iiW - Innovative Impact Wrestling

[Commander Sheepard]

Heh, this one is starting to grow on me.

I was afraid, seeing your roster, that this was going to be just like every other indy diary ever done, but it looks as if you're going to try to be at least a LITTLE different. And at least with this roster you can pretty much guarantee each show will have some solid--->great wrestling featured. The trick will be you molding each of these guys into your own characters.

I really, really, REALLY hate the Quote format for the show however, as I've always been irritated at having to read an entire show like that. Don't ask me why, it's just a personal preference. Normally I like more color in the diary than you have, but you did a good job at separating the segments, so it was still pretty easy to read.

Pez truly has the potential to be the breakout star of the diary, if maybe not the "real" promotion.

You seem to have a good, realistic yet humorous approach to the write-ups, which makes for pleasant reading. Be careful though not to let things get too "inside-reffy" in the write-ups as that can hurt the diary. I do generally like to see longer match write-ups though, as I feel it can give a better impression of how the actual match went, but if you can make it work with the shorter write-ups, go for it. Also, be really careful with the Sophie/You relationship thing. I know for my diary that was the weakest part, as I started to lose sight of my other goals for the diary and focus on that TOO much.

In conclusion, I have to say I came into this thinking I was going to have to rip into it. Even after the pretty decent backstory, I still thought the show would be a let down. But I'm glad to say I was wrong. There's still some issues I think you need to address, but overall I'm fairly impressed. And now to close out like a post-whore:

Nice diary. Keep up the good work.

Edited June 21, 2004 by bigsheep305

[magell]

That wasn't meant to be a knock on Raven's Kid. It was bitching about all the replies talking about how insanely cool the idea was. It does set it apart from normal indy diaries set in the normal present but still isn't amazingly cool. It's a good backstory and well written but that's it.

The show was pretty good but I prefer more color and info in my matches. Not a whole lot but enough to get a sense of what the people do in the matches and how they wrestle.

Raven's Kid do you really believe what EWR tells you about workers? Beckett has poor technical skills and so does Shelley but I don't that doesn't make them right.

[ClaRK! Kent]

Having never seen Chance Beckett (or Alex Shelley, for that matter) in the ring, I was somewhat limited to the EWR stats when coming up with a character/style for him. *shrugs*

As for the long/short match debate - personally, I'm not a huge fan of lengthy play-by-play results. It can very quickly get to a stage wherein you're going into too much detail. I figure if I give a summary of the main crux of a match, and a play-by-play at the end, it achieves the same thing. I guess it's a matter of preference, really.

RK!

[ClaRK! Kent]

A Look Back At July, 2004…

It’s the first day in August, which means a few things for the wrestling business. The month of July saw the American wrestling market rise by a little under 10%, which has helped the independent leagues gain some ground but has also helped WCW climb the ladder even more, leaving it in a position of unrivalled dominance. In time, that will all change, I promise you, but for now it looks like Turner Inc. has a stranglehold on the business.

NWA: East have become the latest promotion to encounter difficulties thanks to WCW’s position at the top of the ladder. They were forced to cancel their last show, which took place in Pittsburgh on the same night as our Full Throttle event, and they have released their two biggest stars – Quinn Magnum and Sheik Abdul Hassan – in order to make ends meet. I know Hassan and Magnum don’t sound like huge names, but that’s the state of the indy leagues today, I suppose.

NWA: Canada and NWA: Midwest both put on successful shows throughout the month, which is pretty surprising given the nature of independent wrestling nowadays, and especially surprising for NWA:MW when you consider that they’re operating in the belly of the beast, so to speak. They took a huge gamble, putting on a show a day after WCW had taped Worldwide in the same city, but it paid off for them. I doubt that they’ll be making such bold moves regularly, though, or they might just find their top stars whisked off to the Power Plant overnight – it’s happened before, WCW really are unscrupulous when it comes to eliminating competition.

Over the last month, a few wresters have announced that they will be retiring at the end of August. The only notable names among that list are “Mr Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, pretty much the only one of Hulk Hogan’s old buddies who hasn’t ended up working down in Atlanta, and Scott Steiner. Steiner’s retirement has been coming for a while now, since the end of his last World title reign in December. He’s been a fairly benevolent company man since leaving the WWF in the mid-nineties, so WCW have been keeping him in the main event scene, but his retirement isn’t likely to hurt a company who can claim that such wrestlers as Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero are barely out of the upper midcard.

Both Jason Temptation and Steve Bradley have put in requests for a 10% wage increase, based on the upturn in the market and the way our first show went off – getting us some attention on the Internet – which equates to a $2,000 raise each. We’ve still got twenty-two days until our next show, and we could really do with saving everything we can, so I’m going to try and talk them down somewhat.

Braving the uncharted, hostile waters of the independent wrestling leagues just a month after we started, a new promotion has sprung up along the North East region, calling itself the Supreme Wrestling Federation. The official press statement said that the company was run by a board of directors, not mentioning any figurehead, and they have already made some bold moves, signing a few sponsorship deals and a host of talented high-fliers and technical wrestlers – including Elix Skipper, Nova, Tony Mamaluke, the Amazing Red, Super Delfin, and the amazing Jimmy Yang, who was recently released by WCW and turned down a job here at iiW. Not that we’re bitter or anything.

I mentioned some Internet interest in the promotion over the last month, most of which has come from the sites sponsoring us – rather unsurprisingly – but has been good press nonetheless. A profile of us by Dan DaLay of GrappleFanatics, one of the only non-affiliated sites who have covered us, describes us as financially healthy and putting out a “relatively risky” product, whilst hailing Jay Lethal as our most talented performer and Jason Temptation as the biggest draw we have. I’d be inclined to agree there.

Mind you, the description of iiW as “financially healthy” might not be applicable for too much longer. After the surprising act of making money on sponsorship and gate receipts from Full Throttle, the dreams of frivilous spending Sophie and I had were brought crashing down to earth when our various bills came through yesterday, leaving us a little over $140,000 down. We’re still afloat, and we hope to start turning around soon, but it’s not a good omen for our first month in business.

I don’t know how Sophie got so good at what she does, operating as my assistant and general aide in my role as registered owner of the company, but she’s a genius in killer heels for sure. Something about her definitely doesn’t match what she’s told me about her love and her talent for the wrestling business, how she seems to have so many contacts, and just how much she wants to see WCW burn, but I guess I’m hardly in a position to complain, having been anything but totally honest with her myself. That’s the game we’ve chosen to play, I suppose, and I’m not going to change tack a month in, especially when telling her the truth could upset everything. That’s something for another time, a time a long way down the road.

RK!

[TheArsenal]

This has ben really good so far. The show was well written and you have a solid foundation laid down for a couple of stars which you can build upon to create your own characters.

I like your "personal" style of reporting. It's quite refreshing to read. I'm cautious about the way you're building up a storyline behind the scenes, because it could end up taking away from your shows, but I think you're a good enough writer to handle that.

A really good start here, I only hope it continues.

[the wall breaker]

I am LOVING this diary.

[ClaRK! Kent]

Pre-Show Meeting for Hotter Than Hell…

After our last show at a high school gym, we’ve moved onto the next hallowed venue for upstart independent wrestling – a local recreational centre. The Manhattan South Rec Centre, as it is known, is a pretty big venue for this level, which will definitely allow us to get more than the 75 we had in attendance last time to show up, and as such we’ve been frantically advertising the show all month through the various mediums available to us.

We’ve got some good shows to live up to, as SWC’s show Paradise City and CZW’s Lightning Strikes show last weekend both went off well, whilst the SWF’s debut show will be held on the same night as ours, as well as shows from the NWA promotions. Hopefully, NWA: East, our closest rivals in many senses, will have another panic attack and cancel their show… man, I’m a real bastard sometimes.

I’ve spoken to the guys at length, as we’ve had the Rec Centre since Friday night again (does anybody do things at the weekend in New York?), and everybody is pretty hyped for a show that will see our first Heavyweight champion being crowned. Jonny Storm was obviously concerned that we’ll be tweaking his gimmick so soon after debuting it, but it’s really better to admit you’ve misfired and try again than to soldier on with a dead-end gimmick that will only kill his heat.

I chatted to Aaron Proctor about a few storylines and the show in general, and asked him to maybe deepen his character on this show, shying away from the dated, traditional “faces bad, heels good” approach to heel colour commentary. He’s been studying both Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura over the past month, so hopefully he’s got some good material to work with either way.

