Post by 1RealSmartAlex on Nov 6, 2020 17:25:22 GMT
Backstory
Where we were:
FFCW has always been a cult favorite. It started as a relatively unknown indie. It became a developmental territory for WWE where its talent would produce one and a half seasons of the NXT game show. It would then change ownership multiple times. However, the most recent owner was Cody Rhodes. Rumor was, Cody was frustrated with his own lack of control in All Elite Wrestling, and he wanted his own pet project
Where we wanted to go:
After Heroes Stand Tall, FFCW wrestlers were in a place they had never been in before. Cody Rhodes gave them the freedom to compete on the independents. In the past, they would be stuck in contractual limbo. Now, they were free to show the world what they were capable of. Independent wrestling fans across the US were buzzing about where they might see their favorites pop up. What better way to capitalize on the new found independence than a supershow? Independent wrestling promotions like Game Changer, Beyond, Black Label Pro, AIW, and Southern Underground Pro were gearing up for a super event: FFCW versus IWTV. The super showdown.
Where we went:
Fans across the country were jazzed at the idea of a supershow. They started to dream up their ideal matches. Which FFCW stars would face which IWTV stars? Then, the first major blow came. All UK talent must return home in order for new visas to be issued. IWTV attempted to put together the paperwork needed to get talents such as WP, PB, WMS, Franchise, and others, but the deal couldn’t be made in time. The next blow wasn’t as severe, but Baker defeated Zicky Dice for the NWA World Television Champion. Baker tweeted that while he knew he couldn’t sign a contract with the NWA due to a clause in his FFCW contract, he would not be competing for any other independents. Also, one of the biggest stars in the history of FFCW, PI, was radio silent. No one knew the status of the Masked Maniac who also happened to be the FFCW World Champion. The final blow came when the graphic was revealed. After months of competing on Dark, jTj was All Elite. Still, the folks at IWTV were able to come up with a damn impressive card.
FFCW versus IWTV
Holzhammer versus Chris Dickinson
KJ versus WARHORSE
Extreme Rules
Shinobi Musashi versus Matthew Justice
Tag Team Match
The Real NoRTh AMericans [AM and RT] versus The North [Ethan Page and Josh Alexander]
The Kid versus Nick Gage
T-Money versus AJ Gray
The Clusterfuck
Featuring Big Evil, The Dazzler, Ness, Radikal, Raven Star, Blake Christian, Manders, Kevin Ku, Dom Garrini, and more
The Recall
72 hours before ‘FFCW versus IWTV’, a shocking announcement was made. Cody Rhodes sold FFCW...to Tony Khan. Rumors were Khan wanted the tape library to possibly create a streaming service, and at the very least, boost the AEW YouTube Channel. It came as TOTAL SHOCK when Khan announced he was recalling all of the contracted athletes. They would not be allowed to compete on any non-FFCW events. They must cancel their independent bookings immediately. All Elite Wrestling didn’t secure a third hour on TNT, Tony Khan did, and he was using it for the same purposes Cody Rhodes was, to create his own project that was free from interference from The Elite. FFCW versus IWTV was ruined. They scrambled to rearrange the card and find new talent offering refunds to any disappointed fans.
FFCW versus IWTV
Hales: Denver Colorado, who will face Chris Dickinson in the main event tonight?
Colorado: I can only say it’s someone who was beyond pissed about this event going down the way it did. He came to me and said I have to be a part of this show.
Hales: Could it be someone from FFCW?
Colorado: I cannot legally comment.
...
Palladino: His opponent, from High Energy Lucha Libre, Fantasma Dorado!
Hales: I believe that translates to Golden Ghost, but what does that mean?
Colorado: I don’t know, but I know there is no such promotion as High Energy Lucha Libre!
...
Palladino: Your winner, by disqualification, ‘The Dirty Daddy’ Chris Dickinson!
“Give me that mike!”
[Fantasma Dorado sits in the middle of the ring.]
“You may be asking yourself why I called myself Fantasma Dorado. It’s because I’m the only champion on this show tonight. Well, the only FFCW Champion that is.
Do any of you know the real story of FFCW? Do you know why the promotion even exists? See, the truth is, we were all trained by the same guy. He was frustrated with the state of wrestling, so he started recruiting guys for his own school. There were four graduates in the first class. jTj, KJ, PI, and Holzhammer. Some would call them the Mount Rushmore of FFCW. I think that’s hard to deny. So he trained them, and then, he wanted them to go straight to the top. He wanted to produce the best wrestlers in the world. He wanted them to be champions. Well, he wanted them to be tag team champions. Intercontinental champions. United States champions. Television champions. He didn’t want them to be World Heavyweight Champions. He wanted that honor for himself.
