There and Back Again: The Story of Bristol People's Wrestling

[Cathcart Chiswick]

[B]9 NOVEMBER 2006[/B] It was a warm morning in Bristol as I walked out into the street, but a cool breeze blew in from the channel. My friend Matty Hayes had sent me an e-mail, telling me in an excited tone to visit him as soon as possible, and when I tried to phone him to ask him what was going on, he didn't pick up. I figured, then, that I'd walk to his house and see what was on. Why not? He lived only a few blocks away. I reached his house, which was on a cul-de-sac -- There And Back Again Lane. He lived above a bookshop; I climbed the stairs. Matty greeted me at the door -- a thin, beaky man with almost no chin to speak of. He's in his mid-thirties -- more than a decade older than I am, mind you. I just got out of university last year; we met at a wrestling match, and would go together whenever ROF or 21CW (the original -- oh, don't get Matty started on that situation) was in town, or when some local show was held. That was how I knew him, mostly -- I always had the sense he didn't have a lot of close friends, if any, and none of my usual friends liked wrestling. "Cathy!", he said. I had long since lost all hope of getting him to stop calling me that. "Hello, Matty," I replied. "I got your message -- is anything wrong?" "Good heavens, Cathy, quite the opposite! My great-uncle passed away!" "Oh -- my... condolences?" "Oh, no, I scarcely knew him. He was old -- old, and tremendously rich. Which, naturally, is why I've called you here." "Hm?" I wasn't following this -- something about an inheritance, presumably, but... why me? "Well, he left me some money, on the condition that I use it to 'better the lot of my fellow man'. Whatever that means." "Wait. Do you mean..." "That you're the fellow man in question? Not quite, Cathy... but [I]not quite not[/I]." _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [B][SIZE="5"]THERE AND BACK AGAIN[/SIZE] [SIZE="3"]THE STORY OF BRISTOL PEOPLE'S WRESTLING A TEW07 Dynasty by Cathcart Chiswick[/SIZE][/B]

[Cathcart Chiswick]

Matty brandished the money again. "It's all there -- forty thousand pounds!" "And... let me hear this again. The way you're going to benefit humanity is... by opening a wrestling league?" "You know the state of English wrestling, Cathy. You know it's grim. I say it all the time." He had me there -- he did, indeed, say exactly that. "And wrestling -- true, skilled wrestling -- is an art. But it's not an art that exists after it dies; it's not an art that remain. It's an ephemeral art, and if we lose that to Jeff Nova and his like... well, we'll never get it back. Position us properly, Cathy, and we stand to save an entire art form -- and all on less than fifty thousand quid. Think of it that way." "And Ring of Fire?" "Don't be silly, boy. You know the Ring never recovered from the loss of Geordie Jimmy. British Samurai is a good wrestler, in his poor-man's-Kendo-Nagasaki kind of way, but he's no promotion owner. And who even has their book these days?" "Ali Bloxsome, sir -- the Demolition Druid." "That clown? Oh, I know you like him -- but you'll have to grant he's no booker." "I don't know him." "He's no booker. I could run a book ten times better than the both of them put together could even dream of. And they're bankrupt -- you know that. Everyone knows that. I give them a year. Maybe a year and a half." "So... where do I come in?" "Well, Cathy my boy..." "'My boy'? What are you, an old fishmonger from a Dickens novel?" "I hope you won't give our wrestlers gimmicks like that, Cathy. Nobody wants to see a wrestling fishmonger." "Wait... you mean I'm the booker?" "Well, mostly. You have more time. I have to keep my job. You work part-time, you'll handle the booking; I'll consult and manage the whole thing; and Ellen -- you remember Ellen, right?" "Your sister?" "Yes, my sister. She's taking on the role of road agent for university credit -- majoring in business, you know. Bright girl. Oh! And you'll never guess who we've got as our head referee?" "Who?" "Tyler 21st Century." "You mean Tyler Baker? That traitor?" "You know, Cathy, you need to stop being so judgmental. Tyler Baker had a brilliant idea; he wanted to change wrestling for the better. And if he had, so much the better. You liked old 21st Century Wrestling; it's not his fault he got desperate financially. He just couldn't quite carry it out. But he has experience. Do we have experience? Do you?" "Well, no..." "Well, then, Tyler Baker does. Don't worry -- we won't trust him too far." "So that's the backstage crew, Matty -- who are the wrestlers?" "I've not got that figured out yet, Cathy."

