Post by Steve Sinclair on Dec 22, 2018 15:41:33 GMT
2005……
Inside the Amsterdam Mall in, wait for it, Amsterdam NY! Nanook, a much younger and slimmer if you can believe that version of himself is seated down at the far end of the table inside the ESW headquarters.
What is ESW you may have just asked yourself?
ESW stands for Empire State Wrestling, and as the name suggests, is based in NY, Upstate NY. So like Albany. (For the ones of you who don’t live in New York, Up state is anything above the Catskills. I don’t give a flying fuck what those city folk, Those Cuomo loving fucktards fucking say, the fucking Catskills aren’t “upstate!” That shit is down state.)
Anywho.
ESW is the brainchild of Steve and Raven Sinclair, a brother and sister team who followed in their father’s footsteps, and their grandfather's footsteps, and their great grandfather's footsteps and they made their living by wrastling! They went by the ring names of Chamber and Cobalt. Chamber, strong like a ox, this huge monstrous figure who had a knack for throwing people off of roofs. Did I mention that he is bipolar and doesn’t like to take his meds? Uhmmm, so much fun he is.
His sister from a different mother, Cobalt is this little irish ass kicker who didn’t put up with anyone’s bullshit. She is like a finely sharpened razor blade that one. Quick with the tongue, and before you could say Kaber, she would have dismantled you in the ring. They did battle all over in the late 80’s and through the 90’s. In the early aughts, they both were starting to slow down and decided to open up a school, and that morphed into their own federation. It started out small like all of them do. They had their ups and downs for the first year, struggled but they found a footing and it grew year by year. For 7 years, the ESW was the premier place to see and be seen on the east coast.
2005 is what can be described as their prime year. That is when Nanook started planning.
Planning a takeover…...
It was a Wednesday. 2 days after Mayhem on Monday night. Steve and Raven managed to get ESW on the CW with a 11 PM time slot, airing after RAW went off the air. Many insiders wrote in their columns back then, that this plan wasn’t going to work. People just watched 3 hours of wrestling, no way did they want to watch one more! Long story short, it worked. People do want to stay up till midnight on a monday watching wrestling! Who knew!
Wednesday was a staff meeting to discuss Monday’s show, what worked, what didn’t, plans for next week and sometimes, discussing the upcoming pay per view. Steve and Raven were there of course. Raven’s sister Cerriwen was there. Their brother KC, who now ran the school in NYC, the same location that Nanook now runs his business out of, with KC still running the school today. Howdy, play by play guy for ESW and Steve’s longtime manager, who he has known since he was 5 years old. Steve’s twin brother Michael would be on the phone as he’s in Japan at the time keeping an eye for talent to steer towards New York. Ted would be on hand, Steve and Raven’s uncle, father to Joe Jones and he would do much of the booking with his 40 plus years of experience at that time. And then there would be Nanook, who was the color guy in the booth next to Howdy.
It was a family affair and everyone at the table owned a stake in ownership. Except Nanook. And the shares weren’t even divided up even. Steve and Raven started this, they fronted the money to get it going. They had the biggest stakes of course. Then it went Ted, KC, Cerriwen, Howdy and then coming in dead last was Michael. And the odd thing is, he was perhaps working the hardest at that time in tracking down new talent, cutting a deal that made sense for both sides and getting them on a plane. He only had a 1% stake in the company. Howdy, the only non family member, had a stake, he got 10% If you’re saying to yourself right now, “Why, that is fucked up.” Then you’re thinking the same thing that Nanook was thinking.
Furthermore, Nanook was pissed he wasn’t offered anything. He was the first to sign on and help get the ESW off of the ground. He worked that first year for free. He did everything he could to help put the ESW on the map. He was rewarded with a nice paycheck, a nice fat bonus at the end of the year, a seat at the table, a say on the title scene and booking ideas, everything, but a share of stock. He was even named the GM for a bit, and was allowed to bring in guys he found and signed to his new agency, ESM. This always didn’t sit right with him, and he blamed Steve for this. Steve owned nearly 45%, more than his own sister. Why couldn’t he break off 2 to 3 percent and give that to him? It was a subject that Nanook brought up and was shot down every time. 2005. Nanook was done asking.
He was taking.