Sophie reckons this show could make or break us, because – in her words – “if they love our champion we’ve got a fanbase, but if it bombs then it’ll stick with us forever.” I really wish she wasn’t always right sometimes, and this is one of them. I think I’ve made the best choice, and Sophie agrees with me, but the most important thing is whether the fans buy it. If they piss on it, then we’re finished. I’m off to pray a little before watching the show…

iiW HOTTER THAN HELL

22/8/04

((From the Manhattan South Recreational Centre))

((R.C. and Aaron Proctor at ringside))

The show begins with some music piped through the speakers by our production guru, Chris Troxler, and probably breaks numerous musical copyright laws right off of the bat. If we ever get on TV, he’s going to have to change his methods, that’s for sure. 157 people are in the Rec Centre with us, which beats last month’s audience by a sound 82 fans. R.C. and Aaron Proctor are at ringside, of course…

---

R.C: Welcome to Hotter Than Hell, and let me tell you folks that tonight is going to be just that! It’s staggeringly hot outside tonight, and it’s going to be even more scorching in here as we crown the first ever iiW Heavyweight champion of the world, here tonight!

Aaron Proctor: Staggeringly hot? Where the Hell were you born, R.C., Newfoundland? Did you grow up with the seals and the polar bears? It’s about thirty degrees outside, because we live on the damned Atlantic coast! Jesus, stop taking the show’s name so literally, you idiot mark!

R.C: Well, apparently my colleague here doesn’t like the heat, people, but you’d hate it too if you were as bald as he is! It’s like my grandmother always said, never trust a bald man – no protection from the sun fries their brains! But, enough about my folically-challenged friend here, it’s time to get on with the show!

---

Hearte Of The Promotion…

As the announcers discuss hair-care tips, some Guns’n’Roses-style glam rock music plays over the speakers, full of extravagant riffs and needlessly-long solos. Out onto the ramp steps an unfamiliar figure, wearing bright red tights and a glittering robe, who then walks down to the ring and snatches a microphone. As he does so, we can see the words “James Hearte” written on the tights, revealing his identity…

James Hearte: Alright, alright, settle down, there’s no need to say what you’re all thinking – just who is this ravishing, good-looking, perfect individual? Well, if the chumps backstage who book the matches had an ounce of grey matter between them, you’d have known who I am last month – my name is James Hearte, and I guess my name is pretty apt because I am the HEARTE of this place! So, why, you ask, wasn’t I at Full Throttle? Well, you’d better ask the idiots who hold the book, but it doesn’t matter right now because I’m here and you morons can all bask in my glory! Go on, bask!

The fans, suffice to say, do nothing like basking, and instead boo Hearte’s egotism. Hearte looks a little put out, but quickly recovers…

James Hearte: Oh, whatever, I don’t want sycophants like you drooling over me anyway! But, you know, now that I’m here you’ve all got a breath of fresh air. I mean, I’m the Hearte of iiW, and without its Hearte, this place would die! I’m the reason the soda is so fizzy, the beer is so tasty, and the popcorn is so sweet! Without me, you’d only have the collection of ingrates, inbreds, and incompetents that you saw at Full Throttle to entertain you… but now you have the HEARTE OF IIW! So, I’m laying out a challenge – anybody who wants to go down in history as the first man, the very first victim, of James Hearte’s rise to the top… come on down!

Hearte tosses down the microphone, and awaits a challenger.

(Segment quality 68%)

(James Hearte gained 3 points of overness from this segment)

After a few moments of silence, the steet-slick hip hop music of Greg Pawluk hits, and the best technical wrestler in Innovative Impact Wrestling heads out to a decent pop, most of it for shutting up Hearte’s self-serving speech. Hearte scoffs at Pawluk as he enters the ring, and cockily ties up with him to begin the bout.

OPENER: James Hearte vs Greg Pawluk

Hearte begins this solid bout by underestimating Pawluk, making cocky covers and generally missing opportunities to put him away. The street-fighter comes back with some of his crippling knifedge chops, utilising the leather straps around his wrists and hands, and soon has Hearte lit up in pain. The two men put on a solid technical wrestling bout, with Pawluk winning out the mat wrestling battles and forcing Hearte to revert to an uglier brawling style to dominate later on. After missing a clothesline, Hearte is caught by a fujiwara armbar, struggling and fighting to no avail. Pawluk cinches the hold on, but Hearte eventually manages to get to his knees and roll Pawluk up… with the tights hooked AND his feet on the ropes for a hugely-dirty pinfall! Pawluk is furious with the outcome, and Hearte is too clever to stick around, ducking out of the ring and hightailing it up the ramp, pausing when at a safe distance to taunt Pawluk and the booing crowd before leaving.

(Match Quality 84%, Crowd Reaction 31%, Overall Rating 51%)

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R.C: Cockiness wins over skill there, as James Hearte gets the cheap victory over Greg Pawluk thanks to a display of double-cheating! Let me guess, Proctor, you loved it?

Aaron Proctor: I must say, R.C., it did bring a tear to my eye! I mean, it’s like I’ve maintained my whole life… win if you can, lose if you must, but ALWAYS cheat! James Hearte did just that, and he proved he’s the Hearte of iiW!

R.C: Well, right now we’ve got a fallout match from Full Throttle. Chance Beckett, after losing to Vincent thanks to the gothic Gabriel, has apparently used some of his ‘family connections’ to coerce the backstage bookers into giving him and a partner of his choosing a tag team bout against Vincent and Gabriel – and that match is right here, right now!

---

Sure enough, some gothic rock music plays over the speakers and a smoky red spotlight centres on the stage as the house lights go out. Vincent and Gabriel appear moments later in the spotlight, both of them looking fearsome and menacing in the eerie light. They make their way down to the ring, where a simple click of the fingers from Vincent turns the lights back on. The gothic duo warm up as Chance Beckett’s mafia-movie music plays and he walks out to a decent reaction. As Beckett pauses on the ramp, the sound of grunge music fills the room and every teenager in the crowd goes wild! Austin Lee makes his way out, looking even grungier than last month, and rushes to the ring with Beckett.

MATCH 2: Vincent/Gabriel vs Chance Beckett/Austin Lee

A good tag team match between the two teams, with the vampiric duo playing good dominating heels, quickly isolating Beckett from his partner and working on his head and neck in a display of continuity from the last show. Gabriel’s high-flying offense and Vincent’s power keep them in control, with Beckett trying and failing to break away several times, before eventually he manages to dodge a flying hurricanrana and tag in Austin Lee! The power of teen rebellion overpowers the vampiric strength of the heels, and Lee soon builds up some great momentum. Moments later, however, Vincent distracts the referee with a complaint about his boots, allowing Gabriel to interfere and almost cut Lee’s head off with a big superkick! Chance Beckett enterprisingly tags himself in, but falls foul of a combination superkick and German suplex from Gabriel and Vincent, which gets the pinfall. The lights dim again, and a spotlight illuminates the vampires as they celebrate. This works against them, however, as they don’t see Lee and Beckett jump them! The babyfaces fight back to a good pop, sending the heels running.

(Match Quality 78%, Crowd Reaction 34%, Overall Rating 50%)

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R.C: Austin Lee and Chance Beckett getting a few licks in after the bout, Aaron!

Aaron Proctor: I saw it already, R.C., I’m not blind or anything! Yeah, big whoop, the junior mafia kid and the kid who likes whatever the hell passes for music these days beat up Vincent and Gabriel – let me tell you something about logic, R.C… those guys are supernatural, they’re superhuman, and now theyr’e super-pissed! Lee and Beckett just dug themselves an early grave!

R.C: Well, maybe so, I guess we’ll just have to find out! But, up next, the first semi-final in the iiW Heavyweight title tournament, as the British sensation Jonny Storm meets Jay Lethal!

---

Jay Lethal’s music is the first to play, and those fans who were in attendance for Full Throttle boo him. The other fans, being the sheep they are, start up as well, and by the time Lethal heads out to the ring he is getting a pretty big heel reaction. He shrugs it off, making jokes at somebody in the front row and warming up. As he does so, Jonny Storm’s epic neoclassical music plays and the British sensation heads out to the ring, staring down Lethal and rushing to the ring.

MATCH 3: Jonny Storm vs Jay Lethal – Heavyweight title tournament

A great bout, easily the best in iiW so far, with both men really getting into the bout and putting on a masterclass that completely served to override the heel vs heel situation. Lethal’s crisp and fluid technical wrestling, along with his innovative and exciting top-rope moves, are both matched one-by-one by Storm’s similar repetoire, and at times it seems like the two men have thought of counters before the other man has even thought of his next move. Eventually, the two men begin to show signs of wear, and Lethal is the first to capitalise with a lowblow and an impact DDT. He goes to the top, but taunts and poses for too long, allowing Storm to get to his feet and catch an attempted hurricanrana! Storm hits a Styles Clash on Lethal, and that gets him the win. Storm raises an arm in celebration, and holds out a hand to Jay Lethal. Lethal, of course, refuses, and exits. Frustrated, Jonny Storm wipes out our referee Dave O’Neil and leaves.

(Match Quality 100%, Crowd Reaction 18%, Overall Rating 53%)

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R.C: What the Hell was that about? Those two guys, Lethal and Storm, I’ll admit they had an absolutely amazing wrestling match right there, but they both had to go and crap all over it! Lethal refused a good-natured handshake for the second time in as many matches, and Storm took out some post-match adrenaline or whatever on the defenceless referee!

