Yaz Runs OVW in TEW 2016: A Subpar LP

[Yaz]

Spidey encouraged me to post this, so hats off to him.

Much like his own LP

https://steelcageforums.com/showthre...-Simulation-LP

I will be in control of a real life wrestling company.

The Basics

I downloaded a 2019 real world mod and made a couple of changes. OVW was closed in game (along with some 200+ feds) to decrease loading times. I decided to reopen them, with a couple of tweaks. The roster is bare. The only person on roster is my user avatar, who will serve as owner. Since this is fantasy, I will have my avatar serve as lead announcer. Outside of that, I have to build this from the ground up. I also upped their starting funds from $125,000 to $1,000,000. I don't have WWE (or TNA) money, but I did give myself enough wiggle room to sign a couple of decent names to headline early shows. I'm going to try to get an early broadcast deal with an internet subscription service like Fite TV or Powerbomb.TV to run a weekly show. Until then I will run one big show a month, similar to the old TNA deal, but without the shows being on PPV.

Titles

To start, we have a World Title and Tag Titles. Once I can get a TV deal, I have a TV Title planned.

Storylines

Once I get a weekly TV deal, I will start running active story lines. To start however, most shows will run like a typical indie fed. Matches booked with few storylines, save maybe something around the World Title.

Product

I plan to run my version of OVW with traditional North American pro wrestling in mind. Everyone will have a gimmick and be face or heel, with most matches being a good vs evil setup. There is some influence from more prominent independents like PWG, in that fast paced and hard hitting matches are common place. Comedy will also be a side feature, since I'm a personal sucker from good wrestling comedy. Women wrestlers will pop up here and there when I can book them. I'm not against intergender matches, but women's bouts will usually be special features. My goal is to have fans who prefer in ring skills, as opposed to just showing up to cheer for WWE midcard castoffs from ten years ago.

Roster

My plan is to try to make sure most of my roster is only working for me. While the fed isn't large enough to offer written deals, I can offer exclusive pay per appearance deals if I offer above market price. Some names, such as a Zack Sabre Jr or a Cody Rhodes, will still be in play despite working PPA deals for multiple feds if I can secure a spot higher up on their priority list. Last thing I want is to put a title on a name like Sabre and have him booked for NJPW on a night I needed him. Because of my desired roster, I will likely have two or three aging but capable former WWE members who had name value, like RVD or MVP, and then a mix of lower card castoffs from WWE/TNA/NJPW/ROH and lesser known talent.

What I Intend To Post

Obviously I will be posting what happens in my own fed, but I intend to post major events from my world as well. For example, in my test run game AJ Lee and Punk divorced and a week later AJ returned to the business. I will also be including major match results and news from other promotions. In the same test run, WWE booked Dolph Ziggler to beat Brock for the Universal Title on a random episode of Raw. That would be considered news worthy.

When Will I Post

Honestly, my optimistic projection is posting one month in game each day, but that's like top 1% stuff. I may have days where I post a couple months of news per day, and others where I don't feel like playing. You will just have to pop in every couple of days to see where I end up.

Will I end up producing another Class of 2002 type roster, or will I end up bankrupt in 9 months? Let's see.

[Yaz]

Random Happenings

I wanted to include the news that happened while I was sorting my roster.

Impact purged their women's division at the start of the game. Taya, Katarina, Su Yung, Rosemary, Jordynne Grace, and KC Spinelli (Undead Maid of Honor) were all let go. Two weeks later, they hired Lita.

WWE entered into a non aggression pact with Lucha Underground and Impact, meaning WWE would not offer any exclusive contracts to employees on the LU and Impact rosters, while also promising not to counter their programming.

LU followed this up by signing Sting to a PPA contract. They have yet to give him a place on the roster.

The NWA alliance is all but nonexistent now after Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, the one name fed in the alliance, pulled their membership. Nick Aldis was on my radar following this, but he insists on being paid $2,500 per appearance with all expenses paid and creative control. Seriously, you are more known as Mr. Mickie James, let it go.

WWE cancelled 205 Live. The CW Title remains exclusive to Raw, but a handful of notable CWs, Drew Gulak, Akira Tozawa, Lince Dorado, Cedric Alexander, TJP, and Mike Kanellis were sent to Smackdown.

The biggest shock for me was Baron Corbin turning face and pairing with Seth Rollins in a feud against Jinder Mahal and Dolph Ziggler. The feud was cut short however when Corbin beat Rollins after Rollins turned heel in a #1 contender match. Corbin would go on to beat Brock Lesnar the next episode of Raw to win the Universal Title. Lesnar then took a hiatus while remaining under contract.

