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• The RWF's return has been planned for a couple of months now, but Biggie only went public with it yesterday. The original plan always has been for the RWF to feature former TWF guys who want to work a light schedule, but Biggie also wants to bleed in some PWC guys so they can work some big live shows before they head up to the TWF. In around a year or so, Biggie wants the RWF to have it's own distinct roster that is separate to the TWF. The only shows will be the televised once monthly shows on xWn, although BIG wants some house shows running eventually too.
• BIG will be present at every event (he still owns the company), but will not be on-screen at every single event, that responsibility as on-screen figurehead will fall to the Commissioner. High Voltage will be in the new company, but he has been told he will not regain his position. Biggie has spoken to a number of known authority figures in wrestling such as Paul Heyman (yes, I did say that), Eric Bischoff, Nick Bockwinkel, Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Don Callis, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Erik Watts, among others. Most except Hart and Flair are said to be interested (Hart doesn't want to travel and Flair is heading back to WWE) because the travel time is minimal. The talent are paid nicely, flown in business class on a Friday night, do the show on a Saturday/Sunday night, fly back Monday or Tuesday, all once a month. As someone told me last week "it's a damn nice schedule what ever way you look at it".
• Rumours have already begun swirling surrounding the TWF's future on Sky One after new controller, Stuart Murphy wielded the axe over two of the network's most successful shows, Gladiators and Don't Forget the Lyrics, which were picked up around the same time Grit BasH returned to the network. To add to this, Five's new controller is Richard Wolfe, the man who commissioned the three shows. The TWF's ability to draw in ratings consistently (it remains Sky One's highest rated program) means it will remain on the network for the foreseeable future. I was told this week that Five offered a "substantial bid" back in 2007 to gain control of Grit BasH, but the TWF rejected in favour of remaining with Sky, but a back-up plan has already begun in case the TWF is axed.
• It was confirmed this week in a TWF board meeting that as of next year, the TWF will go back to simply producing twelve pay‐per‐view events and no non-PPV supercards. Chief Financial Officer Alastair Edwards announced the move, which came as no surprise as it has been anticipated for some time now. The feeling is that having to produce so many events a year is a drain on staff and resources. At the moment the TWF is also cutting back on house shows and simply concentrating on televised programming.
• Speaking of pay‐per‐views, the TWF has filed trademarks for "Violent Conduct", "Unforgiven", "Unleashed", "1NE", "The Struggle Within" and "Altered Reality" recently, leading to speculation that they could become the names for forthcoming pay‐per‐views. There is a plan to bring back permanent names for the January, May and September pay‐per‐views as soon as next year. "Unforgiven" was a surprise pick-up due to the WWE dropping the event.
• The Protégé, also known as "Awesome" Adam Morgan, made a surprise appearance backstage at the 27/05 Grit BasH with his long-time girlfriend in tow. Morgan, who when not wrestling was in charge of the TWF's stage management (involving the set-up of the stage, lights and sound system amongst other responsibilities) has taken some time away from the company recently to help out in other projects, but told people backstage that he would be back soon. His good friend, Mr. BIG was said to be in high spirits after Morgan's arrival, especially after the result of the UEFA Champions League final which his beloved Manchester United lost.
• Serious consideration was given to moving Grit BasH to Tuesday or Thursday to not put it up against the Champions League final. After discussing ratings earlier on, Grit BasH took a massive hit from the football game, which drew a 7.89 rating. However, it was decided against it, justified backstage by some that DVR and recording of the program would be lost if the program was moved on such short notice, despite the University of Bath offering the use of their facilities whenever the TWF wanted them.
• The TWF has redesigned it's shop website since my last report, giving it a facelift for the first time in almost six years. The company plans to use it's video library more extensively and intends on releasing some non-PPV/Supercard DVDs again this year, for the first time since the Wednesday Night War DVD was released in 2004. The TWF plans to revisit that DVD in the near future and add a second DVD of extras as well as giving it a BluRay release.