Aaron Proctor: Will you give it a rest? Storm was just blowing off steam, R.C., people have to do it once in a while! You should be thanking your lucky stars that he didn’t head backstage and get it on with one of the female fans in attendance tonight, because the ringrats are pretty much your only hope of getting any!

R.C: Hey, I’m married with children, Proctor, leave it out! Well, right now we’re seeing a second debut of the night, as Matt Maddness faces off against a monster named Syco! I tell you, I’ve seen this guy wrestle for a few companies locally in the past months, and he’s a behemoth if there ever was one!

---

Some nu-metal music plays, and Matt Maddness heads out to a decent pop from the fans who remember his high-flying, impact-taking performance against Jay Lethal last month. He high-fives a few fans on the way down to the ring, and gives his cap to a kid in the front row, before warming up and making a few ‘suicide’ taunts. Moments later, some insanely-fast death metal crashes out of the speakers, and the giant Syco walks out. He is at least six feet eight, looking to be almost three hundred pounds, wearing leather pants and a psychotic expression as he stalks down to the ring to begin the match.

MATCH 4: Matt Maddness vs Syco

Matt looks a little intimidated by Syco, but quickly goes at him with some punches, kicks, and other strikes. They don’t faze the big man, so Maddness winds up for a superkick, which is caught! From here on out, the monster just dominates Matt, throwing him around the ring like a rag doll and brutalising him with some immense power and surprising agility for a man of his size. The fan favourite comes back with some big high-flying moves that briefly stagger Syco, but the big man gives as good as he gets, flooring Maddness and going up top for a moonsault! That crushes Maddness, and he is easy prey for Syco’s Suplex-into-Spinebuster move for the pinfall. Syco celebrates, bellowing in jubilation, and stands over Maddness, who is coughing up blood after the moonsault. Grinning madly, Syco drags him over to the turnbuckle and gives him another moonsault, leaving him utterly wrecked! Matt tries to get to his feet, but can barely move, and is helped backstage by referee Dave O’Neil.

(Match Quality 76%, Crowd Reaction 23%, Overall Rating 44%)

Still The Hottest Commodity…

We go over to the backstage, thanks to the wonders of our video screen – or, rather, a large widescreen TV that we got for free from a local retailer as long as we promised to hand out fliers – where Scott Lopez is standing…

Scott Lopez: So Jason Temptation beat me… yeah, I admit it. He cheated, and he won, but there’s no point bitching about it now, because I’m still the Hottest Commodity in iiW and in the entire wrestling world. I’m 23 years old and I’m at the top of my game, but my prime is so far off that I’d need a space telescope to see it! I’m only going to get better, which means I’ll be coming for that title sooner or later, whoever wins out tonight. But, for now, I’m booked next up against some disco-dancing loser named Lance Silva. He can boogie out to the ring all he wants, and bust as many moves on innocent, cowering women as he needs to, but it won’t change the facts – I’m still the Hot Commodity, and he’s still going down for the three count. What can I say? Some things don’t change.

Lopez grins and winks, and we go back to ringside.

(Segment quality 69%)

(Scott Lopez gained 3 points of overness from this segment)

Lance Silva’s dance music plays over the speakers, and the fans boo his obnoxious, over-the-top dancing and flirting as he struts out to the ring, trying to put the moves on any woman he can reach. Eventually, he gives up and heads into the ring, as the ‘Angel’ theme tune plays (we’ve got to change that) and Scott Lopez makes his way out to the ring, getting a good reaction from the fans. The two men square off and the bell rings.

MATCH 5: Scott Lopez vs Lance Silva

Silva struts around the ring to start off, before Lopez cuts him down and begins to put on a technical and aerial clinic, deconstructing Silva and dominating the bout. The Hot Commodity’s mat repetoire and high-flying skills merge well, and he comes back from Silva’s old-school attempts to regain an advantage with some solid brawling as well, beating his self-styled ‘suave’ opponent down. Silva eventually uses a lowblow to gain control, and almost gives Lopez a repeat of last month with a rollup, but Lopez is able to kick out. The Hot Commodity plants Silva to the mat with a big powerslam, goes to the top rope, and wills him to stand up. As Silva gets up, his back to Lopez, the Hot Commodity flies from the top rope and nails a diamond cutter, which R.C. identifies as the Chaos Theory! That’s the pinfall, no questions asked. After the match, Lopez heads backstage to a good pop, whilst a frustrated Lance Silva has a tantrum in the ring, kicking the ropes and screaming, almost bursting into tears!

(Match Quality 79%, Crowd Reaction 38%, Overall Rating 52%)

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R.C: Lance Silva definitely doesn’t take losing well, Aaron! He’s going completely nuts in there, just look at him, kicking and screaming like a child who can’t have an ice cream!

Aaron Proctor: I think the world’s ending, R.C., because… I agree with you! God, I can’t even say it! Silva’s a talent, alright, and these women don’t know what they’re missing when they turn him down like that, but I’ve got to say that having a tantrum after losing a match definitely doesn’t turn the ladies on – but then, you’d know all about that, R.C!

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Moments later, Steve Bradley’s classic rock theme music plays over the speakers, and he makes his way out to the ring to a good reaction from the live crowd as the announcers inform us that this is the second semi-final in the iiW Heavyweight tournament, with the winner facing Jonny Storm. As Bradley warms up, some dance-rock music plays over the speakers and Jason Temptation, possibly the most hated man in iiW, heads out to some loud boos from the 157 fans in attendance. Temptation shrugs it off as usual, and goes at it with Bradley as the bell sounds.

MATCH 6: Jason Temptation vs Steve Bradley – Heavyweight title tournament

The two men put on a great match for the live crowd here, and they respond by chanting and cheering throughout, giving a great atmosphere. Tempation’s formidable skills in every area of wrestling, combined with his willingness to bend and break the rules to his own end, give him a great advantage as he works on Bradley’s legs and cheats his way to an extended advantage. Steve Bradley, meanwhile, brings his top-rope assaults into play early on, but finds himself slowed down as the bout draws on, with neither man able to do enough to put the other down for the 3-count. After a top-rope elbow, Temptation, signals for the end, but as he wheels Bradley up for the Deadly Temptation, the bell rings! The match has passed its 30-minute time limit! Temptation drops Bradley, furious, and argues with the official. Moments later, however, he is knocked down by Jonny Storm! Bradley staggers up, only to be wiped out by Storm as well!

(Match Quality 81%, Crowd Reaction 47%, Overall Rating 57%)

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R.C: Wait a minute, wait a minute! Jonny Storm just wiped out Temptation and Bradley! There’s enough confusion as it is without him getting involved, and what I want to know is just what the Hell is happening here?

Aaron Proctor: Hey, if those two guys can’t put each other away, doesn’t that give the belt to Storm on a bye? Even if it doesn’t, they don’t look in much fit state to wrestle right now!

---

As the announcers talk, it is announced by referee Dave O’Neil that he has been radioed in from the back, and that the main event, our tournament final, will now be a triple threat match! As Jonny Storm stomps into Steve Bradley, O’Neil signals the bell to begin the main event.

MAIN EVENT: Jonny Storm vs Jason Temptation vs Steve Bradley – iiW Heavyweight title match

Storm yells to the referee that both men are down, and he must count them out. O’Neil begins, but as he reaches eight, Jason Temptation jumps Storm from behind! In the confusion, the official is knocked down, and Steve Bradley is up moments later! The three men put on a great match, with Temptation and Bradley gaining great kudos for wrestling two matches back-to-back. Storm, more rested than the others, dominates much of the match, his mastery of the mat and aerial game enough to keep him ahead of the other two men, until a rare mistake gives Temptation a chance to take control. He continues his work on Steve Bradley’s legs, with Storm picking up on this and utilising the tactic, to the point where Bradley can barely stand up. The two heels then turn on each other with some vicious brawling and mat wrestling, cinching in submission holds designed to seriously injure the other man. Eventually, Storm silences Temptation with a Storm Warning, but Steve Bradley is somewhow able to nail a spear! As Bradley staggers up to the top rope, colour commentator Aaron Proctor gets up and shoves him down to the mat! A cackling Proctor watches on as Jonny Storm hits the Storm Warning on Bradley for the pinfall to be crowned first iiW champion!

(Match Quality 85%, Crowd Reaction 45%, Overall Rating 58%)

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R.C: What in the name of God just happened here? You all saw it – my commentary partner, Aaron Proctor, just jumped out of his seat and helped Jonny Storm pin Steve Bradley! This makes no sense, no sense at all… this is nuts! I haven’t got a clue what is going on here, we’re going to have to wait and see until next month’s aptly named show – Payback – if Steve Bradley can get revenge on Storm and Proctor! That show’s coming to you on September 12th, but right now we’re out of time! See you next month!