Drew McIntrye was shipped to Smackdown.

WWE split up AOP and sent Akam to Smackdown while Rezar remained on Raw.

WWE also seems intent to relive the Daniel Bryan/Big Show feud. Its the focal point of Smackdown.

A lot of the NXT staff were promoted to the main roster. William Regal was replaced as GM by Truth Martini and Nigel was replaced by former ECW manager Joel Gertner.

Lance Storm was signed by WWE:UK as a trainer and color commentator. As if the show wasn't already vanilla.

New Japan did host WK 13, main evented by an A rated match between Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito. Omega retained the IWGP Heavyweight Title, but has yet to sign a new deal with New Japan.

In a shocking move, PWG hired Jim Cornette as their on air authority figure. I low key really think this could be a good move in real life.

Juggalo Championship Wrestling declared bankruptcy a week in. As it stands a new buyer has yet to step in, but the owners, ICP, went overseas to work for AJPW.


ROSTER

Main Event
James Storm - Heel
Carlito Colon - Heel
Rob Van Dam - Face
Aaron Stevens (Damien Sandow) - Heel
Chris Adonis (Chris Masters) - Heel
Joey Ryan - Face [Out injured]

Upper Midcard
Pac - Face
Hurricane Helms - Face
Tenille Dashwood (Emma) - Face
Jay Bradley (aka Aiden O'Shea in TNA and Ryan Braddock in WWE) - Face
Robbie E - Heel

Midcard
Jay-TG - Heel
Crimson - Heel
Trent - Face
Barry Ryan (Mason Ryan) - Heel
Shad - Heel
Christian Rose - Face
Matt Cage - Face
Taya Valkyrie - Heel
Chuck Taylor - Face

Lower Midcard
Afa Anoa'i Jr (Manu, the forgotten member of Legacy) - Face
Cortez (Cortez Castro from LU) - Heel
Cliff Compton - Face
Amazing Red - Face

Openers and Enhancement Talent
Ricky Starks - Face
Aaron Solo - Face
Jax Dane - Heel
Michael Dante - Heel
Sugar Dunkerton - Face

Tag Teams/Stables
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent)
Cryme Tyme (Jay-TG and Shad)
Team Titan (Chris Adonis and Barry Ryan)
Team Marvel (Pac and Hurricane Helms)
Team Overkill (Christian Rose and Matt Cage)
The War Kings (Crimson and Jax Dane)
Extra Talented (Aaron Solo and Ricky Starks)

Non Wrestling Staff
Taz - Color Commentator/Road Agent
Bruce Prichard - Manager of Team Titan
Justin King (Former token black WWE ref) -Referee
Brian Stiffler - Referee
Rip Rogers - Road Agent
Christy Hemme - On Air Authority Figure

I told myself not to simply hire guys I was fans of, so I limited myself to Joey Ryan, Sugar Dunkerton, Cryme Tyme, and Best Friends. None of which I would call worthless.

RVD was pricey, coming in at $2200 per appearance, the most expensive person on roster, but he has no downside so the plan is to use what little the 48 year old likely has left to win the first WHC and then help establish a heel champion. Taya and Dashwood were both surprisingly affordable at $600 per appearance and carry decent popularity and solid in ring skills so they were easy calls.

James Storm is the prize of the roster and was going to be my focal point early but he requested to work as a heel.

Despite being a fairly prominent midcarder for WWE, Carlito was cheap at $650 per show. He has a poor influence on the locker room so my goal is to use him to build some of the unknown talent and then let him walk.

Stevens is a weird hire for me. I personally found him overrated in his post Mizdow run, but he has solid mic skills and I hope to use him as my eventual color commentator, as Taz was not my first choice. Mick Foley was my original pick but House of Hardcore offered him more than I did and I didn't want to have anyone on the broadcast team who may flake for other feds.

Team Titan managed by Prichard was a surprisingly solid heel team in my test run so I want to go back to that well. Cryme Tyme and Best Friends are two personal favorites of mine and the only two truly established teams in my price range. Crimson and Dane were actually former OVW Tag Champs in real life so I gave them a shot. Pac and Hurricane were paired up at Hurricane's request to help him extend his in ring career. He has the ability to serve in multiple backstage roles once he retires, so I'm willing to give him the occasional match with Pac, who can carry the team.

Michael Dante was a tag partner of Aliester Black when he wrestled as Tommy End on the European circuit, so my hope is he has some of the skills.