• Aaron Hill has begun to stir up more controversy down in PWC. At the May 19 taping at the Asylum Arena, he drew the ire of the crowd by again baiting Mr. BIG (calling him a "coward" and "hypocrite" amongst other insults) but also offered pearls of wisdom in the direction of NJS ("look at how many girlfriends you have had lately and that tells you what kind of a man you are, both in and out of the bedroom"). He praised his friend Hulmes (calling him "a guiding light in a sea of black that is the cesspool of the TWF") before re-introducing The Fox as his tag team partner for the main event of the first taping (aired this Monday) against the highly-rated Partners in Crime tag team. In the second taping, Hill faced off against Greg Venom in a vicious brawl, emerging victorious and taking the microphone once more to attack Biggie ("this is the blood of a man who has never given up"). Hill is believed to be one of the reasons why PWC has become one of the hottest tickets in town, with a crowd of people turned away for both tapings. Hill will be a part of the RWF revival too, so expect him to initially cross into Biggie's path there.

• Mr. Edwards made an uncharacteristic appearance backstage at Fury on Friday. It turns out that he has got engaged to his long-term girlfriend after almost 8 years. Whilst many were delighted for him, some speculated on the timing of the announcement, as it was his parent's anniversary just the day before. There are also some who believe that because his younger sister is pregnant, that the marriage is timed to take the attention off the Edwards family's first grandchild. Mr. BIG announced on his Twitter profile he was happy with the news, but apparently when he was asked about it by NJS, he said he might have to sit down with his brother to "sort things out". Atomically Kool Kat has told friends she is also happy with the news.
• The format of TWF Time Out will change from next week. The company wanted to freshen up the format, so have changed it to include some excerpts of the Hot Shot Podcasts, as well as making the Saturday Soundoff roundtable the main focus of the show, with the only the Blast from the Past segment remaining from the old format. The presenting line-up remains unchanged. The show will also be available on demandFive straight after the show for the first time, and the TWF will also upload the show to it's YouTube channel.
• The TWF are also very impressed with the promotional job five have done for the Dead Man's Hand special on Sunday. Five have spent some good money on some advertising in print (there was a full-page advertisement in Friday's The Sun newspaper) and on billboards, with an impressive shot of Deadman and Eric Herrera appearing in a prominent billboard on the M4 into London. The TWF and Five's relationship remains strong and the TWF is a firm part of the network. Due to the loss of the MLB coverage for the network, Meltdown is the longest running continuous program on the network, first airing on the network in 2001.
• Aaron Hill made his first appearance in PWC at the April 21 taping of PWC TV at the Bethlehem Life Centre. Hill cut a promo prior to his match with top prospect Bill Wren about his return to the TWF hierarchy and had harsh words for NJS and Mr. BIG. Hill made no secret that he dislikes the way that NJS has returned to the TWF, for what he feels are "purely financial reasons" and also claims that he "stole" Lucy Rose from him. Hill's criticism of BIG, in the town where his grandparents and father were born, lead Hill to be lead out of the building after the match for his own safety. Hill's line that he genuinely hoped Biggie's heart trouble "would have killed him" caused the crowd to almost riot. The Fox is due make his first appearance at the Aftermath special this weekend. I will have a further report in my next update.
• Bill Wren is an impressive young rookie the TWF picked up after he turned up for a TWF Asylum open day. Wren is another former American Football player, with a difference - he is English born and bred. He is close friends with another top prospect, Lewis Kingston, as the two were teammates a few years ago. Kingston's own career in the sport was cut short by a knee injury and he is a popular member of the PWC roster backstage. Wren is seen by some as the "new Mr. BIG" as the two are roughly the same size, have a similar look and can both cut great promos.
• NJS has been added to the writing team for a trial basis for the next couple of weeks. BIG wanted NJS to have some input on the product as he feels that he has the capability to help steer the company onto better things. Whilst some backstage where weary of the move, stating that NJS is unlikely to care much about lowercard talent, many point to the product XCW produced, particularly in it's later days, which many say was better than the TWF. For those interested, NJS's first pitch was a feud between Mike Haggar and Tobias Granville.
• Mr. BIG has been back in light training for the past few weeks. He has taken up swimming and is making good progress. When he eventually returns, he hopes to be in the best shape he has ever been in, which looks likely, as his infamous belly has all but disappeared. While some close friends are attributing this to his relationship with Sophie, others believe that it is because of the outlook he was given on his health, he needed to lose weight or risk health problems in later life. The longer hair and beard are also forming a part of his new look. I have heard strong rumours that The Last Word could be making a return to Sky One in the near future, but I have yet to hear a definite answer about that.
