#The Curse of The International Championship Belt

[hanitje]

The AEW International Championship may be cursed. Beware to the owner of that belt in the future...

[dustinslovehandles]

Alright, I have some theorizing to do (danhausen/orange cassidy related).

I think as a fandom we have identified the following;

Danhausen back soon

Danhausen is focused on Orange

Danhausen is displeased with Orange

Something -odd- is going on with Orange and the International Title Belt

I've been thinking a lot about that post Danhausen made after All In. The one where he's posting song lyrics over that picture of Orange covered in blood.

My resident Danhausen expert (@homoeroticgrappling) tells me that Danhausen posted song lyrics like this last time before he went Evilhausen so it seems likely we will see that side of him coming back.

But I keep thinking about the lyrics themselves. "What are you gonna do when it comes your turn to pay time's debt?" Clearly the idea of time is important here because Danhausen keeps posting clocks and stuff.

I don't know how to explain my theory beyond the above, but I do feel like it would make sense. Danhausen being part of a group with the Best Friends seemed random, and there were lots of people joking that the International Championship is cursed and draining Orange slowly the longer he had it. What if that isn't such a joke? Danhausen is a demon canonically, right? What if you made a deal with a demon, for success? Orange's title run was incredible. Outstanding, amazing and kind of out of nowhere in terms of how much/little he had been pushed before that.

What if you get helping/blessing from Danhausen but then you have to pay later, after a certain amount of time? That's a common trope with demons, right? Making a deal with the devil and all that, short term success for long term debt.

In fairy tales, when the time/event/agreement between a demon and a person comes to and end, then they have to pay whatever price they agreed to. It's super unlikely, but I wonder if that is the way this is going?

[90s00wcwwwf]

No Way Out of Texas: In Your House

February 15, 1998

Compaq Center

Houston, Texas

News & Notes: After hyping his appearance all night, Vince McMahon invited Mike Tyson to the ring. They were going to announce his role for WrestleMania. But Steve Austin interrupted them. Stone Cold said he respected what Tyson did in the ring. However, he was in Austin’s world now. Then Austin said Tyson wasn’t the baddest man. He couldn’t whip the ass of the toughest S.O.B. In the WWF. But Austin could kick his ass. And if Tyson didn’t hear what he said, Austin had some sign language for him. Stone Cold flipped Mike off and the two shoved each other. The WWF officials separated them before it escalated. Vince McMahon screamed at Austin. He told him he ruined everything. The following week, Shawn Michaels offered to forego his WWF title defense at Mania. He’d step aside so Austin could wrestle Tyson. Shawn even offered to be the ref. This couldn’t happen because the athletic commission wouldn’t allow Tyson to fight. So the WWF made Tyson the special enforcer for Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin at Mania. This led to a confrontation between Austin and Michaels. Austin vowed to take Michaels’ belt, no matter when they fought. DX retaliated. They attacked Steve during his bout with Road Dogg. Shawn tied Austin in the ropes and shoved the WWF championship in his face. But Austin got revenge. He stole HBK’s belt. Chyna recruited Los Boricuas to help look for Austin. Stone Cold locked them in a room. (I’ll explain the rest in the main event’s match notes.)

I should discuss DX’s other antics. The night after Royal Rumble, Shawn feigned regret about The Undertaker’s fate. He vowed to find him. (The WWF officials opened the casket after the PPV ended. It was empty. Taker disappeared.) DX looked everywhere. They found a hearse. It was filled with women. Then Taker’s music played in the arena. What appeared to be Taker lowered from the ceiling. But his music changed to DX’s theme. It was Michaels in disguise. DX then mocked Taker with a barbecue in the ring. This included many penis jokes using hot dogs and sausages. During the festivities, Hunter promised Owen a European title match. The next week, an injured Helmsley said Owen would face a Triple H he’d never seen before! He was right. Owen faced The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust in a Triple H costume. Hart won with the Sharpshooter and Helmsley laughed at the ruse. However, Sgt. Slaughter said it was quite convincing. In fact, he considered it a proper title defense. That means Owen Hart is the new European Champion! Meanwhile, DX also held a state of the union address. They addressed the USA Network’s concerns about content. DX promised to only use minor curse words in RAW’s first hour. Then they listed the words they wouldn’t say. They bleeped each one. Next, Shawn addressed rumors about him and an intern. He didn’t sleep with her. Shawn was up all night! (The USA Network loved this segment. They were skeptical about the DX content until they saw this. It turned their opinion on the matter.)