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Card Rating – 54%

Feedback welcome as usual. I'm hoping that I've managed to give everybody a pretty good personality to work with at this stage - anybody who you haven't got enough information/description about to build an image of would be nice to know, so I can see where I need to do more work and whatnot. Feedback about the show, my writing, etc, is appreciated as always. Enjoy!

RK!

[TheArsenal]

Good show.

You put the belt on one of your most established and talented stars which is a fantastic place to start, with a little controversy so you have a good place to build on for the future. You took the foundations laid down in Full Throttle and built upon them well with Hotter Than Hell. Some of your stars already seem to have their characters outlined, which makes reading this diary all the more enjoyable, because all though most of the wrestlers are unknown in real life, your writing makes me feel like I know them a little already.

I can see that in time this journal is only going to get better, as you build up your character more and bring them to life.

Fantastic.

[ROZAY]

That was a pretty good show. I have to agree with TheArsenal about putting the iiW Heavyweight championship on an established star being one of your better decisions.

I'd like to see how you continue to develop the characters that people may not know about. It's very interesting to see how you build up these characters and how you get your readers to either love them or hate them.

On a unrelated note, have you roleplayed for e-feds before? Because judging from your writing, it seems like you have.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next show, to see how you handle that as well. Keep up the good job.

Edited June 27, 2004 by The Aztec Warrior

[ClaRK! Kent]

Cheers for all the positive feedback, people. I have roleplayed quite extensively for e-feds before, yes - some details of this are discussed in previous posts if you want more information.

Post-Hotter Than Hell Staff Meeting…

Another day, another breakfast-time staff meeting with Sophie, this time with coffee. The coffee is due, largely, to the fact that we got so worked up in the adrenaline and the scores of happy fans after the show that we went out drinking late into the night at some dive of a bar, and the rest of the night is pretty much a haze. Still, Sophie seems pretty cheery despite her hangover, so I’m assuming neither of us said anything that we didn’t want to – or, we don’t remember it if we did.

I definitely think that Hotter Than Hell went well. The recreational centre was buzzing for the show, and I recognised a good many of the fans who were in attendance, which definitely means that we’ve started to attract the beginnings of a fanbase. The 157 audience we had gave us $3140 in ticket sales, which isn’t much at all but is still more than last month’s show. In addition to that, sponsorship revenue should mean a better month, financially. Once again, Sophie believes that we have been able to gain in terms of our public image from that show, which is great, and she’s raving about the current boom in the wrestling business buoying us up.

James Hearte and Matt Maddness, who are developing somewhat of a friendship backstage as far as anybody can tell, came to speak to me after the show, before Sophie and I headed off to that Godawful bar. Neither of them thought that their opponents really suited their styles, and that they could definitely do some better work with other opponents – Hearte suggested Austin Lee, and Maddness put forward Lance Silva. I appreciate the comments, but both matches were exercises in getting workers over rather than putting on a five-star bout.

Mighty Biggs, our Vietnam veteran/road agent, was enthralled by the quality of the Jonny Storm/Jay Lethal match, and I must say that I agree. Those two put on one Hell of a match, and it’s going to be stellar workrate, crisp wrestling, and great action like that which helps to bring in a fanbase for iiW and get our name out there. Biggs did warn me that we probably used Storm a little too much, featuring him in three of the seven matches in some way, but the guy is our first champion so I’m not anticipating the fans rejecting a few appearances.

Talking of the title and the champion, Storm’s status as the first iiW Heavyweight champion has done wonders for the image of both the company and the belt, which is great news of course, and we’re definitely looking forward to seeing how his title reign progresses.

My somewhat cruel hope that NWA: East would cancel their show, held in upstate New York on the same night as ours, came true. They’ve now cancelled two shows on the trot, and have once again released two of their most talented and over workers in order to make ends meet. I wouldn’t imagine them being around much longer, because they’re having financial problems and also releasing the very workers who are best suited to helping them through the hard times. It’s definitely not smart business sense.

In other news, I got a call from a local shelter this morning, regarding Alexis Laree. Alexis, who we were planning to have debut as a manager for one of our roster on the next show, Payback, has become increasingly involved in various medications since her main means of employment were crippled by WCW, and no amount of work with iiW was going to change that in the short term. She has sought out help for her crack cocaine addiction, and she’ll be in rehab for the forseeable future. I’m taking the decision not to release her, mostly because I’m a compassionate human being and I can see that this isn’t her fault. There are rehab clinics all over the USA filled with independent wrestlers who have turned to drugs thanks to the total lack of steady employment these days, thinking that there is no other way of escaping reality. We'll be here when you get back, Alexis, you can count on it.

Plus...

A Look Back At August, 2004…

Once more, the stock of both the wrestling business and iiW has risen this month, in terms of the public eye. The business is heading towards one of the biggest boom periods in the last few years, definitely the biggest since WCW took its place as unchallenged king of the mountain, and this can only be positive for all of us struggling it out in the minor leagues.

We lost money again last month, when all of the various bills and invoices finally came through and were paid. I’ve managed to work out where the biggest problem is – our production costs. Advertising and wages are roughly covered by our sponsorship revenue, but the simple cost of putting on shows to the standard we do is proving enough to cause a budget defecit. I’ve spoken to Sophie, and I think we have two choices – either we drop the standard of production we’ve given to our first two shows, or we try to find some other way of combatting the financial issue. No decision as yet, but we’ve only got two weeks until our next show so we need to get moving.

I sent a promo tape of our first show to a local Public Access TV network at the beginning of the month, hoping that we could use it as a way to gain some sort of exposure for the company. The tape came back mangled and garbled, and had more than likely been passed around the network all month as some sort of joke. I’ve said this before – it’s impossible to get onto television these days. No TV network is interested in a show that may not last two months, let alone the duration of a programming schedule.

Scott Steiner, Paul Orndorff, and a few others made their retirements official over the course of the last month – Steiner did one last job to put over Eddy Guerrero, and then aided him at the hands of the nWo on his final Nitro last week, so at least he’s passing the torch. Following those two will be Duane “Gillberg” Gill, Tod Gordon, the Fabulous Moolah, Ivan Koloff, and Terry Taylor. Not many surprises there, all of them are getting on a bit, and Gill’s retirement was long overdue. Ever since the WWF brought him in as a parody of Goldberg, he’s been seen as something of a novelty act, and with WCW so dominating at the top he’s been a liability to have on the roster – Goldberg has considerable sway backstage, and is still fuming over that parody, so companies that hire Gill don’t tend to last very long at all.

Once more, a new wrestling promotion has opened on the first of a month. The Hollyweird Grappling Company, as it is known, is currently operating on a similar level to that of IWA:PR, which I suppose you could say gives it a cult following. As the name suggests, it is based in California, which is somewhat confusing due to the almost dead market there in recent years, and the fact that WCW likes to nip on over to the west coast every few months for Pay-Per-Views. Still, it’s good to see somebody else braving the waters. They’ve got a pretty good roster, all told, featuring guys like Juvi Guerrera, Tazz, Christopher Daniels, Steve Corino, and even Dean Malenko and DDP. It’ll be interesting, definitely, to see how they fare against the might of WCW.

That might may be somewhat harder to overthrow, however, since WCW recently signed Steve Austin to a written contract. Austin has been holding out for over four years now, competing almost exclusively in Japan since the death of the WWF, citing the appalling way he was treated in Atlanta and his loyalty to the McMahon family as his main reasons for not signing with WCW. He’s been seen as somewhat of a hero on the Internet for doing this for so long, but it seems like he’ll have to be a martyr now, as eventually a man needs to put food on his family’s table. On the plus side, he absolutely hates Vince Russo, Bischoff, and Hogan, so hopefully he’ll start enough fights backstage to piss everybody off – they definitely won’t release him based on how much his contract is apparently worth, paying that off would dent even Ted Turner’s chequebook.

In fairly inane news, but news nonetheless, Matt Maddness and Gabriel both celebrated birthdays during August. Maddness is now 22 years of age, whilst Gabriel has just turned 25 yesterday. Many happy returns to them both.

Various Payback-related stuff shall be up soonish, I imagine. Also - I'm having financial difficulties, as mentioned. Anybody know how I can stem the tide of money flowing outwards?

RK!

[YI]

Are you taking the piss, dead market in California? Maybe, UPW is a shadow of its former self but to say California is a dead market is beyond rediculous. XPW says hi (Yes, XPW, they had bucket loads of fans turning out), Rev Pro, Rev X, PWG, UNION (I believe is based in Cali, or have I just got that completely wrong?). Sorry, just a little niggle, i'm not from California, nor am I a god like follower of wrestling there, but that's teh kind of little things that you need to research (Just a quick glance in the ring and you'd fnd this out).

