Edwin MacPhisto

Ridiculously fun power ballads with lots of fast, exuberant party songs too. More complex than the first album as far as arrangements go, an actual wide variety of sounds, and a reworked version of one my favorite unreleased AWK songs, "Don't Ever Stop The Noise" (which is now "The Song"). And awesome liner notes. I paid $7 for it and am incredibly pleased.

Tom, for the desperate rush job you had to pull off, you almost won. The extended selling actually wasn't a huge problem for me, but what was problematic was just the whole match flow. I could tell that you had to pound it, as it was a very formulaic match--here's Va'aiga, do his spots, here's Show, do his spots. Excepting the final players a lot of the stuff seemed to be moves for move's sake. It was a bit of a rush and I'm sorry you get hung out to dry on that. But one thing that almost put it over the edge was the excellent Dace/Tom storyline in the center and the reoccurence of the Granby roll. I loved the dynamic you built between the two of them during the match and just might book a Tom/Dace match sometime in the near future to see more of it. I'd encourage everyone to read both six-mans (yeah right) to see the good dynamics each team dabbled in. What sealed it for the Trinity was a similar excellence in playing with Tom's ego and Strangler's counter of the second Ego Trip. Not saying that it was that one sequence on either side that did it, but the fact that both matches maintained a very good internal sense of what had happened before and between each competitor kept them very even on that level. In the end the Trinity match played better with the tag elements and had a super mark-out wall of finishing sequences that just kicked the fun factor up and over. But you did still almost win on a few hours of that which you pulled out of your ass, which I must say is pretty damn admirable.

Multiple syllables NOT ALLOWED. CHRIS SMASH!

I'm 20, which I'm convinced is one of the least useful ages out there. All it's gotten me is a quarter-life crisis.

"Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" was always my favorite. And...that's all I have to add.

I expect him to be sober in...48 hours, maybe. Happy birthday, fool.

That's awesome. I will donate dolla dolla bills this week.

The Virginia game was abhorrent. Why Al Groh insisted on keeping Anthony Martinez in for the second half after he threw for a whopping *25 yards* in the first half stuns me. For years Groh's been the guy with balls who did whatever he needs to win. And he's got Marques Hagans, who was starting QB at the beginning of last year, playing as a third wide-out. Hagans isn't good, but he's better than frickin' Martinez. Our run game was fine today, but without a quarterback it's over. Gross. I just hope Schaub heals up before Wake so the season's not a wash.

I've listened to it, and ouch. Not my thing in the least. Interesting soundscapes, vocals that are up there with the most irritating of shrieky prog howls, and...well, really a bunch of blathered nonsense. I know that you don't necessarily need coherence in your lyrics, but what I could understand was the most awfully pretentious babble I've heard in a long time. I like a few of the things they do sonically but...no.

Because of the story about the porn page writer. Actually, they let me into intermediate for the porn website story. It took a story about skywriting and wanton LSD abuse to get me into this one.

It's great. I don't even have to book the cards anymore--they just throw them to me. Cackle. The main event is going to be so awesome. Not to put any pressure on you guys or anything. But we're all watching, and judging you silently. So there. JUDGING! CAUSE IT'S JUDGE!!! I'll be sleeping now.

I'm currently writing a story for my adv. workshop about smoking cigars and drinking whiskey with Tom Waits. On skateboards. That's right, kids. They let me into the ADVANCED CLASS. Dumbasses.

My input on this week: as a tried-n-true Virginia Cavalier, let me just say that I hate separated shoulders. Dammit. The only good thing about QB Matt Schaub's injury is that he has about a month to repair before he's really needed. For once I'm glad that UVA backloads the schedule and doesn't face FSU, NC State, and VA Tech until the second half of the season. With an improved running game I think we'll still be able to roll past South Carolina and Western Michigan without much trouble. The rest of the action wasn't particularly thrilling for week one, but I did love watching the Terrapins got shocked out of their minds. Nonetheless, I hope FSU/Maryland is on national TV this week, because that's going to be a fun one.

Roja/Adam: the four of us who remember you salute you, wherever you are. Isn't he still on a desert island somewhere? ::shrug::

I'm gonna say it's just you, but that's just because I really love the title track and the three part "Reflection"/"Disposition"/"Triad" suite. God I love that album. Outkast, "Stankonia (Stanklove)."

Well, the first half of "Senorita" isn't nearly as fun as the ridiculous call-and-response that ends it. And I'm sure there a few lame love ballads somewhere on the album. That's about all I've got. I love the singles.

I'll drop a few bucks on this once I see a purty picture. And Thugg, the site has been updated--Atlaspike even started up a separate page for Genesis IV. I think we're only one show behind on the main page at this point. This, by the by, is a very cool idea.