Before I begin, I’ll address one more matter. They built the main event as if Shawn were in it. The WWF didn’t announce he would miss the show until the day of the PPV. Shawn was still getting tests on his back. They knew he was injured. But they didn’t know the extent.

[earnestly-endlessly]

Hi! I'm wondering if you can make a list of fics where Erik's jewish heritage isn't ignored? I just came across the fact that a lot of authors don't explore this part of him for some reason and i found it kinda upsetting so i'm wondering if you have any recs! I liked "As They Kiss, Consume" and "Who Shall be King Hereafter" by sherwoodfox, in case anyone who's reading this ask is interested in the same topic.

Hi Anon. I'm sorry for taking so long with this list but your request sent me on a wide search for fics that fit with your request. I tried to find a variety of fics where Erik's Jewish heritage is addressed. Some of them aren't necessarily cherik, but most of them are. I hope you enjoy this list.

Mistletoe, Latkes, and Long-Term Revenge Strategies – pocky_slash

Summary: Charles knows that Erik hates working at a department store in the best of times. Being Jewish in a department store during the holiday season is far from the best of times. He does what he can to help.

A Nice Boy (the Family Matters Edition) – pocky_slash

Summary: Erik's not sure whether the problem is that he doesn't want his parents to meet Charles or that he doesn't want Charles to meet his parents. Either way, he never invites Charles to brunch. Why should he? It's not like they're dating.

A Road Trip to Pennsylvania – Aainiouu

Summary: For a year Charles has nurtured the biggest and most embarrassing crush known to man towards Erik. They are friends and roommates and when Erik asks Charles to accompany him to home on Thanksgiving of course Charles goes.

In the Bleak Midwinter – keire_ke

Summary: It is not easy to find out, well into the second decade of the twenty-first century, that your mother arranged a marriage for you. It is even less easy to convince her that you have no interest in the very fertile Magda, she of the wide hips and lustrous auburn hair. Fortunately, with a good friend at his side over the holiday weekend, Erik is sure he will prevail.

Speech Making – phalangine

Summary: Modern Emma AU- Charles Xavier, accomplished matchmaker and headmaster of North America’s preeminent school for mutants, intends to add another notch to his belt: setting up his friend Moira. His oldest friend, Erik, has doubts about this plan.

Charles doesn’t share them.

This is life (and everything’s all right) – pocky_slash

Summary: Edie Lehnsherr came into Charles' life long before he ever heard Erik Lehnsherr's name, and her death left a gaping hole in the lives of everyone in Charles' family. As the first Purim without her approaches, he begins to get creative in his efforts to bring everyone out of their grief. Kitchen creativity, however, is not quite his strength....

Bashert – AvengingAngel

Summary: Erik and Charles meet and fall in love. I wanted to write a story where Erik had a huge family. Pretty fluffy (for me anyways). I suck at summaries.

Note: The summary doesn’t reveal much but if you’re looking for a fic where Erik is jewish and has a large family with a heavy dose of cherik fluff and angst then this one is for you.

Math Reasons – pearl_o,  pocky_slash

Summary: "Mom says Erik always knows what he wants, it just sometimes takes him a little while to actually realize it," Ruth said.

Charles fell in love with Erik the first night they met, the first week of freshman year. Two years of friendship, adventures, arguments, hijinks, secrets, and summer visits later, Erik is starting to catch up.

Ser

It’s kind of our whole things – pearl_o, pocky_slash

Summary: After two years of best friendship, Charles and Erik thought they knew everything there was to know about each other. They're surprised, then, when their first summer as a couple reveals that they have a lot to learn about each other and themselves.

Sequel to Math Reasons

A Winter in New York – nextraordinaire

Summary: Charles and Erik have been childhood friends for as long as they can remember – Erik, living with his mother in Queens, and Charles in the big mansion in Westchester. For all, expect themselves, it was just natural progression that they'd end up together.