• Speaking of Biggie and Sophie, they surprised many with their presence at a party held by a few former TWF superstars in an exclusive Bridgend nightspot last Saturday night. It was initially thought they would not be there owing to other commitments, but they showed up and spent much of the night there, which delighted friends who had not seen Biggie since the No Way BacK weekend. Sophie said to set many pulses raising, especially showing off her amazing figure in leather pants. The duo also made some "well-chosen" song requests that got the club dancing as well, and were gracious with fans who wanted pictures, as were most of the other TWF alumni in attendance.
• At the said party, incredibly, TWF legend Jon Bennetta, a man known for his charming and quiet demeanour, was threatened by a drunken punter from another bar. Much of the TWF alum were bemused by the drunk, but after abusing Bennetta, a man who has had a very difficult life (especially in terms of his health), he attempted to choke the former IC Champion. Safe to say the punter was forcibly removed from the premises afterwards.
• After years (and I mean, years) of waiting, FHM has finally landed an exclusive shoot with some of the Women of the TWF. The magazine have been asking the company for years to shoot them and with declining sales, many in the magazine hope that it could be a shot in the arm for the lad's magazine. I understand that Hayley Holder, Jessica Roberts, Lucy Rose, Mary-Anne and Ruby Cortez will be involved in the pictorial. The TWF will also be watching closely, as some higher-ups consider this the litmus test for periodical magazine specials featuring the stars.

• It was confirmed internally this week that Aaron Hill will start back with the company within the next month at PWC before coming up to the main roster before Summer Break. This has annoyed many backstage as Hill has not "properly paid his dues" and he still has some serious heat with plenty of people backstage for his comments prior to his departure. Even his best friend Hulmes, has his doubts about whether Hill will succeed in the company at the moment. The Fox is also expected to return, but he manages to get along with most people backstage, although he too has some heat for comments he has made.
• The Assassin has apparently pitched an idea that will see him face NJS in a series of matches later on this year. Assassin expects to involve Mastermind and an unnamed member of PWC who is soon to be called up to the main roster in the storyline, which may involve the Total Wrestling Federation World Championship.
• A suggestion was made this week that the TWF re-design it's championship belts later this year, but it was rejected by members of the board. Some fans are vocal about the fact that the belts have never had a major re-design, a matter that adds to the prestige of the championships. As one staff member said, "for some guys, the chance to hold the same World Championship as BIG, Marz, Bandit, Shott, AshTaker is part of the history of the belt, a re-design would kill that". An aspect that winners choose in private, the colour of the belt strap, might be made public as a compromise, but don't expect it to be made any time soon.
• Deadman's wife, Ms. Sweet, gave birth to a son earlier this week. Deadman is not expected to miss any time immediately as the TWF will be back in south Wales in the near future. However, he is giving serious thought to going on hiatus after Summer Break, although the door will be left open to return.
• Serious thought is being considered for Marz to enter the race to become TWF World Champion. Marz is heading up in the estimation of everyone with each passing day as he passes his knowledge and expertise to those who ask for it. His many stories about "the old days" and even TECW/NCW have put smiles on the faces of all of the young talent who ask for them. One backstage source told me that they think Marz is the TWF's "most improved wrestler" since it's return from hiatus.
• Sky One's new Controller, Stuart Murphy, was directly asked at a media conference surrounding his new appointment about what he will do with the TWF. Murphy informed those in attendance that despite calls for all wrestling output to be shifted to Sky Sports 3, the current home of World Wrestling Entertainment in the UK, Murphy said that the TWF is "very safe" in his plans for the channel and he doesn't expect to do "anything new" with it. When asked if he sees Sky One getting the thrice-annual TV supercards, Murphy said that he was told that the TWF's TV and Events module will change in 2009 and he doesn't expect to bid for anything when he isn't sure what is being offered.