Thoughts on Apostle's match that are probably a good read for anybody. Pretty general notes that I think you can improve on. You wrote a pretty good match, but probably benefitted very much from the fact that Kibs no-showed. First off, the intense crowd hatred for Apostle is a bit weird, but whatever. I’ll buy it. I don’t like the no-selling at all. Kibs hits a ton of kicks, a big lariat, and a nasty powerbomb, and Apostle is up and annihilating him outside the ring seconds after. With the “HE KICKED OUT! HOW DID HE DO THAT?!” you’re attributing a lot of gravity and emphasis to that move. I’m expecting something big and then I think oh, wait, no, the commentators are just spazzes. Same deal with the Rough Redemption later. You throw in these big bombs with very little build, and then just breeze past them. If you’re throwing the big moves in there, it’s not going to work unless you put some major sell on them. Example: Kibs hits the Rough Redemption, Apostle barely kicks out and bails out of the ring to recover. Or he bats off Kibs a bit, shoves him away crudely and tries to get himself a breather in the corner. Instead he’s bouncing off the ropes and flip-flopping around moments later and I’m wondering why you didn’t just go straight to the backdrop driver. There’s very little difference in this match between someone hitting a backbreaker, a momentum-shifting powerbomb, or a late-in-the-game finisher. They just read as large moves which, while very well-executed and adeptly described in and of themselves, just don’t work as a chain of events or a cohesive piece. I liked the back work in the beginning—very nice transition from the surfboard to the chinlock with the knee to the back—but you let it disappear in the middle and resurrect it for a quick tap at the end. Not done badly, but not done tremendously well either. At first it felt like Apostle was trying to slow Kibs down, then speed him up, then just get these depths of strength from nowhere and keep fighting. The match reads very fast, with little stopping for explanation, expansion, or development beyond wham, wham, wham, wham. It’s an exciting read, but doesn’t really hold up on review. I would have appreciated a more detailed explanation of Apostle’s sudden change in styles throughout the match. I know one of your big things is that Apostle can wrestle any style, but I wanted to see a more active engagement of his abilities than the mish-mash of moves, maneuvers, and approaches he took here. You could also benefit from some more commentator insight than “OH MY GOD HE KICKED OUT” over and over again. Save the capital letters and calling on deities for the really big falls—maybe the Rough Redemption and the Backdrop Driver, and maybe you’re better off playing the other stuff as build. You can do the “constant near-falls throughout the match thing,” but as I said before, you’ve got to give them some weight. Otherwise they’re not even near-falls. I admire your reversal of the Demonstar, as it was simple and desperate. Considering that Apostle gives up 40 pounds and a lot of mass to Kibs, I was surprised that he turned him over into the cloverleaf so quickly, particularly after it had been all Kibs in that last series—you catch him by surprise, which I like, but for some reason something feels off. Read it again and see what I mean—it’s “OH SHIT APOSTLE’S DEAD,” followed by “OH SHIT APOSTLE’S DEAD,” followed by “APOSTLE’S GOT HIM TRAPPED!” It’s actually still a very good finish, but I think you could make this sort of thing great with more consideration to the conditions of both men at this state. Maybe play with the formula a bit—let Kibs break out of the hold, have Apostle hit one more desperation move to stun him, and then re-apply it for a more logical conclusion. All in all: very strong writing and description, marred by inconsistent match flow and occasionally inexplicable choices of moves and their consequences.

SWF LOCKDOWN Wednesday, September 3! Live from the Pershing Center, in Lincoln, Nebraska! Matches due: 9 PM EST Send to: Grand Slam TAG MATCH The Unholy Trinity (Va’aiga & Dace Night) vs. Crow & Dante Crane --Crow and Dante were unceremoniously bounced out of the tournament on Storm, and Dace met his fate just a little earlier. Va’aiga has recently returned from a short sabbatical wherein the mighty mongrel bulked up and declared his intent to take back the tag titles from Double Jeopardy. Unfortunately for Va’aiga, Quiz and Show are both still going strong in the tournament. These two teams in search of a path collide in what should be a killer opener… Word Limit: 5000 Send to: Edwin MacPhisto SINGLES MATCH “The Superior One” Tom Flesher vs. Jay Dawg --The wounds have healed; haunted by the shadow of Window Pain but back in the game, Tom Flesher makes his in-ring return against the hardcore vet, Jay Dawg. JD slipped out of the tournament, but a win over an old rival could certainly send him back on the way to the top… Word Limit: 5000 Send to: chirs3 TOURNAMENT SINGLES MATCH “The Judge” William Hearford III vs. Nathaniel Kibagami --Contract breaches have left Annie Eclectic and Xcalibur unable to compete in the tournament, and so this singles match will determine whether the Judge or the Silent One will keep hope alive. These two have crossed paths several times over the past months, but this might be the most important meeting yet. Word Limit: 5000 Send to: Edwin MacPhisto TOURNAMENT TAG-IN ELIMINATION MATCH “The Franchise” Mak Francis vs. “The Sacred One” Andrew Blackwell vs. Show --The loser’s bracket starts to wind down. Only one man can come out of this three-way dance still eligible for a run at the title… Rules: DQ and count-out are in effect. Two men begin the match in the ring, with the third in a corner. The man outside can be tagged in or can tag in at any time, but only two men are allowed in the ring at any time. When one man is eliminated, the two remaining competitors will battle it out in a standard singles match to see who advances. Word Limit: 6000 Send to: chirs3 TOURNAMENT TAG-IN ELIMINATION MATCH “The Sinner” John Duran vs. Quiz vs. Ejiro Fasaki --Two relative newcomers to the fed have made waves in the tourney and gotten this far, and now Quiz and Duran go up against US Champ Ejiro Fasaki, who must be ready to explode after a hard loss to Danny Williams in the winner’s bracket… Rules: DQ and count-out are in effect. Two men begin the match in the ring, with the third in a corner. The man outside can be tagged in or can tag in at any time, but only two men are allowed in the ring at any time. When one man is eliminated, the two remaining competitors will battle it out in a standard singles match to see who advances. Word Limit: 6000 Send to: Suicide King MAIN EVENT – TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL TAG-IN ELIMINATION MATCH Apostle vs. “Deathwish” Danny Williams vs. “The King of Nightmares” Michael Craven --The miracle run of the Apostle has taken him this far, but can he go any further against two seasoned WFers? Danny Williams has rebounded from his Ground Zero loss to TNT, proving that he is a viable contender. And Michael Craven continues to defy common sentiment, rolling over old rivals and all comers to make it this far. The winner of this match advances to the tournament final; the losers will get one more chance after a trip to that other bracket. Rules: DQ and count-out are in effect. Two men begin the match in the ring, with the third in a corner. The man outside can be tagged in or can tag in at any time, but only two men are allowed in the ring at any time. When one man is eliminated, the two remaining competitors will battle it out in a standard singles match to see who advances. Word Limit: 6000 Send to: Grand Slam

