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1993 Champion
Presents...
Gamblermania I

1. Robbie V vs. Mr. Hughes w/ The Gambler- Rematch from a few months back where young Robbie kept the bigger Hughes off guard with speed, athleticism, and flying to achieve victory. But that was before Mr. Hughes hooked up with Diesel & The Gambler. Big Curtis has since become "The Head of Security" for The Gambler's Casino faction. Hughes' luck immediately changed upon joining The Casino. He's bigger and badder than ever. And now he's out for revenge on Robbie. Will lightning strike twice, or will Mr. Hughes bring the thunder down on the barefoot martial artist this time around?

***Ron Simmons defeated Barry Windham at our last big show to become the new Western States Heritage Champion. But there was a problem. Simmons is a native Georgian who became a college football All American at Florida St. Now Ron Simmons has nothing against our great Western states, but he felt more than just the West should be represented in the championship he just won. So Simmons met with management about potentially renaming the title. Simmons was a college football All American. How about renaming it the American Championship? Management loved the idea and made it official.

Unfortunately, not long after winning the Western States Heritage American Championship, Simmons accepted Jim Cornette's challenge on behalf of his anti-American client, Yokozuna. And dammit! By hook and by crook, Yoko defeated Simmons for the American Championship at our big Clash of the Saturday Night's Main Event show. The American Championship is now in the hands of a foreign fanatic.

2. Arn Anderson vs. Marty Jannetty- American Title Contenders Tournament Match- These two veteran tag team specialists crossed paths in several memorable tag bouts years ago, but this is there first time meeting in singles competition. Will the high energy Rocker prevail, or will the cunning and diabolical Brainbuster steal one? Whoever does prevail will be one step closer to a shot at the coveted American Championship.

3. "The All American" Ron Simmons vs. Rick "The Model" Martel w/ Johnny Polo- American Title Contenders Tournament Match- Simmons desperately wants to regain the American Championship he more or less created. But to do so, the All American powerhouse must first go through the devious Rick Martel. The Model has recently joined forces with Johnny Polo and tag champs The Quebecers to create Qlub Quebec. The trio comprises 3/4 of our lead heel stable- The Foreign Fanatics.

4. Steiner Brothers vs. Nasty Boys- Nastyville Street Fight- #1 Contenders Match- The Nasty Boys have been on a tear ever since upsetting The Hollywood Blondes. You might think that would mellow them out. Well, you'd be wrong. If anything, they've become even nastier in recent months. It all came to a head when former champs The Steiners demanded a rematch from The Quebecers. Their challenge brought out not Jacques & Pierre, but Knobbs & Saggs, with the Nastys claiming they deserved a shot at the champs. Words were exchanged. Tempers flared. The two teams brawled. And now they've signed on for the long awaited rematch of their Halloween Havoc 1990 cult classic. The Nasty Boys wanted a Street Fight. The Steiners aren't afraid to get down & dirty either. So they were more than happy to oblige.

5. Yokozuna (c) w/ Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji vs. Van Hammer- American Title Bodyslam Match- You might think Yoko would be humbled after Undertaker stuffed him inside a casket. If so, you would be wrong for the second match in a row. Yoko returned a few weeks later with a vengeance. He was bigger and meaner than ever. He formed an alliance with Qlub Quebec, Banzai Dropped a bunch of jobbers, and even defeated Ron Simmons for the American Title. Cornette has been gloating that he is once again unbeatable due to the added weight and his new aggressive attitude. The only man to ever slam him did so when Yoko was 50 pounds lighter, and that man is no longer a threat due to his own change of heart. Yoko will regain the World Title when he's ready. But for now he just wants to embarrass America by defeating all their heroes. First Simmons. Now Van Hammer...

Van Hammer has become arguably the most popular wrestler in the company since defeating Vinnie "Diesel" Vegas in an epic Quadrangle at our last big show. Since then, patriotic rock & roller has set his sights on the Foreign Fanatics in a series of singles, tags, and multi-man matches.

