Total Extreme Wrestling: WCCW 1983

[Neon_Chaos]

I would have gone the In Your House (insert number here) route. Just for the sake of monotony.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 1, May 1983
St. Louis, MO; 1,000 - SOLD OUT

(No Pre-Show Segments)

-Fritz Von Erich comes out and tells that crowd that a few days before his cage match with Akbar & Hart, someone had approached him and told him that they had been hired Akbar & Hart to trick Fritz into being his surprise partner, and then turn on him once the cage was locked. That man decided not to go through with it, and no-showed the event. Fritz then announces that that man is WCCW's latest signing - the current Central States Wrestling Heavyweight Champion - Manny Fernandez (C+)

-Fernandez comes out. Fritz states that he knows Manny is looking for WCCW gold, but he first must prove himself against the toughest WCCW has to offer. So he books a match for tonight between Manny Fernandez and The Great Kabuki. (D+)

-Jose Lothario defeats Barry Orton in 5:52 by pinfall. (D-)

-Gary Hart comes out with a microphone, asking Skandor Akbar to come to the ring. The two have a heated argument, with Akbar accusing Hart of betraying him at the cage match (D+) Hart tells him that it was Fernandez that betrayed both of them, but they'll deal with him soon enough. Hart offers a truce - he's been speaking with a long-time friend and world-renowned wrestling superstar who's making his way to WCCW. Hart will announce his identity at the TV tapings tomorrow tonight, and offer his services as a member of Akbar's Destruction, Inc. stable (D+)

-Ken Mantel, Johnny Mantel, and Sweet Brown Sugar defeat Checkmate, Frank Dusek, and Black Gordman in 8:15 when Sweet Brown Sugar pins Checkmate. (D-)

-The Freebirds come out and announce that Gordy and Roberts have put their differences behind them, and are completely focussed on their title shot tonight against the Von Erichs (C-)

-Manny Fernandez defeats The Great Kabuki in 11:45 by pinfall (C+) Before the match, the Great Kabuki performed his salt ritual (C-).

-The Von Erichs comes out and hype their title defense tonight against the Freebirds. They acknowledge the ongoing disagreement between David and Kerry, but say that at least for tonight, they all have a common enemy (C-)

-Jim Garvin defeats Brian Adias in 7:04 by pinfall. (D). Adias was tiring at the end, Garvin seemed off his game.

-Sunshine and Precious engage in a swimsuit competition. The crowd is clearly behind Sunshine, who wins via their applause (D)

-The Von Erichs defeat the Freebirds in 17:48 when David pinned Hayes to make their 2nd title defense of the 6-man tag championship (C)

Overall Show Rating: D+

Thoughts

-A pretty ugly show to start the month - popularity in the midwest remains 42.2%

-Part of the problem right now is that everyone is still a little fatigued from the King of Texas tournament. This especially brought the main event down just enough to hurt our overall rating. Tomorrow's TV rating will have to be angle-heavy, and then our guys will have almost a week to rest (except for the guys with other commitments).

-I'm at a loss with what to do with Sunshine/Precious. Statwise, they're two of the best "divas" in North American Wrestling, but they're just not clicking on anything. There's a DOTT angle that deals with the famous David/Garvin/Precious/Sunshine angle, but all of the possible supporting players are currently occupied in other angles.

NEWS

-David, Kabuki, and Manny have all asked for some time off. In the case of Kabuki & Manny, it's largely due to their heavy non-WCCW workload. All 3 will be given the tv taping tomorrow night off

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (TV Taping)
Tuesday, Week 1, May 1983
St. Paul, MN: 2,000 SOLD OUT

-We stay in the midwest for the TV taping, which is a little risky while I'm in the process of negotiating my TV deal (since my highest rating was the 1 taping I had the Texas crowd behind me).

-Jake Roberts is working elsewhere tonight (I either missed something or GCW just re-arranged their schedule). It would suck if I could never use him on TV.

-This is very much my "rest/saving money" show - anything over a D+ would be a huge success.

-Pre-Show Dark Match:
Frank Dusek defeated Johnny Mantel in 7:45 by pinfall. (D-) After the match, Skandor Akbar hyped his client, saying that since he gave Dusek an ultimatum to turn things around, he's 3-0. (D+) Before the match, Bill Mercer interviewed Johnny Mantel. (F+)

-Bill Mercer recaps the recent events in WCCW for the TV audience. He brings up the big questions: Is there dissension within the Freebirds and Von Erichs? Who is the mystery man Hart promised for Akbar's stable? What else do Akbar and Hart have planned for Fritz? Will David cash in his King of Texas title shot against Jimmy Garvin, as he promised, or will he go after his brother Kevin's American Heavyweight title? What will Manny Fernandez' role be in WCCW? (D-)

-Fritz comes out and introduces his newest signing to the TV audience, Manny Fernandez: (C+).

-After Fritz leaves, Manny says he's here to win WCCW gold. (C-). Suddenly, Gary Hart and his clients - King Kong Bundy, The Great Kabuki, and Magic Dragon surround the ring. They eventually enter, overwhelm Manny, and beat him severely (D-)

-Jose Lothario defeats Black Gordman in 6:31 by pinfall. (D+) Lothario looked off his game.

-Skandor Akbar comes out and states that Gary Hart has indeed delivered as promised. He states that Gary Hart has gone into his past, and brought one of his most prized former clients into WCCW, offering his services to Akbar. Akbar introduces The Spoiler (C).

-Checkmate defeated Ken Mantel in 6:41 by submission (D). Ken Mantel's arm seems seriously injured - the announcers hype that this is the same arm that Checkmate injured last week in Fort Worth when he wouldn't release the hold. As Mantel leaves favoring his arm, he's taunted by Checkmate (E+). Sweet Brown Sugar, entering the ring for his upcoming match, begins to argue with Checkmate - a brief shoving match results before refs can break it up (E)

-Sweet Brown Sugar defeated Barry Orton in 4:03 by pinfall (D-).

-A video recaps the attack by Hart & Co. on Manny earlier in the show (D).

-Kerry Von Erich comes out, hyping his match tonight for the TV title with Buddy Roberts. He specifically warns Gordy & Hayes to mind their own business, and notes that none of his brothers are in the arena tonight. (C)

-WCCW Television Title Match
Kerry Von Erich and Buddy Jack Roberts wrestle to a 10:00 time limit draw. Kerry is hampered by interference from Hayes and Gordy. Kerry and Roberts have good chemistry. This is Buddy's second title defense (C)

Overall Show Rating: D+

Thoughts:

-I can live with the D+ with the guys I held back here, but I have to turn it around starting next show. My midwest popularity remains 42.2%. (Again, Cult goal is to have 53% here)

-The deal with Jake Roberts is that somewhere in the last few days, he decided Florida, along with Georgia, were bigger priorities for him than us. Florida does a show on Tuesday, so I can't count on Roberts for any TV show tapings. I guess I'll just use the 3 appearances I have him for as a part of 2 house shows and then the Parade of Champions in some kind of "loser leaves WCCW match"

-I have Lothario in an angle where he wins 9 straight matches trying to prove himself (which works out great, because he tends to bitch whenever I ask him to lose). I was hoping he's be able to give me some safe "C" matches on the undercard, and he can't reach that level here with Gordman.

-Manny and Spoiler haven't exactly set WCCW on fire yet - but all I need from them is guaranteed "C" segments, with the occasional "B".

-I'm now up to 7 programmed storylines, occupying most of the roster, here there are, in order of heat & momentum

1. Freebirds v. Von Erichs (This technically started tonight, this should at least guarantee me some decently rated main events)
2. Akbar v. Fritz, with Jake Roberts & The Spoiler in support ("Unchained" storyline, with no segments pre-planned.) The idea is just Akbar trying to drive Fritz out with the help of the The Spoiler, and Roberts coming in on Fritz' behalf. The bigger picture is an all-out war between Fritz & Akbar/Hart for eventual control of WCCW.
3. Jose Lothario 9-match winning streak.
4. Manny Fernandez seeking revenge on Kabuki/Dragon for putting him out of commission. Iceman Parsons involved as support for Manny
5. Feuding Valets: Precious v. Sunshine
6. Mask v. Mask. Sweet Brown Sugar v. Checkmate
7. King Kong Bundy Body Slam Challenge - technically hasn't started yet, but Chris Adams and Mike Von Erich will be involved here as well

-The tricky part of angles is that you can't use one guy in more than one. This is why the Spoiler will be the support player in the Fritz/Akbar feud, since everyone else is currently occupied. This is also why Iceman & Manny are now friends somehow.

[molson]

NEWS

A long week of news before the next show Monday Night:

-My TV show gets a 0.56 rating. That's our lowest rating yet. Next week I'll have to consider taping in Texas, just so this doesn't become a trend.

-We've lost $25k this month so far on our two shows in the midwest. It's a reminder that Texas is where the money is, and I can't neglect them entirely as I push towards Cult Status.

-After the TV taping, Gordy/Roberts/Gordman/Lothario/Spoiler all tell me they're exhautsed from their workload. I think Gordman might just be tired of losing (He's 1-8 for me so far - I love the TEW "match history" feature). Hopefully everyone will be ready to go by next Monday. I have to use Lothario pretty much every show anyway, because he's only under contract for 50 more days.

-Maple Leaf Wrestling signs Greg Valentine and Dick Slater. I'm following this company closely - they're currently at "Regional" status - if they can jump to Cult or higher, it'll be interesting to see their impact on the North American wrestling scene.

-The AWA has brought in the Iron Shiek and Paul Orndorff.

-Manny Fernandez has completely left Southwest Championship wrestling, which should ease his workload a bit for us (he is still the Central States Wrestling Heavyweight Champion).

-I sign a new personality, just out of wrestling school, named Harry Frehley. He comes in at a cheap $150 PPA deal, but he has some crazy skills: A in Mic work, A in Charisma, B in Acting, B in Star Quality. He could be the next Mean Gene Oakerland. He'll sit on the bench for now while I decide what to do with him. He could either be a backstage interviewer, a part of a 3-man booth, or I could kick either Marc Lowrence or Bill Mercer to the curb.

-I've re-upped with my current TV network for 2 more seasons, after being rejected by a syndication carrier that had stations across the country. I'm not sure exactly how long 2 seasons are, but at least I don't have to worry about losing TV anytime soon.

-Calgary Stampede has lost their TV slot, leaving them only with a weekly house show. I wonder if this means their talent starts to head elsewhere (And they're loaded at this point - Bad News Allen, Dynamite Kid, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, etc.).

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 2, May 1983
Cedar Rapids, Iowa; 1,000 - SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Chris Adams defeats Black Gordman in 8:52 by pinfall. (C-). Before the match, Chris Adams gave an interview (D-)

-Jose Lothario defeats Brian Adias in 4:37 by pinfall (D).

-Gary Hart comes out with King Kong Bundy and renews his challenge - anyone who can slam Bundy will win $5k. (C-). Johnny Mantel comes out, attempts to slam Bundy, but fails miserably (C-)

-Precious defeats Sunshine in 4:22 by pinfall. (F-) "The crowd came to see real wrestlers" and were pissed off by this match, Sunshine was off her game. After the match, the two continue fighting, stripping off much of each other's clothes in the process (E-)

-Fritz comes out and announces that if Kerry can defeat Buddy Roberts tonight, he'll get another shot at the TV title. (D+) Skandor Akbar comes out, but before he can say anything, Fritz lays down the law - if Akbar can't play by the rules, he'll find his life becoming very difficult. Injuring Manny Fernandez was not acceptable (C-)

-Gary Hart stays out by the ringside area as his new client, The Spoiler, defeats Mike Von Erich in 7:37 by pinfall. Mike was tiring at the end. (C-) After the match, Akbar hands the Spoiler an expensive watch, stating "There's more where this came from if you get the job done". (C).

-Kerry Von Erich defeats Buddy Jack Roberts in 12:55 by pinfall, gaining another shot at the TV title down the road. Roberts and Kerry again showed good chemistry. (B). Before the match, Buddy Roberts hyped his championship belt (D).

-Before Kerry leaves the ring, David approaches for his next match. The two shake hands, apparently putting the King of Wrestling incident behind them (C-). David then makes an announcement. He knows there's been speculation that he'd use his guaranteed title shot to go after Kevin to prove he's the "Best of the Von Erichs", but David instead announces that he wants Jimmy Garvin's Texas Heavyweight Title, and he'll exercise his title shot at the Parade of Champions event. (C-)

-David Von Erich defeats Michael Hayes in 6:50 by DQ after Hayes became desperate and struck David with a chair. (B-) Before the match, Michael Hayes came out and stated how while he thought it was cute that David and Kerry were getting along again, he's there to ruin the family reunion. (C)

-WCCW American Heavyweight Title Match
Kevin Von Erich defeats Jimmy Garvin in 10:56 by submission to make his 2nd defense of the title. (Garvin's title is not on the line). The two show great chemistry (C+) After the match, Garvin tries to attack Kevin, but Kevin quickly drives him from the ring (C-). Precious, trying to prove her worthiness to Garvin, approaches Kevin from behind, but Kevin notices her, bends her over his knee, and spanks her to the delight of the crowd (C). Before the match, Jimmy Garvin cuts a promo with Sunshine & Precious by his side, claiming they're a unified front, all motivated by the advancement of Garvin's career. (E)

Overall Rating: C

Thoughts:

-Now that's a show. Our 2nd best effort in the midwest thus far, and our midwest popularity increases from 42.2% to 42.6%

-Chris Adams taking Black Gordman to a C- is very impressive. It wasn't as good as their C+ match two weeks ago in TX, but I'll take it. Adams has been waiting for his shot in the Bundy slam angle for weeks now, it'll be up to him to deliver.