It was time to get the big guy out of the picture. A shake up was in order and Nanook found his man in Michael. Michael, started wrestling before Steve did going by the name Morgue. He had a short lived career for whatever reason, maybe it was because he couldn’t cut a promo to save his life, worked way to stiff and didn’t know how to move in that ring being 7’3” himself. The one thing he had though, was a good eye. He could spot a future main eventer through the fog on the other side of a mountain. He could see what others couldn’t, even what the talent couldn’t see in their selfs. His low ownership stake rubbed him the wrong way. Why he would tell Nanook; “If it wasn’t for me, getting him that try out, he wouldn’t be who he is today. I created Chamber! Not him! He owes me more that son of a bitch!”
Nanook found his man, his man to create some chaos, just enough to make Steve, the short fused bastard that he is, to snap and give Michael the old heave hoe, then Nanook could seize his 1% in the company. He just needed a way to make it happen and with him on the other side of the globe, nothing was going to happen.
“Anyone got anything? I think we’re just about done here.” Steve says as the post production meeting is wrapping up.
“Yeah.” Nanook wakes up from daydreaming, dreaming of plotting a takeover. “You think Michael can come back to the states for a while?”
They might be twins, but they did not see eye to eye. There was a reason why Steve sent his brother to the far east.
“I think I found a guy, a kid, from Kentucky and I think he could be someone with some tweaking. He’s been working with KC, but you know, Michael has that magical touch. I would like him to work with this kid.”
Steve closes his notebook. “What’s the kid’s name?”
"Nickolas. Going to call him Nick for short. Sick Nick actually.”
“Really?” Steve says as he gives Nanook that look, the look of “That is the best you got?”
“Maybe. We’ll see. The kid is raw but I think, I think he can be something special. Hometown, fresh from the farm kid.” Nanook adds. Michael was silent on the other end of the line. “Come on you fucking moron! Say something!” Ran through Nanook’s mind.
“I don’t…”
“He’s coming home for the holidays. What’s a couple of weeks? Jesus man, lighten up.” Nanook adds.
Cobalt stands up. “I don’t have a problem with this.” she says in her thick Irish accent that I didn’t not just wrote properly just now.
Steve and Raven fought for years, most of it stemming from that whole Bipolar issue and Steve’s belief that he didn’t need his meds. Now, Steve is trying to make amends with his sister. If she said okay, he’s not going to argue against it.
“Yeah. I don’t have a problem with it. Whatever.” Steve says as he stands up, gathers his things and leaves the room.
Nanook smirks. As everyone leaves the room, little did they know that the beginning of the ending was put into motion………
Inside the Amsterdam Mall in, wait for it, Amsterdam NY! Nanook, a much younger and slimmer if you can believe that version of himself is seated down at the far end of the table inside the ESW headquarters.
What is ESW you may have just asked yourself?
ESW stands for Empire State Wrestling, and as the name suggests, is based in NY, Upstate NY. So like Albany. (For the ones of you who don’t live in New York, Up state is anything above the Catskills. I don’t give a flying fuck what those city folk, Those Cuomo loving fucktards fucking say, the fucking Catskills aren’t “upstate!” That shit is down state.)
Anywho.
ESW is the brainchild of Steve and Raven Sinclair, a brother and sister team who followed in their father’s footsteps, and their grandfather's footsteps, and their great grandfather's footsteps and they made their living by wrastling! They went by the ring names of Chamber and Cobalt. Chamber, strong like a ox, this huge monstrous figure who had a knack for throwing people off of roofs. Did I mention that he is bipolar and doesn’t like to take his meds? Uhmmm, so much fun he is.
His sister from a different mother, Cobalt is this little irish ass kicker who didn’t put up with anyone’s bullshit. She is like a finely sharpened razor blade that one. Quick with the tongue, and before you could say Kaber, she would have dismantled you in the ring. They did battle all over in the late 80’s and through the 90’s. In the early aughts, they both were starting to slow down and decided to open up a school, and that morphed into their own federation. It started out small like all of them do. They had their ups and downs for the first year, struggled but they found a footing and it grew year by year. For 7 years, the ESW was the premier place to see and be seen on the east coast.
2005 is what can be described as their prime year. That is when Nanook started planning.
Planning a takeover…...
It was a Wednesday. 2 days after Mayhem on Monday night. Steve and Raven managed to get ESW on the CW with a 11 PM time slot, airing after RAW went off the air. Many insiders wrote in their columns back then, that this plan wasn’t going to work. People just watched 3 hours of wrestling, no way did they want to watch one more! Long story short, it worked. People do want to stay up till midnight on a monday watching wrestling! Who knew!