To be honest, i'm not that digging the diary, You've got talent, i'll admit it, but the way I see indy diaries, is that the results should be longer than those of an average WWE diary. That might just be me, but that's something that I must have. But you've obviously went for Golden Boy esque results, which is good for others, but I have difficulty getting into them (They only worked for GBW, as it started primerilly as a comedy fed).

Another observation i've made from reading both your diaries, is that you don't put effort into finding things out. For example, what Magell brought up, Chance Beckett. Also, in the NWATNA diary, you said you've seen very little NWATNA. I know it doesn't matter that much (I've written many diaries where I haven't seen the fed) but you don't seem to don an abundance of research. Like when Magell saida bout Beckett, you sort of shunned him, and said that you go by what the game says. If somebody had said something similar in one of my diaries, i'd whack Chance Beckett into google, or try and find him on obsessed with wrestling. Find out some information, a movelist etc.

I might be seen as nitpicking, but that's my nature

[magell]

I don't even care if you do research about somebody or not. I've used people I've never seen before and probably used them wrong but when somebody offers some advice you don't turn them down.

Anyways the shows are booked fairly well although you do seem to throw some of your better matches out early but since you are still doing tournaments I can't really tell for certain how well you stage the flow of the card.

I know you've said that the length of the results doesn't matter but it does bother me that every match has the same length result no matter how long the match goes. Your 30 minute time limit draw had one of the shortest write ups and that really messes with the matches.

Plus the matches don't really flesh out the wrestlers very well. Sure you may want to get them over with the promos and develop their characters that way but you don't have enough promo space and you don't use the matches to tell what the wrestlers are like. Cheating is fine and dandy but there are different levels of cheating. It's also nice to see actual moves name once in a while so that people can develop what is going on in the matches. Sure I understand somebody is controlling the match and working a body part. If somebody's working the leg say they hit a shinbreaker, they continue to work the leg and then lock in a figure four. It gives the write up of the match a flow so people can understand where the match is going.

I have another complaint about Beckett. How is he Italian or a member of the mafia or whatever? He's from Canada and looks nothing like a mafia man.

If what you say in your report is true you should probably drop your production values to around 20. Drop Merchandising and Advertising as well. Be careful with advertising though as if you drop it too low you'll lose PI like nobody's business.

I'm not making these comments to be an ass, I'm trying to help you.

[TheArsenal]

Are you taking the piss, dead market in California? Maybe, UPW is a shadow of its former self but to say California is a dead market is beyond rediculous. XPW says hi (Yes, XPW, they had bucket loads of fans turning out), Rev Pro, Rev X, PWG, UNION (I believe is based in Cali, or have I just got that completely wrong?). Sorry, just a little niggle, i'm not from California, nor am I a god like follower of wrestling there, but that's teh kind of little things that you need to research (Just a quick glance in the ring and you'd fnd this out).

←

He clearly said WCW has been killing off feds like nobodies business, so it's my presumption that those feds are long gone.

[ClaRK! Kent]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yeah, in my world California is pretty much a wasteland. XPW wouldn't have stood a chance against WCW, and I've stated in my world that WCW has killed numerous promotions off - if in doubt about the lack of a certain promotion, you can ask but mostly it'll be WCW's fault.

The Chance Beckett thing - he's not a Mafioso, no, but upon hiring him I saw he had a secondary finisher named the "Mafia Kick" and once tagged with Steve Rizzono, so it all stemmed from there really. I have made some effort to get what I have been told about his style into my next show, though.

The match length thing is something we're never going to agree on, but I do understand your point of view and after consideration I've decided that I could probably get a bit more length in there and still keep the overall feel of the shows - look out for that soon. In my experience, diaries with insanely long match writeups tend to use them as a cover for other failings, and that's something I'm not anxious to display. But, I guess we can all compromise at times.

But, thanks for all the comments. I hate it when people ask for feedback and then whine about constructive criticism - I'm taking this stuff on board, myself, cheers.

RK!

[YI]

Not to be an ass (It must seem like it). But in the real world, I seriously doubt that a major name fed could kill an indy fed. Another major fed, yes. But an indy fed, no. They aren't in direct competition. Unless you mean being bought out, but then again, in reality it's very rare to see a major promotion to buy out an indy, unless they want them as a development camp (And normally then, they just draw up some kind of contract, see HWA and WWF). But then again, this isn't reality, and I don't want to bog you down into making it too realistic

[ClaRK! Kent]

Pre-Show Meeting for Payback…

We’re back in the Manhattan South Recreational Centre for this one, based on the fact that we had a great, hot crowd in there last time and we could really use the extra cash that comes from holding events at such a big venue, comparatively-speaking. We’ve only had the arena since Saturday afternoon thanks to the finals of some local table-tennis tournament, which has meant something of a rush in production, but otherwise all is well with preparations for Payback.

Aaron Proctor won’t be at ringside for this one, because we’re going to give him a more active role based on his shock interference in the Hotter Than Hell title match. Hopefully we’ll have enough repeat fans for what we have planned to get over – that’s the problem with booking continuity at this stage, you could have almost a totally different audience on any given show. Anyhow, this should give Proctor the chance to try out that Bobby Heenan persona he’s been working on, and it’ll also mean that Jason Temptation will get onto the show in his place at the announce table.

We elected not to use Temptation or Bradley in the ring for this one, based on their stellar performances at Hotter Than Hell and the fact that we should be able to put over the niggling injuries and the strain of the title match if Bradley isn’t in attendance and Temptation is restricted to the announce table. In addition to this, it should save us around $40,000 from not having to pay either of them to wrestle. That’s the real reason, based mostly on our desperate need to make ends meet, financially-speaking.

Unlike last time, we don’t have to live up to anything put out by any of the other federations, because nobody else has put out a show since August. On the downside, however, almost everybody is putting on a show at the same time as us, which I guess gives us some competition in terms of who the Internet fans like. Of course, the only other federation within four hundred miles of us is NWA: East, and they haven’t put on a successful show since I was just a nerd who ate cereal in the middle of the day and watched old WWF DVDs all day. I do that now, of course, but now I call my cereal snacking “energy food” for my executive lifestyle, and the DVD-watching counts as research of sorts.

I’m hoping that this show will get us some interest, as I’m planning to use it as part of a tape to be sent to a local TV station, WLNY NY-55, to try and get us some sort of television exposure. Yes, I know it’s suicide to have anything like a TV deal these days, because that just gets WCW interested in you and then you’re only a step away from having your World champion jobbing to Tank Abbot, but we desperately need to get our product out there in order to make any sort of money.

Well, it looks like the arena is finally filling up, and Biggs has informed me that the wrestlers are ready to go, and definitely free of Communist sympathies for a third month in a row. Always good to know, I’m living in fear of a Red uprising every day. I don’t even know if that sentence would show up on a sarcasm detector, so dripping as it is with cruelly-sardonic malice… yes, I looked those words up in a dictionary.

Anyhow, I’m going to go and watch the show. I don’t know why I do this, seeing as I know everything that is going to happen already, but I’m a mark at heart I suppose. Plus, Sophie’s out there watching, and I’m probably the closest you can be to whipped without actually dating the woman in question.

iiW PAYBACK…

12/9/04

((From the Manhattan South Recreational Centre))

((R.C. and Jason Temptation at ringside))

The audience today numbers a grand total of 153, Sophie and the ticket lady tell me, which is a little less than last time but still pretty respectable based on the fact that we’ve only ever held two shows before. Looking around, I can see a few vaguely recognisable faces from either of the last two shows, and a couple of die-hard fans who have been at both and are even holding their own custom-made signs. I don’t care how much money we’re losing, I know we’ve made it now we’ve got a seventeen year-old holding a sign that reads “Austin Lee is my father” in the front row. R.C. is at ringside, as usual, and is joined by Jason Temptation, who is sporting a few bandages and a black eye after Hotter Than Hell…

---

R.C: Welcome to iiW Payback! At Hotter Than Hell last month, we saw Jonny Storm win the iiW Heavyweight title thanks to Aaron Proctor, and at the expense of both Steve Bradley and Jason Temptation! Steve Bradley, ladies and gentlemen, is taking this show off in order to recuperate after the injuries he received last month, but Jason Temptation is here at ringside to join me for colour commentary!

Jason Temptation: That’s right, R.C., and let me tell you this – Steve Bradley doesn’t show up because he’s injured? I say he’s a damned coward, and a wuss at that. I got dropped on my head, slammed onto my back, and put into submission holds that night until every limb and bone in my body was aching, and did I let them carry me backstage so I could take a month off? No! I got up and I walked out, R.C!

R.C: Well, moving onto tonight – the show is named Payback, and that’s exactly what it may be for some of the roster! After two months of being on the losing end thanks to the vampiric duo of Vincent and Gabriel, Chance Beckett will hope to gain a win in singles action against Gabriel, with his ally banned from ringside! Jay Lethal and Scott Lopez, both knocked out of the Heavyweight title tournament, will aim for a measure of payback themselves as they go one-on-one in the main event, with a shot at Jonny Storm on the line at a date of their choosing!

