Force Twelve Wrestling

[ClaRK! Kent]

FTW SPRING FLING

April 17th, 2005

Location: Alfred P. Vance High School gymnasium

Announcers: Daniel Cohen and Tom Giesen

Spring Fling begins with the sounds of “Tourniquet” by Marilyn Manson playing over the speaker systems, which are noticeably less extravagant than at the last two shows. The ring is still the same, with a black apron, white ring ropes, and black ringposts, although the area around it is considerably less padded, and the whole feel of the venue is much smaller and much less expensive. Sparing no expense, however, are our announcers, Daniel Cohen and Tom Giesen, who have survived recent budget cuts with aplomb…

Daniel Cohen: Welcome to the Spring Fling, ladies and gentlemen! You join us here at the Alfred P. Vance High School gymnasium tonight for our third show, with 100 screaming fans in attendance!

Tom Giesen: Screaming is perhaps a little bit of an overstatement, Cohen.

Daniel Cohen: Must you contradict everything I say? It’s bordering on the unbearable.

Tom Giesen: Again - it’s my job, I’m the heel.

Before anymore breaks in kayfabe can occur, “Creep” by Radiohead plays over the speakers, and Chance Beckett heads down to the ring in short tights and a plaid shirt, staring around him with distaste and fury. Walking down to the ring, he seems noticeably angered by the boos of the crowd, which cannot be good news for the Navy Seal, who is out next to his military drill music, saluting the fans and generally playing to the blind patriotism of the average post-9/11 American. Sure enough, Beckett sets upon the Navy Seal as soon as he climbs between the ropes, quickly knocking him outside again and following up with a baseball slide before tossing him back into the ring to begin the bout.

OPENER: Chance Beckett vs. Navy Seal

Beckett dominates the opening few moments thanks to his pre-match attack, Irish whipping Seal into the ropes and hitting a big back body drop as he comes careering back. A series of big-impact slams and suplexes follow now, with Beckett taking out his frustrations on the hapless soldier and attempting a pinfall after every maneuver, all to no avail as Seal’s shoulder keeps popping up at two.

Daniel Cohen: The Navy Seal showing a great deal of resiliency here, people, with kick-out after kick-out!

Tom Giesen: I doubt he’ll be able to keep this up much longer, Beckett is on fire tonight!

Daniel Cohen: Maybe so, Tom, but you should never doubt the US military!

If there were, however, a time to doubt the military, it might be now, as the Navy Seal finds himself slingshot hard into the ropes and toppling to the outside, landing hard on the floor. As he does so, however, he notices an American flag in the crowd, and seems to compose himself. Rolling back into the ring, he blocks a wild right from Beckett and begins unloading the jabs and forearms, finishing with a huge clothesline, only to lift Beckett back into the air with a huge military press!

Daniel Cohen: That’s the power of America at work, people, look at the inspiration it gives Navy Seal!

Seal drops Beckett down to the mat with a crash now, and climbs to the top rope, looking for his Elite Force flying neckbreaker no doubt. As he leaps, however, Beckett ducks down, and Seal guillotines himself on the ring ropes! Staggering back, he finds himself rolled up by Beckett - who hooks the tights for the tainted 1-2-3!

Tom Giesen: He did it! Chance Beckett overcame the power of patriotism!

Daniel Cohen: Oh yeah, he cheated to win, my hero!

Tom Giesen: That’s the spirit!

Daniel Cohen: I was being sarcastic, you idiot.

After the match, Beckett celebrates his victory, still annoyed at the boos of the crowd, whilst the Navy Seal gets to his feet. Ever the sportsman, he offers a handshake to Beckett, who stares at it like it is an alien artefact. Eventually, Beckett takes his opponent’s hand… only to pull him into a spiked DDT! The boos rain down now as Beckett taunts over the fallen Navy Seal, before heading backstage.

(Match Quality 73%, Crowd Reaction 39%, Overall Rating 56%)

After the Navy Seal has been taken backstage, “Fix Up Look Sharp” by the British rap sensation Dizzee Rascal plays over the speakers, and Greg Pawluk makes his way down to the ring, getting a decent reaction from the 100-strong crowd. Nodding to them in a simple acknowledgement, he takes a microphone and looks set to re-iterate his open challenge. Before he can speak, however, the sounds of “Left Behind” by Slipknot rip across the PA system, and out walks an unfamiliar figure.