This particular feud started when Hammer was scheduled to team with Dustin Rhodes against The Quebecers at Clash of the Saturday Night's Main Event. Before the match could get underway, The Quebecers ally, Yokozuna, came out to brawl with Hammer, effectively eliminating him from the match, and leaving poor Dustin in a handicap situation (more on that in a bit).

What was already a title match got even more interesting when Cornette was gloating about how the new and improved Yokozuna is unslammable. That brought out Hammer who quickly reminded everybody he is a champion Arm Wrestler. Hammer then dropped a bombshell by asking for the Bodyslam stipulation. Cornette quickly accepted on Yoko's behalf.

The Bodyslam stipulation is simply this- pins and submissions do not count until the recipient of those pins and submissions has been bodyslammed.

6. Quebecers (c) w/ Johnny Polo vs. Two Tall Texans (Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes)- Unified Tag Title Match- As has been hinted at throughout this writeup, The Quebecers and their Foreign Fanatic allies have been running roughshod through the heroes of this promotion. Dustin Rhodes soon found himself in their crosshairs. But before we cover that we must go a little further back in time...

To when Dustin was still embroiled in a heated feud with Arn Anderson. Arn came up short in their match at our last big event. So Arn did what he always does when in trouble- he went looking for a Horseman ally. He thought he found one in Barry Windham. It seemed logical. Barry was an ex-Horseman. He had beef with Dustin Rhodes. And he was mad about losing his coveted Western States Heritage Title. But "The Lone Wolf" rejected Arn's offer and even helped Dustin when the young Rhodes boy was putting on a gutsy performance against a constantly cheating Arn Andrerson. Dustin eventually turned the tables on Arn and won by cheating after Windham's interference. Windham applauded Dustin's performance, but walked away from his attempted handshake.

Fast forward to the aforementioned Quebecers vs. Rhodes & Hammer match where Hammer tussled with Yoko. This left Dustin alone and susceptible to The Quebecers vaunted double teams. Yet Jacques & Pierre could never quite put him away. Dustin kept kicking out at 2. Dustin finally had an opening....but no partner. That's when Barry Windham unexpectedly ran out to accept Dustin's hot tag. The fresh Windham then ran through both Quebecers and scored the pin. He finally shook Dustin's hand, and even embraced his former protege. The Two Tall Texans had become neewww tag team champions! Or so we thought. See, Windham was not a legal participant in the match. So the result was stricken from the record and the titles returned to The Quebecers. But it was enough to earn the Tall Texans a tag title shot.

When asked what caused Windham's change of heart, big Barry downplayed the question. He never had a change of heart. He promised Dusty a long time ago that he would look after his son. Some might call it tough love, but Barry has ALWAYS looked after Dustin. It's just that Dustin didn't always listen. Barry tried teaching Dustin to have a killer instinct. It took a long time, but Dustin finally has it now. And those dastardly Quebecers are about to learn all about killer instinct the hard way courtesy of two tall Texas boys.

7. "Stunning" Steve Austin vs. "Flyin" Brian Pillman- Hollywood Blondes Explode Grudge Match- "The tag team of the 90s" are no more. Egos got in the way as they so often do. What started with a surprise loss to the Nasty Boys at our last big event soon escalated. And before long Stunning Steve brutally turned on Flyin Brian with a vicious assault. Pillman is now out for blood against his former partner while Austin is out to prove he was always the star of the team.

8. Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. "The Narcissist" Lex Luger- First Time Ever Dream Match- These two couldn't be more different. Lex Luger loves the spotlight. Undertaker prefers to dwell in darkness. This inevitable culture clash kicked off in earnest when Luger was freaked out by The Undertaker's face magically appearing in his mirror. Luger got revenge by knocking 'Taker out with the dreaded Loaded Forearm of Doom a week later. Now "The Lord of Darkness" will meet "The Lord of Light" in this first time ever dream match.