A series of ficlets from the same universe – can be read as separate and are out of chronological order.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside – heyjupiter

Summary: "It's just, this is my first Chanukah away from my parents. And it's--it's like 90 degrees out."

Erik Lehnsherr and Kitty Pryde celebrate a Genoshan Chanukah. It's a little different from the way it used to be in New York, but some unexpected visitors help them embrace the spirit of the holiday season.

Hold Back the Rain (front!strict mashup) – euphorbic

Summary: Charles Xavier: society darling, powerful political activist, well-known professor, and Dominant.

Erik Lehnsherr: anti-social, international motorcycle racer, and defiant submissive.

Erik is at Sepang in Malaysia for the fourteenth leg of the International World Championship. After doing poorly in qualifying, he's furious to find he has to take another VIP around the track instead of meeting Charles at the KL airport.

The Swan – waitfornight

Summary: In 1939 Erik and his sister Ruth are sent to Devonshire, England, during the Kindertransport refugee program to live with Kurt and Sharon Marko as foster children just before the start of World War II. Angry and wishing he could return home on the night of his seventeenth birthday, Erik meets a boy alone in the forest who is cursed to transform each day into a swan, only taking his true form by night.

Swan Lake AU.

The boy with the heart on his sleeve – euphorbic

Summary: Charles loses a high-stakes bet to Raven and is required to get a tattoo. However, when he makes a disparaging remark about the art form, Raven's acerbic mentor, Erik, steps in.

Or, the one where Erik and Raven are tattoo artists.

The Wurst Case Scenario – sareyen

Summary:If anyone asked why Charles, come rain, wind or shine, made the significant trek during his dismal lunch hour to dine at "Edie's Kosher Delicatessen", he would stubbornly say that it was because their pastrami on rye and potato knishes were absolutely to die for. He wasn't completely lying, because the deli's namesake, Edie Lehnsherr, made the best matzah ball soup Charles has ever had in his life. Still, Charles would rather shave his full head of hair off than admit that the real reason he would willingly walk through hail and fire to get to the corner deli was because of Erik, the insanely attractive man working the counter.

Sure, Erik has barely spoken two words to Charles other than "Hello, what can I get you?" or, after the third day in a row that Charles came to the deli, "Welcome back, what can I get you?", but Charles was more than happy to just ogle at the man from afar while devouring the juicy wurst Erik had put together with his (large and very capable) hands.

But, little does Charles know, Erik doesn't usually work the front counter. He only does it when he knows the cute blue-eyed man will be dining in.

This is life (and everything’s all right) – pocky_slash

Summary: Edie Lehnsherr came into Charles' life long before he ever heard Erik Lehnsherr's name, and her death left a gaping hole in the lives of everyone in Charles' family. As the first Purim without her approaches, he begins to get creative in his efforts to bring everyone out of their grief. Kitchen creativity, however, is not quite his strength....

c'est regarder ensemble dans la même direction – melonbutterfly

Summary: Since that day on the beach, Charles and Erik have learned to agree to disagree for the sake of living and working together. Then, for Christmas, and Charles gives Erik Hanukkah back a second time, and their relationship shifts a little further.

Terrible Hanukkah Sweaters and Other Life Challenges – professor

Summary: “Why am I here again?” Erik groans.

“I need you to lift things and glower at people over my shoulder when I tell people that it’s not ‘politically correct’ or a ‘war on Christmas’ to have a non-denominational winter holiday festival,” says Theresa Pryde.

Well, at least those are two things he’s good at.

Shrapnel – librata

Summary: It's late 1940, and tensions between the Axis and the Allies are tightening. Displaced and alone, 16-year-old German Jew Erik Lehnsherr finds himself employed as a servant by some snobby, terrible family in England whose house is far too big and whose money never seems to end. The worst part is, he isn't just mucking stables or cleaning plates–-he's tasked with tending to the whiny, disabled son named Charles, who might just drive Erik into absolute madness.

Or, the World War II fic in which Erik and Charles experience a changing world and a lot of teen angst.