-It's promising that Hart/Bundy can deliver "C" level angles even when Johny Mantel is the opposition. If Adams get a "B" segment with Bundy when his time comes in the next few weeks, I'll give him a huge push.

-Well, the Precious/Sunshine wrestling experiment is over - that was officially the worst WCCW match since I took over.

-Kerry & Buddy Roberts had an excellent match - it ties the first David/Garvin match from a month ago for our best ever match held in the midwest. It was also nice to see David step up after his disappointing tournament performance, dragging Michaels Hayes to a B-.

NEWS

-Terry Gordy shows up late to the show - of course, we didn't end up actually using him. I give him a warning.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (TV Taping)
Tuesday, Week 2, May 1983
Dallas, TX: 5,000 SOLD OUT

-We return to Dallas, after hanging out in the midwest for the first 3 shows of the month.

-Jake Robert is once again unavailable.

-Pre-Show Segment
Sweet Brown Sugar defeated Black Gordman in 7:31 by pinfall (D). Before the Match, Sweet Brown Sugar gave an interview with new WCCW talent Harry Frehley (Harry needs a better name). (D) After the match, while Frehley tries to get a follow-up interview, Checkmate approaches and yells at Sweet Brown Sugar for sticking his nose in his match with Ken Mantel last week, before punching him in the face (D). After they're separated, Sugar challenges Checkmate to a match, mask v. mask (D+). Checkmate accepts (D). Checkmate then tells Sugar he has made a huge mistake, and Checkmate has a surprise up his sleeve (D).

-David Von Erich defeated Barry Orton in 6:54 by pinfall (C).

-Akbar & Hart cut a promo stating that the battle lines have now been drawn. Akbar's Destruction Inc. Stable (The Spoiler, Frank Dusek, and Bill Irwin) & Gary Hart's H&H Limited Stable (King Kong Bundy, Magic Dragon, and The Great Kabuki) will divide and conquer - their ultimate goal is to bring "class and dignity" back to WCCW and drive Fritz Von Erich out. In the meantime, they'll destroy anyone who crosses them, as Manny Fernandez has already found out. (B-)

-The Spoiler defeats Mike Von Erich in a rematch from last night's show in 6:38 by submission. (C-) Mike was tiring by the end, The Spoiler looked good.

-Gary Hart comes out with King Kong Bundy, and renews his 5,000 body slam challenge. Mike Von Erich, having just lost the previous match, stays at ringside and accepts the challenge. Two weeks ago at the tv taping, Bundy attacked Mike before he could attempt to slam Bundy, but this time, Mike tries and fails quickly. Hart than orders Bundy to splash Mike (C+) Bundy sets up to splash him again, but Chris Adams comes out with a steel chair to drive Bundy and Hart off. (D)

-Jose Lothario defeats Magic Dragon in 8:55 by DQ when The Great Kabuki interfered after Lothario had the match won. (C) Before the match, Hart comes out again with his team and the three laugh and boast about putting Manny Fernandez out of commission (C-). During the match, Iceman Parsons wanders out to the commentary position, telling Mercer and Lowerence that he's been friends with Manny for a long time, and he'll get revenge on his behalf (D+) While the match is still going on, Kabuki, Dragon & Hart direct their taunts to Parsons at ringside (C-) After the match ends by DQ, Iceman runs in and quickly drives off Dragon & Kabuki before they can continue their attack on Lothario. (C-)

-Precious comes out and tells everyone how tired she is of sharing valet duties with Sunshine. So, she challenges Sunshine to some type competition at the Parade of Champions, where the loser has to be the winner's valet for 24 hours (D-)

-WCCW Television Championship Match (earned by Kerry by his win over Roberts last night)
Buddy Roberts defeats Kerry Von Erich in 8:24 by pinfall following interference by Michael Hayes to make his 3rd defense of the TV Title (C-). Before the Match, Hayes comes down to the announce table as a guest commentator, claiming he's "scouting" Kerry, and telling Lowrence & Mercer that Kerry's win over him at the tournament was a fluke (C+) After the match, Hayes stands up with a mic and yells at Kerry, telling everyone that his brothers are crazy for trusting him after the crap he pulled at the King of Texas show (C+). When Kerry recovers, he gets in a shouting match with Hayes (C+). Suddenly, Kerry is attacked from behind by all 3 Freebirds, ending with a Terry Gordy pilediver outside the ring (C+)

-Overall Rating: C-

Thoughts:

-Our Texas popularity takes a hit since the end of last month, from 72.6% to 71.8%. (Part of that may be our recent inactivity there). And I should have realized this before, but a TV show will of course, effect the popularity of regions where it airs as well as where it tapes. Since my show does also air in the midwest, my popularity there increases from 42.6% to 43.0%.

-I've discovered a downside to running these conflict-free shows on Monday/Tuesday - Fatigue. Guys are wrestling on back to back nights for me, and many of them are wrestling 4-5 days a week with their other commitments. I'll keep the schedule in place for now, but try to give my top guys breathers where i can.

-Fatigue is the only way to explain Kerry/Roberts going from a B one night to a C- the next. I had high enough hopes for the rematch to make it my main event at the tv taping, and they couldn't bring it again. (Maybe the fans also didn't like the DQ finish)

-I hide the Checkmate/Sugar angle on the pre-show, and it draws decent "Ds." Better then I expected from them. I'll run their mask v. mask match at the Parade of Champions, largely because I'll have 2 hours to kill.

-The fans seemed fairly into the Bundy slam angle until Adams came out. Not a great start for his first angle.

-Our best match of the night was surprisingly, Jose Lothario v. Magic Dragon, despite the fact that the two showed poor chemistry. A good showing for both guys.

-The Feebirds v. Von Erich war is on - hopefully Hayes and/or Roberts don't leave the company to focus on WWF/AWA before its over. Jim Garvin is emergency Freebird in waiting.

[molson]

NEWS

-Once again, a full week of news in the 5 days before my next show.

-Our latest TV rating is a 0,60, Slightly below our average.

-Kerry Von Erich has received an offer from Georgia Championship Wrestling. Hopefully he'll be as loyal as David was when the AWA came calling for him. Speaking of Kerry, he's now out with an "injury" at least past the Parade of Champions, so I start shopping him around my friendly promotions for a 3-apperance talent trade. Trying to learn my lesson from Jake Roberts, I try to find a guy with a workable schedule (but still has popularity in Texas). I offer him to WWC for Abdullah the Butcher, but WWC won't give him up because he holds half of their tag-team title. Then I try Dick Murdock with Mid-South, but they tell me he's on his way out of the company (which I didn't know, so I ask for separate negotiations to make our own pitch again - Murdoch would be huge for us). Then Consejo in Mexico rejects my pitch for Mil Mascaras, as they feel that's not an even trade. JYD, Ted Dibiase, Bruiser Brody, Harley Race, even Blackjack Mulligan all fail as well. So I sadly give up. The problem is, Kerry has almost no notoriety outside of Texas at this point, so he has very little value for these promotions.

-Michael Hayes has started a WWF tag team with Jesse Ventura. That actually sounds pretty awesome.

-One more note on Kerry, I've been getting messages from my road agents that his gimmick, "People's Champion" is getting stale. Since he's out with a worked "injury", this is a perfect time to bring him back with a subtly new gimmick. So we're going with "Rebel" - Kerry will be slightly Edgier. I make a few other gimmick changes. Our new talent, 19-year old announcer Harry Frehley is now a heel Sci-Fi nerd. Ken Mantel goes from an "Old School Face" to an "Underdog".

-After the TV taping, Roberts, Gordman, and the The Spoiler again seem to be exhausted. Gordman's just old, and Roberts & The Spoiler have other commitments. The Spoiler is the big concern here - at 43 years old, it doesn't look like he can handle the schedule he has. He's the Georgia Television Champion, and he's defending the title pretty much every week. He also wrestles for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling (out of the Canadian Maritimes). I'm not sure I'll be able to get my money's worth out of him.

-I request negotiations with Waldo Von Erich, who has "C" popularity pretty much across the country. (I only have 3 guys who reach that popularity anywhere but Texas). At 49, he can't wrestle much anymore, but he might be willing to come in because of his friendship with Fritz and get involved somehow in the Fritz v. Akbar/Hart angle.

-Angelo Poffo's International Championship Wrestling has lost it's TV slot, leaving it with only a monthly event. Randy Savage has previously turned down negotiation requests due to loyalty to his father - it'll be interesting to see at what point he gets out. I go ahead and request negotiations.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 3, May 1983
Wichita, KS; 1,000 - SOLD OUT

-Back to the midwest for the last time this month, before he head back to Texas to focus on the Parade of Champions and make some money.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Mike Von Erich defeats Arman Hussein in 5:57 by submission (D-). Before the match, Harry Frehley debuted his new sci-fi nerd gimmick and interviewed Mike (E). Harry also then interviewed Arman Hussein, who was with Gary Hart. Hussein said he has been away "raising money" for H&H Limited. (E+)

-Fritz comes out and announces that if Chris Adams can defeat Jimmy Garvin in the next match, he'll earn a Texas Heavyweight Title Shot tomorrow night at the TV taping. (C-)

-Chris Adams and Jimmy Garvin drew to a double countout in 9:40 following interference from both Precious and Sunshine. (C-)

-Though Jimmy seems excited about not having to defend his title, Fritz comes out and states that there will be a Texas Heavyweight Championship match tomorrow night. Standing behind Fritz are King Kong Bundy, Ken Mantel, and The Spoiler. Fritz states that the 3 men behind him don't have a match scheduled for tonight, so they'll compete in a triple threat match tonight for the title shot (D+).

-After Bundy, Mantel, and The Spoiler leave, Fritz starts to make another announcement, but he's interrupted by Akbar & Hart, who challenge him to another match at the Parade of Champions. This time, it will be Akbar, Hart, and a partner of their choosing v. Fritz, Manny Fernandez, and a partner of their choosing. They joke that Manny will have to wrestle from a wheelchair (D+). Suddenly, Manny Fernandez comes out wearing a neckbrace, and he and Fritz look ready to beat the crap out of Akbar & Hart (C-) Before they can, however, Frank Dusek of Destruction Inc. and Magic Dragon of H&H Limited come out and distract Fritz & Manny long enough for Hart & Akbar to slip away. (D)

-Fritz announces that before he was interrupted, he was about to bring out WCCW's newest signing, Jake Roberts, who comes out to the ring with Manny and Fritz. (C-) Roberts cuts a brief promo, saying how he's had his problems with Hart & Akbar in the past, and he's there to help keep them in line. (D+)

-Sweet Brown Sugar defeated Checkmate in 5:44 by DQ when Checkmate's new manager, Skandor Akbar, interfered. (D) Before the match Sweet Brown Sugar hyped the match (E+). Then Checkmate revealed his surprise - his new manager, Skandor Akbar (D-). Akbar hypes his new guy, saying that in a matter of time, Hart & Akbar will control the entire WCCW roster (C-) After the match, Akbar and Checkmate tried to take Sugar's mask off, but Sugar gained the upper hand and the two fled. (E+)

-Jose Lothario defeated Frank Dusek in 7:47 by pinfall (D+)

-Ken Mantel upset King Kong Bundy & The Spoiler in 6:49 by countout to win the title shot with Jimmy Garvin. Ken Mantel sneaked up behind Bundy and Spoiler who were wrestling near the ropes, and tossed them both over, causing the countout victory. (C) The Spoiler looked strong, despite the loss.

-Jake Roberts defeated Magic Dragon in 7:29 by pinfall (C+)

-Kevin & David Von Erich defeated Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy in 14:58 when David made Hayes submit. (C) David looked the best of the 4. Before the match, the Von Erichs hyped the match, and spoke about their injured brother Kerry (C). The Freebirds also hyped the match, stating "1 down, 3 to go". (C)

Overall Rating: C

THOUGHTS

-A "C" is always a good thing in the midwest, at least at our current popularity level. Our popularity continues it's slow and steady increases in the midwest from 43.0% to 43.4%.

-I'm a little stumped right now with the Fritz/Spoiler/Roberts/Manny/Hart thing, with the biggest issue being Robert's and Spoiler's potential unavailability at the Parade of Champions (and Roberts' potential unavailability at TV Tapings). The angle thus doesn't have much direction right now, and Roberts isn't that big a deal in 1983 to make to huge an impact.

-The Checkmate/Sugar angle continues to waste away on pre-show dark matches and house shows.

-Wow, the bizarre little 3-way match with Bundy/Spoiler/Ken Mantel somehow rates a "C". This was basically just a chance to give Garvin a title defense leading into the Parade of Champions.

-Jake Roberts has a nice in-ring debut, getting a C+ with Magic Dragon. This was the 15th match for Magic Dragon since the game began, and this was his highest rating.

NEWS

-Buddy Roberts arrives late for the show again - that's the 3rd time by my count. If he wasn't already advertised for a TV Title Defense tomorrow night, I'd suspend him, but instead, he gets another fine. I'm not quite sure how this dynamic works (if morale goes down in the locker room if I'm too easy on him, ect). .

[Swaggs]

This is an fun dynasty to follow.