Former WWE referee and Lunchtime Suicide survivor Tim White was one of the referees I negotiated with, but he wanted $1900 per show, as a referee. There were a few former WWE/WCW refs available but they are just refs.

Then we have Christy Hemme as our on air authority figure. This was really a last resort signing. There were a few former pros who fit the bill, such as Edge, DDP, and Stu Bennet (Wade Barret) who I looked into, but could not justify the price tag. Teddy Long was in my price range but decided against it due to his age. I offered the gig to Prichard, but he preferred his manager role. My choices came down to Hemme, Danielle Moinet (Summer Rae), and Anthony Carelli (Santino). Carelli was the best person for the job, but took a role with Impact. Maybe I should just swallow my pride and hire Adam Blampied.

[Yaz]

Just a few days before our first show was set to air, I secured a deal with Powerbomb.TV to broadcast 12 live events. It isn't a very lucrative deal, but it will provide some sponsorship money and exposure in the US. They requested I make the shows three hours, as opposed to the two hour shows I had planned to run. This stretched my roster very thin, so I need to make a couple more hires soon. Each show will air live in the late night slot on Saturday nights.

OVW Presents: Surviving The Steel 2019

BACKSTAGE INCIDENT!
Before the show, Hurricane Helms lifted the mood of the locker room by doing spot on impressions of his fellow workers.
Pac is working a Dragon Gate show and is unavailable. Joey Ryan is out with a pectoral injury. Trent is working a NJPW show and is unavailable. Chuck Taylor and Dashwood are working a ROH taping and are unavailable.

Pre Show
Crimson vs Michael Dante E+

In a pre-show bout that had sub-par wrestling and little heat, Crimson defeated Michael Dante in 7:22 by pinfall with a Mercy Kill following interference from Jax Dane.
Crimson debuted his Old School Cocky Heel gimmick, rated as Great. Dante debuted his Demon gimmick, rated as Very Good. Dane debuted his Old School Cocky Heel gimmick, rated as Above Average.
Road Agent Note: The fans didn't appreciate the heel vs heel booking, but since it was on the pre-show it didn't impact the show rating.


Main Show

Segment: Christy Hemme comes out to the ring and introduces herself as the new Authority Figure of the company. She promises to be approachable and impartial and give the fans the action they pay hard earned money to see. She also announces the main event. RVD vs James Storm in a Steel Cage for the OVW World Heavyweight Title! - E+
Hemme has debuted her Staff Member gimmick, rated as average.
Road Agent Notes: Hemme is getting better at her gimmick.

Team Overkill vs Cryme Tyme - Tag Team Titles D-
In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Cryme Tyme defeated Team Overkill in 12:20 when Jay-TG defeated Christian Rose by pinfall with a G-9. Cryme Tyme win the OVW Tag Team titles.
Rose and Cage debuted their Party Animal gimmicks, rated as Average and Above Average respectively.
Cryme Tyme debuted their Gangster gimmicks. Jay-TG's cocky portrayal was rated as Awful. Shad's brute portrayal was rated as Great.
Jay-TG and Shad had great chemistry when teaming together.

Jay Bradley vs Cortez E+
In a poor match, Jay Bradley defeated Cortez in 10:29 by pinfall with a Boomstick.
Bradley has debuted his Bad Ass Face gimmick, rated as Average. Cortez has debuted his Bad Ass Hell gimmick, rated as average.
Road Agent Notes: Cortez was really off his game. Bradley and Cortez have no chemistry and it made for an awkward bout. Cortez is getting better at his gimmick.

Segment: Backstage, Sabu surprised Rob Van Damn in his locker room. He tells Rob Van Dam that he has he's back later on tonight. - C-
RVD has debuted his Show Stealer gimmick, rated as Above Average

Amazing Red vs Taya Valkyrie D-
In a bout that had decent wrestling but didn't have much heat, Taya Valkyrie defeated Amazing Red in 8:44 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex.
Red has debuted his Extremist gimmick, rated as Very Good. Taya has debuted her Cocky gimmick, rated as Average.

Segment: Bruce Prichard is on the stick, and says he would like to introduce everyone to his newest clients, Barry Ryan and Chris Adonis, known as Team Titan. He promises they will bring pain and destruction to anyone who stands in their path. - D-
Prichard has debuted his Old School Manager gimmick, rated as Awful. Ryan has debuted his Bully gimmick, rated as Above Average. Adonis has debuted his Greek Adonis gimmick, rated as Great.

