Looking Back w/ Matt Shanahan

[Punkology]

[Disclaimer: This topic is essentially an interview with Matt Shanahan post-BBW closing. I am doing this because... well, because I want to. While some of the thoughts in this thread may be my own, they will be portrayed through the character. If you happen to be offended for some reason, please direct your complaints to the PM box. Otherwise, please don't post here as I wish to do this as a series across however long it takes me. Like all my other unfinished projects.]

[Enjoy]

Mallory Powell: Hello, and welcome to a little section we like to call "Looking Back." I am your host, Mallory Powell, and today we're going to be sitting down with one of the co-founders of Bad Blood Wrestling, Mr. Matt Shanahan.

Matt Shanahan: Hello, Mallory; I have a distinct feeling this is going to take longer than a day.

Mallory Powell: Well, this is an interview, so we can't ex-

Matt Shanahan: Trust me, this is going to take longer than a day.

Mallory Powell: O-okay, well, fair enough, I'll take your word for it! Well, todaaaa-

Matt Shanahan: Ahem?

Mallory Powell: ... For the duration of this interview...

Matt Shanahan: Thank you.

Mallory Powell: ... We're going to talk about the life cycle of BBW. The champions, the stories, the drama, the highs and the lows, some of your favorite moments, and so on.

Matt Shanahan: So... nothing involving Kelly King, right?

Mallory Powell: Well, uh, he was kinda a huge part of the company...

Matt Shanahan: I'll ********' say, lemme tell you what Kelly King was a huge part o-

Mallory Powell: So, what do you say we begin?

Matt Shanahan: ... Fine, let's get this show on the road.  

[Punkology]

Part 1: Humble Beginnings



Mallory Powell: So, tell me about how it all began.

Matt Shanahan: Well, you see, it all started when Extreme Entertainment Wrestling came to Phi-


Mallory Powell: No, no... not how you started, sir. How BBW started.

Matt Shanahan: ... Well I mean, that's still mildly relevant then. So, back in 2013, I was still in my "hiatus," so to say. Joey's death was kinda something that really plagued me, I lost match after match after that, and I could never really bounce back from it. I didn't want to compete, but I still loved this industry. I loved every aspect of it, and I needed to show that in some way. I was pretty lost, until one day, The Midnight Rolemodel himself, Marxx walked up to me and shared similar thoughts. He wanted to be involved with the industry still, but didn't want to deal with the newer talent. So, we came together and sort of formulated this idea. There were no true hardcore-styled companies anymore, and we wanted to bring them back. We wanted to be reminiscent of Extreme Entertainment Wrestling-

Mallory Powell: Nice recovery so far.

Matt Shanahan: Why, thank you. - and Outdoor Extreme Championship Wrestling. They were two pretty influential companies in my career, but it wasn't enough. We both agreed, there was a certain... void in the industry at the time. New talent wasn't being promoted as much as they should, and we wanted that to be a sort of basis of how we ran things. It was actually really inspired by his own company, Durem Championship Wrestling, and one that I've heralded to this day, International Championship Wrestling. They both were extremely inspirational during their time, and we wanted to have the same sort of magical essence to our product as well.


Mallory Powell: Do you think you succeeded in that venture?

Matt Shanahan: Honestly? I do. I think we did a really ******** good job of promoting guys that really hadn't been promoted before. We made newcomers champions, and we saw some of the most unique talent over the passed couple of years enter our ring and make it a home out of it. Honestly, I couldn't be more proud of what we accomplished. It was really refreshing for me as well, because all of my previous attempts to get in on the ownership side of the industry were all pretty unsuccessful. I had a number of failed companies, that only got a couple of cards at most because I had a few friends willing to work with me. To actually succeed in making one of the best small-time companies around? It was magical.

 

[Punkology]

Part 2: The OECW/BBW Seasons Championship


Mallory Powell: Hmmm... I can't seem to remember where we left off.


Matt Shanahan: Yeah, I'm used to forgetting s**t too.


Mallory Powell: Oh! It's my notes though, let me go back... wow, we've been sitting here for awhile. Anyways, one thing BBW managed to boast over other guilds at the time were the engaging, dynamic championship scenes all through the program. I wanna touch on all of them, but I'd like to start with one that I know is close to your heart.


Matt Shanahan: Despite popular belief, The FFA:US Championship was NOT EVE-


Mallory Powell: Sir, no offense, but no one even remembers that title... but you're close! The title I had in mind was one that also came from a different company, the OECW Seasons Championship.


Matt Shanahan: Which was unfortunately renamed when I lost control of the company.


Mallory Powell: Indeed it was, but I'm sure it didn't tarnish the history of it. Now, we all know that it's a title you hold dear because of your initial reaction when you were contacted by Shadow himself about bringing it into your company.


Matt Shanahan: Yeah, that was a pretty big ********' deal for me. OECW wasn't a big-time company like EEW or WWF:G or whatever ******** companies you wanna rattle off. Nah, it was a pure, indy backyard-type set-up; but I loved every minute I spent there. As we discussed, I was heavily influenced by the company when we were creating the concepts behind BBW. When Shadow took notice and offered to revive the belt under our banner? It was a dream come true. I mean, this guy that I respected through his entire career, wanted to bring a piece of one of my favorite companies in MY care. That means a lot, I don't give a ******** who you are.