I know very little about wrestling nowadays, but recognize enough of these names from my childhood to be able to follow along without being overwhelmed and the business goals make it into a good challenge.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (TV Taping)
Tuesday, Week 3, May 1983
Dallas, TX: 5,000 SOLD OUT

-Jake Roberts is again unavailable

-Tonight is our 3-man booth experiment, as Sci-Fi nerd heel Harry Frehely gets a chance to annoy Mercer and Lawrence.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Sweet Brown Sugar defeats Barry Orton in 7:22 by pinfall. (D). After the match, Sugar talks about his match with Checkmate last night, where Checkmate revealed Akbar as his new manager got DQ'd, then tried to take off Sugar's match. Sugar than challenges Checkmate to 1 more match, mask v. mask, at the Parade of Champions (D)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Brian Adias defeats Black Gordman in 5:40 by pinfall (D+). Gordman was a little pissed about jobbing to Adias, but there's only so many guys on the roster I can put Adias over at this point. After the match, Mercer interviews Adias about his win (E).

-As the show begins, the announcers talk about Kerry's neck injury last week at the hands of the Freebirds. They say he's going to be out "indefinitely". (B-). Kevin Von Erich then comes out to the announce position to swear revenge - he says that the Freebirds have now crossed the line. (C+)

-Jose Lothario defeats Frank Dusek in 7:46 by pinfall (C-). The announcers hype Lotahrio's winning streak.

-Gary Hart comes out with The Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon. Kabuki, in mangled English, warns Manny Fernandez never to come back to WCCW, and Iceman Parsons to mind his own business (Parsons, a long time friend of Manny, had sworn revenge and gotten involved in Magic Dragon's match last week). (C-). Iceman quickly comes out and confronts the trio, telling them that Manny WILL be back in the ring soon, and until then, they'd have to deal with him (C). Dragon & Kabuki attack Parsons, quickly gaining an advantage. He's dragged out to the parking lot, as cameras follow. The beating continues outside as Parsons is thrown into a car. He grabs his ribs, as the announcers wonder whether he'll be able to compete tonight in his scheduled TV title match with Buddy Roberts. (C-)

-Terry Gordy defeated Mike Von Erich in 5:32 by pinfall (B-). After the match, as Gordy taunts the fallen Mike, Kevin angrily runs out and attacks Gordy with a chair. (B-) From the entranceway, a shaken Gordy challenges Kevin to put his American Heavyweight title on the line against him at the Parade of Champions, so he can put him out of WCCW like he did Kerry (B-). Kevin accepts (B-)

-WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship Match
Jimmy Garvin defeats Ken Mantel in in 9:05 by pinfall in a surprisingly competitive match to make his 3rd defense of the Texas Heavyweight Title. (C) (Mantel had earned the title shot with an upset victory in a triple threat match last night). During the match, a camera picks up David Von Erich intently watching the match backstage (B).

-The announcers hype up that Chris Adams is in the building, as he has some type of announcement to make (C-). He appears, and announces that after last week, he's sick of Bundy & Hart's bullying, and he's accepting the $5,000 Body Slam challenge. That challenge will occur at next week's house show in Fort Worth. (C-)

-WCCW Television Title match
Buddy Jack Roberts defeats Iceman Parsons in 8:42 to make his 4th defense of the TV title. (C+) Iceman was clearly working with some type of rib injury after the parking lot attack earlier.

Overall Show Rating: C

Thoughts:

-Midwest rating increases from 43.4% to 43.8%, Texas rating increases dips from 71.8% to 71.5%.

-The Freebird/Von Erich angle is clearly heating up - the angle had 4 "segments" tonight, and 3 rated a B- with the 4th a C+. I'm still amazed Terry Gordy can have a B- match with Mike Von Erich (for the 2nd time). Mike reward will be more frequent squashes from Terry in the future. This angle will carry us through the summer.

-Ken Mantel has earned a push - the next time I re-shuffle the roster at the end of the month, he's being promoted to midcarder. He scores back-to-back "C" ratings, and has been consistently solid. He's a great guy to score some wins over guys like Barry Orton and Black Gordman, and then lose to the main eventers in solid matches that mean just a little more because he's a "midcarder".

-We went with a relatively "soft" main event with Parsons v. Robert (for the 7th time), and they had their usual solid match. For the record, Parsons has one once in the series, Roberts three times, and there have been 3 draws. Parsons isn't really a major player in the Manny v. Kabuki & Dragon feud, he's just there so there's someone to beat up before Manny comes back to get his revenge.

[molson]

NEWS

Here's the currently advertised Parade of Champion Card:

-WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship Match
Jimmy Garvin v. David Von Erich

-WCCW American Heavyweight Championship Match
Kevin Von Erich v. Terry Gordy

-Mask v. Mask
Checkmate v. Sweet Brown Sugar

Fritz Von Erich, Manny Fernandez, and a 3rd partner v. Gary Hart, Skandor Akbar, and a 3rd partner

King Kong Bundy v. Chris Adams

Precious v. Sunshine in a bikini contest (or maybe mud wrestling) - loser is winner's valet for 24 hours.

A 15-man Battle Royal, with the winner receiving a title shot against any champion within the next two weeks (Featuring Manny Fernandez, Buddy Roberts, Magic Dragon, The Great Kabuki, Mike Von Erich, and 10 others)

-Winner gets a TV title shot against Buddy Roberts
Jose Lothario v. Ken Mantel

-I can't advertise Roberts or Spoiler since Georgia may book them that night, but hopefully I'll have at least one of them for the Battle Royal, or even the Fritz v. Hart&Akbar match.

[molson]

NEWS

-My TV Show gets a 0.59 rating. Very slightly below our average.

-Brian Adias of all people arrived late for the latest TV taping - and he had a pre-show dark match. Since he's Brian Adias and I can make an example of him, I suspend him for 1 week.

-I sign Waldo Von Erich to a 9-month PPA contract, at $975 an apperance. His "strong friendship" with Fritz is surely what allowed me to bring him in. Waldo's biggest asset is his notoriety - he was a vicious heel who at this point, is still pretty well remembered around the country - "C" popularity in the Midwest and in Texas. To put that in perspective, he's now one of our 3 most known talents in the Midwest, along with Fritz and Manny Fernandez. He looks to be a decent on-air personality, with a B+ in Acting, a B- in Charisma and Psychology, and a C+ in respect. The problem of course, is that he's 49 years old, and can't bring much to the ring (though he's 4 years younger than Fritz, and in somewhat better physical condition). I'm the only company he's working for, so he'll be involved in the Parade of Champions, either as an ally or enemy of Fritz. If he's an ally, Fritz may hand him the reigns of "on-air commissioner", so Fritz can deal with Hart & Akbar as a competitor. Currently, his gimmick is set as "goose-stepping Nazi", so I'll have to remember to tweak that if I use him as a face. (And even if I use him as a heel, that gimmick has a high enough offensive rating in the game that the network might be really pissed off). However, the thought of Waldo & Fritz Von Erich reuniting in 1983 WCCW as Nazi sympathizers - bewildering the Von Erich sons - is certainly intriguing.

-Dick Murdoch again rejects my request for negotiations, still saying I'm not big enough, despite the fact that he's about to be unemployed. Dick Murdoch in WCCW is something I won't give up on. Tully Blanchard also rejects my requests to negotiate, saying he wants to focus on his current commitments. Bruno Samartino is willing to listen (he can still wrestle a little in 1983), but he wants more than Fritz is willing to pay. Randy Savage is still loyal to his dad despite his failing company, so he rejects me too.

-Somewhat more disappointingly, Gino Hernandez rejects negotiations as well, as he wants to focus on Houston Championship Wrestling, where he's the TV Champion. (He also wrestles for Southwest Championship Wrestling).

-I do manage to sign Scott Casey to a 9 month PPA agreement at $1,025 a month. I remember this guy as having a cup of coffee as a jobber with the WWF in the late 1980's, but before that, it looks like he was actually a WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion in 1977. And he's only 26 years old, with a "C" popularity in Texas. His stats look marginal, with his only "B" rating being in "looks". I'm a little face-heavy on the undercard right now, and Casey can only play a face, so someone's likely to have a heel turn soon (Iceman Parsons seems to be a prime candidate).

-My roster's getting a little bloated - I have about 5 more guys than my road agents recommends as the "minimum level" considering our overall circumstances. So some guys may be getting pink slips at the end of the month.

-Kerry follows in the footsteps of his older brother and rejects Georgia out of loyalty to WCCW. I'm very curious to see how long loyalty lasts in this game, both in terms of my guys, and guys like Randy Savage.

-UWA in Mexico had a Luchador genocide, firing 9 guys. I request negotiations with the three that are willing to work in the US at this point: Villano V, Villano IV, and Super Kendo. Looking WAY ahead if the dynasty lasts this long, if I get to Cult, then National, International requires some popularity in foreign regions. WCCW already has E+ popularity in most of Mexico (more than almost any other North American company, due to our geography). It wouldn't hurt to do a show or two in Mexico every so often, so it might help to have these guys on the roster.

[molson]

I appreciate very much both the posters and the lurkers. if anyone has any suggestions, etc., I'd love to hear them. And if anyone has ever considered writing a dynasty and never got around to it, I'd encourage them to give it shot - it's not as time consuming as you think, and it really adds to the text sim experience.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 4, May 1983
Fort Worth, TX 2,000 - SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Segment
Bill Mercer interviews Mike Von ERich about Kerry's Status, and his own career goals (D).

-Pre-Show Dark match
Checkmate defeats Barry Orton in 8:37 by submission. (D+). After the match, Akbar accepts the mask v. mask challenge made by Sweet Brown Sugar last week before the TV taping (D+). Akbar hypes the match, saying that with Checkmate under his guidance, we'll all soon see how ugly Sweet Brown Sugar is under the mask (D+)

-The Great Kabuki & King Kong Bundy defeated Mike Von Erich & Johnny Mantel in 7:42 when Kabuki pinned Mike. (C-) Kabuki & Bundy looked good.

-Jose Lothario defeated Magic Dragon in 8:31 by pinfall (C-). The two again showed poor chemistry. After the match, Bill Mercer interviewed Jose about his Parade of Champions match against Ken Mercer, with the winner getting a TV Title Shot. Jose says he's proven himself during his current winning streak, and Ken Mantel will be tough, he's looking forward to having championship gold again (D-)

-The Spoiler defeated Ken Mantel in 7:36 by pinfall. (C) After the match, Akbar hypes Spoiler as the the best pure wrestler in WCCW. (C)

-Skandor Akbar defeated Fritz Von Erich in 5:38 by pinfall after using a foregin object behind the ref's back. (C+). Before the match, Fritz Von Erich cut a somewhat lengthy promo - talking about his upcoming matches tonight and at the Parade of Champions, and the fact that he's considering stepping down as WCCW commissioner. (B+) After the match, Hart and Akbar start to gang up on Fritz, before Manny Fernandez, still wearing a neckbrace, runs out to make the save. (B-)

-Sunshine comes out and hypes her apperance of the cover of a Texas newspaper (C+) Sunshine also hypes her upcoming competition with Precious at the Parade of Champions - she still doesn't know what precious has in mind, but points out that she's already beet Precious in a bikini contest (D+)

-Jim Garvin drew with Kevin Von Erich after the 10-minute time limit expired (B+). The two showed great chemistry. After the match, Precious and Sunshine argue about their role in Garvin's failure to win, and they quickly come to blows and roll around on the ring. The fight is broken up by Jimmy Garvin, Marc Lowrance, Bill Mercer, David Manning, and Harry Frehley (E+)

-David Von Erich defeated Michael Hayes in 8:31 by submission (B). Before the match, Michael Hayes hyped his chances (B+). David hyped the match as well (B) After the match, David celebrated the victory in the ring with Kevin & Mike (B). Soon later, Terry Gordy runs into the ring, and he, Michael Hayes & The Von Erichs brawl as the show comes to an end (B-).

-Overall Show Rating: C+

THOUGHTS:

-With so many segments rated "B-" or above, I thought I might break the elusive "B" barrier in this show, but alas, it was not to be. C+ is very solid though. Texas area popularity decreases slightly from 71.5% to 71.4%. More importantly is the money this show was sure to bring in - after being unprofitable through the beginning of the month, we're now $117k on the plus side, with a total of $748k in the bank. We're almost at the point where we can start considering buying out smaller, failing promotions.

-Holy crap, Jim Garvin and Kevin Von Erich wrestle a B+ match with no angle behind it. That is the highest rated match of my WCCW tenure. Maybe I just should have went with a Garvin v. Kevin title unification match at the Parade of Champions.

-Akbar has very subtly but noticeably improved the Checkmate v. Sugar feud. In this era, almost everyone seems to benefit from a manager.

-Only with that great match could Hayes v. David be over-shadowed. With a B rating, that's the highest rated match Hayes has been involved in since the 6-man tag that main evented my first show (and Hayes was only 1/6 of that). For David, it's is best match since my first week, when he was involved in that 6 man, and also wrestled Jimmy Garvin to a B. By the way, David's record now during my tenure is 13-1-0. That's a push.

-Speaking of records, The Spoiler's is pretty amazing, not so much in the pure success, but how many matches he's had in less than 2 months. He's 19-7-0 across all promotions he's worked for. No wonder he's so tired. (His best matches, by the way, have been against Stan Hanson, Paul Orndorff, and Tommy Rich)

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (TV Taping)
Tuesday, Week 4, May 1983
Dallas, TX: 5,000 SOLD OUT

-Jake Roberts is unavailable again - it looks like Georgia uses him every Tuesday.