Team Titan vs Extra Talented E+
In a poor match, Team Titan defeated Extra Talented in 8:12 when Chris Adonis defeated Aaron Solo by submission with an Adonis Lock.

Chris Adonis carried the match in terms of in-ring performance.
Solo and Starks debuted their Fan Favorite gimmicks, rated as Very Good and Average.
Road Agent Notes: Solo is getting better at his gimmick. Prichard did good work at ringside. Barry Ryan and Bruce Prichard don't click as manager and client. Bruce Prichard and Chris Adonis have excellent chemistry together. Adonis is getting better at his gimmick.

Segment: James Storm cuts a promo on Rob Van Dam. He promises to excite the fans and win the strap. C
Storm debuted his Cowboy gimmick, rated as Very Good

Afa Anoa'i Jr vs. Robbie E E+
In a poor match, Robbie E defeated Afa Anoa'i Jr in 10:09 by pinfall with a Boom Drop.
Afa Anoa'i debuted his Bad Ass gimmick, rated as Above Average. Robbie E has debuted his Cocky gimmick, rated as Average.
Road Agent Notes: Robbie E was really off his game.

Sugar Dunkerton vs Cliff Compton vs Carlito Colon D-
In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Carlito Colon defeated Sugar Dunkerton and Cliff Compton in 11:32 when Carlito Colon defeated Sugar Dunkerton by pinfall with a Backstabber.

Carlito Colon carried the match in terms of in-ring performance.
Dunkerton has debuted his Comic Relief gimmick, rated as Poor. Compton has debuted his Old School Face gimmick, rated as Above Average. Colon has debuted his Cocky gimmick, rated as Very Good.

Segment: Rob Van Dam cuts a backstage promo hyping himself up. Sabu walks around in the background, but doesn't say anything. - B-

Hurricane Helms vs Aaron Stevens (Comedy Bout) D
In a decent match, Hurricane Helms defeated Aaron Stevens in 8:48 by pinfall with a Shining Wizard.
Helms debuted his Comic Book Hero gimmick, rated Below Average. Stevens debuted his High Society gimmick, rated Poor.
Road Agent Note: Helms comedy gimmick is well suited to comedy matches.

Rob Van Dam vs James Storm - OVE World Heavyweight Title C-
In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Rob Van Dam defeated James Storm in 16:25 by pinfall with a Five Star Frog Splash from atop the cage. Rob Van Dam wins the OVW World Heavyweight title.
Road Agent Notes: Both RVD and Storm were visibly tiring toward the end of the match.

Segment: After the match, Rob Van Dam celebrates his win before he offers to shake the hand of James Storm. Storm refuses and walks off. D+

Overall Show Rating - C-

Follow Up Notes:
After the show, I made a locker room speech to congratulate the roster on their first show. RVD and Storm were pointed at as good examples. They both seemed pleased. I also chose to give Robbie E some encouragement after his off night. He seemed pleased with it. The show, held in the Great Lakes region drew 250 fans. The VFW style building we ran the show from was sold out and popularity increased in all 11 US regions. Pac wrestled KZY in the opener for Dragon Gate. Trent wasn't featured on the NJPW show. Chuck Taylor wasn't featured on the ROH show. Dashwood was involved in a backstage brawl segment with Mandy Leon and Kelly Klein.

Other News:
Candice LaRae announced she is pregnant and will be taking maternity leave from NXT.

[Spidercanrana]

I'm keeping my eight eyes on you, boyo.

Awesome start with what you have. Keen on what you can do with an integrated roster and some of these grabs. Right on man.

[Yaz]

World News

Mickie James and Nick Aldis filed for divorce. Now Aldis can't even call himself Mr. Mickie James.

ROH had a bit of early Spring cleaning. Nearly everyone who performs on Future of Honor was let go, as were Sumie Sakai, Mandy Leon, Jessie Brooks, and Gabby Ortiz. Leon threw the company under the bus in a shoot interview a few days after her firing.

El Texano went on a radio program and declared himself to be the only real star in AAA. This did not set well with the company, but no disciplinary action has taken place yet.

Staying in Mexico, CMLL released all of their talent over the age of 50. There were more names in that category than I expected.

WWE called Angelo Dawkins up to Raw. This seemingly random call up strained their relationship with Evolve as Dawkins was part of The Street Profits. They were Evolve's tag champs, but the loan deal only applied to NXT talent. Evolve had to scramble to replace the Profits pre bookings and took a financial hit.

New Hires

To fill out the roster I made some new hires, mostly on the lower end of the card.