Show fixified. For whatever reason I got a goofy copy of Craven's match last night, and it's all repaired now. The full-length matches that are there--most notably Sacred's, Craven's, and Danny's--are all pretty solid and worth your read. So please do, and brace for the next round of the tourney, as well as some tasty non-tourney matches.

Results: First off, my apologies to everyone for such a late show. Alas, I got stuck at a party keeping an eye on a few incapacitated friends. I don't think anyone will miss this one too much though. Promos: Fun background on the Hville Thugg for anyone who doesn't know him. A few roadblocks arise in Thugg's plan to take out King. Everyone should read the four vignettes on the show. Match-wise, kinda disappointing. Everything I marked was a default win. However, the full matches on the show were excellent.

“Oooooh saaaay caaan youuuuuuuu SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” The fans cringe in disgust as Ejiro’s blasphemous idea of national pride gets shoved down their throats. Comet: My fair citizens, welcome back to SWF Stooooooooooooooooooorm!!! Right now it’s time for the Main Event between good doer Danny Williams and evil mat technician Ejiro Fasaki! Riley: That’s right, so you commies at home better stand up and show some respect because America’s Greatest Champion, Ejiro Faskai is about to make his grand entrance! On cue, Ejiro comes marching out of the lock room like a band leader. But instead of a marching band blindly following Ejiro’s lead, there is just one man bouncing along behind him, that man being Wildchild, who is energetically waving an American Flag. Funyon: Ladies and gentlemen it is now time for the Main Event of the evening! This contest will be scheduled for one fall and is set at a 30 minute time limit. Introducing first, weighing in at a trim 188 pounds, hailing from Sarasota, Florida......EJIRO FASAKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!! The crowd loudly “boos” as Ejiro’s name is called, obviously irritating him. Pretending like he didn’t hear the negative reaction, Ejiro gives the crowd an obnoxious salute before entering the ring. Despite the big show, it’s obvious that something is bothering Ejiro. Nervously pacing back and forth, Ejiro insecurely twitches and inches as if he’s not comfortable in his own skin. Riley: This is arguably the biggest match of Ejiro’s blossoming singles career. If he wins he will not only move one step closer to the World Title, but he will finally defeat the man who’s been holding him down for the past year...Danny Williams. Comet: You are correct, citizen Riley. If Ejiro can defeat Danny Williams in combat, he will surely graduate from villain to super villain. But while he is motivated and determined....you have to wonder if he can handle the pressure, especially against someone who’s not only pinned his shoulders to the mat, but has also out wrestled him in a submission’s match. Riley: Of course he can handle the pressure. Sure Danny Williams beat him twice before, but he’s came a long way since than. Hell, he and Judge beat Williams and Dace not too long ago. Comet: You speak the truth, Riley, but beating someone in tag action is different from defeating them in singles competition. Sure, he and Mental took Williams apart, but in the back of Ejiro’s mind he has to wonder,”can I do the same thing on my own?” “Aaaand the home uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuv the BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!” After the national anthem comes to it’s thrilling conclusion, the haunting melodies of the “Jester’s Dance” starts to dance out of the PA system in it’s place. For the first time a long time, the fans in the MCI center have something to cheer for as Danny Williams steps out of the locker room. Funyon: And his opponent, weighing in at 243 pounds, and hailing from Louisville, Kentucky.......................DANNY WILLIAMSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!! The crowd is going crazy as Danny Williams confidently makes his way down the entrance ramp, keeping his head held high and proud. Showing some love, the crowd starts to chant,”DAN-E! DAN-E! DAN-E!” Comet: Once again, Danny Williams finds himself defending his place in the company against a very hungry Ejiro Fasaki. Can Williams hold off the forces of evil a third time, or will he finally succumb to the little guy’s relentless assault. Riley: In the SWF it’s hard to beat somebody once, let alone three times in a roll. Comet: It is indeed a challenge worthy of a super hero, but Williams is a man on a mission, and I doubt he will roll over and die after coming so close to realizing his dream. Riley: That may be true, but Williams has made a career of coming up just short. In his iron man match against Mak Francis, he let the Franchise score too quick points in the final minute to defeat him, and against TNT he was simply out willed. Williams has a history of losing the big ones, and tonight is defiantly a big one. Ejiro looks very jittery and nervous as he waits for the bell, while Danny Williams is as still as a statue. With both men ready in their corners, Soapdish gets things under way.... DING! DING! DING! The crowd welcomes the start of the Main Event with a roaring standing ovation! Taking their time, Williams and Ejiro slowly inch out of their corners, meeting up in the center of the ring for a grapple. Out of nowhere, Ejiro maneuvers around Williams, bending his arm into a painful hammerlock. But in a flash, Williams ducks down behind Ejiro, reversing the hammerlock. Grabbing Williams behind the head, Ejiro jumps high into the air, and slings him over his shoulder with a stunning snap mare! Comet: What an amazing counter from Ejiro! Riley: I bet you that Danny Williams didn’t know that counter. Disorientated, Williams scrambles to his feet only to get taking back to the mat with a quick arm drag! Ejiro springs back to his