-In what will become an end-of-month tradition, this is the show that tapes before the big event (in this case, the Parade of Champions), but airs after it. For the sake of realism, I'll book accordingly. The one pre-Parade angle I have to do though is the Adams/Bundy slam challenge. But, "Cameras will be rolling", and my announcers at the Parade of Champions will refer to what happened

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Ken Mantel defeats Barry Orton in 9:36 by pinfall. (D-). Before the match, Bill Mercer interviews Barry Orton (E-). After the match, Harry Frehley interviews Mantel, who says that after coming so close to shocking the world and winning the Texas Heavyweight Title, he can't wait for another shot at championship gold, and his match at the Parade of Champions with Jose Lothario is the only thing that stands between him and that shot. (D)

-As the show starts, a video is played highlighting the history of King Kong Bundy's slam challenge - The failures of Mike Von Erich and Ken Mantel, Bundy's attack on Mike, Chris Adams coming to Mike's rescue, and Chris Adams accepting Bundy's open challenge (C-). Gary Hart then hyped up the challenge, as well as the pair's match Saturday at the Parade of Champions (C-)

-Chris Adams slams King Kong Bundy to win the $5k body slam challenge. Right afterwards, however, Gary Hart grabs the money and runs to the back (C+) Adams calls Hart & Bundy cowards, and renews his challenge for a straight up match at the Parade of Champions (C-) Bundy and Hart accept, claiming anyone can get lucky, but that's there's no way Adams can beat Bundy 1 on 1 (C).

-The announcers tell the TV audience that Iceman Parsons suffered broken ribs as the result of the Parking Lot attack last week by The Great Kabuki and Magic Dragon. Tonight, he'll wrestle his last previously advertised match, against the Spoiler, before taking some time off (C-)

-The Spoiler defeated Iceman Parsons in 8:25 by pinfall. (C+). It was clear to the announcers that Parsons should never have even been competing, but they put over this toughness.

-Bill Mercer interviews Fritz Von Erich, who shares the same thoughts he did last night at the house show. He's overwhelmed - between the feud with Akbar & Hart, dealing with the injury to Kerry, and becoming more and more physically involved, he's wondering if he should step aside as WCCW commissioner. (B).

-Jose Lothario upset The Great Kabuki in 6:21 by pinfall by using the ropes for leverage (B-). Before the match, The Great Kabuki and Magic Dragon taunted Iceman Parsons and his recent injury (D).

-Michael Hayes, with the Freebirds by his side, comes out and taunts Kevin Von Erich's stupidity in letting his anger get to him, and putting the American Heavyweight Title on the line against Gordy at the Parade of Champions. Continuing to challenge the Freebirds, Hayes argues, will be Kevin's downfall. (B-)

-David Von Erich defeated Michael Hayes in 6:31 by pinfall (B+)

-Mike & Kevin Von Erich drew with Terry Gordy & Buddy Jack Roberts in when the 10:00 time limit expired to make their 2nd defense of the Tag Team Titles. (C+). Terry Gordy looked especially good. After the match, before any further physical altercations can break out, David runs to the ring, as the 3 celebrate Mike & Kevin retaining the titles after a tough match. (C)

-Overall Rating: B-

THOUGHTS

-After booking 16 shows, the 17th is my first to crack the B- barrier. My popularity in Texas STILL manages to decrease ever so slightly, from 71.4% to 71.3%. (No big deal, I'd be happy to settle around 70.0%). More importantly, my midwest popularity increases from 43.8% to 44.2%.

-Adams delivering C- segments in his angle with Bundy is a decent sign for him, after his slow start in the angle. If I can count on him to deliver C-level segments in midcard feuds, he'll have plenty of TV time.

-In Jose Lothario's 14th match of my tenure, and The Great Kabuki's 16th match (across 2 companies), they both deliver their highest respective match rating: a B-. Lothario's contract is up in 29 days, and while I had assumed I would let him go after that, he's simply performing too well, even at the age of 45.

-In David's 15th match of my tenure, and Michael Haye's 17th match between us and the WWF, both also deliver their best match rating, a B+. This is party luck, and partly due to the fact that I now have a very hot angle behind all these Von Erichs v. Freebirds matches. The inevitable Von Erich heel turn will have to wait.

-Mike continues to hold his own - he's a 19-year old with little skill at this point, but he's not embarrassing himself when I throw him into main event matches and angles. His current record for me is 2-9-2 (and yet he holds tag team championship gold)

[molson]

NEWS

-It was bound to happen, the Spoiler has suffered a Elbow injury as the result of his ever-increasing workload. He expects to be out for about 3 weeks. He hasn't done too much for me yet - though he is undefeated for WCCW after 3 matches.

-The Luchador era has begun in WCCW, as I sign Villanos IV and V and Super Kendo to PPA deals. The Villanos come in at a $550 and $500/show, respectively, while Super Kendo is a bargain $150/show. Villano V has E- popularity all over the US, so at least some people have heard of him - I can't say the same for the other two (though it's kind of funny that someone could have heard of Villano V and not Villano IV) All of these guys are pure luchadors - not much for brawling, not much for technical wrestling, but fairly high ratings in athleticism and star quality. I'll decide what to do with these guys after the Parade of Champions, but Brian Adias should get fitted for a mask right away.

-With the new signings, my road agent tells me I now have 8 more wrestlers than I need. I'm going to cut at least 5 after the Parade show.

-UWA in Mexico, after unloading 9 luchadors, signed Arman Hussein to a PPA deal. I've managed to use Arman exactly once in almost 2 months. He just doesn't bring much to the table, either as a personality or a wrestler. With my recent signings, he's likely to go at the end of the month (even though he still considers us his priority company).

-I'm amused by a new team that has popped up in Maple Leaf Wrestling: The Original Shiek & Dennis Stamp (The latter of "I'm not booked" fame)

-Checking in quickly on the WWF, Hulk Hogan, who was signed a month or two ago but hasn't wrestled yet due to injury, will be ready to go next week. They're still pushing Ray Stevens as their world champion, it'll be interesting to see if hogan puts an end to that. Currently, the top pushed guys in the company are JYD, Sgt. Slaughter, Stevens, Bob Backlund, Pedro Morales, Andre the Giant, and Roddy Piper. None of the "big 4" (AWA, WWF, Georgia, Mid-Atlantic) have moved from Cult to National yet. The race is hugely important - National status lets a company sign exclusive talent contracts. I'm just a couple of months away from Cult if all goes well, perhaps I can be a factor in that race as well. Another pretty awesome thing I noticed from the WWF - they signed Larry Zbysko, who immediately formed a tag team with Bruno Sammartino.

-I make an offer to buy out Angelo Poffo's International Championship Wrestling. It might be premature in the game to do that, but they seem to be in pretty sad shape financially, and I have $750k in the bank. If I can actually pull this off now or later on, I'd probably just keep the contracts of Randy Savage and Lanny Poffo and dump everyone else.

-Next up - the Parade of Champions

[Hammer]

Good read, hope you keep at it! I guess its a gamble to a certain degree to buy out other federations, but investing the gained capital has to be the way forward.

I would guess Randy Savage would be a huge player in the federation. Lanny Poffo was the "genius" wasn't he? Pretty damn awful in that guise I thought.

[Toddzilla]

Simply fantastic dynasty. I remember watching WCCW back in the day, so this is a nice nostalgia trip for me. Your recaps are very very good - it followsthe flow of the old shows perfectly, and the looks behind the curtain are well done. Please keep it up!

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING: PARADE OF CHAMPIONS
Saturday, Week 4, May 1983
Dallas, TX: 6,271

-This is our most prestigious, and most hyped event of the year. It'll take place in a 10,000 seat arena in Dallas. I've optimistically scheduled it for 2 1/2 hours, which will also be my longest show ever.

-Jake Roberts is booked by Georgia again and unavailable. It looks like I'll just have to use his final 2 contractual appearances on house shows.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Scott Casey defeated Super Kendo in 7:38 by pinfall (C-). After the match, Scott Casey cuts a promo hyping his return to WCCW, and points out he'll be involved in the Battle Royal later on (C-)

-Chris Adams defeats King Kong Bundy in 6:42 by pinfall (C+). Bundy was tiring towards the end of the match. Before the match, Chris Adams hyped his chances, pointing out that he slammed Bundy at the TV taping last week, and tonight he'll pin him. (C-) Bill Mercer also interviewed Bundy and Gary Hart before the match (D)

-Mask v. Mask
Sweet Brown Sugar defeated Checkmate in 11:27 by pinfall. (D-) Before the Match, Sugar cut a promo about the importance of his mask (D). and Bill Mercer interviewed Checkmate and Skandor Akbar (D). The announcers also hyped the mask v. mask stipulation, and recapped the events in this feud thus far (D+) After the match, Sugar makes a move to rip off Checkmate's mask. After a struggle, he succeeds, but Akbar covers Checkmate's face as the two retreat from the ringside area. (D). Sugar briefly celebrates in the crowd (D+)

-15-Man Battle Royal: Winner gets a title shot in the next 2 weeks.
Manny Fernandez wins the battle Royal over Arman Hussein, Barry Orton, Black Gordman, Brian Adias, Buddy Jack Roberts, Frank Dusek, Johnny Mantel, Ken Mantel, Magic Dragon, Mike Von Erich, Scott Casey, The Great Kabuki, Villano V, and Villano IV. Magic Dragon and The Great Kabuki are successful in avoiding Manny during the match. (C) After the match, Manny hypes himself up, saying he hasn't decided what title to go after yet. (C-)

-Winner receives TV Title Shot
Jose Lothario defeats Ken Mantel in 8:36 by pinfall. (D+). After the match, Lothario hypes up his earned title match with Buddy Roberts (C).

-WCCW American Heavyweight Championship Match
Terry Gordy defeated Kevin Von Erich in 22:45 by pinfall to win the WCCW American Heavyweight Championship. (C) Before the match, Kevin hyped his chances, dedicating his title defense to his injured brother Kerry (B-). Michael Hayes cut a promo with Terry Gordy standing by his side, saying Kevin simply is too weak to deal with Gordy - Gordy will squash him just like he did in the King of Texas Tournament. (B-). After the match, the Freebirds celebrate in the ring with the two singles titles their group now holds. (B-)

-Skandor Akbar, Gary Hart, and their mystery partner Waldo Von Erich, defeat Fritz Von Erich & Manny Fernandez in 6:32 when Waldo pinned Fritz. Everyone but Manny was exhausted by the end of the match. (C) Before the match, Fritz & Manny, and then Akbar & Hart come to the ring. Everyone waits for their respective mystery partners. Suddenly, Waldo Von Erich appears. Both teams great him, but then look confused. It is soon clear that both teams arranged for Waldo to be their mystery partner. Waldo then makes things clearer by punching Fritz in the face, and throwing him to the floor. Waldo, Hart, and Akbar are then able to use a numbers advantage to overwhelm Manny, before finally pinning Fritz (B). After the win, Akbar, Hart, and Waldo celebrate their victory (B-). Waldo goes a little nuts, smashing a glass bottle over his head (C+).

-Loser is Winner's Valet for 24 Hours - Bra & Panties Match
Sunshine defeated Precious in 3:53 when Sunshine stripped Precious, to win her services as a valet (E-)

-Jim Garvin comes to the ring while the two divas are still there, and hypes his title defense against David (B-). He then turns to Sunshine and verbally berates her for embarrassing Precious. He then grabs her by the hair and throws her to the ground. David Von Erich runs to the ring to Sunshine's aid, and the match is on (B-)

-WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship Match
David Von Erich defeats Jimmy Garvin in 13:57 by submission to win the Texas Heavyweight Championship. Precious interferes during the match on behalf of Garvin, and Sunshine returns to even the odds for David. (B-) After the match, most of the faces from the locker room come down to celebrate with David (B-).

Overall Show Rating: C

THOUGHTS

-Disappointing overall show rating. Pretty disappointing attendance number also, though it is our best attended event during my tenure (just a few hundred people more than the King of Texas Event)

-The #1 problem with this show was Gordy v. Kevin. I gave them almost 23 minutes and they only deliver a "C" match. Their previous 1 on 1 match did a B- in the 1st round of the King of Texas Tournament. Even Terry's two matches with Mike were far better. Just one of those nights.

-Very nice debut by Scott Casey on the pre-show, getting a C- with Super Kendo, a guy who's only making $150/show and has very limited wrestling ability. Scott could be a solid midcard guy for us, and may take some time away from guys like Parsons and Adams.

-The Checkmate/Sugar storyline still has about a month's worth of segments and two matches left before it's considered "complete" (if the angle isn't finished, the participants get penalties to their momentum). It may however, just be time to pull the plug on both of these guys.

-Lothario v. Ken Mantel was also somewhat disappointing, since these are two guys who have overachieved for me to this point - I put them together, and it's a pretty bad match. Putting the TV title on Lothario had been somewhat tempting, since it seemed like he could put a safe "C" level match on every week with a variety of opponents. Now I'm not so sure. He may have lost his chance at the gold tonight.

-The Fritz/Waldo drama went pretty well, except for the match itself, which must have been absolutely painful to watch. I'll use Waldo as a grizzled, crazy old wrestler who has some kind of grudge against his "brother". That should be good enough for some B, B- segments.

-The fans liked the Sunshine face turn. The Sunshine/Precious feud is likely over, since nobody seems to want to see that, but Sunshine might be helpful for some of the faces on our roster in a valet role.

-It makes sense for David to have our #1 title at this point. David and Gordy are clearly the most two over guys in Texas, and now they hold the top two singles titles. They'll hold them for a while, and then we'll consider unification.

[molson]

NEWS

-Our Sunday night show (taped Tuesday before the Parade of Champions) gets a 0.69 rating. That's our highest rating yet.

-Central States Wrestling is the latest promotion to lose their TV slot. It almost seems like the beginning of the "Death of the Territories" - the smaller promotions seem to be fading, and the bigger ones are making more and more money.