Angelico - Formerly of AAA/LU (I got him for $350 a show and I am pumped over this signing)
Ryan Nova - Formerly of ROH.
Scott Parker - Formerly of Chikara and WWE local jobber status
Jigsaw - Masked Chikara and Evolve mainstay

Major Shows

WWE Royal Rumble 2019

Jinder Mahal wins the 30 man Royal Rumble 😂 🔫
Daniel Bryan defeated Rany Orton to retain the WWE Title
The Bar defeated The Usos to retain the Smackdown Tag Titles
Ronda Rousey defeated Mickie James and Ember Moon to retain the Raw Women's Title
Buddy Murphy defeated Gran Metalik, Kalisto, and Tony Nese to retain the the CW Title
During the show, Brock Lesnar returned to attack Kurt Angle and take him out of the Rumble

[Yaz]

OVW Presents: Retribution 2019
Live from Charleston, Illinois

Backstage Incidents
Chuck Taylor, Pac, Trent, and Tenille Dashwood are working elsewhere tonight.
Joey Ryan is unable to wrestle due to injury, but can be used in angles.

Pre Show

Chris Adonis vs. Scott Parker D
In an extremely short pre-show match, Chris Adonis defeated Scott Parker in 4:21 by submission with an Adonis Lock after interference from Bruce Prichard.
Parker debuted his Wholesome Foreigner gimmick, rated as Average.
Road Agent Notes: Adonis and Bruce Prichard continue to have good chemistry as client and manager. Parker and Adonis have good chemistry in the ring.

Extra Talented vs. The War Kings E+
In a pre-show bout that had sub-par wrestling and little heat, The War Kings defeated Extra Talented in 7:22 when Crimson defeated Ricky Starks by pinfall with a Mercy Kill.

Main Show

Segment: Christy Hemme announces that she has signed Joey Ryan to a contract. Ryan appears and thanks the crowd while also flirting with Hemme. E-

Amazing Red vs Carlito D-
In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Carlito Colon defeated Amazing Red in 10:09 by pinfall with a Backstabber.

Segment: After the match, Carlito Colon offers to shake the hand of Amazing Red who accepts the shake and then is cheap shot by Carlito! E

Cryme Tyme(c) vs Afa Anoa'i Jr and Cliff Compton - OVW Tag Team Titles D-
In a poor match, Cryme Tyme defeated Afa Anoa'i Jr and Cliff Compton in 9:51 when Shad Gaspard defeated Afa Anoa'i Jr by pinfall with a G-9. Cryme Tyme make defence number 1 of their OVW Tag Team titles.

Shad Gaspard carried the match in terms of in-ring performance.

Angelico vs Taya Valkyrie D-
In a poor match, Taya Valkyrie defeated Angelico in 8:04 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex.
Angelico has debuted his Thrill Seeker gimmick, rated Below Average

Segment: In the ring, James Storm calls out Rob Van Dam and challenges him to a match, saying he knows he can beat him this time. Van Dam responds, and refuses the challenge, citing the refuted hand shake after their last match. C

Cortez vs Jigsaw vs Hurricane Helms D-
In a bout that had decent wrestling but didn't have much heat, Hurricane Helms defeated Cortez and Jigsaw in 8:42 when Hurricane Helms defeated Jigsaw by pinfall with a Shining Wizard.
Jigsaw debuted his Rogue gimmick, rated as Below Average

Jay Bradley vs Robbie E D-
In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Jay Bradley defeated Robbie E in 11:14 by pinfall with a Barrel Roll Driver.
Road Agent Notes: Robbie E seemed off his game tonight.

Segment: Rob Van Dam is shown knocked out backstage, the subject of a mysterious attack. Medical personal rush to him and get him on his feet. He shoves them away, claiming he has a title to defend. C-

Ryan Nova vs James Storm D
In a decent match, James Storm defeated Ryan Nova in 5:36 by pinfall with an Eye of the Storm.
Ryan Nova has debuted his Hippie gimmick, rated as Very Good.

Segment: After the match, James Storm keeps up the attack on Nova as security and referees try to stop it. Storm yells as he is escorted out that RVD could have prevented this. D-

Team Overkill vs Team Titan D-
In a decent match, Team Titan defeated Team Overkill in 9:07 when Chris Adonis defeated Matt Cage by submission with an Adonis Lock after interference from Bruce Prichard.

Chris Adonis carried the match in terms of in-ring performance.

Segment: Aaron Stevens cuts a promo backstage, hyping himself up. He promises to bring class and sophistication to OVW after he defeats RVD. D+

Sugar Dunkerton vs Michael Dante D-
In a poor match, Sugar Dunkerton defeated Michael Dante in 8:10 by pinfall after a Pumpkin Spice Lariat.