Daniel Cohen: Wait a moment… that’s Danny Dominion! I’d heard rumours that he was set to sign for FTW, but nobody believed he’d debut so soon! This is a major coup by the powers that be, Tom, he’s quite the talented athelete!

Tom Giesen: You’re glossing over the fact that he’s also totally insane, Cohen! This guy makes Charles Manson look like the kinda guy you’d want your daughter to bring home for dinner!

Sure enough, Dominion does look somewhat unhinged as he walks towards the ring, breathing heavily and even snarling at one fan in the front row, barely controlling himself. He grins evilly at Pawluk, licking his lips, and immediately sets upon the technical supremo as the bell rings.

MATCH 2: Greg Pawluk vs. Danny Dominion

Pawluk attempts to enter a lock-up with Dominion, who simply boots him in the gut and shoves him to the mat. Trying again, Pawluk manages to get into a lock-up situation this time, and ducks behind his opponent, attempting a German suplex. Dominion counters, however, with a hard elbow to the side of the head, sending Pawluk reeling and then staggering back into a one-armed body slam. From here, Dominion drops a vicious knee into his opponent’s face, and another one into his ribs.

Daniel Cohen: Some good early work by Danny Dominion here, he’s quite the physical specimen, Tom!

Tom Giesen: I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you! “Quite the physical specimen?” He’s a damned psychopath!

As Pawluk gets to his feet, Dominion takes a step back and blitzes him with a high shoulder tackle, before pouncing on him and landing some well-placed right hands to the head. He takes the time to pause now, raising his arms and grinning manically, which allows the technical supremo to get to his feet and nail some heavy chops to the chest, which light up Dominion’s chest. Pressing the advantage now, Pawluk forces his opponent into the ropes and lifts him up for a suplex, before dropping him down onto the ropes… but Dominion lands on the apron instead! Grinning all the while, he grabs Pawluk as he comes over to the ropes, dropping his jaw hard onto the ropes. As the technical supremo reels backward, Dominion grabs him over the ropes once more, and hits a back-body suplex over the ropes, sending Greg Pawluk crashing into the crowd barrier! The fans give a pop for that maneuver, as Dominion steps back into the ring, grinning evilly and licking his lips as referee Tony Bryant administers the 10 count to disqualify Pawluk and give the unhinged Danny Dominion his debut victory.

Daniel Cohen: An impressive victory here by Danny Dominion… although I’m concerned about his mental state somewhat, based on this display!

Victory secured, Dominion goes back to the outside, grabbing a dazed and confused Greg Pawluk, lifting him high into the air and dropping him down onto the thinly-padded floor with a huge spine buster! Dragging him back into the ring now, Dominion utters a blood-curdling battle yell, and hauls Pawluk’s limp form into the air for a devastating Dominator!

Tom Giesen: Oh man, I take it all back, every last word! This guy is incredible, Cohen, this is just the sort of entertainment we need here!

Daniel Cohen: Well, I respect that he’s a good competitor, Tom, but don’t you think that applauding this senseless violence is going a bit too far, even for you?

Tom Giesen: You get into the ring and tell that to Danny Dominion! No? Exactly!

Dominion, standing tall over the body of Greg Pawluk, demands a microphone, which he is quickly given. His heavy breathing echoing around the gymnasium, he begins to speak…

(Match Quality 79%, Crowd Reaction 27%, Overall Rating 53%)

Begin the Dominion…

Danny Dominion: (breathing heavily) This… is just the beginning. You have only just begun to understand… your time has come. (breathing heavily) Greg Pawluk is just the vanguard, the first victim… he will NOT be the last…

Daniel Cohen: What in the name of God is this guy on about?

Danny Dominion: The Dominion… is just beginning. You have been warned… you will NOT BE WARNED AGAIN!

Bellowing these last words in an apparent blind rage, Dominion tosses the microphone down to the mat, and stalks out of the ring with his music blaring. Unable to make his way to the back on his own, Greg Pawluk is helped out by our resident first aid specialist, getting a sympathetic round of applause.

(Segment quality 50%)

Before the announcers can comment on what we have just seen, the German National Anthem plays over the speakers, and The Foreigner heads out to the ring, predictably waving the German flag for all to see. Slightly less predictable is his military-style uniform, however, which seems to shock a few fans and incite boos from the others.

Daniel Cohen: I doubt that’s in good taste. Is he wearing a Nazi uniform, Tom?

