Booking 101: Tim's NWF

[TDalton]

*** NWF BREAKING NEWS ***

Just announced to round out the card in Dunkirk:
* The Armstrongs will meet the Riviera Playboys in tag action
* Larry & Curt Hennig will be wrestling in singles matches

But there is far bigger news, as two more NWF grapplers have announced they will be leaving the area!

The Crusher, after failing in his attempts to win the NWF title from Nick Bockwinkel, but seeing a successful conclusion to his feud with Iron Mike DiBiase, is off to his old stomping grounds in the Midwest. The Crusher was a very popular and colorful figure, and has not ruled out a return to the NWF in the future.

In more of a surprise, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, who has been with the NWF since its inception, will be leaving to work both in Japan and the Mid-Atlantic region. June 29th in Utica, NY will be his last show. Out of respect for Snuka's loyalty and accomplishments, NWF officials have told him that he can name his own opponent for that final match. We'll have more on Snuka's time in the NWF at a later date.

[TDalton]

Card #233 - 06/20/2007
Floral Hall - Dunkirk, NY

Lots of great stuff on this show! North American title showdown between two hated sadistic wrestlers, rare gimmick match, and DiBiase & Williams tag-team debut! Let's get to the action...

1. Larry Hennig b Cousin Luke
Big debut for Cousin Luke didn't go as he expected. He has no wrestling skill to speak of, although S.D. Jones is working with him on that. He ran into the bulldozer that is Larry Hennig, who won with the Axe. Luke and S.D. plan on teaming in the future.

2. Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams dq Danny Doring & Virgil
This was a one-sided demolition of Doring. Virgil never tagged in (and it appeared he wasn't too eager to do so). DiBiase had Doring done like dinner with the Figure 4 when Larry Zbyszko and Ray Stevens hit the ring and nailed Ted until Williams made the save and cleared the ring.

3. Yukon Eric b Billy "Red" Lyons
These two wanted to go one-on-one after tag title match last week. While there was no blatant rule breaking, there was a little rule bending. Finish saw Lyons attempt a flying cross body but Yukon catch him and turn it into the Kodiak Krunch.

4. Bob & Brad Armstrong dq Riviera Playboys
Good give and take match between these teams. Bob got hammered early on, but he's tough as nails and kept fighting back. Exciting action that ended when Sherri Martel handed Rose an object to use on Bob, but Bullet tackled the Playboy before he could use it. The referee saw the object fall out of Rose's hand and called for the DQ. Armstrongs went after Rose & Koko after the bell, but they once again used Sherri as a shield and got away.

5. Ray Stevens b Jimmy Valiant
These two had some noteworthy brawls at the end of 2006, and this continued the trend. Valiant was a buzzsaw and had the match won, but Heenan had the referee distracted. That gave Stevens some recovery time, which was all he needed to stage a comeback. Steve Williams showed up and tried to rile up Stevens, but was sent back to the locker room by the referee. A tired Valiant tried for a back body drop, but Stevens tossed him with a double underhook suplex for the win.

6. Curt Hennig b Ilio DiPaolo
The Hennigs continue to get the best of Rocca & DiPaolo. This one ended suddenly as Curt won with a running knee lift. There was some question as to whether or not he loaded the knee pad before delivering the blow. It looked like Curt was handed something by father Larry and adjusted his knee pad, but nothing was conclusive.

7. Rick Rude & King Kong Bundy b Larry Zbyszko & Diamond Dallas Page
You could tell DDP was out of place right from the start in this makeshift tag-team bout. He and Zyszko never got along while Rude & Bundy seemed like they were a natural pair. Finish had Bundy holding DDP in a bearhug. Rude tagged himself in and nailed a Rude Awakening just as Bundy released the bearhug. Zbyszko made no effort to save, and just walked to the back with manager Bobby Heenan.

8. Mad Dog Vachon b Bob Orton (Algerian Chain Match)
Vachon was taking a huge risk in such a potentially dangerous match just a week before his title rematch with Nick Bockwinkel. After Orton had cheated his way to victory in the Piledriver Challenge, Vachon was more crazed than usual. You could tell Mad Dog was locked in, because he dominated this from bell to bell. It was a short (but violent) encounter, ending when Vachon tied Orton up with the chain and delivered two straight Piledrivers to get the pinfall. As Orton lay on the canvas, Mad Dog growled "Da 'King of the Piledriver' is dead, long live da new King" as the crowd cheered.