RVD(c) vs Aaron Stevens - OVW World Heavyweight Championship D+
In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Rob Van Dam defeated Aaron Stevens in 13:21 by pinfall with a Five Star Frog Splash. Rob Van Dam makes defence number 1 of his OVW World Heavyweight title.

Segment: As RVD celebrates his victory, James Storm comes through the crowd and attacks RVD from behind. He holds the belt above the fallen champion. C-

OVERALL RATING - D+

Post Show Notes
The show was held in a larger building this time, with a capacity of 500. 405 tickets sold.
OVW popularity increased in all 11 US Regions.
During the post show speech James Storm was complimented on a good performance. He seemed pleased.
Chris Adonis was pointed at as a good example for wrestling twice. He seemed pleased.
Robbie E was told he could do better after his second show looking off. He didn't seem to pay any mind to the words.

Of the wrestlers who took other bookings, Pac wrestled Dragon Kid in Dragon Gate. Trent was unused on the NJPW show. Chuck Taylor was unused at the ROH taping. Dashwood unsuccessfully challenged for the Women of Honor Title in a four way.

[Yaz]

(I am going to try a new format where I wrap up each month. My shows will still get their own post, as will major roster moves. Minor roster moves, major show results, and general news will be in the wrap ups. If there is a major news story, like a death or major firing, I will break it when it happens)

Due to Best Friends choosing to work for other companies, I needed to hire a fairly established face team I could rely on. James Storm accepted a touring contract from NJPW. It remains to be seen if this will impact my story between he and RVD.

New Hires

Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin, forming the team ACDC. The team had a nearly year long reign as Dreamwave Wrestling tag champs before the company folded.

Major February Shows

WWE Elimination Chamber 2019
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE Title in an EC Match, last pinning Luke Gallows
Ronda retained the Raw Women's Title against Nikki Bella
Nikki Cross won the Smackdown Women's Title in a EC Match, last pinning Asuka
The Bar retained the Smackdown Tag Titles against Sanity
Gable and Roode retained the Raw Tag Titles against AOP
Murphy retained the CW title against Noam Dar and Lio Rush
Dean Ambrose and Rusev both lost their title matches (IC and US respectively) but kept the titles due to DQ finishes (Apollo Crews and Xavier Woods were the opponents)
The Lesnar/Angle feud continued with segments
Seeds for a Seth Rollins/Undertaker feud were planted
Bobby Fish, sans the Undisputed Era, wrestled on the pre show, defeating Apollo Crews

Impact One Night Only 2019
Johnny Impacted retained the Impact World Title against Moose
LAX retained the Tag Titles over Petey Williams and Kongo Kong

ROH Honor Rising 2019
Jay Lethal defeated Beretta to retain the ROH World Title
Jeff Cobb defeated Marty Scrull to retain the ROH World Television Title

February News
WWE chose to end the brand split after Elimination Chamber. Raw and Smackdown each retain their tag and women's titles and they are show exclusive, but anyone on the roster may challenge. The Universal Title is still up in the air but Corbin has damaged the prestige in only a month as champion.
Both Ric Flair and Antonio Inoki retired and are now listed as "Out of the business"
WWE has seen Raw and Smackdown moved out of Primetime slots, into the Late Night slot in the US and the Graveyard slot in the UK and Europe.
As a result, WWE fell from International to National size.
New Japan, in a move that may or may not be related to the WWE size news, have begun to offer written deals, though thus far they have only been offered to those signing extensions. KUSHIDA signed the first written deal. They still continue to offer short term tour contracts.
Many others feds have witnessed growth. Lucha Underground, ZERO1, Stardom, Wrestle-1, Progress, PWG, and ICW all rose to regional size.

[Yaz]

I got a notice from Powerbomb.TV that while my shows are meeting early expectations, I'm not living up to the comedy aspect of my product. To remedy this I brought in a few names to fill that role.

Colt Cabana - Few better for the role, thought he only wanted a three show deal.
Fallah Bahh - One of my current favs. I intend to use him in a similar role to his role in Impact, a large idiot.
Jervis Cottonbelly - Another personal favorite of mine. The nicest man in pro wrestling now calls OVW home.

I also made a bit of a splash and signed KENTA. WWE allowed him to walk and I got him on a 3 year PPA deal at $1700 per show. Its a gamble, but he has name recognition and is a few years younger than most of my name talent. He starts when his no compete clause is up in 30 days.