[Cathcart Chiswick]

[B]17 DECEMBER 2006[/B] With two weeks to go before the end of the year, it was time to make the final alterations to the roster. We had spent over a month auditioning wrestlers -- looking at tapes, conducting sparring sessions, travelling to shows far and near. We resolved, first of all, that we would focus on technical achievement, but pick up workers who excelled in other ways as well. Also, Matty forbade me from loking at injury-prone workers. In the end, though, we needed fifteen names. And now we had them. [B]MAIN EVENT[/B] (faces in blue, heels in red) [COLOR="Blue"]GEORDIE JIMMY MORRIS[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"That's how we got killed before, Matty -- why so many owners of failed promotions?" "You have to respect the past, my boy. Geordie Jimmy respects the past." "He [I]would[/I] -- he's [I]part[/I] of it." Eventually, though, I conceded that his experience and grasp of psychology outweighed his checkered history and dreadful haircut...[/QUOTE] [COLOR="Blue"]KEITH ADAMS[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"Now [I]this[/I] is a main eventer, Matty." "Sure, he's incredibly solid -- but will he draw the crowd?" "He may not draw the crowd, but he'll draw them back next time."[/QUOTE] [COLOR="Red"] HARRY WILSON[/COLOR] [QUOTE] "You know, my boy, I think I like him better than his brother." "That's because you're wrong."[/QUOTE] [COLOR="Red"]WALTER MORGAN[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"Is there a purer idea in all wrestling than the thought of Morgan facing off against Keith Adams?" "I don't know, Matty -- but I can think of about a hundred more interesting ones."[/QUOTE] (Roster to be finished tomorrow.)

[teakle]

Looking forward to seeing whether you can justify a first show in the hotbed of wrestling that is Fishponds...

[Cathcart Chiswick]

[B]UPPER MIDCARDERS[/B] [COLOR="Blue"]Jed High and Toby Juan Kenobi[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"Should we let them keep the gimmick?" "I say we let them keep the gimmick, but they don't team up. Ever. We don't mention they have the same gimmick, we don't even mention they know each other." "And... then what?" "I... don't know yet." "But won't people be confused, Matty?" "I don't think they'll be confused." "[I]I'm[/I] confused."[/QUOTE] [COLOR="Blue"]Principessa[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"She demands how much money?" "I bargained her down to four hundred fifty pounds a match. Eight hundred American dollars. I've got some ideas for her." "I've got some ideas for her, too, but I doubt she'd be interested." "Don't even [I]joke[/I] about that, Matty."[/QUOTE] [COLOR="Red"]Beast Bantom[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"All right, Matty, this is your call -- but why? Isn't he some kind of old sports-entertainment giant?" "Cathy... I know you say you don't like giants. I say it too, sometimes. But what you really don't like is bad giants. You don't like Bob Cronin, you don't like the Steamroller. But you like Dread, and you like Pete Hall, and I think this guy has it in him to be just as good." "Fair enough. He's kind of a bastard, though -- not that I'd say it to his face."[/QUOTE] [COLOR="Red"]The Juicer[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"All right, Cathy -- you bothered me about Bantom, so what's this?" "Well, I interviewed him, and he said he wanted to do something that wasn't a lot of brawling nonsense." "That doesn't mean we have to let him." "I know -- but I watched the tape he provided, and you know, he's actually got some solid skills. I mean, he's no Walter Morgan, but I think he can do well, and I think we owe him the chance." "And by 'owe him the chance', you mean..." "Draw in a few hardcore fans. Yes."[/QUOTE] [COLOR="Red"]Miss Information[/COLOR] [QUOTE]"Again, we can't do what they expect -- I say she doesn't have a match against Principessa for at least six months. Maybe a year." "You're an odd man, Matty Hayes."[/QUOTE]