-There's one wrinkle with promotion relationships that I hadn't thought too much about. Promotions can have the defined relationship of being "at war", which means if you sign one of their guys to a PPA deal, they'll leave the old company (a worker can't work for two "warring" promotion). I remembered this after I signed Scott Casey, who then promptly left Southwest Championship Wrestling (the only company I'm currently "warring" with). SWC, like us, is regional in size, but we appear to have a higher prestige (and I'm guessing we're closer to Cult then they are). They're based in San Antonio, and so we probably share some kind of audience. So, one of the background business goals I'm going to work on is putting these guys out of business. They have a bunch of guys I'd love to get my hands on, but seem pretty loyal at the moment (Gino Hernandez, Tully Blanchard, Chavo Guerrero, Adrian Adonis). Once I get to Cult, there'll be a big time talent trade of these jerks.

-International Championship Wrestling has rejected my overtures of a buyout, basically claiming they're not dead yet. They'll be dead soon enough. Meanwhile, the game's "Internet Rumor Site" says that WWA has only a few months to turn things around before they go under - WWA is Dick the Bruiser's Company in the Great Lakes Region. Their roster isn't nearly as exciting as ICW's, but I go ahead and ask for buyout negotiations anyway.

-Next up, WCCW's month in review for May. First look - even though our worker costs went up about 20% for the month, we still increased our profit about 15% from last month. We're now sitting on $926,000 (Fritz only mandated that I stay above $225,000, and that I not drop from Regional size in 12 months to keep my job). Time to spend some cash. Hopefully Fritz will be a little more liberal with capping out my offers.

-Jose Lothario wants $1,500/show to sign after his contract is up in about a month. I'm not sure I can justify that. That would make him the 4th highest paid PPA guy on the roster. (Though it seems wrestling salaries are starting to skyrocket). He can consider his TV title shot against Roberts this week a tryout for a new deal.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Hammer

Good read, hope you keep at it! I guess its a gamble to a certain degree to buy out other federations, but investing the gained capital has to be the way forward.

I would guess Randy Savage would be a huge player in the federation. Lanny Poffo was the "genius" wasn't he? Pretty damn awful in that guise I thought.

I'm not completely sure how the "buyout" dynamic works, but it looks like the the old company goes out of business, and you inherit all of their contracts and titles (along with their prestige ratings). Since these smaller companies are going to be mostly verbal PPA contracts, you can just keep who you want and dump everyone else (and only hold on to titles that have high prestige, or unify all the titles and then dump the ones with lower prestige). So I don't think there's a whole lot of risk, it's just a matter of having enough cash on hand. What I'm not sure of it was happens to guys like Angele Poffo or Dick the Brusier, who are on "lifetime" or "written" contracts. I wouldn't mind access to Dick the Bruiser to help to break into the midwest, since he's huge there.

Yup, Lanny Poffo was The Genuis (and Randy Savage's brother). He has pretty decent skill ratings too, he'd probably be an upper midcarder for us. And while I generally agree about the Genuis character, he was involved in one of the most bizarely entertaining Hulk Hogan matches I've ever seen. Jesse Ventura is especially tremendous on commentary ("What a message for the children - brain beats brawn!"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itptw82EQ8k

[Neon_Chaos]

Originally Posted by molson

Meanwhile, the game's "Internet Rumor Site" says that WWA has only a few months to turn things around before they go under

Must've been a high-tech 80's back then.

[molson]

WCCW MONTH IN REVIEW: MAY, 1983

POPULARITY

-Popularity in Texas 71.0% (Down from 72.6% last month)
-Popularity in Midwest 44.2% (Up from 42.2% last month)
-Popularity goal to get to or maintain Cult Status (53%) (At a 2% increase in popularity/month in the midwest, it would take about 5 1/2 months to reach cult. But I'm hoping the increases start to accelerate as I have access to better and better talent)

FINANCES

Income (Last month in parenthesis):

Ticket Sales: 552,775 (478,025)
Sponsors: 15,280 (15,096)
Merchandise: 4,380 (4,440)

Expenses:

Worker Costs: 168,475 (132,975)
Show Costs: 101,500 (101,500)
Marketing: 500 (500)
Merchandise: 4,448 (4,511)
Production: 800 (800)
Misc: 1,000 (1,000)

Total Profit: $295,712 (256,375)
Cash in Bank: $926,987 (631,275)

-So we're still pretty much printing money for Fritz. It's time to put a little more money into the product.
-I increase our Video/DVD production values to "Above Average" up from "Standard". (There's only 3 levels, the next highest is excellent).
-Also, I'm going to start licensing music from bands for wrestler and tv show theme songs, as opposed to creating the music in house. (I'll again be using the middle level "Minor Licensed" - the highest level is "Major Licensed" which involves better-known bands.).
-It appears the music alone will cost me around $40k-$50k/month, but these increases will allow me to distinguish myself from all of the crappy promotions around the country that are fading.
-I also tweak my merchandise policies, since we're not quite breaking even in that area. Instead of having a "conservative" setting for how much we produce, we're going to a "Just In Time" setting, which means demand is monitored closely, and there will be little or no wasted product, and just enough to meet demands, at a greater overall expense of about 10%.

ROSTER

-As I stated, it's time to trim down the fat a little bit. Of course, it makes no sense firing anyone outright now before I job them out. With the exception of guys who provide no or little value in that regard: Arman Hussein is let go. I've only used him twice in my tenure, and I have enough 40 or 50-something guys hanging around as "personalities". James Beard, our "backup ref" is also fired. I haven't used him once, unless it was by accident. Our head ref, David Manning, is locked up long term to a written contract, and our road agent, Bronco Lubich, can certainly fill in if there's ever a problem.
-Sweet Brown Sugar will also be gone shortly. Perhaps it's unfair of me to can him after his angle with Checkmate didn't work out, but he really hasn't shown anything in the ring against anyone. He's wrestled 7 matches for me, and he's never gone higher than C-. And I don't think any of his segments, including solo interviews, have gone any higher than D+. To clinch his fate, he's also working for Mid-Atlantic. He'll be around for a day or two more though, because I realized that he actually has a record of 7-0 with us. He needs to be buried by someone on the way out.
-Checkmate will be kept on, albeit as a strictly "occasional wrestler". His body's shot, but he does have ratings of "B" in the Basics, and Safety, and he only costs $350/show, so he might have some use jobbing to Brian Adias and Mike Von Erich, mostly on pre-match dark shows. His days in angles however, are most definitely over.
-Jose Lothario will be gone at the end of his contract in 24 days unless he impresses beyond belief. Of course, he's currently on a 9-match winning streak, so this is the perfect time to start jobbing him out, since he actually has some momentum (he's actually a top 5 guy in the company for "momentum" which is a vague stat that basically measures recent kayfabe-defined success).
-Jake Roberts will be gone after he wrestles two more matches for me, which will be the next two shows he's available.
-So, not including those guys that are on their way out, here's how the roster shapes up after I've tweaked everyone's status:

Main Eventers:

Kerry Von Erich
Michael Hayes
Manny Fernandez
Terry Gordy
David Von Erich

-Michael Hayes gets promoted back to the main event scene largely because he's been involved in the highest rated match we've had - a B+ with David Von Erich. He wrestled David two other times in May and got a B and a B-. And that doesn't even reflect his real value, which is the mouthpiece of the Freebirds. He has had at least one B+ interview segment, and he's the one guy in the company most likely to break out our company's first A- or better segment (since he has "A" ratings in Mic Work and Charisma.) Since the Von Erichs v. Freebirds feud is starting to carry the company, it makes sense to push him. Kerry's still in the main event scene in hopes that he comes back energized with a new gimmick after his injury. He also had an excellent "B" rated match with Roberts this month. I considered flip-flopping him and Kevin, but Kerry still has a greater upside.

UPPER MIDCARDERS:

Kevin Von Erich
The Great Kabuki
Buddy Jack Roberts
Jim Garvin
Iceman Parsons
The Spoiler

-Jim Garvin gets his promised promotion after a solid run as Texas Heavyweight Champion. He'll stay high profile, so he can be ready to step in as a believable Freebird if Hayes or Roberts should take off. Iceman Parsons gets promoted as well - I wrote earlier about the unofficial competition between he and Adams to see who gets pushed. Iceman has clearly won that battle so far - he's wrestled in 11 matches for me, and only two were rated lower than a C. The Spoiler gets demoted down due to the uncertainty about his age, health, and his other commitments. But he'll have every chance to move back up.

MIDCARDERS:

Scott Casey
King Kong Bundy
Jose Lothario
Ken Mantel
Chris Adams
Bill Irwin

-Adams is still here because he hasn't stepped up. A heel turn could be in the cards. I'd love to bring in Gino Hernandez and re-create the dynamic duo, but we'll probably have to wait for SWC to go out of business. Ken Mantel gets promoted again - his D+ match with Lothario at the Parade of Champions was disappointing, but before that, he wrestled some very solid "C" matches. In addition, he's working under a $1,000/month written contract, so there's an incentive to use him every show. Irwin will return to action after his "suspension" - (I was under the mistaken belief that I couldn't use him until the loan agreement with Roberts was complete, but apparently I could have kept using him, as long as he didn't have a conflict.)

LOWER MIDCARD

Magic Dragon
Frank Dusek
Mike Von Erich

-Mike & Dragon are potential midcarders, but they'll stay lower on the card for now, doing jobs and getting better. At this point in Dusek's career, this is as high as he's going to get.

OPENERS:

Brian Adias
Villano IV
Villano V
Barry Orton

-The Villanos will be a jobber heel tag team in the tradition of the Conquistadors. Maybe they'll surprise me. But it doesn't look like our fan base is into the whole Luchador scene.

ENHANCEMENT TALENTS

Super Kendo
Johnny Mantel

-They're on the roster because they're very cheap. Keno actually has some charisma, I might give him some kind of comedy gimmick.

OCCASIONAL WRESTLERS

Checkmate
Black Gordman

-They're here to put over younger guys and help them improve. That's it.

MANAGERS

Skandor Akbar
Gary Hart
Sunshine
Precious

-I'm pretty lucky to have Akbar & Hart around - they add a little something to everything they're involved in. The big question is what to do with Sunshine - does she start some sort of face stable, or does she just tag along with David Von Erich.

ANNOUNCERS:

Bill Mercer
Marc Lowrance

-These guys are solid, it'll be a while and an increase to Cult Status before I even consider trying to bring in someone bigger.

REFEREES:

David Manning

-He has an A+ rating for referring. No need to look elsewhere.

ROAD AGENT

Bronco Lubich

-He's been successful in keeping everyone out of trouble for the most part, and he's well respected as a "Locker Room Leader". The TEW message boards suggest 1 road agent for every 10 wrestlers - I've gotten away with just Lubich because he's so well respected, I also have David Von Erich who is considered a Locker Room Leader, and I don't have too many troublemakers. Still, we'll be in the market for a second road agent.

PERSONALITIES

Harry Frehley
Waldo Von Erich

-There's really no need to hold back on Frehley, Michael Hayes is the only guy on the roster who compares to him in Mic Skills and Charisma. He also has star quality. It's only a matter of his overness increasing and the fans becoming used to him

[molson]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

Must've been a high-tech 80's back then.

Well, for every unrealistic element of the game, then I have something happen like Jimmy Snuka dying in 1983 - which I feel makes the game more realistic than real life. Snuka living until 2007 must be some type of real-life bug.

[Swaggs]

I have been following this dynasty and kind of checking on some of the names on wikipedia. I never realized that Sweet Brown Sugar was also Koko B. Ware (who I recall having some success during the time I followed WWF).

Also, it is simply amazing how many "young" guys from this era are deceased. Pretty hard to believe how many died before the age of 50 or 55. Any idea what the average lifespan looks like in TEW or if steroids/HGH factor into the game in anyway.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I have been following this dynasty and kind of checking on some of the names on wikipedia. I never realized that Sweet Brown Sugar was also Koko B. Ware (who I recall having some success during the time I followed WWF).

Also, it is simply amazing how many "young" guys from this era are deceased. Pretty hard to believe how many died before the age of 50 or 55. Any idea what the average lifespan looks like in TEW or if steroids/HGH factor into the game in anyway.

Wow - I didn't make the connection that Sweet Brown Sugar was Koko. I feel a little worse about cutting him loose.

The number of early deaths people experience playing the DOTT seems to vary a ton - the average looks like about 3-4 throughout the wrestling universe every year. The odds I have to deal with even one are pretty slim, and there's no way I'll be hammered like the real WCCW was.

WCCW was just a really fascinating company - how high they were in '83-'84 and how quickly they crashed after David's death. There's an awesome documentary floating around - "The Heroes of World Class" covering their rise and fall.

[molson]

NEWS

-Before the first show of June, I finally make a talent trade that makes some sense. A 3-apperance trade with Central States Wrestling, Kerry Von Erich for the Super Destroyer. Now that I understand the talent trade feature of the game, Central States seems to be my perfect partner. They're based in St. Louis, so most of their roster has some popularity in the midwest, which is of course important to me. Also, they're a less prestigious company than WCCW, so it seems most workers will consider us their priority over them. Both Kerry & Destroyer consider me their priority company even after the trade, so I can use either of them any time. So, the only downsides to talent exchanges with Central States is the fact that I'd be giving time or a push to a guy I only have a short-term deal with at the expense of my own roster, and the uncertainty and risk of my guys getting injured, fatigued, or jobbed out by other promoters. So while David and Kevin are lamenting Kerry's injury in say, Kansas City, discussing whether he'll ever wrestle again, Kerry could be wrestling at the same time in St. Louis for Central States. I guess that sort of thing wasn't uncommon back then.