9. North American Championship: The Sheik dq Ivan Koloff
Two of the most hated men in all of professional wrestling locked up in this crazy slugfest for the North American belt. It was a brawl that saw both men busted open. Sheik used his sharp object to open up the Russian Bear right away. Koloff kept threatening to use his chains, and the referee kept stopping him. Finally, Koloff lost it and started pounding Sheik with the chains for the DQ. Oddly, this may be the only opponent in the NWF that will see Koloff actually getting some fan support.


There you have it wrestling fans! Another wild NWF show! Lots of things going on next week at the Memorial Auditorium in Utica, NY - here's the current lineup:

* Red Bastien will face Danny Hodge in a battle of mat technicians! With the tag titles at stake in two weeks, we'll see if these two can keep their cool!

* Ilio DiPaolo, upset by the controversial verdict this week, has challenged big Larry Hennig! This is a rematch from May 25th where the Axe got a hard fought win - can the popular Ilio even the score?

* Diamond Dallas Page, still nursing his injured ribs, will again meet his mammoth ex-partner King Kong Bundy!

* Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams meet the Heenan Family head on, as they square off against Larry Zbyszko & Ray Stevens! After the altercation this week, that one will have some fists flying!

* Jimmy Snuka will have his farewell bout! Who has the Superfly chosen as his final opponent? Guesses are welcomed, and an announcement will be made once the contract is signed!

* Your big main event is for the NWF Championship, as kingpin Nick Bockwinkel (boo!) once again takes on Mad Dog Vachon! Their last bout ended with both disqualified! Did this week's Chain Match take too much out of Vachon?

It's all about Utica, NY in a mere seven days! Stop by the brewery and have a cold one before heading to the show! Who knows, you might even see Ray Stevens getting in some pre-match "training" there!

[scarface]

This is awesome stuff. I especially like the way you do this without any promos. I've never seen anyone pull that off before

[TDalton]

I chose not to do a promo driven approach because it's tough to compete with the real thing. I''d either be doing a poor imitation of a promo style, or directly ripping off a promo that someone had done already. I try and tell my story, throw a few things in to spice it up, and go from there.

Thanks for reading!

[TDalton]

*** NWF BREAKING NEWS ***

Update on Card #234 from Utica, NY:

* Bob & Brad Armstrong will meet their hated rivals the Riviera Playboys! Sherri Martel will certainly have her guys fired up for another shot at the Armstrong clan!

* In a battle that fans have eagerly awaited, popular high flier Antonino Rocca will face smooth matman Curt Hennig!

* The big news is that Jimmy Snuka has named his opponent for his farewell match, and it is someone he has been trying to get into the ring for years - Captain Lou Albano! Albano has continually hounded Snuka, and his wrestlers have been responsible for many of the injuries the Superfly has suffered over the years! The two were scheduled to square off in Buffalo on July 1, 2005, but the bout never got started. Everyone in Albano's stable charged the ring and jumped Snuka before the bell. The bout was ruled a no contest. Snuka now has the opportunity to take years of bottled up anger out on the rotund manager, and he won't have to worry about watching his back - NWF officials have made it a match where no one will be allowed at ringside!

Settle back with some ice cold Utica Club or Matt's beer and enjoy this show wrestling fans - it'll be a good one!

[Highway61Revisited]

tdalton said:

*** NWF BREAKING NEWS ***

* The big news is that Jimmy Snuka has named his opponent for his farewell match, and it is someone he has been trying to get into the ring for years - Captain Lou Albano! Albano has continually hounded Snuka, and his wrestlers have been responsible for many of the injuries the Superfly has suffered over the years! The two were scheduled to square off in Buffalo on July 1, 2005, but the bout never got started. Everyone in Albano's stable charged the ring and jumped Snuka before the bell. The bout was ruled a no contest. Snuka now has the opportunity to take years of bottled up anger out on the rotund manager, and he won't have to worry about watching his back - NWF officials have made it a match where no one will be allowed at ringside!