Tom Giesen: What? Oh for God’s sake, it’s not actually a Nazi uniform, no. I suppose you could call it ‘Nazi chic’, but essentially it’s a mid-20th century Eastern European military look.

Daniel Cohen: I… see. Well, as long as that’s cleared up.

Foreigner steps into the ring, sets down his flag, and awaits his opponent. The Star Spangled Banner plays now, and ‘All American’ Ash Parker heads out to the ring, winning the battle of the national anthems if nothing else as the fans go crazy with patriotic cheers. Parker salutes them, and heads down to the ring to face his bitter foreign rival.

MATCH 3: The Foreigner vs. Ash Parker

Foreigner, showing his cowardice in the face of America, immediately rolls out of the ring as Parker climbs in, and begins to circle now, trying to stay away from Parker. Eventually, and warily, he steps into the ring, only to be knocked down by some fiery rights from Parker, who seems to be on fire tonight. Following up with some chops and a snap suplex, Parker begins to build momentum and get the crowd on his side, forcing Foreigner into the ropes and chopping him again, before taking a step back and hitting a brilliant moonsault kick!

Daniel Cohen: Wow! What a maneuver from Ash Parker there, Tom, a backlip moonsault kick in the turnbuckle! That’s good old American spirit you’re watching in that ring, people!

Tom Giesen: Oh, for Christ’s sake, it isn’t even the 4th of July, give me a break!

Foreigner again rolls outside, unnerved and surprised at his inability to mount offense against Parker. Gathering his composure, he steps back into the ring and this time manages to nail a few wild right hands and a clothesline, following up with a spiked DDT! The ‘All American,’ however, simply sits up from the DDT, and moments later nips up and floors Foreigner with a spear! Once more, Parker unloads on his opponent - much to the glee of the crowd - with some hard shots and a few clever suplexes, before nailing a stiff super kick that sends Foreigner reeling! Signalling for the end now, Parker turns around, only to find that Foreigner is once again on the outside, unwilling to return to the ring. Referee Tony Bryant explains to our overseas visitor that he can and will be counted out, as our last match proved, but Ash Parker has no time for this, leaping over the top rope with a pescado - straight into a hard shot from the German flag! Parker goes down with a thud, and Foreigner rolls him into the ring, where he is easy prey for the German suplex and the pinfall!

Daniel Cohen: Oh come on, that’s despicable! The Foreigner knew, he just knew he couldn’t beat Ash Parker, so he had to resort to those underhanded tactics! This is just wrong!

Tom Giesen: Geez, give him a break, it’s not like he’s invaded Poland.

For the second match in a row now, the victorious wrestler stands over his fallen opponent, demanding a microphone…

(Match Quality 76%, Crowd Reaction 38%, Overall Rating 57%)

Declaration of War…

The boos of the fans are ringing around the gymnasium, and The Foreigner has to shout to begin with. The effect, coupled with his best WWII-movie Gestapo accent, is quite chilling…

The Foreigner: So… you vill not listen? You vish to sit in your seats, booing as if it makes any difference? Vell… ve haff vays of making you listen! ACHTUNG!

The last, bellowing word catches the attention of the fans, who begin to quieten down now…

The Foreigner: Zat is better, no? Zis… zis iz ze fate for those of who do no co-operate, or shall ve say collaborate, vith ze Foreign Invasion. Ve are masters of ze art of war, you only haff to look at our colourful history to see ze proud military tradition in our great land… America, ze land of ze free, remains ze last bastion of your puny people. It iz no matter. Zis is a declaration of war!

Daniel Cohen: A declaration of war?

The Foreigner: Ze Foreign Invasion’s var machine is mobilising against you, ze blitzkrieg vill begin soon. You haff von, von more chance to surrender peacefully… or you vill be occupied, defeated, by ze Foreign Invasion. Ze master race vill be victorious, and ze Foreign Invasion vill crush your puny America. Zis figurehead, your ‘All American,’ iz a shining example of ze flaws in your supposedly ‘great’ nation… he iz nothing, nothing, compared to ze power of ze Reich’s finest athelete… ze declaration of war has been made… you have one month, America, one month vith vich to surrender, or you VILL SUFFER ZE FULL MIGHT OF ZE FOREIGN INVASION!

Once again yelling his last few words, The Foreigner tosses the microphone down to the mat, and exit’s the ring, making sure to kick Pawluk in the head as he leaves. The boos of the crowd are bordering on rabid as Foreigner walks backstage, nonchalant, disappearing behind the curtain with a mocking, vaguely-Nazi salute. Once more, the first aid specialists come into play, helping Ash Parker up and walking him backstage.