So imagine his disappointment when one night he’s wrestling on a show where he normally wouldn’t be caught dead, but they promised to book all of his students. He brings his students to this show, and they all got to wrestle. The Trainer was in the main event, and some shitbag fourty miler broke his neck. Some guy who had no business being in the ring with him gave him a career ending injury. The doctors told him he would never wrestle again. He could still train, but he couldn’t wrestle.
And that’s when FFCW was born. He started his own promotion so he could keep making a living in the wrestling business. And here was the kicker, he could book all of his students. At first he would bring in other names for us to work with. At first he would let us wrestle people who would help us get better. But then those guys started asking for too much money, and truth be told, he could fill a card with his trainees and pay them a lot less because they were loyal.
Every time one of us started to get hot somewhere else, he would dump a bucket of water on us. If one of us had a tryout, he’d put us in a deathmatch hoping we’d get hurt. He had us sign these priority contracts where we got a ten dollar raise if we prioritized his bookings over any others, and like fools, we signed them. The same man who made us as great as we are only wanted us to be great for him because he was jealous. He didn’t want us to reach the precipices that he never made it to. And I’m sick of it.
I am going to change the ending of the FFCW story. I am going to make the world of wrestling a better place for us, and for you, the fans. I never got the shot I deserved because I questioned everything. I wasn’t going to stand by and let him walk on me. Long after he sold the company the first time. He was always there to put his thumb down on us. Not this time. I am going to put him down. I am going to liberate FFCW.
I may not be the best in the world, but I am the good in the world.
It’s time for a RADIKAL change.”
[Radikal peels off the mask to a huge pop. Suddenly, men in black masks storm the ring. Radikal tries to fight them off, but there are too many of them. At the instruction of the tallest of them, they others drop him on his head with a spike piledriver. The leader calls for another person to come from the back who is holding a duffle bag. They take Radikal’s FFCW Sub-Forum Championship out of the bag before dumping the rest of his belongings on him. The leader puts the Sub-Forum Championship over his shoulder before leading the men in masks out of the building.]
FFCW: Liberation
Where we were:
FFCW has always been a cult favorite. It started as a relatively unknown indie. It became a developmental territory for WWE where its talent would produce one and a half seasons of the NXT game show. It would then change ownership multiple times. However, the most recent owner was Cody Rhodes. Rumor was, Cody was frustrated with his own lack of control in All Elite Wrestling, and he wanted his own pet project
Where we wanted to go:
After Heroes Stand Tall, FFCW wrestlers were in a place they had never been in before. Cody Rhodes gave them the freedom to compete on the independents. In the past, they would be stuck in contractual limbo. Now, they were free to show the world what they were capable of. Independent wrestling fans across the US were buzzing about where they might see their favorites pop up. What better way to capitalize on the new found independence than a supershow? Independent wrestling promotions like Game Changer, Beyond, Black Label Pro, AIW, and Southern Underground Pro were gearing up for a super event: FFCW versus IWTV. The super showdown.
Where we went:
Fans across the country were jazzed at the idea of a supershow. They started to dream up their ideal matches. Which FFCW stars would face which IWTV stars? Then, the first major blow came. All UK talent must return home in order for new visas to be issued. IWTV attempted to put together the paperwork needed to get talents such as WP, PB, WMS, Franchise, and others, but the deal couldn’t be made in time. The next blow wasn’t as severe, but Baker defeated Zicky Dice for the NWA World Television Champion. Baker tweeted that while he knew he couldn’t sign a contract with the NWA due to a clause in his FFCW contract, he would not be competing for any other independents. Also, one of the biggest stars in the history of FFCW, PI, was radio silent. No one knew the status of the Masked Maniac who also happened to be the FFCW World Champion. The final blow came when the graphic was revealed. After months of competing on Dark, jTj was All Elite. Still, the folks at IWTV were able to come up with a damn impressive card.