• Mr. BIG's recovery from his heart operation is going about as well as can be expected. He has been spotted with an impressive new beard and he intends to grow his hair long. When asked why he wanted to change his look by one TWF staffer, he said "I want to do it whilst I can and it still looks pretty good, rather than when I'm grey like my father!". Biggie and Sophie, once and for all, in probably the worst kept secret in wrestling, are officially dating now, and both confirm it is a recent development. Gossip columns this week were filled with speculation that Biggie was seen dropping a girl home one night, but it turns out it was Sophie's best friend.
• I have heard that the TWF is looking to bring in some celebrities to add to Summer Break this year. With the event being held in London, it is being seen as a chance to bring in more glamorous stars as they would not have to be transported to south Wales, which some stars refuse to do. No names are being mentioned especially, but the TWF is looking at bringing Lennox Lewis (again) to work in the main event, although some shoot fighting stars such as Michael Bisping and Kimbo Slice are also being talked about.
• Rumours of NJS and Ruby Cortez's status continue to circle. According to friends of both, they changed their Facebook statuses recently to "in a relationship" but do not say with who. NJS, to the best of most people's knowledge, is dating Lucy Rose and has done for a while, with them living together, but when the question is asked to NJS, he remains unusually silent about the matter.
• An interesting story made it's way around backstage last week surrounding Louise. Louise left NJS in 2006 and then started dating Josh Jericho which continued until they split up in late-2008. Apparently, Mr. BIG and NJS were out in Bridgend Town Centre and were in a bar where they spotted Louise with the boss of her new restaurant (which Mr. Edwards is a frequent guest at), which came as news to them both as they were under the impression she was seeing someone else. When Louise clocked the two, she uncharacteristically left the room, which lead NJS to believe something was going on.
• Another interesting story made it's way around backstage and was quickly proven to be true by Biggie, Marz and NJS. The three attended a New Year's party with close friends, most of whom are TWF Alumni. The story is that Frekishi and Joey Davies were both getting friendly with one girl in particular who, as the night progressed, got very drunk. The girl apparently turned away offers from both for a threesome, which wasn't that surprising given Frekishi's track record.

• The Tenth Anniversary Awards special drew very good ratings on the xWn and will be shown as in an edited one and a half hour form this Tuesday on Sky One. Every past member of the TWF roster was present in one way, shape or form and the mood at proceedings was fantastic.
• Many expected Team EV to be more receptive to winning the Tag-Team of the Decade award, especially since many backstage felt Technically Superior deserved the award for their incredible success in the past few years. Since moving to rugby league, the twin brothers have apparently looked back on their time in the TWF unfavourably and told many friends stories of Biggie and Marz bullying them into finishes, which those who were there say was not true. At one point, the two wanted to accept the award via video, but were pressured into showing up by their former Team EV stablemate, Stephen Jenkins who wanted to reunite the group for one night only. Relations between them however are not positive, as they did not speak all night long, and the brothers didn't even converse with their former valets Alice Lee, Amy Wilkins, Miss Emma or Hayley Holder.
• Hawke winning "Most Missed Superstar" came as a surprise to many people, and more were surprised that Mr. BIG did not feature in the voting. Many fan-sites have speculated that the awards were drawn up before No Way BacK and the non-involvement of Biggie. Hawke was blown away to win the award however, but has said that he is concentrating on his new career. He did hint before leaving however that he has a couple of things he wants to do in the TWF before he can close the book on his time with the company.
• Hawke also became the latest member of the TWF Full House club this weekend along with AJ Jeffers and Deadman. The TWF did an about turn after refusing to acknowledge the latter in the elite members of the TWF Roster who have won the World, Intercontinental, Tag-Team or European/Television Championships. After much debate, the Hardkore Championship is now a part of the definition, which meant the club's membership doubled overnight from three to six.
• Mr. BIG was in attendance at the event but kept a very low profile as he was recovering from his operation just two days earlier. Biggie was met with a large ovation from the wrestlers when he made a post-show speech, and told the crowd that the first two people to call him when he got out of recovery were NJS and Marz, the latter being a shock to many considering the two's storied past. For all intents and purposes, Biggie and Marz have buried their differences and have gone back to being great friends. Biggie's table was the most visited of anyone's during the proceedings. He was specifically asked to sit next to Jim Ross and Ricky Steamboat, an honour he "couldn't quite believe".