Daniel Cohen: This is just… surreal, that’s the word I’m searching for. This guy is certainly surreal, Tom.

Tom Giesen: What does that even mean? Isn’t surreal just a word that stupid people use to sound intelligent without actually having anything intelligent to say?

Daniel Cohen: Only when they’re discussing art.

Tom Giesen: Oh. Well, yeah, this guy is definitely bizarre, but I think these low-lives need somebody like him, Cohen, to buck their ideas up, or they’re never going to learn to be self-sufficient!

(Segment quality 58%)

Laying Down the Law…

“Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon plays over the speakers now, and ‘Sexy’ Sean Casey struts out to the ring, looking ravishing as always, and for the first time accompanied by a stunning blonde valet wearing a short black skirt suit, who carries a clipboard and a microphone.

Daniel Cohen: Who’s that with Sean Casey, Tom?

Tom Giesen: Don’t you do your research, Cohen? Lucky I’m here to add the other cheek to your half-assed job - that’s Sean Casey’s personal assistant, Alicia Webb!

Casey steps into the ring, reclining against the ropes, as Webb addresses the fans…

Alicia Webb: For those of you who are unaware, my name is Alicia Webb, and I work for Mr. Casey here…

Grinning, Sean Casey walks over to Webb, and quickly borrows the microphone…

Sean Casey: Baby, baby, chill out. If I’ve told you once I’ve told you a thousand times - easy on the ‘Mr Casey’ schtick, it’s just Sean.

He tosses the microphone back to Webb, who continues…

Alicia Webb: As I was saying, I work for Sean Casey as his personal assistant, and in light of recent events we both felt it best that I accompany him to the ring tonight, in case of any unfortunate incidents befalling him like they did at New York Minute. As such, I’m laying down the law right now - if anybody attempts to get involved with Mr. Ca - I mean, Sean - during this match, they will be hearing from our lawyers!

Casey once more borrows the microphone…

Sean Casey: You know, people, I didn’t want it to come to all this, but some guys just aren’t prepared to play nice, so we’ve gotta play them at their own game, y’know? Let’s put the business aside, though, and get down to pleasure - Lance Silva, your butt-whipping awaits!

(Segment quality 69%)

Sure enough, “Slash dot com” by pioneering British DJ Fatboy Slim plays, and Lance Silva strides out to the ring, taking advantage of Casey’s down-to-business attitude tonight and flirting with some women in the front row, even going so far as to write his phone number down for one of them! Grinning widely, he steps into the ring, takes off his neon-coloured Hawaiian shirt, and locks up with Casey as the bell rings.

MATCH 4: Sean Casey vs. Lance Silva

Silva, his pre-match flirting seeming to drive him on somewhat, easily wins the initial lock-up, and goes into a test of strength with Casey, which the Sexy One wins. Trying another tact, Silva locks up again, and this time applies a wristlock to Casey, wrenching back on the hand and cinching the hold in, until Casey delivers a well-aimed boot to the gut to release himself. Trying a third and final tact now, Silva kicks Casey in the groin, doubling him over for a rocker-dropper which gets 2. Silva follows up with a bulldog and some punches and stomps to the head, before going up to the top rope, looking for a missile dropkick. Casey dodges, however, leaving the ladies’ man to hit the mat and slide halfway across the ring.

Daniel Cohen: Owch! That’ll be a carpet-burn, for sure!

Silva is indeed sporting a series of red friction burns on his legs as he gets up, but ignores them and ploughs back toward Casey, who dodges again and nails a big backdrop to take control of the bout. He keeps his control for much of the rest of the contest, now, using his array of aerial and technical maneuvers to keep one step ahead of Lance Silva, who cannot match his opponent’s technical skill. Casey seems reluctant to press for any serious advantage, however, continually shooting glances over at the entrance ramp, as if to check for outside interference.

Daniel Cohen: Sean Casey needs to focus here if he’s going to win this match, Tom!

Tom Giesen: Indeed he does, he’s in a world of his own out there, staring out at the ramp!

