cat Brandon is probably the closest fit in all of DaVE to HB's fighting style), hardcore style brawling mileau, and a relatively short match that allowed him to hide his weaknesses. Still, we can't put him up against Big Cat Brandon every night. This match did an excellent job of building up BCB, as he resisted several interference attempts from Nemesis (with a huge pop for booting the big man off of the ring apron), the last of which gave Hell's Bouncer the opportunity to swing the [b]entire table[/b] like a baseball bat, hitting BCB and giving Hell's Bouncer a window of offense. Brandon shows his strength in the last minutes of the match, however, destroying Hell's Bouncer with a huge doubleunderhook powerbomb and hitting the [b]Big Cat Pounce[/b] through a table for the win.[/i] [COLOR="Blue"]Rating: C[/COLOR] [CENTER][COLOR="DimGray"]Pure Adrenaline vs The School of Tradition[/COLOR] [COLOR="SlateGray"]*HARDCORE MATCH*[/COLOR] [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] -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 School of Tradition d. Pure Adrenaline when Guide d. Teddy Powell w/a [b]Guided Missile[/b]. [i]Jack's Notes: Reasonably good main event, if chaotic. No love lost between these two teams, but the cruisers (Powell and Bach) continue to look a little lost in the hardcore mileau. It's clear that Guide and Scout have those boys pretty well scoped out in advance, countering the high-flying antics with chairs, mostly. The highlight of the night involved Teddy Powell trying to hit a dazed Guide with a missile dropkick - as he dove, Eric Tyler leapt in the air with a chair and brained him in midair... Powell still hit Tyler, but did so totally limp and with very little effect. He was put out of his misery shortly thereafter. A pretty unambiguous win for [b]The School of Tradition[/b] to end the show, with Caulfield not able to protect the lighter wrestlers from a diversified assault. The wrestler of the match was Guide, by a mile. He left most of the best spots for Tyler, but showed incredible timing and the ability to mix it up with the cruiserweights in the air. He continues to be perhaps DaVE's most well-rounded worker. As the show ends, Eric Tyler is up on the turnbuckle, staring at Mark Cuban at the announcer's table and calling for [b]Acid's[/b] head.[/i] [COLOR="Blue"]Rating: C[/COLOR] [b]Show rating: C- [i](considered a success, especially in the South East)[/i] [QUOTE][b]QUICK RESULTS:[/b] [i]Vin Tanner d. Kashmir Singh: D Nathan Coleman d. Steve Flash: C The Cult of the Gray Dragon d. The New Jersey Devils: D+ JD Morgan d. Johnny Martin by DQ: D+ Big Cat Brandon d. Hell's Bouncer: C The School of Tradition d. Pure Adrenaline: C[/i] [b]Show Rating: C-[/b][/QUOTE] [i]Next up: A new show, a new wrestler, and new power rankings![/i]

[Monkeypox]

[CENTER][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="4"]"The Bulldozer"[/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER] I caught Mark in his office the next morning. His office was the top floor of a Manhatten skyrise, and he only used it once a week. I avoided the place. It only reminded me how small I was, how small DaVE was. I didn't like thinking about just how big the gap between me and Cuban really was. For all our posturing and all our backstage maneuvering, I knew he had yachts worth more than DaVE ever was. He smiled as I came in. "Hey, Jack! Good show last night! Here about tickets to the Mavs/Knicks game?" He was in a good mood. "Actually, no," I replied, sitting in an ergonomic chair, "I'm actually here to pitch you a new recruit." Mark leaned forward over the huge expanse of his mahogany desk. "Slide it over, I'm all ears." I slid the dossier over. [CENTER][IMG]http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p44/monkeypocks/BulldozerBrandonSmith.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] "His name is Brandon Smith, but he calls himself the Bulldozer." Mark looked at the photo and frowned. "That's a pretty fruity haircut." "I'm not arguin' with you. He was something of a football phenom, almost went to the NFL but decided he wanted to be a wrestler instead." Mark immediately shook his head, sliding the photo away. "A football player? No way. We've already got [b]Cameron Vessey[/b] and [b]Kashmir Singh[/b] on the books already, not to mention [b]Hell's Bouncer[/b] and the [b]Latino Kings[/b]. The last thing this organization needs is another 'project'." I shook my head. "Oh no, that's the thing. He already knows how to wrestle. [b]Nemesis[/b] scouted him and feels confident that he's already a better in-ring performer than about 75% of our guys, and a better brawler than anyone not named [b]Eric Tyler[/b], including [b]Big Cat Brandon[/b]." Mark stared at me. "So you're telling me that you could put this guy in the ring [i]right now[/i], and he'd be up on that level of intensity? I don't buy it. I mean, this guy is a [b][i]football player[/i][/b], where the hell did he learn to wrestle like that at... how old is he? 24? How is that even possible?" I thought about it for a second. "I have a guess, but it's just a guess, and you won't like it." Mark leaned back in his chair. "Try me." "Okay. I'm thinking that guys like the Bulldozer are meant to compensate for an extremely weak initial pool of unemployed wrestlers in this version of TEW. I mean, in 2005, it was way too easy to start up a good federation because guys like Hell Monkey and American Elemental were just laying around waiting for you to call them. And of course, there weren't the infamous hiring blocks to contend with either. [b]I think Adam Ryland tried to buff up the unemployed pool of wrestlers with this new staggered approach, but he might've overcompensated with guys like the Bulldozer.[/b]" Mark glared at me for a long second. "You know, every time you make that Adam Ryland joke, I just hate you a little more. You know that, don't you?" I nodded. "Yet you continue to do it? Knowing I'm your boss?" Stonefaced, I nodded again. Mark exhaled noisily, rolled his eyes, and re-examined the dossier. "So... this football player guy who has never wrestled but can already brawl like [b]Big Cat Brandon[/b]... how much does he cost? I don't think we need another $1000 PPV signing." I smiled. "$500 per." Mark looked at me again, considering. "What's the catch?" I smiled again. "No catch. This guy really wants into the business, and we saw him first. I don't know if we'll hold him long, though. A few months on camera and TCW is gonna come knocking... good thing we've got a non-aggression pact." Mark whistled to himself, then slammed his palm on the table. "Okay, Jack. It's a signing. I'll have my people draw up a contract, you go call this kid and give him the good news." We shook hands, and I left. As soon as I was out of earshot, I heaved a gigantic sigh of relief. Mark hadn't asked me why the Bulldozer left a guaranteed million-dollar contract in the NFL to sign up with a cult level hardcore wrestling federation that would pay him $500 a night... ...so I didn't have to tell him that the Bulldozer had torn his ACL, endured three surgeries and one disappointing comeback attempt in the development leagues, and was just one major knee injury away from retirement. [i]Next up... March Power Rankings!![/i]

[D16NJD16]

Let me just say in respone to the title of this thread that I always knew Cuban was gay.