FFCW versus IWTV
Holzhammer versus Chris Dickinson
KJ versus WARHORSE
Extreme Rules
Shinobi Musashi versus Matthew Justice
Tag Team Match
The Real NoRTh AMericans [AM and RT] versus The North [Ethan Page and Josh Alexander]
The Kid versus Nick Gage
T-Money versus AJ Gray
The Clusterfuck
Featuring Big Evil, The Dazzler, Ness, Radikal, Raven Star, Blake Christian, Manders, Kevin Ku, Dom Garrini, and more
The Recall
72 hours before ‘FFCW versus IWTV’, a shocking announcement was made. Cody Rhodes sold FFCW...to Tony Khan. Rumors were Khan wanted the tape library to possibly create a streaming service, and at the very least, boost the AEW YouTube Channel. It came as TOTAL SHOCK when Khan announced he was recalling all of the contracted athletes. They would not be allowed to compete on any non-FFCW events. They must cancel their independent bookings immediately. All Elite Wrestling didn’t secure a third hour on TNT, Tony Khan did, and he was using it for the same purposes Cody Rhodes was, to create his own project that was free from interference from The Elite. FFCW versus IWTV was ruined. They scrambled to rearrange the card and find new talent offering refunds to any disappointed fans.
Hales: Denver Colorado, who will face Chris Dickinson in the main event tonight?
Colorado: I can only say it’s someone who was beyond pissed about this event going down the way it did. He came to me and said I have to be a part of this show.
Hales: Could it be someone from FFCW?
Colorado: I cannot legally comment.
...
Palladino: His opponent, from High Energy Lucha Libre, Fantasma Dorado!
Hales: I believe that translates to Golden Ghost, but what does that mean?
Colorado: I don’t know, but I know there is no such promotion as High Energy Lucha Libre!
...
Palladino: Your winner, by disqualification, ‘The Dirty Daddy’ Chris Dickinson!
“Give me that mike!”
[Fantasma Dorado sits in the middle of the ring.]
“You may be asking yourself why I called myself Fantasma Dorado. It’s because I’m the only champion on this show tonight. Well, the only FFCW Champion that is.
Do any of you know the real story of FFCW? Do you know why the promotion even exists? See, the truth is, we were all trained by the same guy. He was frustrated with the state of wrestling, so he started recruiting guys for his own school. There were four graduates in the first class. jTj, KJ, PI, and Holzhammer. Some would call them the Mount Rushmore of FFCW. I think that’s hard to deny. So he trained them, and then, he wanted them to go straight to the top. He wanted to produce the best wrestlers in the world. He wanted them to be champions. Well, he wanted them to be tag team champions. Intercontinental champions. United States champions. Television champions. He didn’t want them to be World Heavyweight Champions. He wanted that honor for himself.
So imagine his disappointment when one night he’s wrestling on a show where he normally wouldn’t be caught dead, but they promised to book all of his students. He brings his students to this show, and they all got to wrestle. The Trainer was in the main event, and some shitbag fourty miler broke his neck. Some guy who had no business being in the ring with him gave him a career ending injury. The doctors told him he would never wrestle again. He could still train, but he couldn’t wrestle.
And that’s when FFCW was born. He started his own promotion so he could keep making a living in the wrestling business. And here was the kicker, he could book all of his students. At first he would bring in other names for us to work with. At first he would let us wrestle people who would help us get better. But then those guys started asking for too much money, and truth be told, he could fill a card with his trainees and pay them a lot less because they were loyal.
Every time one of us started to get hot somewhere else, he would dump a bucket of water on us. If one of us had a tryout, he’d put us in a deathmatch hoping we’d get hurt. He had us sign these priority contracts where we got a ten dollar raise if we prioritized his bookings over any others, and like fools, we signed them. The same man who made us as great as we are only wanted us to be great for him because he was jealous. He didn’t want us to reach the precipices that he never made it to. And I’m sick of it.
I am going to change the ending of the FFCW story. I am going to make the world of wrestling a better place for us, and for you, the fans. I never got the shot I deserved because I questioned everything. I wasn’t going to stand by and let him walk on me. Long after he sold the company the first time. He was always there to put his thumb down on us. Not this time. I am going to put him down. I am going to liberate FFCW.
I may not be the best in the world, but I am the good in the world.
It’s time for a RADIKAL change.”
[Radikal peels off the mask to a huge pop. Suddenly, men in black masks storm the ring. Radikal tries to fight them off, but there are too many of them. At the instruction of the tallest of them, they others drop him on his head with a spike piledriver. The leader calls for another person to come from the back who is holding a duffle bag. They take Radikal’s FFCW Sub-Forum Championship out of the bag before dumping the rest of his belongings on him. The leader puts the Sub-Forum Championship over his shoulder before leading the men in masks out of the building.]
FFCW: Liberation