feet, prosed and ready for another arm drag. But instead of blindly rushing to his feet, Williams slowly climbs to one knee, smiles at Ejiro, and taps his temple at him. Now appearing foolish, an embarrassed Ejiro stomps out of attacking range, while the crowd chuckles at him. Comet: Williams, letting Ejiro know that he isn’t gonna fall for the same trick twice. Riley: So Williams avoided an arm drag, big deal, give the guy a freaking medal why don’t you! After regaining his composure, Ejiro approaches Williams for another grapple attempt. Without hesitation, the two lock up in a second collar elbow tie up. In no time at all, Ejiro gains the advantage with a swift wristlock. Calm to the point that he is almost showing no emotion, Williams drops to one knee, hooks Ejiro’s leg, and takes him over with a fireman carry. With Ejiro on his back, Williams fluidity clamps on an arm bar to keep him that way. Comet: From what we’ve seen thus far it looks like we may a see a nice clean scientific match out of these two, which doesn’t really come as a surprise considering that they’ve both advanced in the tournament by out wrestling their opponents. Riley: This will prove to be a big mistake by Williams, because there’s no way he’s gonna school Ejiro like he did Quiz and Viktor. If he stays on the mat with Ejiro, he’s gonna get taking apart in no time. Rolling away from the pressure, Ejiro climbs to his feet, when Williams punishes him with a painful arm wringer! From the wristlock, Williams bends Ejiro’s arm in a nasty hammerlock. Just as before, Ejiro hooks Williams behind the head, but unlike last time, Williams simply pries his hand off his neck. Not giving up, Ejiro reaches back, but Williams casually swipes his arm away as if he was swatting at a fly. The crowd starts to chuckle once again, infuriating Ejiro! Comet: Ejiro is looking for that jumping snapmare again, but Williams isn’t about to let that happen again. Riley: He’ll find a way out, after all there’s more than one way to escape a hammerlock. Going to plan B, Ejiro begins to wander around in a circle, forcing Williams to follow him around. Suddenly, Ejiro unexpectedly puts the breaks on, and drops to the mat, tripping Williams up with a drop toe hold! Pouncing on Williams, Ejiro grabs a side headlock. Slipping out from underneath his captor, Williams effortlessly reverses the headlock into a hammerlock. Comet: And Ejiro is right back where started, though actually he’s in an even worse predicament than before, because he is belly down on the mat, totally at Danny Williams’ mercy! Riley: Ejiro is never helpless, he’s got Danny right where he wants him...oh who am I kidding, he’s screwed. Hooking Ejiro’s other free arm with a chickenwing, Williams rolls him over on his back. Soapdish drops to the mat, inspecting the situation very closely, before ruling that Ejiro’s shoulders aren’t quite all the way down. Comet: What a fair and noble official Nick Soapdish is, he’s truly a man that other’s should look up too. Not sweating the ref’s decision, Williams simply muscles the shoulder in question down to the mat. After some careful pondering, Soapdish starts the count. Riley: He may be fair and noble but he’s blind as bat, that shoulder is not down, dammit! ONE! TW-NO, Ejiro wiggles his shoulder back up. Williams attempts to force it back down, but Ejiro manages to slip his arm out of the chickenwing, and roll back over on his stomach. Ejiro fights his way back to a vertical base, forcing Williams to modify the hammerlock into a wristlock. In that instant, Ejiro drops to one knee, rolls forward, and performs a one armed hand stand back to his feet! Unable to keep up with Ejiro, Williams is powerless to prevent the wristlock reversal! Riley: With Tom Flesher away, Ejiro is without question the best technical wrestler in the fed! Refusing to let Ejiro have the last laugh, Williams drops and rolls just as Ejiro did. But unlike Ejiro, Williams executes a jaw dropping one handed cart wheel, before reversing the wristlock! Impressed, the crowd hoots and whistles as if a hot chick just walked by. Williams releases the wristlock in favor of a side headlock, which he transitions back to a hammerlock. Red faced with rage, Ejiro violently swings back his elbow,... Crack! catching Williams square on the temple! Williams loudly cries out in a pain, giving Ejiro the opportunity to reverse the hammerlock. Ejiro smiles to the crowd, who in turn, showers the ring with “boos”. Comet: Unable to cleanly out wrestle Williams, that dastardly fiend had to resort to attacking his head injury in order to secure an advantage. Riley: You call it dastardly, I call it brilliant. True Champions exploit weaknesses, not ignore them. Visibly pissed, Williams fires off a reverse elbow of his own! CRACK! Ejiro’s knees buckle under the crushing blow, but oddly enough, he keeps a hold of Williams’ arm. Since one didn’t work, Williams tries two. But this time, Williams elbow can’t find the mark, because Ejiro has wisely tucked his head into Williams’ body, keeping it well out of his reach. Ejiro pokes his head around Williams’ shoulder, and tauntingly sticks his tongue out. Aiming to knock Ejiro’s tongue down his throat, Williams quickly fires off another reverse elbow! It’s not quick enough as Ejiro ducks his head back to his safety zone in the nick of time. Unable to contain himself, Ejiro lets out a cackling hyena laugh. Riley: Ejiro is just toying with Williams, who can’t seem to do much of anything without his trusty elbows. Knowing he can’t do anything while being frustrated, Williams takes a second to calm himself down. A light bulb goes off in Williams’ head, who immediately puts his plan into action. Reaching down between his legs, Williams grabs Ejiro by the boot, and pull his legs out from underneath him! Comet: Williams isn’t no one trick pony, there’s more to his game than elbows. Free of the hammerlock, Williams spins around, taking hold of Ejiro’s