[Cathcart Chiswick]

Brief notes on the lower rungs of the ladder: [B]MIDCARDERS[/B] [COLOR="Blue"]Glen Ward Curtis Jenkins[/COLOR] [COLOR="Red"]Merle O'Curle[/COLOR] [QUOTE]It's ridiculous how much more polished O'Curle is than these other two. We can use him to train them. And of course, Jenkins is getting his share of advice from none other than the legendary Rip Chord.[/QUOTE] [B]LOWER MIDCARDERS[/B] [COLOR="Red"]Jacques DuPont Pierre DuPont[/COLOR] [QUOTE]Eh... they're cheap. And they'll work as a team. And they're actually pretty decent technical workers, if nothing even remotely special.[/QUOTE]

[Cathcart Chiswick]

I know, Teakle... England is a bit of a mess talent-wise, isn't it? But I figured it would be a) a challenge from a gameplay perspective, b) an interesting change of pace (everyone's diary is from America -- a few from Canada, a few from Japan. British workers haven't been written about yet, for the most part...), and c) as soon as I realized a new federation could hire Tyler Baker [I]and[/I] Geordie Jimmy, I had to go ahead with that. But I've cranked new worker generation up to "high". If they won't give me access to talented workers to begin with, I'll have to make them myself, or wait until the system does...

[D-Lyrium]

[QUOTE=Cathcart Chiswick;196384][B]NOVEMBER[/b]... ...It was a warm morning in Bristol...[/quote] You lost me right about there :p In three years, I never once had anything remotely approaching a warm ANYTHING in Bristol ¬_¬. And hey, we had wrestling at Ashton Gate one time last year :p (Sure, that meant having to GO to Ashton Gate - the things I do in the name of wrestling... - but it was fun :p). Seriously though, it's been fun so far. Looking foward to the first show :)

[keefmoon]

I like this a lot so far, your backstory and style of writing has me guaranteed as a reader for a while. Good job; can't wait for the shows to get started

[Gozer]

Nice, don't see much light on this corner of the C-Verse. I'm in.

[Cathcart Chiswick]

[QUOTE=D-Lyrium;196610]You lost me right about there :p In three years, I never once had anything remotely approaching a warm ANYTHING in Bristol ¬_¬. [/QUOTE] Ah... and in November, no less. I originally wrote July, figuring that my backstory would involve six months of preparation -- but then I remembered that it had to happen after September '06, when Jeff Nova bought out 21CW... so I moved it forward. Oh, well -- thanks for the kind words. I'll try to live up to expectations!

[Cathcart Chiswick]