Jason Temptation: There’s another thing I don’t get, R.C… how come those two guys, who got knocked out of the tournament – one of them by yours truly, I might add – get the first pick for title shots? I wasn’t even pinned, don’t you think I have some sort of claim? I mean, Jonny Storm was only a few moves away from succumbing to Temptation, just like Steve Bradley would have done in the match before, and I don’t get a shot? I know I’m not medically cleared to wrestle, blah blah blah, but I think I could change all of that with a few choice words to my solicitor and my doctor!

---

Temptation’s rant is interrupted by some grinding new metal music, and Matt Maddness heads out onto the stage, getting a good reaction from our live crowd. He heads down to the ring, making a few ‘suicidal’ poses and generally playing to the fans, before handing his cap to one of the two die-hard fans in the front row. Moments later, the disco theme of Lance Silva plays, and he struts out in his white suit, John Travolta-style, busting some laughable moves and trying once again to make a play for the women in attendance. His attempts bomb, and Matt Maddness adds insult to injury by hitting him with a plancha before the match! The two men fight into the ring, and the bell rings.

OPENER: Matt Maddness vs Lance Silva

A good, solid opening match from the two high-fliers, who both used their extensive aerial skills to wow the crowds and to wear each other down. Silva’s style is much more concentrated here, using some good psychology to zone in on Maddness’ ribs, which are still showing signs of wear from the last show, and hitting several splashes and other moves that work on the chest, including a great firebird splash from the second rope. Maddness, meanwhile, furthers his quest to become the ultimate spot machine, going bigger and better with every journey to the top rope and keeping the audience involved with “Holy Shit” chants after a 450 splash halfway across the ring and a topé con helo to the outside. Eventually, Silva tries to change tack for a gutwrench suplex, but it backfires as Maddness counters into a facecrusher and goes to the top rope, taunting to whet the crowd’s appetite before nailing an insane Suicide Dive for the 1-2-3! Matt Maddness holds his ribs in considerable pain after the match, staggering to his feet and saluting the fans, before hobbling over to the ropes. Before he can leave, however, Lance Silva attacks him! Angry about losing his third match in a row, Silva stomps on Maddness’ wounded ribs, before slingshotting him, chest-first, into the bottom rope. Silva leaves as Matt gasps for air and rolls out of the ring.

(Match Quality 82%, Crowd Reaction 29%, Overall Rating 49%)

---

Jason Temptation: What a post-match display by Lance Silva! I’m telling you, people, this guy is ruthless, he’s cunning, and he’s calculating – it’s only a matter of time before he picks up a win!

R.C: Doesn’t it bother you that he attacked Maddness in cold blood, with no provocation, after the match, going after his already-wounded ribs?

Jason Temptation: Hey, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, R.C., and if Maddness isn’t on his guard 24/7 then he’s going to get taken advantage of. He’s an idiot, coming out here with his ribs taped up like that – it’s like a red rag to a bull, for God’s sake!

---

The announcers are, once again, cut off by music. This time, it is the now-familiar gothic rock theme music of Gabriel and Vincent, who head out together in the sort of pitch-blackness that can only be achieved by killing the house lights, with only an eerie red spotlight illuminating them. Vincent gives his comrade some words of encouragement on the outside, and then makes his way backstage as per the rules of this bout. Moments later, Chance Beckett comes out to a good response, high-fiving a few fans and sizing up Gabriel before sliding into the ring.

MATCH 2: Chance Beckett vs Gabriel

Another solid, high-flying contest that is probably better than the last. Beckett and Gabriel’s similar styles gel excellently here, with both men playing on their fast-paced, high-impact aerial moves and their technical skill, as well as their recent history, to put on a thoroughly good matchup. Beckett mixes up his high-flying with some technical wrestling, but finds himself outmatched by Gabriel’s all-round mastery of the mat game and once again takes to the skies. The gothic Gabriel uses a combination of crisp top-rope moves and intimidation on Beckett, making numerous poses and staring him down, trying to use his bizarre look as a weapon. Eventually, this plan backfires on him, and Chance Beckett is able to nail a spear, before hitting a springboard crossbody press. Gabriel is out at 2, and attempts the Nocturnal Ride, but Beckett is able to flip out of the move, drop to his feet, and blast him with the Chance Encounter for the win! Almot as soon as the bell rings, Vincent is tearing down the ramp and heading for the ring, fury etched across his pale face. As Beckett gets to his feet, he is met by a superkick from the vampire, who proceeds to once again lock his foe in the ghastly Drain The Blood submission hold. Vincent and Gabriel leave Beckett unconscious on the mat, and head backstage to boos from the crowd.

(Match Quality 92%, Crowd Reaction 34%, Overall Rating 56%)

Accusations…

Thanks to the wonders of a widescreen television on top of the stage – yes, we have a horribly low budget, I know – we go backstage now, where James Hearte is standing with our road agent Mighty Biggs, who has volunteered to serve as an interviewer…

Mighty Biggs: James Hearte. You debuted last month, and managed to get the win over Greg Pawluk, but the circumstances of your victory were a bit… uh, tainted.

James Hearte: How the Hell do you mean?

Mighty Biggs: You cheated.

James Hearte: How DARE you suggest something like that! Get out of here, go on, get out of here now!

Biggs leaves, and Hearte stares down the camera…

James Hearte: Cheated, eh? Is this about the feet on the ropes, hooked the tights situation? Look, I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to say this – I slipped, and I fell! My feet landed on the ropes as a total accident, and I was only hooking the tights to try and pull myself up! I didn’t know I’d pin Pawluk, but what was I supposed to do, forfeit? I’m the HEARTE of iiW, do you have any idea what would happen if I lost my opening match? Chaos, disaster, that’s what! I categorically state – I did not cheat! And hey, stop judging me – it’s not like any one of you inbred hicks wouldn’t cheat too… oh, damnit. You know what, screw it!

Having admitted a little too much for his liking, James Hearte storms off.

(Segment quality 71%)

(James Hearte gained 2 points of overness from this interview)

Back to ringside now, where the Pez commercial music plays and those fans who were at our first show, Full Throttle, give a great reaction to the likeable, bizarre, fun babyface that is Pez as he walks out to the ring, with a Pez dispenser in hand, which he gives to one of the younger fans in attendance. His hair and ring attire are, if possible, even more lurid than during his last appearance, but the fans don’t seem to care. He goes to get on the microphone, but is interrupted by James Hearte’s glamorous cock-rock theme music. Hearte makes his way out to a chorus of boos and jeers, ignoring them all and running down to the ring to face Pez, his opponent for the night.

MATCH 3: James Hearte vs Pez

A pretty good match despite somewhat of a styles clash between the two men, with Pez using every opportunity to amp up the speed of the match and use the top rope to his advantage with some crisp moves and clever aerial assaults, whilst Hearte tries to slow things down with technical wrestling and also to use his size advantage over Pez in order to wear him down. The result is both men becoming more and more worn out as the match goes on, with Hearte struggling to keep tabs on Pez’s high-flying and the fun-loving youngster no match for Hearte’s power and submission holds. After a mid-ring collision, Pez and Hearte both stagger slowly to their feet, and Pez’s speed gives him an opportunity to charge headlong at Hearte – and hit the mat! After what – to the naked eye – looked like a great punch, Hearte covers Pez for the pinfall, discarding as he does some brass knuckles! The fans see the knux, and boo as Hearte celebrates his second victory in iiW in circumstances just as cheap as the first. He heads backstage, booed all the way.

(Match Quality 76%, Crowd Reaction 38%, Overall 51%)

---

R.C: Oh, man! James Hearte, after just whining on about being misjudged and misunderstood, goes and pulls a fast one all over again by using brass knuckles to defeat Pez!

Jason Temptation: Did you see that punch, though? Wham, right in the jaw! Hell, even if Hearte hadn’t been wearing those knuckledusters, R.C., I’d guess a little guy like Pez would have been knocked clean out anyway! That guy Hearte definitely has some power on his side!

R.C: Yeah, and a complete disregard for the rules to boot! You and him would get on excellently, Temptation!

---

The British Sensation…

As the announcers speak, the stirring, epic classical music of Jonny Storm plays over the speakers, and the first iiW Heavyweight champion heads out from backstage and down to the ring to a huge chorus of boos from the 153 fans in attendance, along with his associate Aaron Proctor, the former iiW colour commentator. The two men stand in the ring for a moment, with Proctor holding a mic to address the fans and Storm wearing a golden robe a lot like a boxer’s, with the iiW Heavyweight title around his waist…

Aaron Proctor: Take a look… take a good look, people, at the first and greatest man to hold the iiW Heavyweight title. I really doubt that you slobs in the audience know this man, if you’re half as moronic as you all look, so what I want you to do right now is to shut up, open your eyes, and open your ears…

The fans, of course, don’t heed Proctor’s advice, yelling and booing, and not listening when Storm yells at them to be quiet…

Aaron Proctor: You know… I’ve been in this business for over ten years, and in my time I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody as talented as Jonny Storm. He’s the British Sensation, one-hundred ninety pounds of imported wrestling expertise, and he’s the champion to boot. And yet, you people have the audacity to boo him because he’s better than you. Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, you know, it looks even worse than the disgusting excuses for fashion that you’re all parading around right now. So, you know what? Right now we’re putting out an open challenge, to prove to you all once and for all just how great this man is – any loser, any chump, any waste of skin backstage who wants to be the first in a long line of men who Jonny Storm beats to retain his title, come on out. Bring your A-game, bring everything you have to this title shot, and then marvel as everything you throw at us amounts to less than half of what the champ has to offer.