Defying Expectations – Baamon5evr

Summary: Charles and Erik meet each other’s family. Neither of them gets what they expect.

table for three – pocky_slash

Summary: Erik should have known to call ahead to the Chinese restaurant--it's Christmas Eve and he lives in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, after all. But before he can go home to mourn the loss of another one of his mother's yearly traditions, he's accosted by a teenage girl with a strange proposition--that he should stay and have dinner with her and her mother, instead.

different from all other nights – metonymy

Summary: "This year we are slaves; next year we will be free." Kitty and Erik host a seder for Passover at the Xavier School.

Libertad – ariadnes_string

Summary: Erik knew the look, had seen it his whole life, even before the war.  ”You, with your height and blue eyes and straight nose, you can pass. You can be free of us. You are not marked with your difference.” If you only knew, he’d thought then. He thought the same thing now. And it was that thought, as much as anything, that made him move towards the gate.

Wash Away – sebastian2017

Summary: One quiet, lonely morning, before Yom Kippur, Erik makes his way to the sea in search of forgiveness.

After? There is No ‘After’ – Unrepentant_Marvelist

Summary: Erik knows what he is for. He has known his responsibilities as a survivor since the moment he woke under a scratchy, lice-infested blanket in the Red Army hospital. His world is painted in lucid blacks and whites (so often splashed in red) and there is no room for uncertainty or indecision... until a certain sunburned Englishman throws himself into his world.

The Children of an Idle Brain – Margo_Kim

Summary: Sometimes, when he’s lucky, Schmidt can’t hurt him. It’s like there’s a room inside of Erik’s head that’s he’s usually locked out of, that won’t open no matter if he beats himself bloody against it. On those days, he endures. But sometimes—and Erik doesn’t know why, whether it’s that the stars align or some higher power takes pity or Erik screams loud enough to earn his reward—the door opens. Erik can duck inside and slam it behind him and watches himself through the windows as Schmidt slowly, methodically tortures him to strength.

These days, this past week, there’s a boy in the room with him and he tells Erik, “That’s horrible,” like that means something.

Somehow, across the world, Erik's and Charles' minds touch when they need each other most. They can't be sure that the other boy is real. They suspect that he is not. But that doesn't mean they aren't each other's lifeline until they lose each other and then for a while longer.

Tehillim – kvikindi

Summary: Erik, in Israel, afterwards: another life he could have had. If.

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) – childishinquiry

Summary: Erik has worn long sleeves his whole life, even before they had to wear yellow stars. Marching along his arm, in neat, black, English letters, are the words "My name's Charles Xavier."

Precious Few Years – sherwoodfox

Summary: Erik and Charles (known only to each other by the letters inscribed on their wrists) are meant to be together, soulmates, destined for the most powerful kind of love and connection a human being can experience.

But they are separated in almost every possible way- by distance, by circumstance, by language, by war. Their chances of success- of finding one another in the labyrinth of the world- are very slim. There is a reason why most people never find their soulmates.

But of course, Charles and Erik aren't ordinary children-

They have their gifts.

[henrytcasey]

What Is EVOLVE?

EVOLVE (commonly-styled with all-caps, but here-to-fore as Evolve) is a Super-Indie pro wrestling promotion. While headquartered out of Philadelphia, PA, Evolve puts on a majority of its events in venues in other north-east cities (primarily Joppa, MD and Queens, NY).

Combining top-level independent talent (such as Zack Sabre Jr. and Matt Riddle) and a focus on the athleticism and technical wrestling, Evolve has seemingly taken Ring of Honor's place in the world of pro wrestling.

In terms of format, Evolve has no tv shows, but instead airs two PPV events on back-to-back nights. They name these shows numerically, and August will see Evolve 90 and 91 happen on August 11 and 12.

Why do people like Evolve?

Simply put, Evolve puts on very good pro wrestling matches, and it manages to allow talent to develop characters while still going light on the sports entertainment theatrics. While the quality of booker Gabe Sapolsky is an on-again-off-again meme amongst fans, 2017 has been a banner year for the promotion.

Most of the year, including WrestleMania weekend, saw Evolve putting on top-to-bottom barn-burners. Unfortunately, the most recent shows have seen a dip in quality, as the promotion's seen more talent move up to WWE, in a continuing trend.