[B]6 JANUARY 2007[/B] The first meeting of the BPW booking team started around 2 PM in the back room of the Paddington Club, a local boxing venue which we'd made an agreement to rent out. In attendance: the entire team. Matty and I sat on one side of the table, and at our left was Matty's sister Ellen, who turned out to be two years younger than I was -- a mousy girl with glasses, who seemed to be perpetually in danger of shrinking entirely into her bright-red anorak. On our right, next to me, was Geordie Jimmy Morris, implausible haircut in tow. Next to him sat "Wigan Walter" Morgan, the de facto representative of the locker room, and on his left (across from Matty) was Tyler Baker. Matty called the meeting to order as Ellen took notes. "All right, folks -- let's figure this business out. We've got two weeks before our first card, and we've got a place to hold the show. We've lined up a local band to open for us, in hopes of drawing in a crowd -- they're called the Rodents. They're pretty bad. I'm not sure they'll help. I figure we need four matches -- one main event, for the title. One upper-midcard match, and two on the lower level. Any suggestions for who? And storylines?" Geordie Jimmy spoke up first. "Well, if you don't have any other contenders for the title match..." "I don't think so", said Tyler. "No offense, Jimmy, but audiences still think of you as Ring of Fire's figurehead. We need to establish a different image, one that's our own." "Agreed," I said. "That, and we don't want to antagonize Ring of Fire. We're trying to put together a working agreement with them. Don't worry, Jimmy -- you'll get your chance to shine. Just... not now. Which leaves three -- Keith Adams, Harry Wilson, and you, Walter. I figure Keith has to go, given that he's the only face of the three..." "Walter," said Matty. "Definitely Walter. You and Keith are the best technicians on the roster, and we need to show the fans that we mean business." There was general assent. Matty continued. "All right -- now that that's settled, what else can we do? I want to put Beast Bantom out there, build him up as a monster -- I say we put him over one of the Jedi fellows." "Still not sure about that guy, Matty," said Walter. "Why advertise technical wrestling and deliver a three-hundred-pound brawler? And he's no fun in the locker room, let me tell you." "I'm going to go over your head on this one," Matty said. "I know you think I'm wrong, and if you're right, I'll admit it. But I say we give a few months' commitment to him. Worst case, we build him up until the fans hate him, then we let someone take him down." It was agreed that Chris Curle, who used to wrestle as "Merle O"Curle" but had decided to use his own name and take on an arrogant heel act, had to be out there -- we booked him against Glen Ward. Then we set the other low-card face, Curtis Jenkins, against one of the DuPont Brothers. We decided Pierre, but later found out that Ellen had written down Jacques by accident. We went with it. With that established, Geordie Jimmy had a question. "So, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Chiswick -- where do you see all this going?" "In what terms?", I asked. "We're going to save technical wrestling in England!" "Yes, Matty -- you know that's not what I meant. I'm talking long-term pushes. Who gets them, and how?" "Yes," said Walter. "And are we going to be cutting a lot of promos? If so, what kind? You know you haven't hired anyone especially charismatic -- no offense to those present, of course." "No," said Jimmy. "I admit it. We never had promos in Ring, of course -- not that I would have minded the occasional interview, but who would do it?" Matty spoke. "We're not running any interviews. It's an art, and I respect it, but as you say, it's not an art any of us are masters of. This may change in the future, of course. And of course, we're not pulling any of this soap-opera nonsense -- no offense, Tyler." Tyler Baker looked mildly aggrieved, but said nothing. "I'm not making any decisions about long-term movement just yet. Let's get out there and see what works, then worry about who we should push." "Except Bantom," said Walter. "You seem pretty committed to him." "For now, yes," Matty said. "We'll discuss him again a few months down the line -- and I don't think you'll be so skeptical." [B][SIZE="3"]BPW THERE AND BACK AGAIN (20 January, 2007)[/SIZE][/B] [B] Main Event: "Rock Solid" Keith Adams vs. "Wigan Walter" Morgan Beast Bantom vs. Jed High Curtis Jenkins vs. Jacques DuPont "Pristine" Chris O'Curle vs. Glen Ward Featuring an opening set by the Rodents! Only one pound! Be there![/B]

[Cathcart Chiswick]