legs. Williams frantically laces Ejiro’s legs around one of his own in an unbreakable Indian Deathlock! Ejiro attempts to crawl back into the ropes, but Williams has him anchored too good. Sitting up as high as he possibly can, Ejiro starts swinging his fists up at Williams, but he’s obviously a good couple of feet out of range. Poking fun at his helpless foe, Williams sticks his tongue out at him, which gets a good laugh from the crowd. Even Wildchild is fighting off a grin, having to hide it from his mentor by holding his American flag over his face. Riley: What is Williams’ problem, why must he continue to humiliate one of the SWF’s most respected athletes. Comet: Do unto other’s Riley. Riley: Don’t give me that childless nonsense, besides Williams was the one that started it. . Having had his fun, Williams gets back to business, which happens to be breaking Ejiro’s legs. Williams drops back, crunching Ejiro’s legs together with bone snapping force! Ejiro screams at the top of his lungs, and makes a desperate attempt to untangle his legs from Williams’, but it’s no use. Desperate, Ejiro starts barking orders at Wildchild, who can’t seem to hear him over the roar of the crowd. Williams returns to his feet, and drops back a second time, sending Ejiro into pain induced seizures! Concerned, Soapdish asks Ejiro if he wants to throw in the towel, but the little guy insists he can go on. Riley: Soapdish is barking up the wrong tree, because Ejiro an’t gonna give up this early! Ejiro is nearly in tears as Williams climbs back to his feet, but in a change of pace he doesn’t flop back to the mat. Instead, Williams leans down, and secures Ejiro’s arms in a double underhook tie up. Grunting with strain, Williams lifts Ejiro off the mat, until he has his entire torso elevated off the mat in a modified butterfly lock. The creative and very painful looking submission hold leaves the crowd in a state of “ah”. Riley: What the hell is that thing? Comet: A fitting way to punish evil doers! Ejiro is screaming at the top of his lungs, praying for an end to his wide awake nightmare! Predictably, Soapdish asks Ejiro the big question. “Nooooooooooooooooooooo!”, screams Ejiro, despite the fact that his arms are being grotesquely torn from his body. Unable to hold Ejiro up any longer, Williams releases his arms, letting drop back to the canvas in a pool of anguish. Taking advantage of Ejiro’s weakened state, Williams kneels down, and starts tauntingly smacking him around as if he’s trying to wake him up. Once more the crowd starts to roar with laughter, while Wildchild does his best to hold it in. Riley: Now this is uncalled for, what did Ejiro do to deserve this? Comet: Plenty, but I would say that Williams is doing this to show his dominance. Ejiro came here to challenge his position in the company, and prove that he’s the better wrestler. This is just Williams way of reminding Ejiro that he isn’t ready to knock him off just yet. Having smacked the taste out of Ejiro’s mouth, Williams untangles his legs, breaking the Indian Deathlock himself. Keeping a hold of Ejiro’s left leg, Williams steps over it, for the scissor hold. Williams than gives the thumbs down to the crowd, and drops to the mat, stretching Ejiro’s leg out with the Hiza Juji-Gatme! Sensing the end is near, the fans jump out of their chairs with excitement! Comet: J.D.’S AVENGE! Riley: WILLIAMS MADE EJIRO TAP TO THIS IN THEIR FIRST MEETING! Revived by the indescribable pain in his knee cap, Ejiro comes back to life, kicking and screaming! Ejiro frantically reaches up for the ropes, but their just out of reach! Though the pressure in his knee is reaching the breaking point, Ejiro holds out long enough to scoot his way closer to the ropes. Reaching up one last time, Ejiro manages to lock his fingers around the bottom rope! “BREAK!” Williams releases Ejiro’s leg, who in that instant, rolls to the outside in a blur. Riley: What a trooper. That move was enough to make Ejiro tap in seconds the last time it was locked on, but tonight, he was able to fight the pain, and make the ropes. Comet: We’ve talked a lot about how much pride is at a stake, but we also can’t forget that a shot at the most covenanted title in the World, hangs in the balance. Rather than pursue Ejiro, Williams waits patiently on the outside as if to say, “take all the time you want, it won’t matter.” Wildchild comes to his mentor’s aid, helping Ejiro to his feet, only get rewarded with a hard shove. Ejiro shouts some inaudible profanities at his protege, obviously blaming him for the suffering and humiliation he just endured. Riley: Yeah you tell him, Ejiro! Comet: Ejiro needs to accept responsibility for his own actions, it was not Wildchild’s fault that he got out wrestled by Danny Williams. After chewing Wildchild out, Ejiro uses the remainder of his time to walk off his limp, and get some circulation back in his leg. Presumably ready, Ejiro slides into the ring, only to slip right back out for a new count. “F U FASAKI!” clap! clap! clap!clap!clap! Paying no mind to the fans, Ejiro strolls about the ring side area, stretching out his leg, while Williams entertains the crowd with a mocking limp. Once this count is over, Ejiro climbs back into the ring, ready for some more action. Riley: It was stupid of Williams to give Ejiro so much time to recover, it’s a mistake he may not live to regret. Comet: I must admit that Williams is taking that villain way too lightly, you should never under estimate the powers of darkness, even if your own the side of good. Williams and Ejiro cautiously circle each other, while the crowd quiets down. Holding out his hand and twitching fingers, Williams offers Ejiro a Greco Roman Knucklelock. Ejiro accepts, but once has one hand locked with Williams, he slams his shin into his knee! Smack! Not giving Ejiro a chance to kick him again, Williams spins at him, twisting his arm behind his head with a lighting quick overhead wristlock! Comet: That