Proctor’s cutting speech has the fans suitably riled up, and they boo and jeer as he awaits Storm’s opponent.

(Segment quality 65%)

(Aaron Proctor and Jonny Storm each gained 1 point of overness from this segment)

Moments later, some heavy grunge music plays over the PA system, and the large number of teenage fans in attendance go wild as their Generation X idol, Austin Lee, makes his way out onto the stage! Proctor looks disgusted, but Storm just grins with malice. Lee heads down to the ring, high-fiving the fans who have the signs about him, and then steps into the ring to face Storm, who takes off his golden robe and hands it to his manager as the bell rings.

MATCH 4: Jonny Storm © vs Austin Lee – iiW Heavyweight title match

Lee attacks quickly, as Storm is still handing his robe to Proctor, getting the fans behind him with his cavalier approach to the rules and his excellent technical wrestling skill. Storm eventually manages to come back, and we are treated to one of the best matches to date in iiW, with both men using their immense grasp of scientific wrestling and psychology to work each other over and put on a great show for the live crowd, who get behind Lee with vigour and boo almost everything the champion does. Lee’s assault centres in on Storm’s head and neck, softening him up for his finisher, while Storm’s similar strategy sees him going after the youngster’s back. After putting on a clinic, Lee falls to the numbers game as Aaron Proctor trips him, giving the ruthless champion an opportunity to totally destroy him with some crisp technical skill and hard-hitting aerial moves that leave the fan favourite in a world of hurt. After showboating and stretching out the hurt, Storm finally puts Lee away with the Storm Warning. After the bout, Aaron Proctor re-enters the ring and hands the title belt to Jonny Storm, who holds it high in celebration as the fans hurl abuse at him. Grinning, Storm then decides to punish Lee for his resilience, beating down on him some more and laying him out with the title belt, busting him open from a nasty cut on the forehead. Proctor and Storm leave as the fans boo and jeer them.

(Match Quality 96%, Crowd Reaction 40%, Overall Rating 61%)

Not Broken Yet…

As they head backstage, however, they are distracted by some cheers from the crowd – they turn back to the ring to see a beaten, battered, and bloody Austin Lee staggering to his feet! Lee grabs a microphone, much to the joy of the fans, and staggers into the ropes, leaning against them to address the champion…

Austin Lee: Hey, hey, HEY! Where the Hell do you two think you’re going? You beat me, Storm, you beat me. I’ll give you that one. You beat me up and down, black and blue, and you pinned me – but you ain’t broken me, Storm, I’M NOT BROKEN YET! My name is Austin Lee, and I’m a grunge superstar, you think you can break me with a beating like that? Hell, my dad used to beat me like that every night, and I never took it lying down! So, if you want to try to succeed where my old man failed, Jonny, why don’t you meet me again at the next show? I don’t care if you put that belt on the line, I want you, one-on-one, and let’s make it hardcore rules to really spice things up! C’mon, Storm, whaddaya say – you ready to feel the power of the Grunge Superstar Austin Lee?

Having just beaten Lee into a bloody pulp, Storm is amused to say the least by this challenge. He stares down Lee, whose face is red with blood, and nods. The fans give a cheer for the prospective match, and a “Grunge Superstar” chant breaks out, lead by the two sign-holding fans in the front row. With that, Proctor and Storm head to the back, and the effort of remaining conscious after such a beating gets to Lee, who staggers and falls, before being helped backstage by referee Dave O’Neil.

(Segment quality 66%)

(Austin Lee gained 1 point of overness from this segment)

---

R.C: What a guy, Temptation! Austin Lee took up the challenge at a moment’s notice, he came DAMN close to beating Jonny Storm a few times, he took one Hell of a beating from both Storm and his manager Aaron Proctor, and the guy STILL has enough left to challenge Storm next month! You’ve got to admire his guts!

Jason Temptation: Definitely, R.C., especially when he’s got more guts than brains! I think he’s taken one too many shots to the head, R.C., because he just got mauled by Jonny Storm and he’s still requesting a match for next month’s show?

---

Often Imitated…

Moments later, the music of Jay Lethal plays over the speakers, and the fans rise to their feet in a chorus of boos for the most overconfident man in iiW as he struts out onto the ramp, adorned in numerous bracelets and necklaces over his ring attire, surveying the crowd through some stylish shades. He saunters down to the ring, avoiding the outstretched hands of the fans at all costs, and steps into the ring, before taking a microphone…

Jay Lethal: Alright, alright… shut up! Jesus, can’t you people ever just put a sock in it? Anyhow… tonight I become the number one contender for the Heavyweight title, and at next month’s show I’ll exercise my right to challenge Jonny Storm and win his title… after he’s faced Austin Lee, of course.

Lethal snickers, and the fans jeer him some more…

Jay Lethal: Of course, there’s the small matter of beating Scott Lopez first, but I figure that’s money in the bank, you know what I’m saying? Lopez calls himself the Hot Commodity of iiW, well I’ve got news for him – I’m wearing more money than Lopez makes in a year, and he knows it. I’m the damned impact player of this place, and there ain’t nothing that can keep me away from that gold as it calls my name! So step up right now, Scotty L, and find out why I’m often imitated, but never duplicated, because things are about to get Lethal!

Lethal tosses the microphone out of the ring, and awaits his opponents as the fans voice their disdain for his self-serving speech.

(Segment quality 71%)

(Jay Lethal gained 3 points of overness from this segment)

Moments later, some stirring emo music plays over the speakers – we’ve finally changed his music to avoid a lawsuit from Warner Bros – and Scott Lopez heads out from the back to cheers and chants from the crowd. He plays to them a little, before making his way down to the ring, showboating all the way. He steps into the squared circle, removes his leather duster, and goes at it with Lethal as the bell rings.

MAIN EVENT: Jay Lethal vs Scott Lopez

The two men go at each other hammer and tongs almost as soon as the match begins, with all thought of technique abandoned early on and Lopez clearly incensed by Lethal’s cocky words before the match. After knocking his opponent to the outside, Lopez regains his composure and is ready for Lethal as he re-enters the ring. The two men put on a great technical wrestling contest, with each men using some clever submissions and textbook holds to wear the other down, and also using their own top-rope abilities as well. Lethal goes solidly after his opponent’s head and neck, hoping to throw off his equilibrium and keep him off balance to weaken his aerial arsenal. Lopez, meanwhile, tries to work on Lethal’s arm, wearing it down throughout the match and eventually leaving him with only one arm for all intents and purposes. The one-armed Lethal, sensing defeat, rolls to the outside after taking a DDT and grabs something from his jacket. He re-enters the ring and finds himself whirled up for a suplex, only for Lopez to suddenly lose balance and fall with Lethal on top of him for the 1-2-3! Lethal celebrates his win, and we now see a chain wrapped around his hand! As he mocks Lopez and the fans, Chris Troxler runs out from the back and informs the referee of the cheating! Dave O’Neil then informs us that Jay Lethal has been disqualified! Lethal’s expression goes from one of joy to anger in a second, and he takes out his frustrations by superkicking the referee! Lethal exits as Lopez gets to his feet, his arms raised in victory.

(Match Quality 81%, Crowd Reaction 51%, Overall Rating 59%)

---

R.C: Scott Lopez, by way of disqualification, beats Jay Lethal, which means he gets a shot at Jonny Storm whenever he chooses? Will he choose to take it immediately, and face Storm next month at our All Hallow’s Eve show, Hardcore Halowe’en, or will he choose to give Austin Lee an open path to the champion and hold off? Only time will tell, and the only way to find out is to attend Hardcore Halowe’en!

---

Card Rating – 62%

Hope y'all enjoyed that one. Post-show stuff and end-of-the-month stuff up soon, hopefully with a TV deal to report - but probably not. Enjoy!

RK!

[ROZAY]

Brilliant show. I loved reading all of it. The character developments are really interesting, and I want to see how you develop others. My only personal gripe was why the main event wasn't the iiW Heavyweight title match, as that seemed to have the better ratings then the Lethal/Lopez match. Either way, it's all good. Just one question...

HOW CAN YOU JOB PEZ?!