Also, Evolve features the best talent who works a manager position in the industry right now –- and that includes Paul Heyman -- in the phenomenal Stokely Hathaway. Why is Stokely so good? Not only can he jaw with the best of them, but his Twitter account is filled with excellent photoshops working Evolve talent into famous album art. Hathaway represents Timothy Thatcher, as well as the Catch Point faction, which is currently made up of "Hot Sauce" Tracey Williams, Chris Dickinson and Jaka.

So Evolve works with WWE?

I wouldn't go so far as to call Evolve a farm-system for WWE, but Drew McIntryre, Johnny Gargano, Cedric Alexander and more all wrestled for Evolve before they made it to the houses that the McMahons are building.

Further, talents expected to join the team down in NXT — Donovan Dijak, Lio Rush, and Kyle O'Reilly — all appeared once or more recently in Evolve.

If you want to go back a little bit in time, WWE held Cruiserweight Championship Tournament spotlight matches at Evolve events. Eagle-eyed fans at Evolve 67 spotted Cesaro, Daniel Bryan and William Regal walking out of the show, which featured Chris Hero (nka Kassius Ohno) among many of the above names.

What are the divisions & championships in ROH, and who holds those belts currently?

Evolve features three championships, and one isn't strictly its own. Its primary title is the (simply titled) Evolve Championship, which is currently held by Zack Sabre Jr.. He won the title from Timothy Thatcher at Evolve 79 on February 25, 2017, ending a 596-day reign.

As the LCD Soundsystem lyrics go, "I was there." It was one of my favorite matches I’ve seen live.

Its other title is the Evolve Tag Team Championship, which is currently held by The Workhorsemen, Anthony Henry and James Drake. The duo won the titles on July 8, 2017, in surprise fashion, as the two weren't signed with the company at the time. They were working in a single-day contract (at the time) capacity, as local talent there to fight then-champs Chris Dickinson and Jaka.

The third title in Evolve is the WWN Championship, which made its debut on April 1, 2017. It was the prize of a six-way elimination match featuring Matt Riddle, Fred Yehi, Jon Davis, Parrow, Timothy Thatcher, and Tracy Williams. Riddle won the title, and is going to defend on August 12 in a match against "Hot Sauce" Tracy Williams, Keith Lee, and WALTER.

Wait, what's WWN?

The World Wrestling Network (WWN) is the parent promotion of Evolve, Shine, and lesser-known promotions including Full Impact Pro Wrestling (which isn't watchable) and Styles Battle.

You don't really need to know that WWN is a thing, unless you're cursed with needing to access video-on-demand (VOD) content. That was the case when wwnlive.com was the only way to stream the Progress Orlando show.

What's Evolve missing?

Evolve does not feature any women wrestlers. Sure, Priscilla Kelly shows up to be the American version of Paige and manage Austin Theory, but she's the only woman outside of ring announcer Joanna Rose who appears in Evolve.

If you asked Evolve, they'd likely say that you can find it in WWN sister promotion Shine. Critics might combat them by saying that this doesn't stop other indie promotions, such as the U.K.'s Progress.

What about the announcers?

Lenny Leonard does the thankless chores of all the play-by-play and the color commentary. He does it very well, and I don't think he gets enough credit.

How do you watch Evolve?

So, if you can attend an Evolve show, do it. The tickets are affordable (general admission costs around $20), and it's always a fun time.

If you can't, here's where I talk about the catch to all that goodness.

FloSlam is not a great streaming service, but it's the only place to stream Evolve PPVs. The biggest flaw of FloSlam is that events take around a whole day — often longer — to hit video-on-demand. So if you're not watching live, you're waiting.

And while FloSlam started at $20 per month, new subscribers need to pay $30 per month. so, to explain that, it appears they flip-flopped on new subscription pricing. 

So, while that's two-times the price of the WWE Network (whose low price is arguably a move to make it impossible for smaller promotions to compete), that's still less than it costs to stream one ROH PPV, and it includes two Evolve PPVs per month.

Fortunately, Evolve isn't the only wrestling you get on FloSlam, as Shine, wXw (Westside Xtreme Wrestling in Germany) and International Pro Wrestling: United Kingdom (IPW:UK) also stream there. It's not hard to argue that Evolve is the best of those three.

[hanitje]

Be careful what you wish for...