Wednesday was a staff meeting to discuss Monday’s show, what worked, what didn’t, plans for next week and sometimes, discussing the upcoming pay per view. Steve and Raven were there of course. Raven’s sister Cerriwen was there. Their brother KC, who now ran the school in NYC, the same location that Nanook now runs his business out of, with KC still running the school today. Howdy, play by play guy for ESW and Steve’s longtime manager, who he has known since he was 5 years old. Steve’s twin brother Michael would be on the phone as he’s in Japan at the time keeping an eye for talent to steer towards New York. Ted would be on hand, Steve and Raven’s uncle, father to Joe Jones and he would do much of the booking with his 40 plus years of experience at that time. And then there would be Nanook, who was the color guy in the booth next to Howdy.
It was a family affair and everyone at the table owned a stake in ownership. Except Nanook. And the shares weren’t even divided up even. Steve and Raven started this, they fronted the money to get it going. They had the biggest stakes of course. Then it went Ted, KC, Cerriwen, Howdy and then coming in dead last was Michael. And the odd thing is, he was perhaps working the hardest at that time in tracking down new talent, cutting a deal that made sense for both sides and getting them on a plane. He only had a 1% stake in the company. Howdy, the only non family member, had a stake, he got 10% If you’re saying to yourself right now, “Why, that is fucked up.” Then you’re thinking the same thing that Nanook was thinking.
Furthermore, Nanook was pissed he wasn’t offered anything. He was the first to sign on and help get the ESW off of the ground. He worked that first year for free. He did everything he could to help put the ESW on the map. He was rewarded with a nice paycheck, a nice fat bonus at the end of the year, a seat at the table, a say on the title scene and booking ideas, everything, but a share of stock. He was even named the GM for a bit, and was allowed to bring in guys he found and signed to his new agency, ESM. This always didn’t sit right with him, and he blamed Steve for this. Steve owned nearly 45%, more than his own sister. Why couldn’t he break off 2 to 3 percent and give that to him? It was a subject that Nanook brought up and was shot down every time. 2005. Nanook was done asking.
He was taking.
It was time to get the big guy out of the picture. A shake up was in order and Nanook found his man in Michael. Michael, started wrestling before Steve did going by the name Morgue. He had a short lived career for whatever reason, maybe it was because he couldn’t cut a promo to save his life, worked way to stiff and didn’t know how to move in that ring being 7’3” himself. The one thing he had though, was a good eye. He could spot a future main eventer through the fog on the other side of a mountain. He could see what others couldn’t, even what the talent couldn’t see in their selfs. His low ownership stake rubbed him the wrong way. Why he would tell Nanook; “If it wasn’t for me, getting him that try out, he wouldn’t be who he is today. I created Chamber! Not him! He owes me more that son of a bitch!”
Nanook found his man, his man to create some chaos, just enough to make Steve, the short fused bastard that he is, to snap and give Michael the old heave hoe, then Nanook could seize his 1% in the company. He just needed a way to make it happen and with him on the other side of the globe, nothing was going to happen.
“Anyone got anything? I think we’re just about done here.” Steve says as the post production meeting is wrapping up.
“Yeah.” Nanook wakes up from daydreaming, dreaming of plotting a takeover. “You think Michael can come back to the states for a while?”
They might be twins, but they did not see eye to eye. There was a reason why Steve sent his brother to the far east.
“I think I found a guy, a kid, from Kentucky and I think he could be someone with some tweaking. He’s been working with KC, but you know, Michael has that magical touch. I would like him to work with this kid.”
Steve closes his notebook. “What’s the kid’s name?”
"Nickolas. Going to call him Nick for short. Sick Nick actually.”
“Really?” Steve says as he gives Nanook that look, the look of “That is the best you got?”
“Maybe. We’ll see. The kid is raw but I think, I think he can be something special. Hometown, fresh from the farm kid.” Nanook adds. Michael was silent on the other end of the line. “Come on you fucking moron! Say something!” Ran through Nanook’s mind.
“I don’t…”
“He’s coming home for the holidays. What’s a couple of weeks? Jesus man, lighten up.” Nanook adds.
Cobalt stands up. “I don’t have a problem with this.” she says in her thick Irish accent that I didn’t not just wrote properly just now.
Steve and Raven fought for years, most of it stemming from that whole Bipolar issue and Steve’s belief that he didn’t need his meds. Now, Steve is trying to make amends with his sister. If she said okay, he’s not going to argue against it.
“Yeah. I don’t have a problem with it. Whatever.” Steve says as he stands up, gathers his things and leaves the room.
Nanook smirks. As everyone leaves the room, little did they know that the beginning of the ending was put into motion………