[B][SIZE="5"]BPW THERE AND BACK AGAIN[/SIZE][/B] The crowd for our first show was unfortunately small; as the Rodents packed up their instruments, it became apparent that the fans they brought were planning to leave with them. Only six loyalists remained to witness the debut of our promotion. [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the birth of a new era in British wrestling. Welcome to B... P... W! [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"] MATTY:[/COLOR] We've got a great show for you tonight, and Cathcart will guarantee this. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] Well, that may just be because I booked it. Your first match of the evening features two of the top up-and-coming wrestlers in the British Isles -- from right here in Bristol, he's a master of judo and a dangerous all-around competitor... ladies and gentlemen, "The Angry Young Man", Glen Ward! (Glen Ward enters to scattered applause.) And from County Cork, a technical expert with few peers -- "Pristine" Chris Curle! [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] It's true -- Curle's got beautiful form. There are maybe five wrestlers in all England who can match his form. And you'll see two of them later tonight, in our main event -- but for now, let's watch these two face off.[/QUOTE] As Matty said, Curle's form was indeed pristine -- he dominated the early going, tying Ward in knots and not allowing him much offense at all. This was an excellent match, actually, and exactly the sort of thing we wanted to lead off the first show with -- a serious technical exhibition between two guys with strong chemistry. Of course, we battled for the attention of the crowd throughout -- they had never heard of either of these guys, and it's tough to build much momentum when you're playing to six people. [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] And he's got Ward locked into the Celtic Wreath! [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] The Celtic Wreath, one of the most feared submission holds in British wrestling today. And he's gesturing to the crowd as if to call attention to his execution... which is flawless -- [COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] But he's distracted! And Ward manages to break it! Overconfidence from Curle! Now Ward's going on the offensive... [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] Fisherman DDT! Curle is laid out! The pin... 1! 2! 3![/QUOTE] [B]GLEN WARD OVER "PRISTINE" CHRIS CURLE via pinfall in 12:12 (D+)[/B] ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART: [/COLOR]Next up, two more of our young wrestlers -- Curtis Jenkins and Jacques DuPont! [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] Curtis is an international performer -- he also works in America, for the legendary Rip Chord. Jacques' twin brother Pierre also wrestles for us -- you can see him next month at Hearts and Crosses.[/QUOTE] It's not always going to be as easy as Ward-Curle, I guess. This was a pretty dismal showing from the two young men; neither has much grasp of psychology, and there was an overall sense that the match was only here because we needed something to fill up ten minutes. (Which it was, but still.) [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] And DuPont with the brainbuster! 1 - 2 - 3![/QUOTE] [B]JACQUES DuPONT OVER CURTIS JENKINS via pinfall in 9:48 (E+)[/B] ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] Now, here's a dangerous man -- Beast Bantom, ladies and gentlemen. Three hundred twenty pounds of raw power and fury. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] He'll be facing off against Jed High -- a talented fighter, but will he have the strength to withstand the much larger man's attack?[/QUOTE] As it turns out, no. We booked this match to put Bantom over as a monster, and that's just what we did -- he dominated the bout. Not incredibly exciting, but it did what it was supposed to do. [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART: [/COLOR]Savage Pounce! It's all over, folks! [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] I can't escape the feeling that Beast was just toying with him, Cathy. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] Don't call me Cathy.[/QUOTE] [B]BEAST BANTOM OVER JED HIGH via pinfall in 13:59 (D-)[/B] ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] And now for a historic moment -- you'll be telling your grandchildren about this. CATHCART: Your grandchildren won't care. They'll wonder, "why is Grandpa talking about old wrestlers again?" Grandchildren are jerks. [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] Hush. [COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] In this corner, the most feared mat wrestler in England -- weighing in at 228 pounds -- Wigan Walter Morgan! And entering the club, London's wrestling police constable -- weighing in at 222 pounds... "Rock Solid" Keith Adams![/QUOTE] If there's a more dependable match than this one, I'd like to know it. These two put on a very solid, very even match -- maybe it didn't have the unexpected spark of Ward-Curle, but it was well-contested and quite watchable. [QUOTE][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY: [/COLOR]Now, this is what wrestling's all about! Adams escapes the hold, turns it right back on Morgan, bridges to an armlock -- Morgan counters... [COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] Adams takes control right back! He's locked on! [COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]MATTY:[/COLOR] Prison Lock! This could be it! [COLOR="DarkGreen"]CATHCART:[/COLOR] Morgan's battling -- battling -- he taps out! Your winner, and first BPW World Champion -- Keith Adams! Good night, folks![/QUOTE] "ROCK SOLID" KEITH ADAMS OVER WALTER MORGAN via submission in 20:07 (D+) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [B] TOTAL SHOW RATING: D Attendance: 6[/B] A solid show, considering -- but needless to say, we're not happy with the attendance. More later.