That's just awesome freakin' booking. With Snuka leaving the territory and the fans finally getting a blowoff. So many would have taken the Bockwinkel/Snuka or Race/Snuka, something in that vein, to give the fans an awesome match.

But you give them the blow-off they've been waiting for! It's simple and, really, just Booking 101 .

Awesome, awesome, awesome stuff!

[Mike M]

highway61revisited said:

tdalton said:

*** NWF BREAKING NEWS ***

* The big news is that Jimmy Snuka has named his opponent for his farewell match, and it is someone he has been trying to get into the ring for years - Captain Lou Albano! Albano has continually hounded Snuka, and his wrestlers have been responsible for many of the injuries the Superfly has suffered over the years! The two were scheduled to square off in Buffalo on July 1, 2005, but the bout never got started. Everyone in Albano's stable charged the ring and jumped Snuka before the bell. The bout was ruled a no contest. Snuka now has the opportunity to take years of bottled up anger out on the rotund manager, and he won't have to worry about watching his back - NWF officials have made it a match where no one will be allowed at ringside!

That's just awesome freakin' booking. With Snuka leaving the territory and the fans finally getting a blowoff. So many would have taken the Bockwinkel/Snuka or Race/Snuka, something in that vein, to give the fans an awesome match.

But you give them the blow-off they've been waiting for! It's simple and, really, just Booking 101 .

Awesome, awesome, awesome stuff!

Amen! Tim's booking continues to entertain and keep me reading.

[TDalton]

Card #234 - 06/29/2007
Memorial Auditorium - Utica, NY

Things started heating up on this show even before the opening bell! Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams came to the ring and had a warning to Bobby Heenan! To paraphrase - "don't interfere in our tag match tonight or you'll be sorry." The duo will face Heenan Family members Ray Stevens & Larry Zbyszko in one of the feature bouts on tonight's card! With that, let's get to the action...

1. S.D. Jones & Cousin Luke b Danny Doring & Virgil
Good opener. Despite their obvious style differences, Luke and S.D. seem to work well as a team. This one got pretty wild with veteran Jones being the only one to escape relatively unblemished. Philadelphia's Favorite Son reversed a Doring back body drop attempt into a neckbreaker for the win.

2. Red Bastien b Danny Hodge
Great scientific match between these superb ring generals. Perhaps cooler heads have prevailed in the battle for the tag belts, as this was was a clean and fast paced clinic. Hodge had the upper hand, but missed a turnbuckle charge that Bastien turned into a sunset flip for the pin.

3. Ilio DiPaolo ddq Larry Hennig
Rematch from the May 25th show where Hennig got his and raised (with a little help from son Curt). This time, Rocca was ringside to keep an eye on Curt, but it didn't really matter. Both powerhouses started swinging right away. The match broke down and got out of control with each fiesty grappler throwing the rulebook out the window. After several warnings the ref called for a double DQ. Both Rocca and Curt hit the ring, but it wound up in a standoff as security broke things up quickly.

4. Riviera Playboys cor Bob & Brad Armstrong
This was a marathon of a match that nearly went the 30 minute time limit. Once again, it looked like the Armstrongs were hitting on all cylinders until Sherri Martel's interference turned things around. Bob took a header into the steel ring post, got worked over by Koko, and was wearing the crimson mask. Brad finally got the tag and was holding his own while his father recovered. Eventually he wore down. Bob wanted to tag in, but was a bloody mess and Brad wouldn't tag out. Finally Bullet forced the tag himself, but was exhausted. Buddy Rose, by this time a bloody mess himself, tossed Bob to the floor and rammed him into the ringpost again for a countout win.

5. King Kong Bundy b Diamond Dallas Page
After losing the first two singles matches against the injured DDP, mammoth King Kong Bundy has come back to take the last two. Word is that DDP's ribs should be fully healed in a couple more weeks. Bundy had a surprise in store for everyone, as he was seconded by Rick Rude! The two worked well as a team last week and seemed to have formed some type of alliance. Bundy worked the ribs and put Page down with a crushing Avalanche.

6. Antonino Rocca b Curt Hennig
This one had "show stealer" written all over it, and that's what happened. Both of these guys are smooth as silk, although Hennig's tactics are often questionable. As in the earlier match on the card, the respective partners were at ringside - but not for long. Both men interfered early and were ejected from ringside by the referee. Rocca and Hennig just went toe-to-toe trading big moves and finishers from start to finish. Curt went for the Hennig-Plex, but Rocca broke free, got behind him, and hoisted him into the Argentinian Backbreaker for the win.

7. Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams b Ray Stevens & Larry Zbyszko
DiBiase & Williams were looking to make a statement in this match and did so in a big way! They were demolishing Zbyszko when Heenan pulled some of his usual shenanigans. Williams whistled and motioned to the locker room. Running down the aisle with a steel chair in hand was the Missing Link! The former Heenan Family bodyguard that was abused and mistreated looked to be fully healed from his injury at the hands of Ivan Koloff. He chased a screaming Heenan around the ring and out a side door of the arena while Williams & DiBiase finished off Zbyszko in the ring with an Oklahoma Stampede follwed by Ted's the Figure 4 Leglock..

8. Jimmy Snuka b Lou Albano (No One Allowed at Ringside)
This was Snuka's last match in the NWF. He was allowed to handpick his opponent, and chose long-time pain in the buttocks Lou Albano! As noted, the two were scheduled to meet once before in 2005, but it was an ambush where Snuka was jumped by the entire Albano stable. That wasn't going to happen tonight, as anyone coming to aid Albano would be suspended without pay. Albano twice tried to bail ad take the countout loss, but Snuka ran him down and dragged him back to the ring. Snuka would have Albano pinned, but pull his shoulders up at two to stop the count and deliver more punishment. He mercifully covered the Captain after a series of chops for the pinfall. However, the fans weren't happy with that. Snuka cocked his head, then pointed to the top turnbuckle, causing a huge cheer from the sold out crowd. Snuka climbed the turnbuckle and flew one last time, landing a crushing Superfly Leap on the bloodied manager. Fans chanted "Superfly" for several minutes as he was shaking hands on his last walk to the NWF locker room.

9. NWF Championship: Nick Bockwinkel b Mad Dog Vachon
After the emotion of the last bout, this one started a little slow. The champ and Mad Dog both were DQ'd in their last meeting, so this was a big rematch for the gold. Once again there were several near DQ's as the referee warned each wrestler multiple times. Bockwinkel was able to control Vachon on the mat, but the Algerian wildman couldn't be kept down. He would have had the match won with a double foot stomp if not for Bobby Heenan (who somehow escaped from the Missing Link). Bockwinkel finally locked in the Figure 4 Leglock for the win. Steve Williams tried to interfere, but couldn't get by al the security people that a fearful Heenan had surrounding the ring to protect him from Link.

Amazing! Yet another fantastic and emotional night of NWF action! Next week we'll be shuffling off to Buffalo, NY for a show at The Aud! Here's the current lineup:

* King Kong Bundy & Rick Rude will team to face Diamond Dallas Page & Cousin Luke! DDP still isn't trusted by a lot of the roster, so is having trouble finding a partner. With some type of alliance between Bundy & Rude he'll need someone to watch his back!

* Ted DiBiase once again meets former bodyguard Virgil after claims (more like sour grapes) from their first encounter!

* Assuming they each got stitched up after the show, Bob Armstrong will meet Playboy Buddy Rose in singles action! This is developing into a very heated feud as the Armstrongs look to take down the Riviera Playboys and Sherri Martel!

* The Missing Link will make his return! No opponent is currently scheduled, but you know he'll be trying to get his hands on some member of the Heenan Family!

* Antonino Rocca & Ilio DiPaolo will once again face the Hennigs in tag-team competition! The Hennigs have won the previous two meetings and are looking to make it three in a row in Buffalo!

* Steve Williams squares off against Ray Stevens! Despite his short tenure in the NWF, Williams is pushing for a title match against Nick Bockwinkel (boo!). Will Stevens be a stepping stone, or will the Heenan Family put a stop to Doc's quest for the title?

* Your big main event will see a rematch for the Tag-Team Championship! Yukon Eric & Danny Hodge put the belts on the line against the Flying Redheads! Yukon & Hodge are quietly putting together a solid little title reign. Can they keep it going against of the best technical tag-team in the NWF?

In addition to the great show next week, look for more on the Rude/Bundy alliance, a piece on the NWF career of Jimmy Snuka and June rankings! Thanks for reading!