-But to focus on Super Destroyer - under the mask, he's Scott Irwin, the brother of my own Bill Irwin. The two have teamed as both the Super Destroyers and the Long Riders. Scott is clearly superior to his brother - he has at least a B- rating in Brawling, Charisma, Acting, Basics, Stiffness, Toughness, Power, and Resilience. He also has solid C- popularity in both the midwest and Texas. Skandor Akbar is going to bring him in as part of his stable (which makes perfect sense because Bill Irwin is currently a client of his as well). If his short, high-profile run with us goes well, I'll try to bring him in full-time.

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 1, June 1983
Kansas City, MO: 1,000: SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Dark Match
-Triple Threat Tag Team Match
The Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon defeat the Mantel Brother and the Villanos in 8:36 by pinfall when Kabuki pins Villano V. Kabuki looked particularly good. (D+). After the match, Gary Hart hypes the devastation of team, and demands that Kevin & Mike stop whining about their crippled brother and give them a title shot (D+)

-King Kong Bundy defeats Sweet Brown Sugar in 4:39 by pinfall. Sugar got in very little offense at all, this was a pure squash (C-). Before the match, Sweet Brown Sugar tells the crowd that he was proud to defeat Checkmate, but he'll do his best to make sure the audience gets a better look at his ugly face before too long (D-) After the match, Gary Hart demands that Chris Adams give Bundy a rematch (D)

-Manny Fernandez defeated Frank Dusek in 7:31 by pinfall. (C-) Before the match, Manny Fernandez stated first that Magic Dragon and The Great Kabuki fled the arena right after their match - but he'll catch up to them soon enough. Second, he told everyone that he earned a title shot at the Parade of Champions Battle Royal, and he intends to use it against the meanest, toughest man in WCCW - Terry Gordy. That is, if Gordy can retain the title tonight. (C-)

-After Manny leaves the ring, but Dusek is still trying to get to his feet, Akbar comes to the ring. He tells Dusek that he has shamed him for the last time, and rips up his contract in front him - he's officially out of Destruction, Inc. (D-). Akbar announces that Destruction, Inc. is going elite. The Spoiler will be out of action for a few weeks, but Akbar has found another masked man that is just as mean, and just as talented. He announces his latest signing, The Super Destroyer (C-). Akbar then orders his newest client, the Super Destroyer, to "destroy" Frank Dusek, which he does (D).

-Super Destroyer defeats Jake Roberts in 8:57 by pinfall (B-).

-WCCW American Heavyweight Championship
Terry Gordy drew with Kevin Von Erich when the time limit expired in 15:00 to make his first title defense. (C+) Before the match, Kevin hyped up the match (C-). After the match, Kevin apologized to the fans, and Kerry, for losing the title at the Parade of Champions, and being unable to regain it tonight. (C-)

-Fritz Von Erich comes out, and says he has an important announcement. Effective immediately, he's stepping down as WCCW commissioner. He says with the injury to Kerry, the feud with Akbar & Hart, and now with the involvement of his own brother Waldo, he's decided to make one more run as an active competitor in WCCW. He's looking for a successor immediately, and will have more information at the TV taping tomorrow night. (C). As Fritz leaves, he's confronted by Skandor Akbar, who taunts Frtiz's decision to step down. The two brawl to the back (C-).

-Two out of Three Falls, Non-Title Match
David Von Erich defeats Jimmy Garvin in 14:52, 2 falls to 1. (B-). Before the match, Precious hyped that now she is Garvins one and only valet, Garvin will be better than ever. (D+) After the match, The Super Destroyer comes to the ring and stares down David Von Erich, and then points to his Texas Heavyweight Championship Belt (C-)

Overall Rating: C+

THOUGHTS

-I was pretty surprised at getting as high as a C+, the show seemed to be bombing, but was saved by a very solid main event. Midwest popularity rises from 44.2% to 44.8%.
-King Kong Bundy might actually be improving in the ring. He gets a C- against Sweet Brown Sugar, who is on his way out. Bundy has wrestled 10 matches for me. Of the first 6, 4 were in the D-range. The last 4 have all been at least C-. He'll have another couple of matches with Chris Adams in their feud, if they can break B-, it'll be a huge, huge success. (They had a C- at the Parade of Champions).
-This was Sweet Brown Sugar's final match for WCCW. He leaves with a record of 7-1 (but all crappy matches).
-So we're going to try Manny v. Gordy, probably off of TV, just to see if that matchup will click as much as I think it will. If it does, they'll stay away from each other until The Von Erich v. Freebirds are over, and then they'll have a brutal feud, probably with various gimmicked hardcore stipulations in place.
-Very nice match between Jake Roberts and the Super Destroyer - too bad both guys are only here temporarily.
-Gordy and Kevin's match was a little better than their Parade of Champions disappointment, both guys have done a lot better against other opponents. I'm still amazed that Gordy/Mike have a better match than Gordy/Kevin.
-So Fritz will now be an "active competitor" again, at least for a few months. In real life, Fritz retired in 1982, so this isn't too ridiculous. The idea here is that he can have 6 or 7 minute matches with guys like Akbar and Waldo that will be rated C or C+, based on his popularity alone. And the segments and angles surrounding those matches will break into B or even B+ territory. We just need a new on-air "commissioner". If we can't find anyone, perhaps Sunshine can fill the role temporarily.
--Garvin continues to impress and show he deserved the promotion I gave him. He's wrestled 12 matches for me, and 6 of them have been rated B- or above. Sure, many of those matches have been against our top talent, but they've also occurred without any angles behind them. Garvin could really delivery in a high-profile angle, but most of our top talent is currently occupied. The only possibility for him right now is Scott Casey.

[molson]

NEWS

-The WWA, like ICW, has rejected my overtures of a buy-out. WWA sounded a little less optimistic in their email to me about their future though, so I'll keep an eye on them.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (TV Taping)
Tuesday, Week 1, June 1983
St. Paul, MN: 2,000 SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Dark Match
The Mantel Brothers defeat the Villanos in 8:29 when Ken pins Villano V. (D-)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Bill Irwin defeats Brian Adias in 8:07 by pinfall. (D). Adias was tiring towards the end of match.

-Chris Adams defeats Super Kendo in 7:04 by pinfall. (D+). After the match, Adams accepts the challenge made by Gary Hart for a rematch with Bundy, and says they'll fight next week, on TV. (D-)

-Backstage, The Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon are seen talking. They're looking at their watches and seem to be planning some type of escape plan to avoid Manny Fernandez (D+)

-Fritz Von Erich comes out and cuts a fairly lengthy promo, repeating much of what he said last night about resigning as WCCW commissioner, about stepping back into the ring on a regular basis, about the stresses that he's dealt with in the last few weeks involving Skandor, Kerry, and Waldo. (C). He also announces that unfortunately, one of his last acts as commissioner was to strip Kerry, Kevin, and David of the 6-man tag team championship, since they have been unable to defend their title in the last 30 days because of Kerry's injury. (C-). He then announces that his last official action was a match he booked last night to take place next week - Mike, Kevin, and David v. The Feebirds for the now vacant 6-man tag team championship (C-).

-The cameras catch up with Magic Dragon back stage, who is getting read to leave, but looks as if he knows someone is following him. He ducks into a locker room, and a shadow is seen following him (E+)

-WCCW Television Championship Match
Jose Lothario defeats Buddy Jack Roberts in 7:25 by countout. (C+) Buddy seems content that he's retained the title, but after reviewing the contract Lothario earned at the Parade of Champions, the referee suddenly hands Lothario the title. Apparently, the contract read that the title could change hands on a countout.

-The cameras quickly cut to backstage, where Magic Dragon has been beaten badly in the locker room area. (E+). No culprit is seen, but the announcers assume that it must be Manny Fernandez.

-Two out of Three Falls, Non Title Match
David Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin in 12:56, 2 falls to 1, in a rematch from last night. (B)

-WCCW American Tag Team Championship Match.
Mike & Kevin Von Erich drew with Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy in 7:49 following a Double DQ, making their 3rd defense of the titles. (C) The ref lost control of the match, when both David Von Erich and Buddy Roberts interfered. Before the match, all 3 Freebirds openly mocked the Von Erichs about Kerry's Injury, their own father stripping the tag team titles from them, and Kevin's loss of the American Heavyweight Title to Gordy. (C-)

Overall Rating: C

-Kind of a strange show. Midwest popularity increases again from 44.8% to 45.2%. Texas popularity decreases again from 71.0% to 70.7%. At some point Texas popularity needs to level out or It'll start costing me money.
-Jose Lothario is the new TV champion, and it was completely by accident. I arranged a count-out finish, but apparently there's an additional road agent direction I need to give to make sure the title doesn't change hands. Fortunately, it was a pretty solid match, and I'll just tell myself this is Roberts' punishment for showing up late for 3 shows. Lothario now has only 22 days left on his contract, so this may be a short title reign. Or, I might just go back to my original plan, re-sign Lothario, and let him defend the title week after week in safe C-rated matches
-The 6-man titles are vacated due to Kerry's "injury". One of my realism "house rules" is that titles will be vacated if there is no defense in 30 days, for any reason.
-Garvin & David deliver yet again, in what will be their last match for at least a while. Hopefully I can find something productive for Garvin to do.

[molson]

NEWS

-Booking the last couple of shows, the roster still seems a little bloated, and there's a lot of guys I'm leaving on the bench each show. I could expand our house shows to 2 hours (from 90 minutes), but it seems more fiscally responsible at this point to cut some more guys. But there's no easy cuts.

-And on top of that, I can't help myself, and I bring in Luke & Butch, the Bushwhackers (then known as the Sheepherders) the current Southwest Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions. Since I'm at war with SWC, they'll leave them completely, and work soley for me. They come in at $1,200/$1,125 a show, respectively. This is purely a "sign away SWC's tag team champs to screw with them and figure out what I do with the talent later" kind of move. But these guys have some talent - they're a brutal, hardcore tag team at this point, who have decent C- level popularity in Texas.

-And what may turn out to be a hugely important signing for us, I also sign the SWC Heavyweight Champion, Adrian Adonis to a PPA deal at $1,325/show. Adrian is also has the top singles title of the red-hot Maple Leaf Wrestling promotion. Fortunately for me, he considers us his priority company. While Adrian is probably best remembered as the fat guy with boobs running around with a dress in the WWF, he was also an extremely talented wrestler. He has B+ ratings in Toughness, Stamina, The Basics, and Resilience. He also has very solid "C" popularity in the midwest, and C- in Texas. SWC will have their two championships vacated overnight.

-Considering my roster was getting fat even before I brought in The Bushwhackers and Adrian Adonis, my roster is completely out of control now. Before the next show, I'll have to force myself to make some cuts. Even though with the PPA deals, I'm not paying for the guys on the sidelines if they don't work, it hurts my wrestlers' popularity when I don't use them enough. My road agent now says I have 11 more guys than I need. So it'll have to be cutdown day soon

-I also add an additional road agent, Whipper Billy Watson, who is a locker room leader, and has a respect rating of "A". He's a little pricey at $1,650/show, but at this point, the money I'm making does no good collecting dust in Fritz's pockets. He's also a candidate to be an interim on-screen authority figure for WCCW, though his popularity in the midwest and Texas is only a D.

[Ragone]

omg the bushwackers!

[rjolley]

This is a great dynasty. Enjoying the read...

[DataKing]

The Bushwackers! You're making me dig way back into the memory banks molson.

[Hammer]

Ko Ko B Ware was that just about superstar type. Perhaps the only guy with a name he could beat would be the Brooklyn Brawler when I was watching. Ware just seemed to beat the odd no name guy to keep up his rep and then get battered by a heel building up his rep.

That Bushwakers finishing move, the human battering ram was it, was perhaps the worst I've seen. Grab your mate in a headlock and charge. Funny mind.

My favourite move was the frankensteiner. Can't help but feel Scott could have been the man in wrestling if he'd managed his career differently and held off the juice.

Who was this Adonis guy? Not that playboy buddy rose?

[molson]

Originally Posted by Hammer

Who was this Adonis guy? Not that playboy buddy rose?

Not the same guy, but they had a similar body type. Adonis had a NYC biker character most of his career, the most success he had with that was in an AWA tag team with Jesse Ventura called the "East/West Connection".

But then he went to the WWF in around 1986 and soon became "Adorable" Adrian Adonis, a big flamboyant fat guy who dressed like a woman and tried to make his opponents uncomfortable. It may sound awful on paper but it was pretty edgy stuff for 1986 WWF - and like Buddy Rose, once you got past the terrible physique he was a very talented wrestler. He was definitly a top 5 heel for them at his peek, and his big feud involved Roddy Piper's original WWF face turn - they had a hair v. hair match at Wrestlemania III. That was pretty much the end of Adonis, and he died a couple of years later in a car accident.

[DeToxRox]

Sheepherders fucking rule. They need a violent feud with Von Erichs as hired hands of the Freebirds.

[molson]

NEWS

-I've reshaped the roster, made some cuts, and planned some new angles as the result of the recent acquisitions:

-The Spoiler's WCCW run ends before it ever had a chance to begin. He has a ton of talent, and is known all the country, but he simply has too many other commitments to make a huge impact with us. He's booked Saturdays (which is our best night to run our end-of-month events), and he clearly showed fatigue issues the brief time he was here. Add to all that, he's 43, currently out injured, and likely to be injured again in the future at inconvenient times. His brief run included 5 matches, and 4 victories.

