Weekend Wars

**The Weekend Wars** were a series of televised back-and-forth between the formerly public-access To The Limit and local rival federation, Rocky Mountain Pro. The first of which culminated on May 27, 1995 featuring a jab at Big Daddy LaChance's daughter, and generally mocking TTL as a whole. A personally signed envelope left on LaChance's desk containing a videotape detailing the events would ignite the feud into an all-out war between public-access promotions.

### Beginnings

Since acquiring a bigger budget in the mid-late 1990's, To The Limit Wrestling or "TTL", had been touring across the Rocky Mountain states including but not limited to; Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The once fan-operated backyard fed, now a homegrown local promotion had found success through touring the Rockies.

The Rockies however were already seeing the success of Rocky Mountain Pro, a burgeoning professional wrestling community allied with the Rocky Mountain Territories, and based out of Denver, Colorado. Originally owned by Smilin' Sam Stetson; the flourishing promotion would quickly take notice of the TTL tours in 1999 and would personally antagonize the growing fed through a series of vignettes, "worked" shoot interviews, impersonation matches intended to mock the style and professionalism of TTL and call-outs, much to legacy shareholders & founders Jayce Morgan and Derek Simms and newly-minted CEO Johnathan LaChance's chagrin.

Things would escalate rather quickly after an unprecedented airing of Rocky Mountain Pro that premiered during the 9:00 PM slot on Friday, on local public access television (Kjzz in Salt Lake City) that would air a mock wedding featuring a poorly disguised imitation of Chelsea LaChance called "Smellanie LeGross" who was to be betrothed to a live orangutan. The procession was overseen by Father Noah Best, with an estimated (purported) 6000 in viewership. The TTL bookers and management did their best to keep John LaChance from seeing the segment, however the whole sordid affair would rerun on the following Saturday and Sunday, with improvised scenes detailing Smellanie and the Orangutan's matrimony, furthering Chelsea's embarrassment. John would eventually see the dreaded segment in all of its intended glory, not per chance by perusing the local television channels, but via a sealed manila envelope containing all of the mockery up to that date. Enraged and saddened on behalf of his daughter, John would take to the arena; microphone in hand (an unprecedented first since his takeover of the company in 1993) and cut a 20-minute promo on Smilin' Sam (referring to him as 'Slimeball Sam') and officially drop the gauntlet on Rocky Mountain Pro.

Professional Wrestling Historian and former manager, Steve Valentino described the incident as such;

Johnathan LaChance, now going by the moniker; "Big Daddy LaChance", had verbally chastened Sam Stetson and Rocky Mountain Pro, equating the former to a "nouveau riche" trust fund kid who was spending daddy's money, and questioned his investment choices and poor use of talent. Then and there in the arena, on June 15, 1999; in another unprecedented event, Mr. LaChance made an offer for any and all Rocky Mountain Pro talent an opportunity to jump-ship if they were "tired of working under a clueless rich boy", and wanted a more grounded, less taxing experience (due to at the time TTL's lax touring itineraries). Surprisingly, the very next weekend (Friday constituting the beginning of the weekend for the sake of the 'Weekend Wars') had debuted several new stars to add to their roster; Ajay Hammer, Raziel, Flora, Anthrax, and the duo of Craig Van Ark and Tommy Hart. In addition, accomplished booker, manager and ringside photographer Steve Valentino would also jump ship during this time citing "more money for less travel," being a God-send.