This time, he takes too long about it, and finds himself dropkicked in the back of the head by Silva, sending him toppling into the bottom rope. Silva bounces off the opposite ropes, looking as if he is attempting a 619-kick, but instead of the kick he swings through with a spear! Casey is sprawled in the middle of the ring, but Silva inexplicably goes to the outside… to try it on with Alicia Webb! Webb attempts to repel Silva’s advances, but the ladies’ man will not be so easily deterred, continuing to flirt with her until a topé con helo from Sean Casey stops him in his tracks and sends both men to the floor. Back into the ring they go now, staggering to their feet, and Silva attempts a desperation super kick - but Sean Casey grabs the boot and spins Silva round - Blockbuster! Casey heads up to the top rope now, looking to put the match away, casting a look to the ramp as he does so. Moments later, however, a figure jumps out of the crowd and shoves him bodily down to the mat - it’s ‘The Real Deal’ Damien Steele!

Daniel Cohen: What the Hell is this about? Why is Steele out here?

Tom Giesen: I guess it’s one way to eliminate your competition, Cohen, look at how Casey landed there! Crash, face-first, he’s out!

The Sexy One is indeed out, and moments later Lance Silva drapes an arm over him for the tainted 3-count to win the match.

Daniel Cohen: Oh come on! This is just plain wrong!

Tom Giesen: And yet it feels so right!

Steele backtracks up the ramp now, laughing it up at Alicia Webb, who was totally unable to stop his interference. Casey gets to his feet, yelling blue murder at Steele, before turning his attentions back to Lance Silva - but Silva has bolted out of the ring and is now hightailing it backstage! Casey, furious, kicks the bottom rope, and exits the ring, storming backstage with Alicia Webb in tow, trying to calm him down.

(Match Quality 72%, Crowd Reaction 41%, Overall Rating 56%)

Once again, there is no time for comment, as “Boiler” by Limp Bizkit heralds the arrival of Roderick Strong, who stalks out to ringside to some good heel heat from the fans, with Jamie Koeppe alongside him, spouting off a never-ending barrage of yelled insults to the crowd. Strong warms up in the ring as “One Step Closer” by Linkin Park plays, and his partner Jay Lethal struts down to the ring, carrying the same baseball bat he used on Ryan Wing at New York Minute, and lapping up the boos of the crowd. As the two men talk tactics, “The Way It Is” by Powerman 5000 plays, and out walks ‘Sure Thing’ Ryan Wing, alongside his partner Ricky Marvin! The babyfaces rush the ring, and we have a brawl to start our tag team bout.

MATCH 5: Roderick Strong/Jay Lethal vs. Ryan Wing/Ricky Marvin

After a good period of brawling to begin with, where Jay Lethal is forced to the outside by the referee for trying to re-introduce his baseball bat and Ryan Wing’s head, Roderick Strong and Ricky Marvin start things off. Marvin gets in some clever lucha-style offense to begin with, with some spinning kicks and a few flipping takeovers, as well as a go-behind-into-victory roll for a 2 count, leaving Strong frustrated and angry. The luchadore continues to press the advantage now, hitting a fiery series of chops and kicks, before Strong eventually grabs onto a kick and upends his smaller opponent, sending him hard onto the floor. Following up, Strong nails a leg drop and a series of throws, before blasting Marvin with a huge clothesline and locking on a headlock.

Daniel Cohen: Some good work here by Roderick Strong, applying that headlock to increase the pressure on Ricky Marvin’s head.

Tom Giesen: I thought that last month you basically said this guy was the worst thing since Juas Iscariot, Cohen?

Daniel Cohen: I respect the man’s ability, Tom, I don’t respect his methods.

Strong presses the advantage with a dropkick and a standing headlock, before modifying this into a standing cravate. Marvin calls out in pain, and Strong pulls him over to his corner and tags in Lethal. As Lethal winds up for a kick, Marvin somehow escapes the cravate, leading to Lethal’s kick connecting with Strong’s stomach, and allowing the luchadore to tag in Ryan Wing! Wing crosses the ring in a second, unloading on Jay Lethal with some big spinning kicks, a dropkick, and a picture-perfect hurricanrana, sending Lethal scurrying to the outside. Unperturbed, Wing springboards off the ropes with a cross-body press, flattening Lethal on the outside, although moments later a similar cross-body from Strong sends him down. Strong barrels Wing back into the squared circle, and tosses Lethal in as well, allowing his partner a 2-count. The heels begin to isolate Wing now, using quick tags and their respective grasp of technical wrestling to wear down his ribs and legs, limiting his high-flying arsenal. Strong also uses his power to great effect, whilst Lethal’s own aerial skills are shown with a moonsault splash and a springboard hurricanrana.