• The TWF did not pay any of the talent for turning up to the Tenth Anniversary Special, but promised to reimburse expenses for those who showed up. The TWF flew in all of the United States-based attendees on Wednesday or Thursday, whilst Bret Hart flew in from Italy on Friday night. All were very well taken care of and many were delighted with their treatment by the company, with one of the legends quoted as saying "I wish they'd look after us back in the States like they do over here". The TWF does have Health and Safety Executive to deal with however, which means only the highest standards are acceptable to employees.
• There are no plans for The AshTaker to return to the TWF at the present time. Taker came back as a favour to Deadman and NJS after Mr. BIG's operation cancelled his involvement in the main event at No Way BacK. The Terminator has been whispered as returning again, but he reiterated that he is happy away from the ring and prefers his current life. Terminator and his associate Dougie Christian have apparently had a falling out over the past few weeks, partly due to Christian's no-show at Terminator's birthday party, when many of Terminator's former TWF friends turned up straight after FURY for the event.
• The discussion about Aaron Hill and The Fox returning to the company kicked up a notch this week when Hill posted an update on his Twitter page that he was "heading back to the past to enjoy a better future", with speculation that he has already signed a deal to return in the autumn as long as he works some PWC dates prior to that, as he has not wrestled at all in two years. The plan is that the angle involving Hill, Fox and Hulmes will also involve some midcard talent who might need the rub from working with more illustrious talent. There is also a whisper that Frekishi may make yet another return to the company to add his considerable talents to the group.
• Sophie did let slip on a Real Radio phone-in on Saturday prior to the awards show that she does plan to eventually return to the TWF and that it is likely it will be at the side of Mr. BIG. Sophie mentioned that she did expect the TWF to continue to make strides in 2009 without her, "but it will be stronger when I get back". When asked why she decided to not go to New York, Sophie admitted that she "missed the people who truly cared about her, and made her realise just how lucky she is". Sophie then confirmed she was living with Mr. BIG, but they were not dating, however, speculation on that changes on a daily basis. My own sources tell me that the two are dating.
• Despite rumours to the contrary, NJS and Ruby Cortez are not dating. A photo appeared on Cortez's official MySpace this week of her posing with NJS, which many fans took the wrong way and lead to attacks on both, but, the two denied the allegations, as NJS is happy with Lucy Rose and Cortez is single. Mastermind did raise a few eyebrows when he was accompanying Sophie backstage, but he too set the record straight as he is now a married man. Lita did sit with NJS for part of the Tenth Anniversary ceremony and the two enjoyed each other's company.
• The TWF is looking at heading to the Northeast Corridor in the United States sometime next year. Incredibly, the last time the company did a show in that area was with the US Only pay‐per‐view Zero Tolerance back in 2002. The TWF is keen to exploit the fact that over 55 million people live in the BosWash area, and the company will anchor the dates with a pay‐per‐view in Washington next year. Prior to this, the company will appear in Michigan and Illinois for the first time in 4 years. An excursion into Canada is possible.
• I've been told that the current format of the TWF schedule will change in the near future. The company will do the remaining specials on Five, but will not do any more after this year. The TWF has apparently been looking at ways to cut the calendar after the talent felt their were being burned out, despite working a less strenuous schedule than previous years. As a replacement, the TWF will instead do special TV shows of 2 and a half hours in length at various times of the year. 2007 was the most successful year in the company's history and the TWF will want to readopt that model of just 12 pay‐per‐views in 2010.
• The unusual intro videos prior to the TWF logo on the Australian tour were tributes to Australian culture in the UK. For example, prior to one episode of Grit BasH, the opening titles parodied popular soap opera, Neighbours. The sequence to Deadly MindGames was a tribute to the original UK Gladiators Ashes series in the mid-90s. All of the intros will be added as extras on the Deadly MindGames DVD. The TWF will also, for the first time, release DVDs of the Australian shows as a special DVD/BluRay set down under for fans to remember the occasion, with bonus features including house show matches.

• The Australian tour was considered a massive success by the company, especially set against the backdrop of the Australian bush fires that threatened to cancel the tour. Many locals were touched by the presentation that opened Deadly MindGames, and were especially happy to see local favourite Riptide on the card. Riptide's family was indirectly affected by the tragic circumstances, and he has stayed on in Australia to help out, but he will be back within a few weeks.