9. Sting (c) vs. Vinnie "Diesel" Vegas w/ The Gambler- World Championship Match- A few months ago Vinnie "Diesel" Vegas was a trucker running out of gas....a poker player who kept topping out at a pair of deuces....a guy who kept getting dealt the dreaded 16 in blackjack. Few people would have bet on his rise. In fact, I'd wager only two did. Diesel and his mentor, The Gambler.

Diesel has been on a meteoric rise since bringing The Gambler in as his manager. We thought he might have gone broke for good after his recent Quadrangle loss to Van Hammer. Turns out it was more of a fender bender than a jackknife. Speaking of jackknives...

Diesel always had Snake Eyes. Then The Gambler urged the big man to make use of the Hard Punch which had served both men so well during Diesel's days as The Gambler's bouncer. But those two aces were not enough to defeat Van Hammer. So The Gambler taught Diesel a new move- the jackknife powerbomb...

This impactful maneuver has become Diesel's go to. The 7 foot+ drop is enough to incapacitate any man....including Sting.

Twice now Sting has felt the wrath of Diesel's jackknife. The first came in a sneak attack after Sting downed Mr. Hughes in a non-title match. Diesel gestured that he wanted Sting's title. Most people laughed. A week later they met face to face with the same result. Nobody was laughing anymore.

====================================

1996 Draft Champion
Presents...
Gamblermania II

1. Rock and Roll Express vs. Goldust & Jerry Lynn w/ Marlena- The Rock & Roll Express have shed their fan favorite ways and resorted to chicanery to keep their spots in the company. A good example of this came in a recent singles match where Ricky Morton defeated Jerry Lynn after interference from Robert Gibson. A week later they tried the same tactic when Morton attempted to interfere during a Gibson/Goldust match. Only this time it was foiled by Jerry Lynn, who was out for payback. Goldust emerged victorious in that encounter. The R&R Express jumped Jerry Lynn the following week only to be run off by Goldust. Goldust & Lynn then shook hands and formed a partnership to put down those pesky Rock & Roll Express once and for all. Goldust has since become Jerry Lynn's mentor.

2. Ultimo Dragon vs. Psicosis- Cruiserweight Title Contenders Tournament- Ultimo Dragon is looking to climb back into contention with the ultimate goal of regaining the title he recently lost. Psicosis is out to win the title he has long targeted for the first time. Don't blink or you're bound to miss a jaw dropping move when two of the greatest Cruiserweights in the world go one on one for the very first time.

3. Stevie Richards w/ Blue Meanie vs. Louie Spicolli w/ Bill Alfonso- Stevie Richards has become a changed man since losing to The Gambler at our last big show. This first became evident when Stevie & The Meanie impersonated Taz & Spicolli not long after that big event. Until then Stevie & Meanie had only parodied fan favorites. Now they were mocking villains. Stevie quite accurately portrayed Spicolli as a mindless "yes man" bullied by Taz, who was portrayed by the Blue Meanie "standing" on his knees to emphasize Taz's shortness. This mockery did not sit well with The Master of the Louplex and a match has been signed. When asked about his change of heart, Stevie could only say he had a long talk with The Gambler on a train that made him see the light.

4. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera- Cruiserweight Title Contenders Tournament- Oh boy. If you thought Ultimo Dragon/Psicosis was going to be something else, you ain't seen nothing yet. Here you have the most spectacular flyer in the world in Rey Misterio Jr. against the man many are calling his heir apparent in Juvy with a potential shot at the Cruiserweight Title on the line.

5. Amazing French Canadiens (c) w/ Colonel Robert Parker vs. The Gangstas- Tag Title Gangsta Rules Match- The Quebecers won the Tag Titles a few months back when Colonel Robert Parker tricked The Gangstas into signing on for a Province of Quebec Rules Match which obviously favored The Quebecers. This time it was payback as The Gangstas laid out The Quebecers in a sneak attack and then bullied Parker at weapon point into signing on for a Gangstas Rules Match. Jacques & Pierre are not happy campers. "They're gonna kill us!"- Jacques.