[scarface]

Great match between Snuka and Albano. I'm interested in seeing how Inoki and Baba work out as a tag team.

[TDalton]

SUPERFLY - The NWF Years

JIMMY “SUPERFLY” SNUKA was with the NWF from its inception in January 2003. He wrestled as both a hated rulebreaker and a fan favorite. His dynamic high-risk style made him a unique commodity. He was also well known for being the target of numerous sneak attacks, and often would have to wrestle while injured. Perhaps because of the injuries, his singles success ran hot and cold. He could go on extended winning streaks then suddenly lose several in a row.

In his first two years in the NWF, he was linked with Buddy Rogers. They formed a dominating tag-team in 2003, winning the tournament to become the first champions and holding the belts for nine months. At the first Superbowl of Wrestling, many expected them to regain the belts from the Valiants, but Rogers turned on Snuka, leading to a long and bloody feud between the two in 2004. Those battles resulted in both “Singles Match of the Year” and “Feud of the Year” honors. It was also during this time that his on-again, off-again feud with Lou Albano began, which continued until his last NWF match in 2007.

Although never capturing any singles titles, Snuka had a great run at North American champ Don Leo Jonathan in 2005, and was close to winning the belt several times. With tag partner Buddy Rose, he nearly unseated Albano’s tag champions Greg Valentine & Bob Orton, Jr. in 2005.

When Bruiser Brody entered the NWF in late 2005, he and Snuka reformed their team that had been so successful in Japan. It seemed to jump start Snuka, who fell back to his rulebreaking ways, but was fired up for the first time in months. The wild duo won the belts from Albano’s Masked Executioners in November 2006, but that title reign was short lived. Before making their first defense, Brody bolted from the NWF without notice to accept a lucrative offer in Japan. This left Snuka to choose a new partner to challenge for the held up belts at Superbowl 4. He picked former rival Don Leo Jonathan, but while the team looked good on paper they never really clicked in the ring, and the belts wound up back in Albano’s stable.

Early 2007 brought some epic battles with The Sheik, both in the World League Challenge and for the North American Title. Then came the long awaited run against the Magnificent Muraco, who was managed by Albano. It ended with the cage match victory that the fans were hoping for, but also left Snuka feeling he had no big challenges left in the NWF. His final match against Lou Albano had fans on their feet at the finish, although few really understood what he said in his post-match goodbye speech.

Overall, Snuka had a singles record of 51-44-0 and his 95 total singles matches was the most in NWF history. He excelled at tag-team competition and, at the time of his departure, held records for longest tag title reign (210 days w/Rogers), most tag title reigns (3 – tied with several others) and held the tag belts for a combined 294 days, more than anyone in NWF history. He had success with Buddy Rogers (17-4-0), Bruiser Brody (13-4-1) and Buddy Rose (13-16-0) as tag-team partners over the years.


TITLE HISTORY

NWF Tag-Team Championship
1. w/Buddy Rogers defeated Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik on 1/31/2003 in Cleveland, OH in tournament final to crown first champions
Lost to Road Warriors on 4/4/2003 in Buffalo, NY

2. w/Buddy Rogers defeated Road Warriors (Steel Cage Match) on 5/16/2003 in Rochester, NY
Lost to Valiant Brothers 12/12/2003 in Weirton, WV

3. w/Bruiser Brody defeated Masked Executioners 11/10/2006 in Rochester, NY
Forfeited titles when Brody left the promotion

ANNUAL AWARDS
2003
Tag-Team of the Year (w/Buddy Rogers)
Most Outstanding Tag-Team (w/Buddy Rogers)
Tag-Team Match of the Year - Runner Up (w/Buddy Rogers vs. Red Bastien & Bobo Brazil)

2004
Singles Match of the Year (vs. Buddy Rogers)
Feud of the Year (vs. Buddy Rogers)
Best Good Guy
Comeback of the Year

2006
Comeback of the Year Runner Up

[Tournament Master]

tdalton said:

although few really understood what he said in his post-match goodbye speech.

LOL...I bet he said brother a few times though.

Great last hurrah for the Superfly.

So when is the next Supercard for the NWF Tim? I want to see that Williams-Bockwinkel match on the big stage.

[TDalton]

Thanks TM! Hey, I just saw the announcement about your little girl - congrats!