OVW Presents: War Is Necessary 2019

Live from Highland Heights, Kentucky

Backstage Incidents
Trent, Chuck Taylor, Pac, and Tenille Dashwood are all working elsewhere. Joey Ryan is unable to wrestle but available for angles.

Pre Show

Christian Rose vs Scott Parker E+
In a poor pre-show match, Christian Rose defeated Scott Parker in 6:47 by pinfall.

Segment: After the match, Christian Rose and Scott Parker shake hands in a show of respect. F+

Segment: Bruce Prichard talks to his clients, Barry Ryan and Chris Adonis. He tells them to dominate in their matches tonight. D-

Main Show

Segment: Rob Van Dam is shown warming up backstage. C-

Jervis Cottonbelly, Colt Cabana, and Fallah Bahh vs Michael Dante and The War Kings E+
In a poor match, Jervis Cottonbelly, Fallah Bahh and Colt Cabana defeated Michael Dante and The War Kings in 12:44 when Colt Cabana defeated Michael Dante by submission with a Chicago Crab.

In terms of in-ring work, Colt Cabana was head and shoulders above everyone else.
Road Agent Notes: Jervis Cottonbelly has debuted his Gentleman gimmick, rated as Below Average (I'm sad)
Fallah Bahh has debuted his Simpleton gimmick, rated as Above Average
Colt Cabana has debuted his Fan Favorite gimmick, rated as Great

Segment: Cabana, Bahh, Cottonbelly celebrate with the OVW fans after their win. They shake hands and pose for pictures and everyone seems pleased. E-

Sugar Dunkerton vs Taya Valkyrie D
In a decent match, Taya Valkyrie defeated Sugar Dunkerton in 9:20 by pinfall with a Northern Lights Suplex.

Afa Anoa'i vs Cliff Compton vs Jigsaw E+
In a poor match, Afa Anoa'i Jr defeated Cliff Compton and Jigsaw in 7:49 when Afa Anoa'i Jr defeated Cliff Compton by pinfall with a Lights Out.

Segment: Christy Hemme comes out and announces she has booked a tournament at the next show to name a number one contender. Carlito Colon, Aaron Stevens, and the newly signed KENTA are announced. Before Hemme can announce the final entrant, James Storm's music hits. He says he is the only one who deserves to fight for the title. Hemme says that Storm had his chance, but his actions since losing show he means business. Hemme says if Storm wins tonight against a mystery opponent, he is in. D-

Extra Talented vs Cryme Tyme(c) - OVW Tag Team Titles D-
In a poor match, Cryme Tyme defeated Extra Talented in 9:13 when Shad Gaspard defeated Ricky Starks by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Cryme Tyme make defence number 2 of their OVW Tag Team titles.

In terms of in-ring work, Shad Gaspard was head and shoulders above everyone else.

Hurricane Helms vs Barry Ryan E+
In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Hurricane Helms defeated Barry Ryan in 8:07 by pinfall with a fast roll up. Ryan was in control most of the match, but Helms capitalized on his cockiness.

Segment: After the match, Barry Ryan isn't happy and attacks Helms. He brawls with up up the aisle and into the back. E-

Ryan Nova vs Chris Adonis E+
In a decent match, Chris Adonis defeated Ryan Nova in 7:22 by submission with an Adonis Lock.

ACDC vs Robbie E and Cortez D-
In a poor match, ACDC defeated Cortez and Robbie E in 9:53 when Arik Cannon defeated Cortez by pinfall with a Glimmering Warlock.
Road Agent Notes: Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin debuted their Maverick gimmicks, rated as Above Average and Awful respectively.

Segment: James Storm cuts a promo hyping himself up. He says there is no one in this company who can beat him, and promises whoever walks through that curtain is in for a world of pain. C-

James Storm vs ???

Scott Steiner is the mystery opponent. The crowd is moderately intrigued, but Storm sells it well.

James Storm vs Scott Steiner D+
In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, James Storm defeated Scott Steiner in 6:41 by pinfall with a Last Call.

Angelico & Amazing Red vs Carlito and Aaron Stevens D-
In a decent match, Aaron Stevens and Carlito Colon defeated Amazing Red and Angelico in 8:56 when Carlito Colon defeated Angelico by pinfall with a Backstabber.