• There is some discussion going on backstage about what the new Controller of Sky One, Stuart Murphy, will do with the company. Murphy was Controller at BBC3, where he commissioned both Gavin and Stacy as well as Torchwood and he has an emphasis on comedies. Murphy is apparently unsure what to do with Grit BasH, as he feels that it is best suited to the sports channels rather than entertainment. The TWF is still one of Sky One's biggest ratings winners and has only missed out on a couple of occasions in the past few months as being the highest viewed program in the UK on Wednesday nights.
• As of today, the TWF has switched ticketing suppliers, away from Ticketmaster to different companies based on locale. The TWF is adding it's support to the campaign to stop the merging of Ticketmaster and LiveNation and if it doesn't go through, will look to boycott LiveNation venues. The big news if this happens is that the company will not visit the Cardiff International Arena amongst others, which will not go down well with some of the fans in the Nation's Capital.
• One of the biggest rumours I have heard in the past couple of days is that the TWF is talking to The MasterStroke Aaron Hill about a potential return to the company. This is considered a massive shock to many backstage, considering the way Hill has talked badly about the company in the past, especially Mr. BIG and NJS. The deal will apparently involve Hulmes and the duo will form a tag team. We also hear that The Fox has been spoken to about a return, whilst this isn't as much as a surprise as his younger brother J-Fox is still with the company, apparently Hill, Hulmes and Fox Senior will form a stable together.
• As a result, many people are wondering what Mr. BIG thinks of the discussion. Biggie has told my sources that he is prepared to put his personal differences aside to work matches with them if need be, but if as he expects, they discuss him in promos, he will not be so kind to them. Biggie has actually been scheduled for an operation to correct his heartbeat just days before No Way BacK, throwing an apparent spanner in the works as he is expected to form a significant piece of the puzzle for the show.
• Lucy Rose has moved in with NJS, signalling that their relationship is one stage above business. The two have been seeing each other for almost six months and many backstage say that they are happy for NJS after the hard time he had with both Lita and Louise. Marz proposed to Michelle during the Australian tour and the two are planning a wedding for sometime later this year. Deadman's wife Ms. Sweet is due to give birth in the coming weeks, but he won't miss any TV time for it as the TWF is back home for the next few weeks. Had he been abroad when the birth was due, he would have requested leave.
• Sophie has apparently had a change of heart about her move to New York. She went out for a short test run a few weeks ago and was said to be disappointed by it and has put off plans to open her own graphic fashion design agency. Sophie is now living in one of the flats in TWF Towers for new wrestlers who are looking for a house, although I have heard that Mr. BIG as offered Sophie a return to his famous pad with no strings attached. Whatever happens, Sophie will be written out of story lines for a few months but is likely to be phased back in, much like Marz was when he left in 2007.
• Kevin Rudolf has been asked to appear at No Way BacK to perform his new single "Welcome to the World". Rudolf met Sophie on a promotional tour whilst she was in New York and the TWF has already confirmed the song is the theme for the event. Along with Gemma Massey and Kaylee Carver, he will form part of the celebrity appearances at the event, although the TWF is looking for one or two further names to appear.
• The TWF will induct new members into the Hall of Fame as part of the Tenth Anniversary celebrations. The company is now instituting a new rule that the wrestlers being honoured must have been inactive from the company for two years. The Builders category is unaffected. As a result, many people are only expecting one or two inductions this year and next year. The TWF also wants to begin holding much larger ceremonies for the inductions, rather than the closing segment of awards shows. The company will offer the previous inductees the opportunity to have their Hall of Fame exhibits re-honoured and make a proper speech if this happens.
• Speaking of Awards, some fans are disappointed that they will not get as much of a say on the TWF Tenth Anniversary Awards as they would like. However, this is part of the plan, as the TWF has announced that if fans can predict the winners of five of the big awards, they will win an all-expenses paid trip to Summer Break X at the O₂ Arena in London, courtesy of Mastercard, who will be sponsoring the event again this year.