6. Chris Benoit (c) vs. Sabu- Cruiserweight Title Grudge Match- Benoit got the monkey off his back at our last event when he defeated Ultimo Dragon to finally win a title- the Cruiserweight in this case. But life gets no easier in the cruel world of professional wrestling. And now he must face his longtime rival Sabu. The heat between these two very different men started a few years back when Benoit broke Sabu's neck. Sabu never did get sufficient revenge for the heinous deed. This battle between arguably the best pound for pound wrestler in the world and unarguably the most homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death defying maniac in professional wrestling is a must see encounter for any true fan of professional wrestling.

7. Lord Steven Regal (c) vs. Buddy Landell- British Commonwealth Title Match- Buddy Landell shocked the world at our last big event by pinning Hunter Hearst Helmsley to keep his job with the company. And now he is targeting Helmsley's old partner, Lord Steven Regal, in the hopes of fulfilling the prophecy wrestling experts laid out a decade ago of Landell winning a major championship. His Lordship is publicly downplaying the threat posed by "The Nature Boy," though he did let slip in a moment of candor that one Dreaded Corkscrew Elbow is all it would take to defeat him, or any other wrestler.

8. Sting vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley- Special Challenge Match- This seems like a mismatch on paper. And a few months ago, it would have been. You wouldn't have needed to be The Gambler to predict the outcome. But Hunter Hearst Helmsley is a changed man since losing to Buddy Landell. He has toned down the pomposity and toned up the viciousness. The pampered blue blood has become downright mean and nasty. Perhaps no better example exists than when Triple H (as he now likes to be called) brutally attacked Sting, even going so far as to hit him with a sledgehammer. HHH has also been seen hanging out backstage with Shawn Michaels, who recently underwent his own change of heart. Sting is out to put the upstart Helmsley back in his place in the hopes of earning a future World Title shot, while the new and improved HHH targeted Sting because he wants to prove he can play with the big boys. In his own words, "playtime is over!"

9. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels- No Time Limit Match- HBK has gone rogue since losing the World Title to Taz at our last event. He didn't show up to tv for a few weeks due to "losing his smile." Then he launched a tirade of epic proportions when he finally did bother to show up. He lambasted the fans over cheering for "jokes" like The Gambler & Buddy Landell. Shawn Michaels claimed to hold the World Title with honor. He was the best wrestler in the world. He beat the biggest, baddest villains in professional wrestling. He kissed ugly women and uglier babies. And it STILL wasn't enough. These idiot fans would rather cheer for a joke in The Gambler, and a loser in Buddy Landell. So Michaels latched onto "dumb and dumber" despite having zero respect for them. In pandering to the fans, he lost his edge. He forgot the real reason he was here- to be the best wrestler in the world. And it left him susceptible to the Suplex game of "that 4 foot tall orange midget" Taz. That was an even bigger fluke than The Gambler and Buddy's lucky wins. But Michaels was just getting started....

He saved his most vitriolic comments for "The Shitman." See, Bret Hart is a COWARD who FEARS Shawn Michaels. And now we let Bret take over....

When Bret signed with the company after his old fed went out of business, one of the stipulations the promoter made him adhere to was to play nice with then-champion Shawn Michaels backstage. Bret needed the job. So he reluctantly did as told despite animosity still existing between he and Shawn. Shawn taunted him backstage, knowing Bret could do nothing about it. But when Shawn called him out, it was on.

This time Shawn won't be saved by the bell. This time Bret Hart will not only win, but have his revenge. This match is months in the making. And as for that whole coward thing. Well, Shawn, you poked the bear one time too many, and if you didn't lose your brains along with your smile, you'll want to listen very closely to this song by Bret's good friend, the great Kenny Rogers....



10. Taz (c) w/ Bill Alfonso vs. The Gambler- World Championship Match- Here it is. The ultimate battle of Good vs. Evil. Even with Bret/Shawn on the card, this is the only match that could possibly main event.