Daniel Cohen: Whoa! What a hurricanrana there from Jay Lethal, that could be all here! 1... 2... Ricky Marvin with a good job, breaking up the count!

Marvin returns to his corner, and moments later an enziguri from Wing allows him to tag back in, making a beeline for Lethal, stopping him from tagging in Roderick Strong and hitting a fisherman’s buster! Lethal yells out in pain, and Strong enters the ring now, only to be blasted with a super kick from Marvin! Moments later, Ryan Wing rushes into the ring, using the crouching Strong as a springboard to launch a flying wheel kick at Lethal - who ducks! The kick connects hard with Ricky Marvin, and moments later Jay Lethal bundles Wing to the outside and gets the cover to win the bout.

Daniel Cohen: Jay Lethal getting the victory there, but it was that mis-communication from Ryan Wing and Ricky Marvin that did all the work, Tom!

Tom Giesen: Well, it just goes to show that a language barrier can be a dangerous thing! I wonder what the Spanish for ‘duck’ is anyway? Wing would be advised to learn it, based on that display!

Lethal and Strong raise each other’s arms in victory now, before Lethal turns to the more unsavoury business he has tonight. Grabbing his baseball bat, he tosses Ryan Wing back into the ring, and lines him up - a sickening thud echoes around the gymnasium as the bat connects with Wing’s skull! Adding insult to injury, Lethal scoops his fallen foe into the air, and levels him with a Lethal Injection! Ricky Marvin attempts to come to his partner’s aid, but he too takes a bat shot to the skull, and the heels make their way backstage, laughing it up, as the fans boo them to high heaven. The first-aiders come to the rescue of the high-fliers, helping them backstage.

Daniel Cohen: The more I see of this Jay Lethal, Tom, the more disgusted I am!

Tom Giesen: That’s funny, because the more I see of him, the more impressed I am with his drive and his will to be the best! He’s a role model, Cohen!

Daniel Cohen: A role model? Don’t make me sick, he’s just an obnoxious little degenerate who has to use a baseball bat to get his point across! What kind of role model is that?

(Match Quality 88%, Crowd Reaction 42%,  Overall Rating 65%)

Daniel Cohen: Well, we’ve had a great show tonight, people, if a little marred by certain circumstances, but now it’s time for the main event! Damien Steele goes one on one with one of the top contenders to his title, Colt Cabana, in non-title action!

Tom Giesen: I just hope that thug Sean Casey doesn’t get involved, Cohen - he’s bound to be frustrated on missing the main event, and seeing Cabana get the slot, and he’s also going to be itching to get involved after what went down earlier! If he knows what’s good for him, he won’t get involved!

“Damien” by Iced Earth plays now, and ‘The Real Deal’ Damien Steele struts out to the ring, grinning and taunting, looking very pleased with himself indeed. Ignoring the boos of the fans, he shows off the FTW International championship, and strolls down to the ring, with Lizzy Borden on his arm as always. The two share an embrace before Steele steps into the ring, and moments later his music is replaced by Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana.” Colt Cabana dances out onto the ramp, booed by the crowd, and walks down to the ring. He’s drinking a can of Pepsi, and goes to hand it to a kid in the crowd - before shaking his head and tanking it down in one. With that, he jumps into the ring to begin our main event.

MAIN EVENT: Damien Steele vs. Colt Cabana - non-title match

The two men look set to enter a lock-up to begin with, but Cabana has other ideas, ducking under Steele’s arm for a fiery German suplex. Keeping the waistlock held tight, he hauls Steele back into the air, before switching his grip to a full-nelson and nailing a dragon suplex for a 2-count! Cabana continues, seeing the only way to keep his advantage being to keep Steele on the mat, with some elbow and knee drops to the ribs and face, before locking on an armbar. The Real Deal eventually claws his way to the ropes, although Cabana makes uses of the 4-count before finally releasing the hold.

Daniel Cohen: Colt Cabana showing some good ring sense there, aware of the rules.