• Mr. BIG's health has got better since my last report. He collapsed in pain after over stretching, but it turns out that his heart stopped beating and he had an irregular heartbeat. Whilst he has not resumed much training, he has changed his diet considerably and believes that it will help him in the long run. He did not feel particularly well attending The Memory Remains last night, but was extremely pleased to hear the roar of the crowd when he was shown on the TotalTron at ringside. Biggie originally wanted some involvement on the card, but after his collapse, this was not allowed. Many fans are clamouring for his return, and he posted a video message on his official website this week stating his goal is to return to the company before the year's end.
• The locker room was in very high spirits last night for a multitude of reasons. Many backstage were ecstatic to realise the company would be 10 years old, some were happy to see some old faces and others were already looking ahead to the Australian tour that begins later this week. The plane carrying the company left Cardiff at around 6pm on Sunday.
• Louise gained a lot of attention once more when her and Biggie spoke backstage before the event. The two remain very strong friends and had a long conversation about their current lives. Louise originally planned to move to Exeter with her boyfriend Josh Jericho, but this did not work out, and she now runs a restaurant near the Broadlands Arena, near to Biggie's home. One of Biggie's other ex's, Rachel Stevens, reprised her role as ring announcer and was excited to be backstage. She looks back with fondness her time with the company and was plugging her appearance on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour.
• Mr. Edwards also made a very welcome appearance backstage last night to simply show his face. He was telling the staff that he is likely to not return to a full-time television presence, but will make appearances if and when required. Many think that this will then mean the Commissioner's role is given more elevation on the programs. Speaking of which, Sophie was not on the plane heading to Australia, leading many to believe her appearance at the show on Sunday was her last.
• The Bandit and JT Money were delighted to be backstage and to many, "it was just like old times watching them hang around with Biggie, NJS and Louise". The Chicago-based duo gave some of the best performances of the night but professed their love for the life they now have back home and it would take a lot of negotiation with their families to return to Wales.
• The positive reaction that Gemma Massey got to her verbal bashing of Kaylee Carver during her appearance last night caught many by surprise. Some are unsure as to where this angle is headed as it now seems extremely unlikely the two will be involved in the main event, but will be involved on the card in some shape or form. The inspiration seems to be the Jenny McCarthy/Pamela Anderson angle the WWF did back in the mid-90s. This is a one-off occurrence as the company believes the two girls deserve some exposure and might bring in some further buys for No Way BacK due to their presence and the potential for risqué action.
• Expect something to come out of Marz winning the Old Versus New Battle Royal. Marz got one of the biggest pops of the night, although partly due to his return home, it has not gone unnoticed that Marz's career has had a major turn around in the last two years and he has benefited most from the vacancies at the top of the card.
• Five has announced that they will be placing the Memory Remains on their on demand service up until No Way BacK. The TWF's own stream will be available in standard definition and with the ad breaks for another two weeks for free, as will the high definition feed which comes at a £1.50 charge due to bandwidth. The TWF managed to stop many of the high definition feeds posted on the net. Strangely, they encouraged viewers outside the UK to stream the event in standard definition as many of it's partner television networks chose not to air the program.
• There was some serious thought about turning the halfway point of this year's Summer Break into a slot like the Half-Time Show at the Super Bowl. This was after the TWF was particularly impressed with this year's show. One of my sources tells me that they talked about this last year and nothing came of it, as many felt that 15 minutes of a performance would lead to a match being dropped, which is against the ethos of the show, which is supposed to be the high point of wrestling.
• The TWF finally re-designed it's shop website for the first time in four years this weekend and expect to see plenty of new merchandise added in the coming weeks as the company feels that they can get some more revenue this way.
• The categories for the TWF's Tenth Anniversary special will be announced on the weekend of Deadly MindGames. Expect for there to be some fan involvement - about the same as the usual year end awards. The TWF felt that if it was open to fan voting, the faces would get a lot more of the votes, which would be unfair to the company's strongest heels.

• Mr. BIG was rushed to hospital in the early hours of this morning after collapsing at home. No information has been released surrounding his health, but he is in a stable condition and was kept in for most of the day for tests. His friends and family have expressed serious concern about the former World Champion's health lately, as he has not been training and his weight has ballooned up to over 330lbs. A source I have tells me that this incident could be related to his weight issues and we may have seen the last of Mr. BIG in the ring as a result. I will have a health update in my next report.