[Ace]

I absolutely love this diary and as of right now am stealing Heartes saying for my sig. Will also place a link to this diary

[ClaRK! Kent]

I absolutely love this diary and as of right now am stealing Heartes saying for my sig. Will also place a link to this diary

And so the gospel groweth, muahaha. Ahem. Anyhow...

Post-Payback Staff Meeting…

Ugh. Once again, my evening consisted of being congratulated by the fans – in particular the two Austin Lee marks in the front row – and having the wrestlers clamour around me, searching for their paychecks, while Mighty Biggs attempted to stop them from resorting to any form of armed revolution to get their money and made sure that they all knew they weren’t getting paid the same. You’ve got to admire his commitment to the anti-Communism thing, despite the fact that the Soviet Union has been kaput for the better part of two decades. After that surreal experience, I went out with Sophie again and drank a large portion of the gate receipts, which were $3060 before we attempted to drink the bar dry of any spirits.

And so, with a pounding headache that for some reason feels like the bassline to “Livin La Vida Loca” as far as I can tell, I’m sitting at breakfast with Sophie, who has a ream of papers and other things she’s taken from the Internet, which has fast become our most vital tool for running the company. We’d better hope we can continue to pay the phone bill. Anyhow, basically every other promotion put on a show of some description last night, with the exception of big boys WCW and NWA: East, who once again whiffed on the idea of going ahead with a show and dropped further. Meanwhile, the battle between CZW and RoH to see which one hits a cult fanbase first is heating up, with very little in it and WCW apparently very interested in seeing who comes out on top. And that, ladies and gents, is why you can never succeed in this business if your name isn’t Ted Turner.

The market is still hurtling towards a boom with no signs of stopping, which means that very soon we’re going to have to make some improvements in order to keep ahead of the game and stop ourselves from looking unprofessional. In order to do so, Sophie suggested we hire another wrestler, and after a few phone calls early this morning we managed to secure a deal…

Taiji Ishimori – Ishimori is a great high-flier and a more than capable technical wrestler, who has some great kicks and puroresu skill in his arsenal. He’s quite a stiff worker, definitely the hardest-hitting on our roster, but he’s an all-around angel backstage and he’s already told me how much he wants to get on with everyone. Irony would have it that Taiji speaks fluent English with almost no foreign accent, but his gimmick revolves around him being a silent, no-nonsense martial artist. He finishes off with either a Superstar Quebrada, or a spinning uranage called the Mirage.

A few e-mails overnight, from the wrestlers, with the abundance of basic spelling and grammar errors drawing me to the conclusion that they were written after a period of heavy drinking. Either that or they’re just stupid, but I’m an optimist so we’ll go with the alcoholism theory. Neither James Hearte or Jay Lethal thought their opponents brought out the best in them, and both men suggested Austin Lee as a possibility of somebody to work with. I find it strange that neither of them suggested working with Lee until I put him into a feud with the champion. Coincidence? No, probably not.

A Look Back At September, 2004…

The month hasn’t gone badly for us, in terms of the product and how well we’re getting over with the fans. The company’s public image has been steadily rising for the last three months, and I think we’re finally hitting our stride with the shows, having a couple of feuds and extended storylines flying around now that will hopefully keep people interested and get them wanting to come back.

On the other hand, we’ve lost money yet again, and I’ve elected to take three measures to stop our finances from slipping even further, given that I’ve lost over half a million dollars in one quarter. Firstly, I’m dropping the advertising somewhat, and now we’re going to rely almost entirely on cheaply-produced fliers and the publicity we get from the websites that sponsor us. Secondly, we’re cheapening production somewhat, much to the chagrin of Chris Troxler, who was very much enjoying the fact that we were throwing almost two hundred grand at him every month. Sophie doesn’t like that idea, but there’s really no other way I can think of to keep our outgoings down.

The third and final money-saving measure is one that I have a sneaky feeling that I’ll live to regret. I telephoned a few banks, asking around to see if I could secure a loan in order to keep the company afloat for the time being, at least until we start making money of sorts. After getting rejected by almost every mainstream bank, I received a telephone call from a man called Hiro, who claimed he owned a bank just outside the city and had heard of my endeavours. I met him a day or two later in a cute little Asian restaurant that apparently his family own, based on how friendly he was with the staff there and how all of the waitresses bowed as he walked past, and we talked numbers. He seemed like a nice guy at the time, although I was a little unnerved by the fact that he had two incredibly burly minders watching over us as we ate, and another one on the door. Much to my surprise, he offered me a loan of $500,000 over a 12-month period, with an interest rate that he made sound very reasonable, especially since no other bank would return my calls. So, I accepted and signed, and it was only when Hiro informed me that his little cousin Tchang would be around at the end of the month to collect our payment in cash that I realised just what I had done – I had just taken out a loan of half a million dollars from a Triad loan shark.

Sophie was horrified, and even I can’t try to keep upbeat about the prospect of being clapped in thumbscrews if we ever fail to make payments. But how the Hell could I know that the Yakuza had a presence in New York city? As far as I knew, the only mob working here was the Italian Mafia, and I didn’t even know we had a Chinatown area in NY until last week, let alone the Japanese Mafia. What’s even worse than that, as far as our potential to make enough money to pay our newfound associates back, is that WLNY NY-55, the local TV station, sent back our preview tape with a note that simply had “No Way” scrawled on it in crayon. I thought they were typing those now?

Toryumon announced their roster for this year’s tours last week, and I must say that I was surprised to see my new signing Taiji Ishimori amongst the list. I called him up, and he explained to me that he is friendly with Ultimo Dragon, who helped to train him, and that he is working there thanks to those links. Whilst I’m all for international links and whatnot, I had hoped to debut Taiji at my Halowe’en show, and he’ll be in Japan on that date. And, in addition to this, I’m still not comfortable with the whole idea of sending Taiji off to Japan, based on my recent experience with Japanese wrestling fans.

Vincent sustained an injury over the course of September, but he assures me that he’ll be ready for action in time for our Hardcore Hallowe’en event. I’m inclined to trust him, of course, because he’s given me no reason not to, but I did notice that he was moving around somewhat gingerly and babying his back. If he does that in the ring, then it’s going to be a very difficult thing to explain – especially since we’ve put over to everyone who has ever attended an iiW show that Vincent is superhuman and feels no pain.

A new promotion has opened its doors in the Midwest region, calling itself Overdose Wrestling. OW markets itself as a fairly standard indy promotion, offering “the sort of wrestling overdose that WCW just can’t”, despite the fact that they’re around the same size as we are and have all of one recognisable name on their roster – Bryan Danielson, aka the American Dragon.

We all knew that it would happen eventually, didn’t we? One of our wrestlers has inked a deal to work with the Supreme Wrestling Federation, a group that many believe have as great chance of toppling WCW as anybody will have in a long time. They’re definitely a talented group of individuals, and their owner Frank Iadevaia is a nice enough guy. He phoned me up to tell me about signing Jason Temptation to an open deal, and we managed to come to an agreement that would allow both of us to have him on our rosters. I guess this is good, seeing as I can ask Jason to scout guys in the SWF for me, but I hope he doesn’t get word of how much Iadevaia is paying the rest of them.

I’ve saved the biggest shock in the wrestling world this month for last, and I’m sure you’ll agree with my reasoning – despite scoring an insanely-high 2.00 buyrate for their One Wild Night PPV this month, WCW has lost its flagship TV show. Ted Turner has been losing a lot of control over at TNT for the last year or so, with new investors and shareholders very quick to notice how much he favours WCW when it comes to viewing schedules for all of the TV stations he owns. As such, Turner was overruled by a consortium of directors, or so says the word on the street, and Nitro’s contract was not renewed when it ran out towards the end of the month. Whilst Thursday Thunder and Saturday Worldwide are still marketable shows, it’s going to be very hard for WCW to soldier on unabated without a show that scored a 6.86 rating for its final broadcast.

And so we go into Hardcore Halowe’en, with reduced advertising and a reduced budget for production, and putting on our most outrageously-themed event yet. Never let it be said that I don’t take risks… not that you would say that, of course, based on the whole loan shark business.

Turbulent times for the business, and for iiW in general. What will follow? Will WCW get a new TV show? Will our new lax production and advertising gain us money? Will we be able to book on the fly now our newest star will be spending long periods in Japan? Will this irritating line of questions ever end? Find out next time! Enjoy!

RK!

[TheArsenal]

Payback was a first rate show. Interesting to see Temptation at the announcers post too. You did a good job there. The title situation is really intriguing, with Lethal and Lee looking to face the champ at the next show. The fueds you are developing are really good.

Only one problem, you mentioned taking a loan with the Triads, but then talk about the Yakuza. You save yourself a little by talking again about Chinatown, but with Triads being Chinese and Yakuza being Japanese, it just got a bit confusing.

A good few updates here. Interesting that WCW have lost Nitro. It'll be intresting to see what happens next at both ends of the market.