Cabana, the hold released, rains down some stomps on his opponent’s arm, eventually letting up and pulling him into a modified suplex, dropping Steele down hard on his shoulder and upper arm. The champion yells out in pain, but Cabana is remorseless in the ring and picks him up again, lifting him high over his head and drilling him down for a shoulderbreaker! Steele, somehow, manages to get to his feet, using his untouched left arm to chop away at Colt now, forcing him into the ropes, and follows up with a few southpaw punches and a dropkick, sending his opponent toppling to the outside. Ducking out onto the apron, Steele attempts a flying ax handle, but Cabana dodges and laughs as Steele flies, right arm first, into the crowd barrier! Ruthlessly seizing the advantage, Cabana Irish whips Steele into the ring steps, and then lays his opponent’s arm over the step as he kneels on the floor. Grabbing a chair from the timekeeper now, Cabana winds up for a chairshot, but Steele pulls his arm away in the nick of time! He manages to roll back into the ring now, and is prepared enough when Colt follows him to latch on a quick headlock and hit some more southpaw punches, followed by an Irish whip into the corner and a one-handed superplex!

Daniel Cohen: This is amazing, Tom, Damien Steele is fighting one-handed out there!

Tom Giesen: I told you, Cohen, I told you this man was great, I told you and you didn’t listen!

Cohen’s newfound admiration for the International champion doesn’t last, however, as Steele now uses a lowblow and some vicious kicks to the face to keep his advantage, which our announcer condemns. Lifting Cabana up now, Steele drills him back into the mat with an inch-perfect DDT, following with a stiff elbow drop to the face, and a few stomps. Cabana eventually rolls onto his stomach, and crawls to his feet, throwing a blind mule kick behind him and connecting with Steele’s crotch! The champion doubles over, allowing Colt to hit a modified rocker dropper, landing Steele’s arm hard onto the mat! Lizzy Borden yells her concerns to referee Tony Bryant, who agrees and admonishes Cabana, allowing Borden the opening to slide the International championship belt into the ring, into Steele’s waiting hands! While the referee is reading the riot act to Colt Cabana, the champion winds up and smashes the belt across Colt’s head in one movement, tossing the belt to the outside on the follow-through. With that, Steele picks up his opponent’s dead weight - and hit’s the Dealbreaker! That’s academic, of course, and the pinfall follows.

Daniel Cohen: I can’t believe that! This just isn’t right! Just when Damien Steele was starting to give his most sportsmanlike display since he’s been here, he goes and cheats to beat Colt Cabana!

Tom Giesen: In all fairness, Cohen, he was fighting one-handed, as you said. He was at an unfair disadvantage, he was evening the odds!

Daniel Cohen: With a title belt? That’s ten pounds of gold, Tom, across the back of the skull, that’s got to outweigh any damage done to Steele’s arm! Like it or not, Damien Steele is a damn cheater!

Tom Giesen: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - why don’t you tell him that to his face?

Steele celebrates in the ring now, retrieving his title belt, over Cabana’s fallen form. The fans are booing at the top of their lungs, but moments later their boos turn to cheers as we see a figure darting down the ramp - it’s ‘Sexy’ Sean Casey! In revenge for Steele’s assault earlier in the show, Casey jumps into the ring and superkicks the champion square on the jaw! Lizzy Borden, of course, quickly tries to come to Steele’s aid, but she is taken down from behind by Alicia Webb! The two women engage in the typical hair-pulling, slapping catfight on the outside, much to the love of the fans and Sean Casey, who also superkicks Colt Cabana down as he staggers back up. Standing over the battered forms of the International champion and the man he arguably had beaten for the number one contendership last month, Casey raises his hands in victory.

(Match Quality 89%, Crowd Reaction 33%, Overall Rating 61%)

Daniel Cohen: Sean Casey has just gotten revenge, ladies and gentlemen! That’ll teach Damien Steele to walk around as if he owns the place, as if he’s above the rules! How do you like that, champ?

Tom Giesen: Calm down, Cohen, just breathe.

Daniel Cohen: Oh, breathe yourself! We’re out of time, ladies and gentlemen, but this is the scene - Sean Casey, standing victorious, with what must be his strongest claim yet to the International championship! We’ll see you next month, but until then - May The Force be with you!

Overall Show Rating - 58%

[ClaRK! Kent]

Part 8...

“We lost money again last month!”

“I know, Sophie. But, we lost less money than in March.”

“D’you think the bank manager is going to care about that? He’s going to have a seizure!”

The bank statement came through this morning, and things didn’t go as well financially as we’d originally hoped. Costs were down by about $100,000 or so, which is a good sign but means that we still lost about that much again. Production is the main issue here, because it’s still expensive to put on a show with the kind of values we were applying, despite killing the fancy lights and the aesthetics. I think, at this point, we can’t really afford to operate with the production values we’re working under, and we’re not going to be able to compete on the level of production at this level anyway, so there’s little point in bothering, really.