SUMMER SHOWDOWN on 8/11 from Cleveland's Municipal Stadium is the next NWF Supercard. Although I like to think that EVERY show is a Supercard here in the NWF.

Of course, I have a slight bias in that regard.

[Cory Olson]

Great write-up on the Superfly, Tim! He will be missed in the NWF!

[TDalton]

JUNE 2007 RANKINGS
As of Card #234

NWF: NICK BOCKWINKEL (C)
NA: THE SHEIK (NA)
1. Ivan Koloff ( - )
2. Mad Dog Vachon (1)
3. Yukon Eric (9)
4. Magnificent Muraco (3)
5. Rick Rude (4)
6. Playboy Buddy Rose (8)
7. Red Bastien ( - )
8. Larry Zbyszko (5)
9. Brad Armstrong (7)
10. Antonino Rocca ( - )

TAG: YUKON ERIC & DANNY HODGE (C)
1. Flying Redheads (1)
2. Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens (2)
3. Riviera Playboys (4)
4. Larry & Curt Hennig ( - )
5. Antonino Rocca & Ilio DiPaolo (5)

Notes: Huge debut for the Russian Bear at #1. Yukon Eric makes a big move, but it may be temporary as his tag schedule doesn't allow him much time. Larry Zbyszko hasn't been the same since his loss to The Sheik and falls another few notches this month. Red Bastien and popular Antonino Rocca make debuts as Bob Orton, The Crusher and Don Leo Jonathan fall off the chart after leaving the area. Orton & DiBiase also fall off the tag chart, which sees the debut of the impressive father/son combo of the Hennigs. Rocca & DiPaolo barely hung onto the #5 spot.

[Tournament Master]

tdalton said:

SUMMER SHOWDOWN on 8/11 from Cleveland's Municipal Stadium is the next NWF Supercard. Although I like to think that EVERY show is a Supercard here in the NWF.

Of course, I have a slight bias in that regard.

8/11...and its only 6/29. Man, even with these guys fighting in the current year, the NWF is still in the past.

Its true, every card in the NWF is pretty much a super card. Although I don't think many super cards should open with Virgil and Cousin Luke...but maybe thats just me. ;D

Keep up the great work!

[TDalton]

Regarding my timing, I used to be about 8-10 cards ahead of what I was posting. That gap has been getting bigger. I just finished Card #251 (last October show) over the weekend.

Tax season (Jan 15 - Apr 15) kills me, because I have no time to post results or play. My goal is always to have shows through April 15 (NWF time) done by December 31 (real time) as I never like to get behind the actual calendar.

I may have to do some summary posting, similar to when I posted my first several cards in the "Legends Fed News" sub-board. I like being ahead of the posts, but not this far.

[Chad Olson]

Bring on the results! I want folks to see what you have cooked up in the NWF!

[Stu]

Great write up on Snuka Tim. I loved the one you did for Baba a while back, and these types of summaries are great!

Perhaps an "NWF Tributes" book is in the cards?

How long will you keep guys out/touring other territories? Just curious. I've had folks like Johnny Valentine and Killer Kowalski out of my fed for almost 2 years now, and the time seems right to bring them back in. Valentine I've pictured as just touring the country, while Killer I've had in Japan in various evil gaijin roles.

Keep up the great work. By the by, was reading over some old results, I've actually been to Monroeville, as we have some family ties to Pittsburgh!

[Cory Olson]

I second my brother's post--keep those NWF results a-coming! There's some exciting stuff on the way, fans!

[TDalton]

*** NWF BREAKING NEWS ***

* Larry Zbyszko has been named as the opponent for the Missing Link in Buffalo! You can bet Link will be looking to get his hands on anyone from the Heenan Family that he can!

* Update on the Rick Rude/King Kong Bundy situation: Apparently, Rude's contract with Albano expired on 6/30. Since Bundy & Rude seemed to work well as a team, Rude decided not to renew with Albano. The two were said to have parted on good terms. Albano will need to replace Rude, especially as his feud with the Heenan Family is still going strong, despite the recent debut of Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams . The Captain has hinted that a former member of his stable may be headed back to the area shortly.

* On the next card, NWF officials are set to make an exciting announcement regarding some new talent set to debut in the near future!