Still going strong, the TWF put on top notch event after top notch event and some of the matches were worth the price of admission alone.
Many consider WrestleMania 7 to be the best event of all time, giving WrestleMania 8 plenty to strive for. Jordan Rockwell battled the legendary Undertaker, Money Mike and Joe Corey put an end, at least a temporary one, to one of the most bitter fueds in history. And Travis Wakeman capped his amazing effort in the Royal Rumble by defeating High Octane to win the World title.
And what about High Octane? Who would've ever guessed he would be a 3 time World champion? Well he is, and he may've cemented his place in the Hall of Fame.
We said goodbye to longtime TWF superstars Drew Blood and Shane Thompson but we welcomed in a slew of promising new members, such as Dustin Kash, Eddie Saint James, Rex Redford and Luyu Dawnstar.
Both developmental territories remain a hotbed for future TWF talent and officials say several of them will join the main roster this year.
SlaughterHouse remains a viable third division with Nemesis holding their World title for what seems like forever. We look for big things from this area of the TWF in 2007.
All things considered, it leaves little doubt that the TWF, once a little known spot on the internet, has become the #1 fed it has to offer.
What were some of your favorite moments and favorite superstars? Cast your vote below and let your voice be heard!
Winner: Dustin Kash- 52% of the vote
Winner: Ashley K.- 40% of the vote
Axl Irvin vs. Ric Flair: After guiding Axl into the limelight, Flair looked to have put the budding superstar on the TWF map? But Axl had a plan and it was to stab the Nature Boy in the back, prompting Axl to coin himself the "new Nature Boy".
Masterlock or Tazmission?: After the TWF made the shocking acquisition of former GSE superstar Taz, the Masterpiece was the first man to challenge him, claiming his hold, the Masterlock, was more dominating than the vaunted Tazmission. This led into a hold vs. hold match for the ages.
Tatanka sells out: After informing Travis Wakeman that there were "rumors" he'd be joining Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation, Tatanka went as far as accusing the World champion of doing just that. But in a shocking turn of events, Tatanka was the one who had given into the money all along.
Hassan becomes GM: Mick Foley and Muhammad Hassan got into a bitter fued, prompting Foley to put his general manager spot on the line against the hated Arab-American. But if he were to win, Hassan would have to leave the TWF forever. Well, Hassan won the match and initiated an idea of a "reformed Rampage" under his rule.
Trish or Melina?: The woman problems continued for Travis Wakeman, seemingly his one and only hinderance in his illustrious career. This time, Melina came after him and got in between he and his wife, Trish Stratus. Melina then worked her way into a match with Trish, challenging her for the managerial rights to Wakeman, and winning. This led to Trish disappearing from the TWF and Melina becoming Wakeman's new manager. At first, Wakeman wanted nothing to do with Melina but slowly, he began to warm up to her.
Winner- Axl Irvin vs. Ric Flair- 33% of the vote
Winner- Paul London- 66% of the vote
Winners: The Blood Brothers- 87% of the vote
J.J. Ramplin vs. Jason Oliver- 11/13/06 edition of Rampage: These two met in the qualifying round of the King of the Ring tournament and it was just an amazing thing to see. It easily could've gone either way, but it was Oliver that outlasted The Ram in the end.
Jordan Rockwell vs. The Undertaker- WrestleMania 7: A match Rockwell wanted since coming to the TWF, he finally got the deadman at WrestleMania. After all the mind games Undertaker played leading into the match, no one knew what to expect. But these two men had one of the more memorable matches in 'Mania history, with The Undertaker using the Tombstone to hand Rockwell his first defeat on the grandest stage.
Bret Hart vs. Kurt Angle- Ultimate Submission- WrestleMania 7: No question, one of the best technical matches in TWF history and not surprisingly, it was between the two men who many consider the 2 greatest technical wrestlers ever. After 20 minutes, it was 0-0 and many feel that given an hour, it still would've been 0-0.
Travis Wakeman vs. Kurt Angle- 6/25/06 edition of Rampage: Kurt Angle made a challenge to Wakeman for the World title, but if he lost, he had to leave Rampage forever. Well, after 17 minutes of breathtaking action, that's exactly what happened after Wakeman shockingly made the former Olympic gold medalist tap out.
Winner: J.J. Ramplin vs. Jason Oliver- 46% of the vote
Taz debuts: Many fans had heard of what this man could do, but unless you followed the GSE, you didn't know. That was until the TWF decided to pull the trigger on signing the street thug from Brooklyn and he came right in, defeating the likes of Chris Masters and Edge to vault himself into one of the top spots on PrimeTime.
RVD gets the ECW title: After defeating Rob Van Dam at DoomsDy, Joe Corey was about to be awarded the old ECW World title by Paul Heyman himself. That is, until RVD came in to stop it, setting up a match between the two at King of the Ring for possession of the title. Corey was so confident in Heyman and their "brigade", that he made the challenge for an Extreme Rules match. Using 911 and Justin Credible from the old ECW, it looked like Corey had it into the bag. That was, until RVD brought out his backup, using Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and Sabu to help him defeat Corey, and gain possession of a title that certainly means something to him.
Money Mike becomes King: Money Mike said he would do it, and he did. A victory list that included Carlito, Umaga, Max Ogden, Sylvester Terkay and Eddie Saint James, Money Mike became the 2006 King of the Ring.
Wakeman wins the Rumble: Travis Wakeman used the luck of the draw, entering the 2006 Royal Rumble late and making the most of it, breaking up a double team effort by Paul Birchill and Trevor Murdoch and winning it to move on to the main event at WrestleMania.
Winner: Wakeman wins the Rumble- 38% of the vote
Winner: Rockwell/Axl- 53% of the vote
Winner: J.J. Ramplin- 40% of the vote
Winner: Travis Wakeman- 38% of the vote
Lifetime Achievement Award: Garrett Sandeen
For those of you who don't know, Garrett Sandeen played the role of Shane Thompson, easily one of the best superstars in TWF history. Garrett left the TWF this year after he and I had long talk. I respected his decision and still do, but Garrett, I hope your love for wrestling returns some day man.
Anyway, Garrett wins this award for what he did do for the TWF, which at one point, was a little bit of everything. Garrett started in SMW, using the developmental route to work his way up. He always understood what would be best for the TWF with his character and he was very involved. He volunteered to do SMW for me at one point and although it was short lived, he did an admirable job. Some of you know that Garrett was the first member whose voice I actually heard, as we talked on the computer through our microphones. Talking to members personally is something I'm very big on, and it was his idea to do it. And if that wasn't enough, before leaving, Garrett sent me one last member, one who I think will make a lasting impact on the TWF in Luyu Dawnstar.
So I wanted to use this award to send out one last thank you to Garrett. You deserve it man and I hope you still follow the TWF, even if you're not in it.
I also want to make an honorable mention this year and that goes out to Dan Duncan, the guy who came up with my ALL TIME favorite TWF superstar, Drew Blood. While he may agree to work one time shots for us down the line, Dan is mostly done with the TWF. Dan has always been someone to tell me if one of my ideas sucks or one of my ideas is stupid, which is something I respect. You have to be able to take negative criticism if you ever want to do this right, and Dan taught me that. Dan still follows the TWF, I'm fairly certain anyway, and that is something I really appreciate.
Dan, you deserve a mention for the Lifetime Achievement, a lot of the members I have now could learn something from you. Thank you for your time in the TWF.
That concludes this year's awards, so get your votes in before it's too late!