“What do you think, then, got a plan?”

“I guess, Sophie, we just have to try to cut some more costs.”

“Where?”

“Production, the staff, I guess. I don’t want to cull the advertising budget any more, because we sunk it last month and I think it’s having an effect on our public standing. If we can get through another month, maybe make some money, we’ll see about raising it again, I don’t know.”

At this point, there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

“Hey, boss.”

“Ryan, hey - what brings you here?”

Ryan Wing is looking apprehensive, a little nervous, which isn’t a good sign because he’s usually very laid back and upbeat about most things.

“Uh, I need to talk to you, about some stuff. I got a call from Cary Silkin the other day, the guy who runs ROH.”

“Excellent! Is he giving you a booking?”

“Well, uh, actually he wants to give me a lot of bookings, they want to bring me on full-time. It’s just that, uh, I’m already working for ECWA and HWA as well, and I don’t think I can deal with four sets of dates a month. I’m not going to turn down an opportunity like ROH, so, uh… I guess I’m going to have to drop my commitments here. I’m sorry, boss.”

“What? You’re leaving?”

“This could be my big break!”

“Ryan, you’re leaving us in the lurch here! We’ve got you in a feud, with Lethal!”

“I know - he’s working there too, Cary says that we might be able to do some stuff.”

“That doesn’t help me! You’re just starting out on a big feud and you’re leaving us?”

“Look, boss, I’m sorry. I’ve made up my mind, I’m not working for FTW anymore. Sorry.”

“Okay, fine.”

Damnit. Wing’s gone, things are just going from bad to worse now. He was one of our biggest stars, easily one of the standout talents on the roster, which is precisely why we booked him into the program with Jay Lethal in the first place, and now we’ve got a gaping hole in his place. Added to that, we’re going to need to hire somebody to replace him, obviously, or the roster’s going to look small and we’ll look unprofessional. Added to our monetary worries, this is all just becoming too much.

“Come on, it’ll be okay.”

“You sure, Sophie? How’re we going to curb the financial situation? How’re we going to explain Ryan’s leaving? How’re we going to find somebody to replace him? I don’t think it’ll be okay.”

“Look, things will turn out, they always do. I’ll get on the phone, I’ll try to sort us out a loan or something.”

“Sophie, that bank will never give us a loan, not in a million years. Look at the company records, we’ve been in business for three months and we’ve lost about $500,000 already! If this keeps up, we’ll be in debt by the start of the summer!”

“I’ll sort it out, don’t worry. As for replacing Wing, what about that guy you had your eye on before? The one who you saw working that show in Jersey? He’d be a good choice, he’s inexpensive and he’s talented, you said.”

“I guess so. Jesus, I never realised that it’d be this hard, Sophie, I really never did.”

End of Part 8

-- Procrastination (sp?) kicks ass! The card for the next show, Up All Night will be up soonish, once I've simmed up to the day of the show. Only 2 weeks to do, so won't take long unless anything big pops up.

Raven's Kid!

[Thrilla]

I've only just read parts 1-4 and the first show at the moment, but I feel the need to add some feedback now.

Great diary so far RK, I loved the backstory, well written and entertaining. Congratulations. The first show was interesting, Damien Steele was a surprise choice as first champion in my view, especially with a few more well-known indy names on the card. I wasn't overly impressed with the first two matches have a distraction/cheating finish, but they got the idea across. Once again the show was well written and had an Indy feel to it, which I'm guessing is what you were going for.

Nice work. :thumbsup: I'll add some more comments when I've read the rest of the diary.

NBT

[ClaRK! Kent]

Alas, NBT, due to circumstances beyond my control (my computer decided that crashing with diary/game in mid-operation would be a wheeze, and destroyed it all, to cut a short story shorter) the diary is now deaded. Sadly. But thanks for the feedback anyway, I quite liked this one.

RK!

[Thrilla]

Well that sucks, especially as I'd just finished pimping it out to people. Ah well, I guess I'll finish up reading this one and try and find another diary to start liking >_<

[Dingle]

Like me.

Ah well, it was good while it lasted, and maybe in the future you could always try and re-sim what you did or start something similar to this? As it was a good concept and I'd definitely follow it if it came back.

[TGC]

Closed and moved to Archives.