The Gambler's Cinderella Story has captured the hearts of millions. The longtime loser has hit the jackpot. He has become the most popular wrestler in the US, if not the entire world. He was voted Inspirational Wrestler of the Year and Most Popular Wrestler by PWI. Wrestling Observer Newsletter readers voted him Best Babyface and Most Improved. A simple conversation on a train with The Gambler has made bad men good, and good men great.

The Gambler has become a celebrity who is known even outside of wrestling circles. And his celebrity will only grow as he is slated to co-star alongside Kenny Rogers in the upcoming Gambler VI made for tv movie with rumors leaking out of Hollywood that he was handpicked by Kenny Rogers himself to take over the lead role from the aging crooner and restauranteur going forward. The Gambler also managed to secure speaking roles in the film for his good friends Buddy Landell, Bret Hart, and Stevie Richards, while managing to finagle non-speaking roles for all the other fan favorites in the promotion. What a guy! The Gambler is truly a beacon of light in our dark and dangerous world....

Which brings us to Taz. "The One Man Crime Spree" has left a trail of broken bodies in the wake of his "Path of Rage." He is a wrestling machine who shows no remorse for his broken and battered foes. A list which includes The Gambler, whose career Taz nearly ended a few months back with a vicious Tazplex. The Gambler was lucky to escape with only temporary paralysis. Taz even bullies the two allies he does have. The man is a stone cold killer. Yet it has served him well in the harsh world of professional wrestling. He truly seems unbeatable. He annihilated longtime champion Shawn Michaels to win the World Title at our last event. And now he promises not just to end The Gambler's Cinderella Story, but to end his career once and for all. Beat him if you can. Survive if he lets you.

Good God, I pray for a time machine so as to attend both of these shows!

A Slice of pi

A Baker Draft

Has Christmas come early on PW?!

1993

Off to a strong start here. I felt like Hughes got hand-waved the first time around just to put Robbie V over, so this redemption angle definitely bumps it up a few levels and makes the rematch better. I envision a Sabu vs. One Man Gang style match, just truncated to be around 6 minutes. Jannetty vs. Anderson is one of those perfect second match on the card type deals. It reminds me of Jericho vs. Flair from SummerSlam '02. It's not going to steal the show, but it's the type of match that you can build the crowd up with. Also dig the counter-part with Martel/Simmons which I imagine will contrast that match and be more personality based. Not as long, a little bit silly but it's just pop wrestling.

The Nasty Boys push was one of the more surprising developments of the project. I might be alone on this, but the Nasty Boys are like a fungus. They grew on me so much, to the point where even that TNA 2010 run was nowhere near as bad as how it's portrayed and it gave us a sweet Team 3D/Nasty Boys match.

Van Hammer got his own Lex Express push?! Hammer maybe the ultimate looks like Tarzan, wrestles like Jane wrestlers right alongside guys like Test and Matt Morgan. Guys who looked like Undertaker-level stars but just never made it. Basically, Team Lesnar guys which was one of my favourite stables of all-time and I was kind of bummed that they just existed to help put guys like Hardcore Holly over. Anyways I expect this to be really nice sizzle and it's perfectly placed as the mid-card main event.

Do we come out of the break with a lighter match to reset the card? No way, we get an even better match with the formation of Triple T taking on those annoying (but entertaining) Frenchies. Love the build up to this, I have peak JR commentating the big babyface save from Windham infront of a hot crowd and it's just amazing.

Kind of skipping through the final three matches but I'm just going to be repeating myself. Austin/Pillman I remember being relatively disappointing at the Clash, but if done right, could be a damn match. Luger/Taker is just a huge match in 1993 and easily one of the biggest you could put together. Can't say the same for Sting/Diesel, but it's the star of this promotion with the amazing build of Diesel. I don't recall these guys ever having a big-time match. They faced off on Nitro a couple of times, but it was usually a DQ deal so it's a fairly enjoyable prospect. The few times they interracted in TNA was great too, their promos around the Main Event Mafia really saved that angle when it threatened to go off the tracks on several occassions.