top wristlock was faster than a speeding bullet! From behind, Williams sweeps Ejiro’s leg out, taking him to the mat, where locks on a kneeling arm bar! CRACK! Ejiro brings his leg up, nailing Williams in the side of the head with an athletic kick! Grabbing his head, Williams releases Ejiro, and sinks down to the mat! Riley: Nice to see Ejiro finally bring his kicks into play! Comet: And he’s going right after Williams’ head too. Jumping back to his feet, Ejiro starts to dance around Williams, daring him to get up. Williams sheepishly climbs to one knee, when Ejiro draws back his boot, and... CRACK! slams it right into his forehead! The terrified crowd lets out a collective gasp as Williams drops back to the mat in agony! Riley: Forget all those technical wrestling pissing contests, this is what Ejiro needs to be doing for the rest of the match. With Williams lying prone on the mat, Ejiro takes the opportunity to slide down his knee pad. Bouncing off the ropes, Ejiro leaps high into the air, landing on top of Williams’ head with cringe inducing knee drop! With a cocky smile across his face, Ejiro tightly hooks one of Williams’ legs for the pin. ONE! TWO! Williams kicks out with a surprising amount of force! Dragging Williams up by the hair, Ejiro drives him into the ropes with a series of bruising elbow smashes! Crack! Crack! Crack! Taking Danny by the wrist, Ejiro sends him for the ride with an Irish whip! However, Williams hangs on, and reverses, sending Ejiro for the ride instead! Still grimacing from Ejiro’s strikes, Williams makes a lack luster attempt at catching him on the rebound with a Big Boot! Ejiro smartly ducks underneath Williams’ extended leg, and hits the ropes a second time! Williams lazily spins around, just in time to see Ejiro take off for the.... Comet: SPINNING HEEL KICK! But Williams hits the deck, letting Ejiro fly over his head, and crash into the mat with a thud! Riley: Ugh, he may telegraphed that one. Rushing to his feet, Williams runs into the ropes, and launches himself at Ejiro as he climbs to his feet! Springing off his left leg, Williams soars into the air, thrusting out of his boot for the Yakuza Kick! Comet: DYNAMIC KICK! But Ejiro dips his head down, letting Williams’ boot go over his head, rather than through it! Comet: These guys know each other so well, they can’t land anything! With out a second to lose, Ejiro dashes into the ropes, propelling himself at Williams as he spins around! CRACK! Ejiro drops Williams with a dazzling Spinning Heel Kick! Riley: Obviously, one of them knows the other a little better. Williams is laying motionless on his back, his only movements being the pain induced flinching on his face. Ejiro quickly scrambles on top of Williams, securing his leg for the pin attempt! Comet: Considering how much head trauma Williams’ absorbed in the past couple of weeks, this might be enough to keep him down! ONE! TWO! To Ejiro’s disappointment, Williams manages to a weak kick out! Warming up, the crowd makes some noise after the near fall. Taking Danny by the arm, Ejiro violently rips him off the mat, and whips him into a corner! Williams hits the turnbuckles back first, when Ejiro gets in the cross corner, and charges in! Taking off a few feet short of his target, Ejiro swings up his knee with intention of driving it into Williams’ skull! Miraculously, Williams catches Ejiro’s leg, and pushes him down to the mat! A bit shaking up, Ejiro is slow to his feet, giving Williams enough time to rocket out of the corner at him... CRAAACK! Williams caves in Ejiro’s face with a nasty Jumping High Kick! Comet: AND WILLIAMS FINALLY SCORES WITH THE DYNAMIC KICK!!! Still not all together, Williams collapses to his knees momentarily, before crawling on top of Ejiro for the pin attempt. Heating up, the crowd counts with Soapdish! “ONE!” “TWO!” “Ooooooooooh!”, groans the fans as Ejiro musters enough strength to kick out! Williams rolls off Ejiro, and pops himself in the head a few times to clear out the remaining cob webs. Ready to go on, Williams drags Ejiro up, and shoves him down in a standing head scissors! Knowing what this means, the crowd goes absolutely bat shit! Comet: Williams, setting Ejiro up for the POWERBOMB! Riley: In their previous meeting, Williams finished Ejiro off with the Powerbomb, but will it be enough tonight?! Linking his hands around Ejiro’s small waist, Williams bends his low to the mat, and takes a couple of deep breaths! Suddenly, Ejiro breaks the waist lock, rotates out from underneath Williams, and drops him with an arm bar takedown! Ejiro grapevines his legs around Williams’ left arm, sending the crowd into a panic! Comet: EJIRO, LOOKING TO LOCK ON THE COBRA CROSS FACE! Not giving Ejiro a chance to lock on his feared submission hold, Williams makes the ropes in a matter of seconds, temporarily calming the crowd. Riley: Maybe that will remind Williams of just how dangerous Ejiro can be. All it takes is just one counter, and boom, he can end the match in a heart beat! Back rolling to his feet, Ejiro catches Williams with a few soccer kicks before he can get up! Pulling Williams to his feet, Ejiro pushes him into the ropes, and whips him off! Ejiro catches Williams on the rebound with a hard kick to the gut, forcing him to double over. Next, Ejiro grabs Williams by the wrist, and slings his leg over his head! Comet: FASAKI FUSER COMING UP! But before Ejiro can execute, Williams springs his torso up, forcing Ejiro to back flip off of him! Landing on his feet, Ejiro quickly spins clockwise at Williams,.... CRAAACK! rattling his brain him with a Reverse Elbow! Comet: SCREAMING ELBOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!! Riley: Williams may have found a new counter to the Fasaki Fuser, but Ejiro isn’t gonna let that stop him! Before Williams collapses, Ejiro grabs him by the wrist, jumps up, and drives him into the mat with a Leg Drop! BOOM! Instantaneously, Ejiro wraps his legs around Williams’ arm, while hooking the other one with a half nelson. But before he can apply the Cobra Clutch, Williams is already in the ropes! Comet: Williams is still too aware to caught in the Cobra Crossface! Looking very irritated, Ejiro yanks Williams up by his arm, and jumps forward! BOOM! Williams lands face first on the mat, allowing Ejiro to once again hug his arm with his legs! Ejiro looks for the Cobra Crossface, but once again, Williams has found his way to the ropes! Snarling with rage, Ejiro hops up, and punts Williams right in the forehead! “Ooooooooooooooooooooooh!” Soapdish checks on Williams, while Ejiro impatiently wanders around, muttering curses and obscenities to himself. Riley: Come Ejiro, keep your cool, you can do this. No willing to wait any longer, Ejiro tosses Soapdish aside, grabs Williams by the hair, and walks him to the center of the ring! CRACK! Williams catches Ejiro off guard with a sudden elbow smash,... CRACK! but Fasaki answers back with a vicious Enzuigiri! His eyes rolling up in his head, Williams lifelessly drops to his knees, and flops face down on the mat. Comet: WILLIAMS IS OUT! Riley: Forget about the submission Ejiro, just kick the crap out of him! Ejiro takes a second to catch his breath, before dragging Williams up by his hair. Ejiro steadies Williams, and than jumps straight up in the air, firing off a roundhouse kick... Comet: ENZUIGIRI! that is blocked! Unable to stand on his own, Williams stumbles back into the ropes, while Ejiro splats on the mat! Ejiro hustles to his feet, prompting Danny to spin off the ropes at him... Comet: ROLLING ELBOOO-NO! Ejiro ducks behind Williams, and slaps on the Cobra Clutch! Rising out of their chairs, the fans scream with a combination of excitement and fear! Comet: THIS CAN LEAD TO THE COBRA CROSSFACE! Riley: How brilliant is this! Ejiro couldn’t lock the Cobra Crossface on the traditional way, so he’s gone and invented a new set up! Ejiro jerks Williams from side to side, choking him out with his own arm! The lack of sufficient oxygen begins to take a toll on Williams, changing his face into a dark shade of purple! Williams starts to become weak legged, but still he stands, knowing full and well that he’s dead if gets caught on the mat. Making a dash at the corner, Williams stunningly cat walks up the turnbuckles! Predictably, Williams kicks off the second turnbuckle, and back rolls on top of Ejiro! Comet: WE’VE SEEN IT DONE A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE, AND IT STILL NEVER GET’S OLD! Riley: Speak for yourself. Instead of staying on top of Ejiro for the pin, Williams sits him up, and clamps on a Sleeperhold, driving the crowd bonkers! Feeling Ejiro grow weaker and weaker with each passing second, Williams takes the risk of bringing one of his arms off Ejiro’s head so that he can grab his arm for the Buffalo Sleeper! However, Ejiro uses this opportunity to escape Williams clutches, and slide down to the mat! Ejiro grabs Williams by the hair, pulls his head down, and slams a knee into the top of skull! CRACK! In agonizing pain, Williams drops back to the mat, leaving Ejiro to his own devices for the time being. Riley: AND EJIRO FITTINGLY BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON TO ESCAPE THE BUFFALO SLEEPER! Trembling with rage, a fired up Ejiro rises in the corner, setting his sights on his weary opponent. Riley: Ejiro has had enough, it’s time to finish off the man who has tried to humiliate him time and time again, the man who has held him down for the past year, the mentor of the men who stole his tag titles, it all ends now! Staring at Williams with a look of pure hatred, Ejiro lets out a ferocious battle cry, and spins at him as he staggers to his feet, firing the Screaming Elbow.... SWOOOOOOOOOOOSH! Williams swiftly ducks, and traps Ejiro in a Sleeperhold, nearly causing the crowd to riot with joy! Comet: EJIRO’S RAGE WAS A BLIND ONE, AND IT MAY HAVE JUST SEALED HIS FATE! Ejiro fights, claws, and tears at Williams, but it’s no use, he can’t get him off! The lack of oxygen and blood starts to take it’s toll, and Ejiro flops on his BUTT, allowing Williams to snap on his dreaded new finisher! Comet: BUFFALO SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPAH! The crowd heat reaches nuclear levels as Williams jerks his head up and down, working the hold for all it’s worth! Hanging on, Ejiro desperately starts scooting his way to the ropes! Though he’s rapidly losing consciousness, Ejiro refuses to tap, as the ropes draw closer and closer! Surprisingly enough, Ejiro actually makes the ropes, sending the crowd into a frenzy! Comet: UNBELIEVABLE, EJIRO MADE THE ROPES! Riley: HE WON’T GIVE UP NOW, NOT AFTER COMING SO CLOSE! Staying on Ejiro, Williams just snap mares him off the ropes, and hastily reapplies the Buffalo Sleeper! Depraved of oxygen far too long, Ejiro slips into dream land, and goes limp. Realizing that Ejiro is out like a light, Williams releases the judo hold, and blankets him for the pin! The crowd is deafening as Soapdish starts the count! “ONE!” “TWO!” .............. “THREE!” DING! DING! DING! The roof off the MCI Center get’s blown sky high as the final bell rings! Comet: IT’S OVER, DANNY WILLIAMS IS MOVING ON TO THE TRIPLE THREAT! Not even bothering to get up, Williams rests on his back as Soapdish raises his hand to make the win official! Funyon: The winner of the match by pinfall at 12 minutes and 56 seconds......DANNY WILLIAMSsssssssssssssssssss!!! Wildchld storms into the ring, trying to revive his comatose mentor. Comet: For an evil doer, Ejiro has a lot of heart, refusing to tap out, despite risking permeant brain damage. Riley: There’s still the possibility that these two can meet up later in the tournament, and when that does happen, I think Williams will treat Ejiro with the respect he deserves. Comet: My fair citizens, it would seem that were all out of time. So on behalf of myself and my colleague, I wish you good night.