• NJS is also concerned about his reign as TWF World Champion. NJS has put in a stellar performance during his reign, but feels that he is not the draw that he once was. There are a minority backstage who believe in this view, but, most believe that this is simply due to the current global economic situation, which is making it difficult for fans to buy the merchandise, come to shows and buy the pay‐per‐views. Around this time last year, plans were being made for the Mr. BIG-NJS feud to take place about now, but the TWF wants to capitalise on a better economic condition before going ahead with the feud, with one backstage member saying that a Biggie-NJS feud "will bankroll this company for the next 10 years if they do it properly".
• Speaking of NJS, he pitched an idea for his return that would have seen him turn on Deadman for economical reasons rather than personal ones, blaming XCW's failure and his financial mismanagement on why he needed to return. Amazingly, this is a similar storyline to what WWE is doing with JBL and Shawn Michaels at present, leading NJS to chortle "wish they'd pay me the money to do that". NJS is not in any real financial difficulty at the moment, despite XCW closing, the video library continues to make a lot of money, which is one reason he will not let the TWF control it.
• Marz and The Assassin were both backstage at Reality Check, but both were selling their injuries from PayBacK and as a result did not appear. Marz is experiencing a renaissance of late, with him becoming very popular backstage thanks to his lifestyle and stories about the TECW-TWF war, growing up with many of the TWF Alum and drinking stories. The Assassin appeared with his wife and his two year-old son, who was born during the TWF's 2006 hiatus. Assassin appeared to be glad for the company's annual winter break and his extended holiday as he appeared fresh and revitalised backstage later on that week at Grit BasH. He will be returning to TV in the build-up for The Memory Remains.
• Also backstage were former TWF managers Holly, Louise and Rebekah, who were in Cardiff that day. They simply dropped by to speak to friends and confirm they would participate in the 10th Anniversary Celebrations in the next few months. It was noted how different and "laughy and jokey" the three were together compared to when they all appeared backstage individually in the past few months. This made some of the girls backstage feel uncomfortable as they are considered by many to have some stroke with management.
• Some backstage are not sure how to take the appearance of model Kaylee Carver at Reality Check. Carver, who is tipped to be one of the "hottest celebrities of 2009" was brought in to add a bit of buzz to the No Way BacK show in March. However, her largely anonymous promo did not go down well with the crowd and the company isn't sure where to head. At this moment she was going to be brought in to be one of the corner people for the main event (much like Jenny McCarthy and Pamela Anderson were for WrestleMania XI), but plans may be changed as a result of this.
• Rick Majors' appearance at Reality Check came as a shock to everyone except the final combatants in the Time Crisis match, although they were each sworn to secrecy. Majors was overwhelmed at the pop he got, as his last match was almost two years ago and would only be known to those who watched it on YouTube, as the xWn didn't pick up NLCW until afterwards. Majors is a big part of the plans for the next few months and he will be a breath of fresh air to many who have not witnessed his style.
• Expect Alexis Polaris to become a big deal in the next few months. Many critics have been eating their words at her performances, with Blade going as far to say she's one of the best managers in the company's history. The Entourage was an idea she pitched and got the backing largely on the basis of her pitch and she is determined not to let this position go to waste. Certain people in upper management believe Justin Polaris will be one of the company's biggest stars in the next two-to-three years.
• As part of being a big Sky One property, the TWF will be making some kind of appearance during the run of Noel's HQ on Saturday nights for the network. The response to the company's appearance on Noel's Christmas Presents, and the company's influence with young people were the two big factors in allowing the TWF to show up, it was mentioned in a press release. The TWF has been Sky One's #1 rated show since transferring to the network in October and the TWF has been getting close to being the #1 rated show on Wednesdays on some occasions, a big achievement considering the dominance of soap operas on terrestrial networks.
• The TWF will hold a 10th Anniversary Awards Show dinner at the Bridgend Hotel (the hotel on the site of the Bridgend Dome) the night before No Way BacK in March, not prior to the Memory Remains as expected. Every member of the TWF, past and present has been contacted and nobody, thus far, has turned down the invite. Not all alumni will be back for February supercard due to scheduling issues, but the Saturday in March was kept clear. The TWF did think about holding the show at the TWF Arena or the Hardkore Cafe, but decided to do something a little different and unique to honour the company's tenth anniversary.