Segment: After the match, Carlito Colon and Aaron Stevens celebrate before Carlito turns and attacks Stevens with a sucker punch. Carlito yells he will win the tournament while beating on Stevens. D-

Rob Van Dam(c) vs Jay Bradley - OVW World Heavyweight Title D+
In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Rob Van Dam defeated Jay Bradley in 11:15 by pinfall with a Five Star Frog Splash. Rob Van Dam makes defence number 2 of his OVW World Heavyweight title.

Overall Rating - D

Post Show Notes
Jervis Cottonbelly and Michael Dante were said to be used too much.
The venue sold 413 of 500 tickets.
OVW popularity increased in all 11 US regions.
Steiner was pissed I brought him in just to lose.
Christy Hemme was given some encouragement after the show and she seemed pleased.

Of the wrestlers who took other bookings: Best Friend defeated The Briscoe Brothers by DQ at a ROH Taping. Pac and Dashwood were unused by Dragon Gate and ROH respectively.

[Yaz]

March

OVW News and Hirings
Cortez failed a random drug test, popping for steroids. I debated between a fine and suspension, ultimately choosing to fine him. He thanked me handling it this way and promised to get clean. His failed test brought locker room morale down, but the majority of the locker room agreed with my handling. I will retest him after our next show.
Despite never actually wrestling for me, Chuck Taylor complained about his push. I gave he and Trent each a small $200 bonus and upped his push from midcard to upper midcard in hopes they finally agree to take a booking.
Mr. 450 was hired on a $280 PPA contract after his fight with Daga. See below.
In an effort to cover for Tenille Dashwood, I hired Christina Von Eerie. She is only 23 and still raw in the ring, but she has one of the most unique looks for female wrestlers. At $250 a show, she is cheap.

Major March Shows
WWE Wrestlemania 35
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE Title against Samoa Joe
Baron Corbin retained the Universal Title against Jinder Mahal and Luke Gallows
The Bar retained the Smackdown Tag Titles against Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher
Rusev retained the US Title against Kalisto
Dean Ambrose retained the IC Title against Karl Anderson and Curtis Axel
Roode and Gable defeated AOP by DQ to retain the Raw Tag Titles
Ronda Rousey defeated Alicia Fox to retain the Raw Women's Title
Nikki Cross defeated Natayla to retain the Smackdown Women's Title
The Bella Twins defeated the Iconics on the pre-show
Kurt Angle was scheduled to fight Brock Lesnar. instead Paul Heyman came out saying Brock Lesnar only fights in main event championship fights and pulled out. This lead to Vince McMahon coming to the ring with the intention to fire Brock, only for Angle and Heyman to beat Vince down. John Cena ran in to even the odds.

ROH Anniversary 2019
Jay Lethal retained the ROH World Title in a fatal four way against Jeff Cobb and The Briscoe Brothers
Kelly Klein retained the WOH Title against Jenny Rose

Impact One Night Only 2019
Johnny Impact retained the Impact World Title against Taiji Ishimori
LAX retained the Impact Tag Team Titles against Gursinder Singh and Rohit Raju (The Icons)
Tessa Blanchard retained the Impact Women's Title against Diamante

March World News
NXT:UK sent Pete Dunne on loan to WWE. He has been wrestling house shows and dark matches in the US.
Adam Cole and Bobby Fish have formed a modified Undisputed Era on the main roster while Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly remain in NXT.
The War Raiders, Keith Lee, and Johnny Gargano were all called up.
Chris Jericho worked out a deal with NJPW that allows him to take ROH and CMLL bookings.
Mr. 450 (of Matt Tastic fame) got into an argument with Daga at a CLASH event. Daga then left Mr. 450 threatening voice mails and fired Mr. 450.
In a bit of good news for me, Dragon Gate released Pac as a cost cutting move. I can finally book him.
Brian Cage and Hernandez got into a fist fight at an Impact taping.
Toni Storm was fired from Progress after no showing a booking.
ROH and Chikara entered into a hostile relationship after Chikara signed Flip Gordon to an Exclusive PPA deal.
Trent Seven bought All Star Wrestling and moved the HQ from Northern to Central England. He remains under contract with NXT:UK.
NJPW has started to dive into the talent pool in Mexico, signing Aero Star, La Mascara, and Alberto El Patron to tour with them on their summer tour.
Frankie Kazarian and Traci Brooks filed for divorce.
Adam "Hangman" Page began dating Karlee Perez aka Maxine in WWE and Catrina in LU. After they went public with the relationship, Perez signed a contract with ROH.
Major League Wrestling rose to Regional size.

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

This is interesting. How much of the actual show do you control? Are the segments and matches all automated? Plus, Scott Steiner would be pissed even if he won, he's always pissed, he's Scott Steiner.