1996

In terms of match quality, RnR/Dust & Lynn would wipe the floor with V/Hughes. Kind of a tepid start booking wise, but you could just trust the performers to put the pieces together here and get the crowd going. It's basically a fight of the AEW forefathers and the current AEW agents/trainers. Yes, Ultimo Dragon and Psichosis straight into my veins. One of those matches that looks better on paper now than it did in 1996, but Ultimo was one of the big discoveries of WCW and that Bash at the Beach 1996 match put Psichosis on the map from a mainstream perspective. 3rd match on the card always seemed like the perfect spot for both Stevie and Louie. Always good solid matches, but never trying to be epic or anything more than a fun match on the show. Obviously trying to win over the jTjohncenaGOAT vote. Rey/Juvi is just good business, I don't know if these two ever really had that PPV epic match. Plenty of good television matches on Thunder, but when it came to PPV I don't think they ever met 1-1 in a singles.

I'm predicting shenanigans with AFC/Gangstas. A short but sweet brawl, with AFC bumping around before either doing the job or spoiling the party with a roll-up. I'm predicting the latter...but if the former occurs the Gambler may have to have a word. I never thought about it, but a Benoit/Sabu rematch would have been great. Easy match to promote right there. Nice to see Buddy land on his feet as well and I think these two would have worked well together. Probably a little high for what it is, but since it's the Cruisers promotion, it's just the luck of the draw.

GAB 96 vibes with Helmsly/Sting. I thought these two were always a good pairing, it's just a shame that Wrestlemania 31 turned out the way that it did with all the over-booking. Shawn-Bret again is another no-brainer and we're getting in early with the Bret-Shawn 97 feud except there's a clear babyface here. Kind of feels like a slight twist on Wrestlemania XII. It's going to be a long match, but it's not exactly going to be 60 minutes, so there's still that tension.

Then we have the biggest match of the whole tournament Gambler vs. Taz in the ultimate battle of good versus evil. Again, I didn't expect this to be a promotional blitz for The Gambler, but this is what made the project so Pro Wrestling that Gambler got so over that he managed to dominate two federations.

VERDICT - 1993. Taz/Gambler was the best match of the entire project, but 1993 as a whole was just a better card top to bottom with 1996 relying too heavily on low maintenance cruiserweights who can go, but it just lacks the imagination of '93. It's extremely tight though, I'd order 1993 on PPV, but I'd probably watch 1996 more on VHS.

No 11th hour voting surge here. 1993 hangs on to win by a whopping 2-0 score.

I didn't vote in my own thing because that would be gauche, but I preferred the 1996 card, and would have bet on it winning rather easily. Did The Gambler and Buddy pushes finally jump the shark?

1993

I didn't plan on doing Sting/Diesel ahead of time, but it was the only logical choice given Diesel's status as the breakout star of this promotion. Call me crazy, but I just have this weird feeling that Surfer Sting would match up well with IC Champ era Diesel. I can't really explain why. Just a hunch. Sting goes over btw.

Lex/Undertaker was so nice I did it twice. I once booked the same match with the same storyline in a PW draft. 'Taker goes over in this battle between two of the 90s biggest stars.

Not gonna lie. I thought Austin/Pillman would generate a bigger reaction. Storyline basically writes itself. Given the short term nature of this project, I figured pulling the trigger on Austin vs. Pillman would have more value than Austin & Pillman remaining partners. Leaning towards Austin going over.

I like Pete's take on Quebecers vs. Two Tall Texans. This is the kind of match that isn't going to sell a PPV, but it would be a solid ***+ midcard bout that people like us would remember years down the line. Those dastardly Quebecers steal another one to retain the tag titles. 

Yoko/Hammer was Hammer's reward for actually beating the breakout star of the promotion. But I'm going to swerve Pete here. Yoko the dream crusher strikes again. Hammer goes for a bodyslam but fails because Yoko is just too big. Yoko then hits a slam of his own and pins Hammer clean with the dreaded Banzai Drop. It was always the plan to have Yoko beat Hammer here. Big Yoke needed a win after setbacks at the last two big shows.

