WCW vs the NWO
Austin vs McMahon
Arguably the two greatest storylines in professional wrestling history… but why? It’s really quite simple, they both had a compelling cast of characters telling their stories within an atmosphere of volatility that seemed like it could explode at any given moment. These ingredients combined to capture the imaginations of hardcore and casual fans alike, making them emotionally invested in what they were seeing and leaving them on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what was going to happen next. And in doing so changed the fortunes of WCW and WWE respectively and ushered in the biggest boom period pro wrestling has ever seen.
You may be asking “What’s your point Dude? What does all this have to do with anything?” Well I’m gonna tell you but first we have to go back to the first Explosive Pro Wrestling Perth show of 2016 the Great Aussie Bash. (for a full recap of the event head to http://drawingheat.podomatic.com)
[cue Scooby-Doo dream gimmick]
Rookie sensation Logan Grey made his way to the ring to cut a promo, fresh off winning both the 2015 Rising Star Cup and EPW Invitational Tournament. The latter of which guarantees a shot at the EPW Title whenever he chooses. It was speculated that Logan would address this during said promo but that was not the case. Logan stated that while he had been mentored by TMDK’s Shane Haste for the past 6 months he was not an official member of TMDK, but that was about to change as TMDK had extended an invitation to become their “rookie”.
This brought out The Solution led by “The Messiah” Davis Storm who entered the ring with what seemed like evil intentions as they had Logan Grey outnumbered. Storm though had other plans as he grabbed the stick and proceeded to cut a promo of his own aimed squarely at young Logan.
I’m going to paraphrase here but basically Storm told Logan that the only reason he was offered membership into TMDK (as their rookie no less) was because the current EPW Champion Marcius Pitt represents TMDK and they were afraid that Logan would take the title from them. He also said that Logan Grey would be nothing but TMDK’s official “bitch” and went on to offer him a spot in The Solution instead.
Now this is where things really get interesting dear readers as out come TMDK and as soon as they hit the ring THE SHIT WAS ON!! If you look up the definition of a Pier 6 brawl in the dictionary you would just find a picture of the absolute chaos that erupted here. (go ahead I’ll wait.)
See, I told you didn’t I?
This wasn’t just your stock standard kickass brawl though as something special was happening here. It was one of those wrestling “moments”. The intensity on display generated an electricity in the arena very rarely seen in professional wrestling. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end and my arms were covered in goosebumps.
Now I thought that it was just me but when I turned around I found the usually quiet EPW fans (they’re a loyal bunch but lately they’ve seemed hard to impress) marking out just as much as I was. It was truly “wrestle magic” as 300 people collectively lost their minds!
To get a better picture of why this seemingly innocuous angle had such a profound affect on people we need to look a little closer at each stable.
TMDK
Members:
Shane Haste
Mikey Nicholls
Marcius Pitt
Jonah Rock
“JAG” Hartley Jackson
Elliot Sexton
Slex
Logan Grey (unofficial as of this writing)
These guys are an EPW institution made up of homegrown (Haste, Nicholls & Pitt) and interstate talent, they are considered the best of the best in Australian pro wrestling. The ultimate babyfaces and wrestling royalty. If you’re a member of TMDK you are basically a made man. Notorious not only in Australia but around the world, TMDK have earned every accolade that has been bestowed upon them.
The Solution
Members:
“The Messiah” Davis Storm
The Warship
AZ Vegara
Liam Mendel
Amity Row
Led by Davis Storm (EPW founder and legend of Australian wrestling in his own right) and The Warship, (the conscience of the group) The Solution have made the destruction of Explosive Pro Wrestling their ultimate goal. They feel that the EPW locker room has become full of lazy, self-entitled wrestlers who are tarnishing the legacy that past champions like Davis Storm built in EPW.
So in one corner we have The Solution, who want nothing more than to decimate EPW by tearing it down piece by piece from within. And in the opposite corner standing in their way, the golden boys of Australian wrestling and the embodiment of all that EPW stands for – TMDK. The storylines pretty much write themselves here.
Honestly we don’t know exactly what EPW has planned with regards to this feud in the long term but going by the Road Warrior like pop the brawl got at Great Aussie Bash, they might want to drag this out for as long as they can.
EPW seem to be on the ball as they have recently announced that the main event of their next show GoldRush which takes place March 12th (get your tickets from http://www.epwperth.com) will be Davis Storm vs Marcius Pitt for the EPW Title.
This is an excellent sign for this feud as The Solution need to focus their attention on capturing EPW gold in order to further their narrative. That the champion is a TMDK member and possibly EPW’s biggest babyface to boot is just icing on the cake. Having this match is a brilliant idea by the EPW Creative Team.
How then does all this tie in to what I was talking about at the start of this blog? I’ll tell you.
If EPW can extend the rivalry between TMDK and The Solution for a number of months at least with creative booking and exciting angles in a slow burn if you will, culminating with a huge payoff at one of the bigger EPW events (I’m hoping ReAwakening but fussy I am not.) they would capture the imaginations of the EPW faithful who, after each part of the story unfolds would be emotionally invested and be left wanting more.
In turn they will surely tell their friends about this can’t miss wrestling storyline, who will then come and see it for themselves and afterwards end up telling their friends about it, who then do the same and tell their friends etc etc, until not only are the diehard wrestling fans attending the shows but the word of mouth has piqued the interest of the casual fan also, which going by what Nate Dooley told us last year is EPW’s current aim. (attract the casual fans and grow the company)
Take it from me the battle lines have already been drawn in this war between those fans who support TMDK and those who are firmly behind The Solution. The time is now for EPW to capitalize on this.
Flood the merch stand with TMDK AND Solution merchandise so the fans can show where their loyalties lie. It will have a profound effect on the atmosphere inside Bodyslam Central and not only for the the TMDK/Solution segments but the energy will be felt throughout the entire show.
Dedicate as much time and resources as possible to produce video packages, promos and internet advertising in order to promote the shit out of these two factions. You’ve got some incredible talkers on these teams so let them loose.
EPW must strike while the iron is hot and ride the wave of momentum generated at the Bash as far as they can go because while maybe not on the same worldwide scale as WCW vs the NWO or Austin vs McMahon, TMDK vs The Solution could be the company defining moment in the storied history of Explosive Pro Wrestling Perth.
Now as you can probably tell I feel very passionately about this feud and believe it can be the hottest thing ever seen in Australian pro wrestling. If you feel the same as I do or just want to voice your thoughts about it feel free to leave a comment.
– The Dude –
Drawing Heat Podcast 