-Bill Irwin is also gone. He's a good, solid, all around worker, but there's nothing exciting about him whatsoever, and he's another guy that works for 2 promotions other than ours. If I can ever manage to bring in his brother Scott full time, I'll give him a call again. But until then, he gives us no compelling reason to keep him on.

-Jose Lothario will not be re-signed. He'll be a purely transitional champion, with a one week title reign. I did appreciate his solid matches taking up time in the middle of the card, but at this point in WCCW's rise, having a 45-year old Jose Lothario in the middle of things doesn't make a lot of sense - we'll try younger guys in midcard angles and try to elevate people. I probably would have kept him around as an "occasional wrestler" if he didn't require apprx. $1400/show for a new deal. We'll keep him around for the final 3 weeks of his contract to do some jobs.

-Jake Roberts and Super Destroyer will both be gone after their loan agreements are up (1 more show for Jake, 2 for Super Destroyer). Before he leaves, Destroyer will challenge David for the Texas Heavyweight Championship at our June Star Wars Show. I wish I could have done more with Roberts, maybe we'll see him again somewhere down the road.

-The Freebirds v. Von Erich angle will continue and be our main program throughout the summer.

-Since Akbar's Destruction Inc. stable now includes only Super Destroyer, who's leaving at the end of the month, he'll retool in a big way and add hire The SWC Heavyweight Champion, Adrian Adonis, the SWC Tag Team Champions, The Sheepherders, and Waldo Von Erich. They'll make Fritz' life miserable for a while, and probably drive him back into retirement. Then at some point, they'll get involved in a "formal" storyline with the Freebirds and Von Erichs as well.

-Since Garvin and Scott Casey are the two biggest names not a part of an angle, they'll feud. It'll be a big chance for one or both of them to step up.

-Gimmick Update: Adrian Adonis will be basically using Buddy Roses's gimmick - the overweight, unattractive Playboy. Luke and Butch will be the Sheepherders, using a "maniac" gimmick. Scott Casey is the likable teen idol hearthrob who doesn't have much upstairs. Super Kendo, who will be on the VeRY bottom of the roster, thinks he's a Comic Book Villain.

-Whipper Billy Watson will be the new on-air commissioner, in addition to his road agent duties. He'll be used in a much more limited way than Fritz was though. He's still somewhat well known in wrestling at this time, as a 2-time former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and he has decent mic skills.

-Sunshine will begin her face run as David Von Erich's valet, which makes sense after he saved her from a Jimmy Garvin beatdown. Down the road, perhaps Kerry takes a liking to her and all hell breaks loose.

-Our rating for our most recent TV show airing is 0.67. That's .02 off from last week's all-time high, but still represents our 2nd highest rating. It's possible that our investment in higher production values is paying off.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 2, June 1983
Joplin, MO: 1,000 SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Scott Casey defeated Checkmate in 8:23 by pinfall (C-). After the match, Akbar entered the ring, and told Checkmate that like Frank Dusek, he's embarrassed him for the last time. He's dropping Checkmate as a client, ripping up his contract in front of him (D)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
The Mantel Brothers defeated the Villanos in 5:36 by pinfall when Ken pinned Villano V. (C-).

-Fritz Von Erich defeated Super Kendo in 5:55 by submission (C-). Before the match, Fritz came to the ring and discussed how tonight marks his return to action as an active competitor (C) After the match, Akbar comes to the ring and stares down Fritz, before the 2 are separated by several jobbers from the back (C-) Bill Mercer grabs Fritz for an interview, and Frtiz jokes about the barren state of Akbar's Destruction, Inc., stable, pointing out that even the Spoiler has run out of town (C-)

-Michael Hayes & Buddy Roberts defeated Barry Orton & Brian Adias in 8:21 by pinfall when Hayes pinned Orton. (D) Orton & Adias showed good chemistry, though Adias was tiring towards the end of the match. After the match, Hayes & Gordy hyped themselves up (C)

-WCCW American Tag Team Championship Match
Kevin & Mike Von Erich defeated The Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon in 11:22 when Kevin pinned Dragon - The Von Erichs make their 4th title defense. (C) Before the match, Kabuki denounced the attack last week on Magic Dragon, calling Manny Fernandez a coward (C-) After the match, Kevin & Mike hyped themselves, calling themselves the best tag team in the world, willing to take on all comers. (C)

-Sunshine came to the ring and announced that video highlights of Precious' 24-hour stint as her valet will air on WCCW television this week (E). Precious then announces that she has officially left Jimmy Garvin for David Von Erich, and will serve as the latter's valet from now on (D+).

-David Von Erich defeats Frank Dusek in 8:14 by pinfall (C)

-WCCW American Heavyweight Championship Match (This is the title shot Manny earned in the Parade of Champions Battle Royal)
Terry Gordy and Manny Fernandez drew to a time limit draw in 20:00 (B-). Before the match, Gordy hyped his chances with Hayes by his side (C+). After the match, Fernandez & Gordy continued to stare each other down and argue as the show ended (C-)

Overall Rating: C+

THOUGHTS

-I'm pretty stunned with the C+ rating considering I only had one segment on the whole show that got higher than that - fortunately, that best segment was the 20:00 main event, so the fans seemed to go home happy. My midwest popularity takes it's largest ever jump after one show, from 45.2% to 45.8%

-The midwest crowd didn't seem to be to into the Fritz/Akbar stuff, but at least it didn't bomb, and it gave us a chance to have a solid overall rating. The deal with Fritz is simply that he's the most nationally recognized name on the roster, he gets paid the same whether he's participating on-air or not, so if he can pull some C-level segments in the midwest with the occasional B or B- in Texas in short segments, it's most definitely worth it.

-Orton & Adias, having shown good chemistry, are now a full-time jobber tag team. One of the ways I'll deal with the slightly bloated roster is more regular tag teams. Orton & Adias may not find their way out of the pre-show dark matches if they can't do better than a D rating against the Freebirds - what the hell can I expect against the Villanos?

-Kabuki & Dragon's once hot tag-team push has cooled - they've been somewhat disappointing overall. They'll finish the "revenge" angle with Manny Fernandez, but then it's time to regroup and decide if they should stay together.

-I'll have to go back through the rest of the dynasty and review this, but off the top of my head, I can't remember any well-received Precious or Sunshine Segments. The WCCW fans seem to want nothing to do with these broads. There's not much I can do about that, since I've learned that "Product Appeal" (the multi-layered customizable product type that the fans expect from a promotion) can't be tweaked at all if you work for someone else (Like I do for Fritz). So, I have to adopt Fritz' style. And apparently, the fans aren't going to accept the women in anything but a silent valet role.

-One of the reasons I brought in Manny was that I felt he could have a brutal long-term feud with Terry Gordy down the road (especially if the Freebirds break up). So tonight was something of a "teaser" match for the house show crowd, and they deliver a B- with absolutely no angle behind the match, and they single-handedly carried my show to a decent rating. They didn't blow anyone away, but they will face each other again.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (TV Taping)
Tuesday, Week 2, June 1983
St. Joseph's, MO: 2,000 SOLD OUT

-Dark-Show Match
-8-Man Tag Team Match
The Mantel Brothers, Barry Orton & Brian Adias defeated the Villanos, Checkmate & Frank Dusek in 10:50 when Ken pinned Checkmate (D). Orton, Johnny Mantel, and Dusek were visibly tired towards the end of the match After the match, the winning team hyped their victory, and discussed how they hoped it would help them move up the tag team ranks (F+)

-Fritz Von Erich defeated Super Kendo in 4:57 by submission in Fritz's TV return to "active competition" (C-)

-Skandor Akbar is shown backstage, confidently lighting a cigar with a $100 bill. (D) He looks to the camera and delivers a dire warning to WCCW - he can burn his money like it's nothing because his big spending is over - no longer will his great talent be wasted on mediocrity - the new Destruction Inc. is on the way. He says they're champions where they come from, and soon they'll be champions here as well. (C-)

-A video is shown recapping Precious 24-hour stint as Sunshine's valet, following her defeat at the hands of Sunshine at the Parade of Champions (E).

-King Kong Bundy defeats Chris Adams in 5:59 by countout - Adams has been weakened by a pre-match assault, as well as interference from Hart during the match. (C) Before the match, Gary Hart hyped his client. He says that Adams' stretch of fluky success against Bundy ends tonight. (D). The camera stays on Hart and Bundy as they talk strategy, conspiring about how to get the upper hand on Adams (D) Also before the match, Adams hyped his recent success against Bundy: winning the $5,000 slam challenge, and then pinning him the middle of the ring last week. (D-) Before the interview was over, Hart orders Bundy to attack Adams from behind, beating him down for several minutes before the match officially begins (D)

-Jim Garvin defeats Jose Lothario in 7:43 by pinfall, to earn a TV title shot against Lothario next week (D+). After the match, Garvin guarantees victory next week. (C-)

-Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match (For the vacant titles)
The Freebirds defeat Mike, David, and Kevin Von Erich in 15:21 when Gordy pinned Mike after the Freebirds temporarily incapacitated David and Kevin by nefarious means to win the vacant Six-Man Tag Team Championship (C-) After the match, the Von Erichs cut the Freebirds celebration short by throwing them from the ring, looking all pissed off as the show ends. (D+)

-Overall Rating: D+

THOUGHTS:

-Wow, nothing clicked at all here, a crappy show. Our Texas popularity continues it's slide, from 70.7% to 70.4%. Even our midwest popularity decreases slightly (first time that's happened after a show) from 45.8% to 45.7%.

-Akbar's segments have been surprisingly poor lately. The fans don't find him compelling on his own, he needs some star quality with him. Fortunately, that's on the way.

-Yet another poorly received "diva" segment. That'll be the end of the those. From now on, Sunshine & Precious have to shut up and look pretty.

-The Adams/Bundy segment really sucked - five total segments for that angle tonight, and four of them were either D or D-. That's no better than the Checkmate/Sugar angle that got Sugar fired and Checkmate banned to obscurity. It was disappointing because they had delivered solid C's, and the occasional C+ in segments before tonight. I've definitly pushed Adams in the ring - he has a record of 7-2-1 since my tenure started. His stats indicate he should be doing a little better than he is in both his angles and matches. I'm a huge fan of Adams' WCCW run in real life, so it's tough to pull the plug on him. I'll definitely give him a chance with someone more talented than Bundy.

-Jim Garvin's 14th match for me is his very worst rated, at a D+. And that with a guy who's been giving me safe "C" rated matches for a while now. The outcome of the Garvin/Lothario title match next week won't be a surprise. The TV Title will give Garvin & Casey (my random throw-together feud) something to fight over.

-Good main event matches have saved crappy shows like this for me before, but then Freebirds v. Von Erichs amazingly rates a mediocre C-. This was the 4th time I ran Freebirds v. Von Erichs, and this was by far their worst match (of course, those had Kerry and this one had Mike)

[molson]

NEWS

-As expected after that crappy show, our TV ratings dips from 0.67 last week to 0.62. We've had 10 shows so far, and this was pretty much right in the middle, as the 5th highest.

-Dick Murdoch's contract ended with Mid-South, and he he is now completely unemployed. For the 3rd time in the game, I request contract negotiations, hoping he'll be a little more flexible.

-Fritz Von Erich tells me he's not too psyched about being back in the ring on a regular basis. It can't be good for my career and game if I look into Fritz' "worker relations" and sees that he hates me, but as of now, his "general morale" is still good, so I'll keep him where he is for at least a few more weeks.

-Magic Dragon's contract is up in 3 weeks, and since he only wants a raise from $500 to $650 a show, I resign him for 9 months. He's right in the middle of an angle with Kabuki & Manny, and he's still a fairly good bargain for a lower midcard guy who can get C or C- level matches on his own.

-Hulk Hogan has finally debuted in the WWF, and his first four matches have all been as part of a team with Andre The Giant. Ray Stevens is still their world champ, and he's up to 9 successful title defenses. His most frequent challenger has been JYD.

[Swaggs]

Has Fritz given you permission to open up his wallet on talent yet?

[molson]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Has Fritz given you permission to open up his wallet on talent yet?

It's totally on a case-by-case basis. Like I'll request negotiations with say, Bob Backlund, who's willing to listen, but Fritz says I can only offer him X dollars, which isn't enough for Bob.

I'm not sure exactly what the game threshold is for when he changes his mind (which actually makes the game more interesting), but I'm guessing that when I get to Cult Popularity Status, he'll be a lot more flexible. So that's the #1 goal, and it's why I'm running so many shows in Missouri and Minnesota, even though those shows are WAY less profitable than my Dallas shows (to the point where I'm willing to sacrifice some of my popularity in Texas). It's also possible that if I have tons of money in the bank, he'd be more flexible as well, so I should really try to talk with all the huge names once every couple of months.

The tricky part is that in 1983 - who are the big names? I have a lot of them already, in the Von Erichs & and the Freebirds. After that, it's not so obvious - who are the HUGE names that would put me over the top? There's Hogan & Flair, but even they're not hugely over in Texas and the midwest at this point. To me, Dick Murdock is the ultimate free agent because of his popularity in Texas, and I'm pretty sure I won't get him until I get to cult status.

[molson]

To follow up on the last post, I was curious who were considered the "top guys" in 1983, which was still very much the era of regional territories. So for my own reference, these are the game's top 15 guys in terms of USA popularity in June 1983, (with a capped age limit of 43). In no particular order:

-Buzz Sawyer
-Roddy Piper
-Stan Hansen
-Sgt. Slaughter
-Ric Flair
-Bruiser Brody
-Andre the Giant
-Dusty Rhodes
-Terry Funk
-Billy Graham
-Mil Mascaras
-Harley Race
-Antonio Inoki
-Ivan Koloff
-Jack Brisco

(The biggest omission there seems to be Hogan, but Hulk is a top 10 popularity guy in Japan in June 1983)

Of these guys, the most realistic target appears to be Bruiser Brody, who has a "strong friendship" with Fritz. I also think Stan Hanson in WCCW would be HUGE - but it'll take some time to get to the level where he's willing to sign with us.