Pete is overplaying the Nasty Boys push. It was the least planned "push" ever. I just needed an excuse to start breaking up the Blondes and luck of the draw gave that honor to the Nastys. Steiners go over in hopefully a repeat of their Halloween Havoc 1990 cult classic.

Pete nailed it on Simmons/Model and Arn/Marty. These were just two solid undercard matches between 4 pros that add depth to the card. Ron & Arn go over setting up a rematch from a few shows back with Simmons going over yet again. Simmons kind of got the shaft so I could hot shot to Yoko/Hammer. Had I carried on a bit, Simmons was in line for a big babyface push. He would have slammed and defeated Yokozuna to regain the American Title, lead the All Americans Survivor Series team against Yoko's Foreign Fanatics, and then embarked on an epic feud with "Narcissist" Lex Luger over the American Title with Lex ultimately going over. 

Pete is right again. Mr. Hughes was just a body when this project started. But he's in line for a big push now that I added him to The Gambler & Diesel's "Casino" stable. He goes over Robbie V here and Hughes/Diesel get a big push as a tag team after this event.

Next Show

Sting (c) vs. Undertaker- Finally time to pull the trigger on one of the internet's favorite dream matches. Probably do a shmozz finish.
Austin vs. Pillman- Rematch with some sort of stipulation. Whoever loses the first encounter goes over in this one.
Quebecers (c) vs. Steiners- Rematch from a while back with the Steiners regaining the titles.
Yoko (c) vs. Simmons- American Title Match with Simmons going over after a body slam to really jumpstart his big babyface push.
Narcissist vs. Dustin- Solid midcard bout with Flexy Lexy prevailing.
Arn vs. Windham- Grudge Match- Another solid midcard match. The Austin/Pillman result would dictate who goes over in this one.
Nasty Boys vs. The Casino (Diesel & Hughes)- Casino wins to kickstart their big push.
Model vs. Hammer- Feud over who has the better body. Model wins by cheating.
Robbie V vs. Marty- Youngster vs. Vet story with the winner (probably Marty) resorting to chicanery. 

*I'll cover 1996 tomorrow.

1996

Before I even get into the actual card I want to go back to the planning stages where I was originally going with two big Dream Partner tag matches- Rey & Ultimo vs. Juvy & Psicosis and Bret & Sting vs. HBK & HHH. Let's talk about them...

Juvy & Psicosis vs. Rey & Ultimo would have been an upstarts vs. establishment deal with former Cruiserweight champs and enemies Rey & Ultimo joining forces to put down the cocky young punks who had been messing with them. And that's the match I would have went with had this been a long term project. But given the sudden death nature of this project I split it up into two singles matches on the premise two good matches are better than one good match. Pete is right on the lack of story behind those two singles matches though. The writeups were basically "here is a good match" which is just the laziest approach. Would keeping it as a tag with an actual story behind it have helped 1996's chances?

Masters of the SharpScorpion vs. Proto DX got cut because I thought it would be weak to have the first Bret/HBK encounter since Wrestlemania 12 be a tag match. Go big or go home. Would definitely do this on the next show though.
================
Pete was on the right track when it comes to Rock & Roll Express vs. Goldust & Lynn. That's the most random match of this entire project. These were the leftover acts creative had nothing for paired together. R&R finally get in the win column since they're a real team.

Ultimo vs. Psicosis would be a good match (lazy!) and I'm leaning towards Psicosis going over. It'll give him his biggest win to date and set up the aforementioned tag at the next big show.

His spirit having been embiggened by the noble Gambler, Stevie Richards avenges an earlier setback by defeating Louie Spicolli this time around.

Pete is right again on Rey vs. Juvy incredibly never happening on WCW pay per view. That really is a shame. They had a cult classic match on a March '96 ECW show and I'm sure would have knocked it out of the park again if WCW had given them a high profile match. So I'm doing what WCW failed to do. Leaning towards Juvy going over to give him a big win and set up the big Cruiserweight tag at the next show.

