June 24, 2007
The Dominant Factions
Over the course of the TWF's now seven year history, there have been many different superstars, managers, and of course stables. With the dawn of ECW, and their overwhelming success early on in their existence, I felt the need to look back at factions of the past, and compare them with what is now truly a force to be reckoned with.
Also, a sit down interview with ECW member and King of Cable champ, J.J Ramplin!
Now there have been many different stables and I wouldn't possibly be able to cover them all, so I am just going to get to a few of the more memorable ones. Of course, who will ever forget, Wakeman Enterprises? This consisted of quite possibly the greatest superstar in the history of the TWF to date, Travis Wakeman, Trish Stratus, and of course the behemoth of a man in Brock Lesnar. Little did we know that those two men would wind up facing one another on the grandest stage of them all, and Lesnar would surprisingly come out on top after an amazing shooting star press. But of course, we see who has made a major impact in the long run, and it sure wasn't Lesnar. Wakeman Enterprises was not without their successes however, as they were TWF Tag Team Champions.
And who can forget Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation, which consisted of the Million Dollar Man himself, and three great talents in Nick Dinsmore, Charlie Hass, and Rob Conway. One of the high points to come out of the Million Dollar Corp., is when Charlie Hass won the Royal Rumble Match by throwing out Kurt Angle last in 2004. The catch was that Dibiase had bought Hass a number higher than he had originally chosen, showing just how crafty the wily veteran and his group of stars could be.
Then of course the more recent factions were involved in one of the more memorable feuds in TWF history, and those factions were The Horsemen, and The Hart Family. The Horsemen was one of the most stacked groups of young talent ever assembled, and they were headed by Money Mike. Little did many people know just how great Jason Oliver, J.J Ramplin, and Carney would eventually become because of the Horsemen. There was a bit of a backstory though, as Joe Corey and Money Mike initially founded the New Horsemen, but in what will forever be remembered as the Spokane Screwjob, Mike and the rest of the Horsemen, then consisting of Oliver and Carney, would cost Corey the TWF Championship. The Hart Family was not without it's perks as well. They had a man who at the time was King Of Cable Champion in Max Ogden, and also Snitsky and Sylvain Grenier. Jimmy Hart was at the helm of this group of youngsters, and they would partake in a battle with the Horsemen that would eventually culminate at Code Red 2006. With a little help from former Horsemen Joe Corey, and the Starman, The Hart Family pulled out the victory in an awesome eight man tag team match.
The point I am getting at here is, where will this new ECW group rank in the history of all time great factions. They already have three of the major titles in the TWF, and who is to say they will stop at that? Not only this, but they stretch across two brands of the TWF, something that I can easily say is unheard of. They already have grown in numbers, as Joe Corey and Paul Heyman have done quite a job in scouting young athletic talent. You've got J.J Ramplin, a former Horsemen that now holds the TWF King Of Cable Championship. The Blood Brothers, arguably the top tag team in all of the TWF for the past year, as well as the TWF Tag Team Champions. Also on the Primetime side of things you have a man in Kato, with raw ability and quickness who is a huge asset to them. Rounding out this group is the rest of the Rampage branch, with Elijah Burke, Sylvester Terkay, and the Hollywood Blondes, and Ramplin is doing a good job of leading them while Corey is over on Primetime.
A perfect of example of how dangerous they are, is back at Evil Intentions. Just ask Batista who ECW is. They crippled him quite possibly, and seemingly ended his career with no remorse. If they are willing to go that far, where will the line be drawn? Is there nothing they will stop at to remain dominant and to maintain control? We will have to see what will happen in the coming months, as opposition is sure to arise in one way or another.
Peter Cash: "As promised ladies and gents, with me now is ECW member, and reigning King of Cable Champion, J.J "The Ram" Ramplin. First off, I would like to thank you for being here".
J.J. Ramplin: "Yeah, yeah, let's just make this quick".
PC: "Will do, now J.J, what were the first thoughts that ran through your mind when you became the King of Cable Champion? It must have been the biggest moment in you career".
J.J: "Yeah it was a huge night for me and to realize one of the goals in my career to win a championship, and I assure you no one is getting their hands on this belt for a long time".
PC: "Now of course, the leader of ECW, Joe Corey currently holds the longest K.O.C championship reign. Have there been any talks within the group of the possibility of you surpassing that record"?
J.J: "No I haven't talked to Joe about it yet, but I'm sure he'll be proud when I surpass his record".
PC: "Joining ECW has obviously been a great career move for you, but do you believe that since you've joined, a killer instinct has been instilled in you, or do you think that you've had it all along"?
J.J: "Things like this you either have or you don't, but joining ECW awoke the instincts I forgot I had".
PC: "Now, you and Joe Corey have a bit of a history, as back when you were with the Horsemen, you attempted to take him down when you two went one on one at the Royal Rumble last year. Are there any hard feelings between the two of you regarding that"?
J.J: "Everyone has stuff that they want to put into the past and that's what Joe and I have done".
PC: "Being the K.O.C Champ also means being ready for any and all challengers. What do you have to say to those gunning to take your title"?
J.J: "My advice to potential challengers is train hard, eat your vitamins and then pray to God for some damn luck"!
PC: "What is a dream match in the TWF that you would like to witness or be a part of"?
J.J: "The match I'd like to take part in would be any match with The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels versus me and the match I'd like to witness would be John Cena versus The Rock".
PC: "Okay, now it's time for a little bit of word association, you ready"?
J.J: "Shoot".
PC: Travis Wakeman
J.J: Technically Sound
PC: Joe Corey
J.J: A Leader
PC: Jordan Rockwell
J.J: Who
PC: Money Mike
J.J: Main Event
PC: Jason Oliver
J.J: Uprising
PC: Sylvester Terkay
J.J: Dominance
PC: Elijah Burke
J.J: Extreme
PC: "Okay well now seeing as how the theme of this column was dominant factions, I wanted to get your opinion on where ECW will rank among the all time great stables when all is said and done".
J.J: "Top of the list".
PC: "Alright well we're just about out of time, but I always give my guests the last word, so Ram, is there anything you would like to say"?
J.J: "Enemies of ECW beware, because we are EXTREME"!
PC: "Well that's about all the time I have for this shortened edition of the Cash Flow, but remember that this is the premiere column in the TWF, and we'll be back next time bigger and better than ever. So, until then...that's a wrap!