[Neon_Chaos]

The Sheepherders were one fo the best heel "we'll eat you alive boy!" tag teams in the 80's. The WWF turned them into cartoon characters.

Sheepherders vs. Von Erichs vs. Freebirds would be a great 3-way feud to watch.

[Toddzilla]

The Sheepherders v the Fantastic Ones were some of the most insane brawls I ever saw. They wound up the feud with a series of cage matches - back in the days when a cage match was a big deal - and it was a bloodbath. Great stuff.

[Bee]

This dynasty keeps nudging me closer and closer to buying the game. Does anyone know if there's a new version in the works? Maybe one where they streamline the UI?

[molson]

Originally Posted by Bee

This dynasty keeps nudging me closer and closer to buying the game. Does anyone know if there's a new version in the works? Maybe one where they streamline the UI?

The programmer for TEW (Adam Ryland) is working on a MMA sim, I'm guessing there'll be a new version of TEW after that (but we're probably 1-2 years away)

Adam's very active with patches, but he usually addresses the AI, rather than any broad UI changes. So I think this is what we're stuck with for the time being.

The UI was a roadblock for me until I came up with a "manner of playing" that I could live with without being tedious. (Every day I do X, X, and the X, and then I check Y, Y, and Y, and then I move ahead). One of the reasons people can't get into this game is if you just wander around it, like you can in say, FOF, you're going to get frustrated and give up.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 3, June 1983
Wichita, KN: 1,422

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Brian Adias defeats Checkmate in 5:48 by pinfall (C-). After the match, Mercer interviews Adias at ringside (E+)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Ken Mantel defeats Villano V in 5:43 by pinfall (C-). The two showed good chemstry. After the match, Mercer interviews Mantel at ringside. (E+)

-Fritz Von Erich defeats Frank Dusek in 4:44 by submission (D+). Skandor Akbar comes out and says that as he stated on WCCW TV last week, Destruction, Inc. is back. Akbar says they will take championships, money, and eventually WCCW itself. He introduces his new client - Fritz' brother, Waldo Von Erich, who comes down to the ring, making his first apperance since the Parade of Champions. (C). Waldo and Akbar enter the ring and attack Fritz. Fritz is briefly able to hold his own, before becoming overwhelmed. (C-) Akbar again grabs the mic, saying only that Waldo is the first of many more. (C-).

-Black Gordman defeats Jose Lothario in 7:50 by pinfall. (C-) Before the match, as Lothario is walking to the ring, Gordman attacks him from behind - the attack weakened Jose and clearly contributed to his loss. (D-) Jose needs some assistance to get to the back. Gordman taunts his injury, saying he's clearly the top Mexican wrestler in WCCW, and demands a TV title shot (D-)

-Manny Fernandez defeated King Kong Bundy in 6:30 by DQ after Hart broke up Manny's pitfall attempt. (B-) Before the match, Hart taunted Chris Adams and bragged about Bundy's victory over Adams on WCCW TV last week. (D-)

-Chris Adams defeated Villano IV in 6:53 by pinfall (D-). The two had poor chemistry. After the match Mark Lowrance announces that he has just been informed that new WCCW commissioner Billy Watson has made a new match for WCCW June Star Wars - since Bundy and Adams have now traded victories, they'll face off again. (E+). Further, Lowrance announces, the winner will earn a WCCW Texas Heavyweight title shot against David Von Erich or whoever the WCCW Champion is after June Star Wars. (D-)

-WCCW American Heavyweight Championship Match
Terry Gordy defeats Jake Roberts in 17:57 by pinfall to make his 3rd defense of the American Heavyweight Championship. (B-) Before the match, Terry Gordy cut a promo hyping the match (C-) After the match, Roberts announces that his short-term contract with WCCW expired, and that he's headed back home to the southeast. He would have loved to win a championship and stick around longer, and he hopes to be back in the future (D+)

-WCCW American Tag Team Championship Match - Texas Tornado Rules (All 4 men in the ring at the same time)
Kevin & Mike Von Erich defeated Michael Hayes & Buddy Roberts in 9:35 when Kevin pinned Hayes to make their 4th defense of the tag team titles. (C) Before the match, Mike & Kevin hyped their title defense (D+) Hayes & Roberts also delivered a pre-match promo (C-)

Overall Rating: C

THOUGHTS

-This was a nice comeback show for us, after the crappy tv show that delivered our worst rating in 10 events. Midwest popularity increases from 45.7% to 46.1%.

-The only big mistake in this show was I ran the wrong match for the main event. Terry Gordy's title defense against the departing Jake Roberts was terrific, at B-, where the tag title match only delivered a C.

-I'm not disappointed in the C main event, it was a better match then the six-man on the TV show, even though we took away the two biggest stars (Gordy and David)

-Speaking of Gordy, he's absolutely my MVP at this point. He's been involved in 6 matches rated B- or higher, which has to be highest of any guy on my roster. Just as importantly, he can go for a long time, he went 22 minutes with Kevin at the Parade of Champions, 20 with Manny Fernandez, and almost 18 tonight with Jake Roberts. He's one of the top 3 stamina guys in the promotion, along with David and Manny Fernandez (any combination of those 3 could go up to 45-50 minutes if well rested). A long match with a good rating at the top of the card pretty much guarantees a pretty good overall show rating. Gordy's the top candidate to unify some of the singles titles and be our first World Champion.

-Lower down in the card (and in fact, on the pre-show), Brian Adias wrestles his best ever match in my tenure, a C- vs. Checkmate. Maybe he's improving - I'll keep throwing him out there. Ken Mantel's dark match vs. Villano V wasn't too bad either.

-The Gordman/Lothario stuff was just for the purpose of wrapping up an angle that I set before I decided to let Jose go - Gordman was going to end Jose's winning streak my jumping him pre-match, leading to a mini-feud. Canceling angles before they're "finished" can create a momentum hit for everyone involved, and even though Jose's leaving, I figured it would just take a few minutes of a show to wrap up, and give a tad bit of credibility to Gordman before he starts jobbing again. And the match wasn't that bad (C-)

-The Adams/Bundy feud has another bad show. I won't blame Adams too much for his crappy match against Villano IV, since it was the latter's first single's match with us, and nobody's sure what he can do in front of a non-luchador audience. (And it seems clear from the stats and early results that Villano V is the superior Villano to IV).

NEWS

-After the show, Roberts appears to be exhausted. The only other company he's working for is AWA, but there's using him a ton. Since AWA's big monthly show was last week, he actually wrestled 5 total matches in 1 week between both companies. I haven't advertised him as being in any matches at the next tv show, so he'll get tomorrow's taping off. Roberts is a good wrestler with a bad record - 8-17-5 between the two companies.

-Iceman Parsons is apparently being hyped around the internet (it's 1983, so I'll just call them "dirt sheets" - I think those were already around then), as a huge star in the making. He hasn't been seen in WCCW since about a month ago when he stuck up for Manny, got beat up in a parking lot by Kabuki & Magic Dragon, and then lost a TV title match against Buddy Roberts.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING (TV Taping)
Tuesday, Week 3, June 1983
Dallas, TX: 5,000 SOLD OUT

-We head back home to make some money towards the end of the month.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Brian Adias defeats Black Gordman in 7:44 by pinfall. (C-) Adias was tiring towards the end of the match. After the match, Adias gave an interview will Bill Mercer (D-)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Ken Mantel defeats Villano V in 5:44 by pinfall (C)

-Mercer and Lawrence confirm the rumors that have been floating around: at the WCCW June Star Wars event, David Von Erich will defend the Texas Heavyweight Championship against The Super Destroyer. The Destroyer has been awarded the title shot, the announcers said, based primarily on his success and reputation in other territories. The announcers note that this is a controversial decision, and one that may may not sit will with some of the WCCW veterans. (C+)

-Fritz Von Erich defeats Frank Dusek in 5:01 by submission. (C-)

-Backstage, the Great Kabuki looks paranoid, just as Magic Dragon did several weeks ago. He looks around corners, seeming sure that someone is following him. The announcers mention that Manny Fernandez is not scheduled to be there tonight. (C).

-Waldo Von Erich defeats Barry Orton in 3:41 by pinfall. (D+). Fritz remained in the ringside area after his match to give guest color commentary - he denounces Waldo as a disgrace to the Von Erich name (B-). During the match, Skandor Akbar, at ringside with his new client Waldo, approaches the commentary team and starts arguing with Fritz (B). Fritz eventually has enough and delivers one punch to Akbar, sending him to the floor (B). He and Waldo start to leave, but from the end of the entrance-way, he gets on the mic again and warns Fritz - telling him he'll be in a nursing home by the end of the summer (B).

-The camera again heads backstage where a still-paranoid Great Kabuki is trying to gather his bags to leave the arena. He finds note taped to his locker. He reads it, and then quickly turns around, looking more paranoid than ever. (C)

-The cameraman wanders around a little more backstage and catches Skandor Akbar handing Michael Hayes several wads of cash. They don't seem to notice the camera. (B)

-WCCW Television Title Match (Garvin earned title shot by defeating Lothario last week)
Jimmy Garvin defeats Jose Lothario in 9:18 by pinfall to become the new WCCW Television Champion. Lothario loses the belt in his first title defense (C).

-An angry and flustered Kabuki & Gary Hart come out to the the ring and demand answers regarding the mystery note, and the attack on Magic Dragon two weeks ago. Kabuki looks especially nuts here. Hart blames Manny Fernandez, and challenges him to a match with Kabuki at the June Star Wars event. There, Hart says, Kabuki will finish the job he started when he put Manny in a neckbrace last month. (B-).

-The Super Destroyer defeats Kevin Von Erich in 11:35 in a match that featured interference by all 3 Freebirds - the announcers state that some type of financial arrangement between Akbar & The Freebirds has clearly been made. (B-). After the match, all 5 heels (The Freebirds, Akbar, Super Destroyer), beat down Kevin in the ring (C+). David runs out with a chair to make the save - he clears out Akbar and the Destroyer, but the Freebirds regroup and overwhelm him, 3-1. Then, a returning Kerry Von Erich, making his first apperance since he was hit with a Terry Gordy piledriver outside the ring 5 weeks ago, runs into the ring to help his brothers. The Von Erichs quickly drive the heels out of the ring (C+)

-Finally, David Von Erich takes a mic and says his brother is back at 100%, and he challenges the Freebirds to a 6-man tag match for the titles at the June Star Wars Event (and pointing out that David, Kevin, and Kerry never lost the titles in the ring before Kerry's injury). (B-)

OVERALL SHOW RATING: C+

Thoughts

-That was a pretty kick-ass show, and might have deserved a B-. Texas Popularity still drops a tiny amount, from 70.4% to 70.3%. Midwest popularity increases from 46.1% to 46.5%.

-Brian Adias shows his C- with Checkmate last night was no fluke, as he delivers a C- with Black Gordman on the pre-show. Those are his top 2 rated singles matches with me. I'll have to give him a shot sooner or later with one of the top heels, to see if he can reach C+ or even B- with the right guy. I have him locked up for 6 months at a cheap $100/show, so it would be great if he could give me some cheap yet decently rated matches on the main show.

-The Fritz/Akbar/Waldo segments absolutely killed, which kind of surprised me. After the Waldo match, the 4 segments that made up the angle tonight all rated B- or higher - I can't remember that ever happening before. The obvious factor in the angle's success was our return to Texas. The midwest fans are more or less indifferent to these two. (But continuing to run the angle there as well will help change that).

-I was also happy with the Hart/Kabuki segments - two C's and a B-. That sure as hell beats what Bundy/Adams are doing. Manny's revenge match vs. Kabuki could be a real sleeper match at June Star Wars.

-Jimmy Garvin is the new TV Champion - I have no idea what to expect in his upcoming feud with Scott Casey.

-Putting Super Destroyer over Kevin Von Erich when Destroyer's last match with us is at the Star Wars event next week only makes sense because we're trying David v. Super Destroyer at that event. I'm going to try to continue to bring in some random guys from other promotions to challenge for the Texas Heavyweight Title - it'll give me a sense of which guys from around the wrestling universe mesh well with David, and it will help increase the title's prestige rating to have as many quality challengers as possible. The win seemed to help Super Destroyer's momentum - he's currently tied with David & Gordy as having the highest current momentum in the company.

-Kerry's back, and the Freebirds/Von Erich angles were strong, if not great. (The Fritz/Akbar angle was more highly rated, overall).

-Terry Gordy showed up late for the 2nd time, so I fined him. I've read about these issues on the TEW boards - basically, if the wrestlers feel like they can get away with it, more and more of them will show up late, and eventually, they start skipping shows entirely, which can be a big problem. Morale may also be effected. You have the option to warn, fine, suspend a guy for a week or a month, or fire him.

[molson]

NEWS

Current WCCW June Star Wars Card:

-WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship Match
David Von Erich v. The Super Destroyer

-WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match
David, Kerry, & Kevin Von Erich v. The Freebirds

-Steel Cage Match
Manny Fernandez v. The Great Kabuki

-Fritz Von Erich v. Waldo Von Erich

-Chris Adams v. King Kong Bundy

-Jim Garvin v. Scott Casey