CSWA: Lost Cause Reported on Tuesday, March 31 2009 Excerpt from CSWA: The Rise and Fall by Bryan Altzer Available at a bookstore near you beginning April 1, 2009 Chapter 27: The Beginning of the End In the end, despite all the five-star matches and the ongoing intrigue around ownership, the most important moment in the CSWA’s existence may not have happened in either the ring or the CS Enterprises boardroom. The ultimate path of the ultimate wrestling company was set in a friendly poker game back in 1999. Stephen Thomas and Ray S. Cornette, former enemies turned poker buddies, sat down with a fifth of tequila, a deck of cards and a couple of regulars for their post-PRIMETIME card game. Things could get rowdy after a series of shots – Bryan “Blond Devil” Nord was known to cut promos in the middle of a hand, Sammy Benson would start looking for the latest overweight object of his affection, while Marvin Parsons would start to reminisce about his days as a mysterious hijacker stalking the CSWA over a decade earlier. As was par for the course, Thomas was down early. Cornette had learned long before that after a couple of shots, Thomas was willing to put action on every hand. When Thomas went all-in with big slick and lost to Ray S.’s jacks, it looked like the game might be over early. Instead, another couple of a shots downed, Thomas began trying to interest Cornette in everything from his watch to… “Ownership of the CSWA,” Cornette questioned, “Haven’t we done this before in the ring?” The three hangers-on sobered up quickly as Thomas went beyond all-in, throwing a napkin on the table with “IOU my CSWA shares” scribbled on it and signed. The co-owner of the CSWA was clearly more interested in winning a big one back from Cornette for the pride rather than the cash on the table. Even he sobered up a bit when Cornette caught a king to pair on the flop, leaving Thomas still ahead with his pocket aces. The deuce on the turn missed them both. There was an audible gasp when the final card turned over. The King made Ray S. Cornette the king of the CSWA? Or maybe not. Though Ray S. had coveted ownership of the CSWA a decade earlier, but seemed to have mellowed in his old age. The two got a good laugh out of it, although Cornette’s hand kept twitching around the IOU like Frodo with his ring. It became a running joke for several weeks while they were on the road, Cornette pulling the napkin out and telling the story whenever Thomas cmae around. At least until Merritt found out… Back to News Listing