Gangstas win the tag titles back from the Amazing French Canadiens in a bloodletting to make the fans happy. Those poor fans will need something to cling to by the time this show is over....

Chris Benoit retains the Cruiserweight Title by defeating Sabu after a Fonzie distraction. Dammit! Benoit has joined up with Fonzie and Team Taz! Taz/Benoit/Spicolli form a new stable known as The Shooters.

Buddy Landell upsets Lord Steven Regal with the Dreaded Corkscrew Elbow to become the neeewwww British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion. This leads to a fun angle where The Queen strips Regal of his title. The former Lordship then suffers through a "DDP loses his lottery winnings" style angle where he basically becomes a bum. Hadn't thought it all the way through yet, but I'm guessing a chance conversation with The Gambler embiggens Regal's spirit too, and he soon finds a way to regain his nobility.

Pete is right as usual in Sting vs. Regal @ GAB 96 being the inspiration behind Sting vs. HHH here. Never did decide who was going over. It feels too early to have Hunter upset The Stinger, but I was toying with the idea of debuting Chyna here. After all, DX is right around the corner in this universe...

Either Bret Hart gets his win back by defeating Shawn Michaels around the 30 minute mark in an indecisive manner. Maybe a small package or Michaels actually gets his foot on the rope at 2.9 but the ref misses it. Definitely not a clean Sharpshooter victory for the Hitman. Or Michaels wins with the help of HHH. Either way it leads to Proto DX vs. Masters of the SharpScorpion at the next big show. Nothing is settled in this one.

And now for the match you've all been waiting for.....

The Cinderella Story of the Century comes to an abrupt end when Taz crushes the hopes and dreams of wrestling fans around the world by making quick work of The Gambler. Gambler befuddles Taz early by throwing a deck of cards in his face. Gambler feeds off the 100% crowd support to go on the greatest offense flurry of his life. He looks to have it won in record time with The Dreaded Corkscrew Elbow....only to have Taz no sell(!), take The Gambler to Suplex City, and choke him out in a few minutes. The crowd pelts Taz with trash and a near riot ensues.

The Future

Taz vs. Sabu headlines the next show since Sabu got screwed by Fonzie at the last one and is the only man in this universe to beat Taz (albeit under controversial circumstances). Alas, poor Sabu becomes just another victim in Taz's Path of Rage.

Masters of the SharpScorpion defeat Proto DX when Bret makes HHH submit to The Sharpshooter.

Mexicools defeat Rey & Ultimo because Juvy & Psicosis have better teamwork than former rivals Rey & Ultimo.

Gangstas vs. Rock & Roll Express vs. Amazing French Canadiens likely ends with The Gangstas retaining the tag straps.

Benoit & Spicolli make quick work of Buddy & The Gambler

Goldust defeats Stevie Richards in a match brought about by a Richards & Meanie parody of Goldust & Marlena. Either Stevie or Goldust reverts back to heel status during the build or match.

Jerry Lynn finally gets in the win column by defeating a depressed Steve Regal.
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Show after that would see Bret finally end Taz's Path of Rage and prove once and for all that The Hitman is the best technical wrestler in the world. Bret would then have to deal with challenges from HBK, HHH, Sting, Benoit, etc. Taz would probably turn babyface. Gambler (and Buddy) would help the struggling Regal get his mojo back only to have the dastardly Brit turn on them once he regains his status as a member of the nobility. Juvy & Psicosis would either become tag champs soon or split up and feud when one of them wins the Cruiserweight Title.
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*That wraps up this Draft Project for the foreseeable future. I may or may not get back to my Indie Superfed project. I have a great short term storyline in mind for Doug Gilbert. But therein lies the problem. Doug Gilbert is not a draw on PW (or anywhere else outside of possibly Memphis). The same can be said for Cheetah Master and, let's face it, most of the roster. If a tree falls in the woods, and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? Is it worth doing a fanfic project, no matter how awesome, if nobody reads it??