Mallory Powell: Well OECW might not have been a household name or anything, but I'd say BBW did it proud.


Matt Shanahan: I'd like to think so, yeah. We kept the spirit of OECW alive through its stipulation, it could only be competed for in the outdoors. All our employees were subject to the elements at our Pay-Per-Views and blow-out special events, but the Seasons championship is what really tied the events together, I'd say.


Mallory Powell: What would you say were some of the highlights of the OECW Seasons Title, before it was renamed?


Matt Shanahan: Well, naturally I'd have to say the return of Shadow on its debut was the biggest moment, for me personally. After that, I really enjoyed seeing the explosion that The Man Called Boom brought into the scene, once he won it. He put on some real killer performances with Shadow, until an injury took him out of the scene for... well, a long time, I think. I wish I could say Brody Robinson's reign was memorable, because I was a huge fan of the guy and was really pushing for him. Unfortunately, I can't.


Mallory Powell: Well, if I'm being perfectly honest sir... I don't think many people thought much of the belt after Boom was stripped of it.


Matt Shanahan: Yeah, that's probably a fair point. It's a damn shame too.


Mallory Powell: The controversial contest between Salem Croft and Kujaku was essentially the death of the belt, wasn't it?


Matt Shanahan: Yeah, but I wouldn't say that they're responsible for it. The belt needed to be reintroduced to the masses under the full BBW banner by that point anyways. I guess their "match", if you could even call it that, was the last straw for King. He always told me he wanted to rename it while I was in control of the reins, and I absolutely refused to. I suppose he saw it as his chance.


Mallory Powell: Do you have any thoughts on the revamped version of the championship?


Matt Shanahan: Eh... I mean, there wasn't much to have thoughts on there. I mean, don't get me wrong, the match for it between Commander Rhorus and Matthias Landry? It was a pretty damn good show. Commander Rhorus was always fun to watch, in his short time in the spotlight. Aside from that... not too memorable after the summer of '15, I'm afraid.


Mallory Powell: I see... do you have any closing thoughts on the belt, before we move on?


Matt Shanahan: I'm glad the last person to lay claim to it was Cartwright, and Shadow will always go down as being the longest reigning champion, in or out of BBW.
 

[Punkology]

Part 3: The Crimson City

Mallory Powell: So, I'm sure you guess which title we're gonna talk about next?


Matt Shanahan: The best title since the OECW Seasons Championship, I assume.


Mallory Powell: Um... if you're talking about the Crimson City Championship, then sure!


Matt Shanahan: Ahhh yes, the ol' Triple C. Now that was a belt to be proud of.


Mallory Powell: Well according to the history of the belt, compared to all the rest, you'd be right! It definitely seemed to be the most popular, despite not being a main-event level championship.


Matt Shanahan: I mean, I'm not gonna lie, the Crimson City matches were probably my favorite to watch at every event. I loved spinning the wheel, I loved the dynamic chance of it all, and I loved the amount of passion each champion and challenger put into that damn strap.


Mallory Powell: Tell me a bit about its history, like... what were your favorite parts?


Matt Shanahan: That's rough, there's so much I could pick out... so I'll pick out one thing, and it applies to the whole history of the belt. I truly believe that it put a lot of unrecognized talent on the map.


Mallory Powell: Like who?


Matt Shanahan: Well, the first man to hold it was a fresh face that none had ever even heard of; Andrew Styles. The kid was pretty damn good, and really set a standard for the belt. His reign was cut short, of course, by that damned House That King Spawned. I didn't exactly enjoy watching my ex-best friend's daughter parade around the belt like it was a prop in a strip tease, either.


Mallory Powell: The "Boob Belt", I think they called it.


Matt Shanahan: Yeah, thanks. That pissed me off. But, I suppose it put her on the map too. At least in people's search engines. Anyways, we got to see Cyrus Leone, AKA the one and only Cyrus Everblaze, take hold of the belt and step up its credibility even further. Then Jamie Bader comes outta nowhere and takes it off that legend? That was incredible!


Mallory Powell: And we all know what followed Jamie Bader's short but impressive victory.


Matt Shanahan: That's right. The rise of the cowboy, J.W. Caliber. Never before had a year-long reign look so goddamn impressive. In each defense, Caliber only stepped it up. He really took the belt to a whole new... caliber.


Mallory Powell: ... Right.


Matt Shanahan: I mean, no one could take him down! You had people like Shadow, Dion Necurat, and even Cartwright challenging for the belt, and Caliber fended them all off! It took the legendary Mad Dog to take the man down! That's ******** impressive, and probably the best reign that ever happened in BBW. Probably. Personally, he made the belt more prestigious than any title under the BBW banner.


Mallory Powell: You seem very passionate about the Cowboy's reign indeed. Well, unfortunately, the belt wasn't really touched by any drama or scandal for us to touch on. I just thought you'd like to talk about it a bit. Any closing thoughts before we go on?


Matt Shanahan: Yeah. To everyone who competed or held the Crimson City, I wanna thank you for making that title worth fighting for. Especially you, J.W.. I couldn't think of a better man to etch his name at the top of its history.