“ALL ABOARD!!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!” As “Crazy Train blasts over the speakers, the Suicide King appears from behind the curtain and starts to strut down to the ring. The crowd starts to boo, then notices his face on the SmarkTron. Gone is the anger, the rage and the frustration he has shown over the last couple of hours. In their place is the old cockiness, the smug self-satisfaction that a man can only know when he has the drop on someone. The fans start to let him have it, but are cowed by his smirk at them, the simple “I know something you don’t know” look. “Yes!! The King is back” Riley exclaims, happier than he has been in a long while. “That foul villain never went anywhere, my estimable sidekick! He has been in the back, pulling strings and manipulating things like a spider in its web, the strands of which…” “We don’t have time for that now Comet… he is going to talk!” Indeed, King accepts a mike from a pretty female ring tech with that devastating smile and rolls in the ring. Bouncing to his feet, he looks all around him, examining the arena, clearly savoring the moment. “All night people have been talking about my response to Thugg. Well, lets get this over with. Thugg, why don’t you stroll… wait, make that roll… your ass out here. We need to talk over a few things…” “Who We Be” by DMX kicks up and Thugg whells himself out from behind the curtain in short order. With a slow turn of the head, he acknowledges the massive cheers raining down on him, maybe smiling just a little in the corner of his mouth. He starts down the ramp as King looks at his watch like it is taking Thugg far too long to get where he needs to be. As his music dies away, Thugg parks his wheelchair on the stage and raises a mike. “I’m here King. Talk.” “You and I have been at odds far too long, old buddy. I remember a time we used to be tight!” “Funny, I don’t remember that quite the same way.” “Of course not… of course not. My point is Thugg, now that you are in the “management”, so to speak, there is so much we could do! So many things we could accomplish! Just imagine it Thugg! Imagine the power, the money, the women…” “Yo man, what’re you getting at. I got the bank and the babes. I’m here to make sure you don’t destroy the company I gave my legs to help build.” “Fine fine… that’s something I’ve always admired about you Thugg… your directness… your honesty. You’re right, let’s cut to the chase. I’m making you an offer Thugg. You and me, working together, could accomplish anything Thugg… anything. Think about what I am offering you here…” “I don’t have to, man. You and me, working together… two of the greatest ever forging the future of the SWF, molding it in your image…” “You can see it! I know this whole “for the betterment of the Fed” shtick was just a scam you were running… I mean ‘working’. You’re…” “Not… done… talking… don’t interrupt me again. Nobody could share power with you King. Can’t happen. I’ve seen you betray friends and allies… I learned the hard way. Never trust King.” The crowd pops at that, cheering and firing up a “Thugg… Thugg” chant. King waits a second for it to calm, never losing his cool. Slowly, he raises the mike to his lips. “Thugg, maybe you aren’t listening. I am giving you the chance to walk into this ring… sorry, crawl into this ring, and shake my hand.” At this crack at his condition, Thugg starts, and he starts to squeeze the mike, causing it to shake noticeably. King continues, “Thugg, I’m going to ask you one more time. Will you work with me?” Thugg doesn’t hesitate a second. “No.” Everyone in the crowd looks at King expecting him to be in a rage, but he is eerily calm. “You know what my wheelchair bound friend? I am in a generous mood. Think about what I could have done to you in the last week. And there is nothing you could have done about it. You came in here full of fire, pushing my workers into an open rebellion, and I did nothing to you. Think about that. You talked the talk, but you obviously can’t walk the walk…” King laughs a little at his own twisted humor as Thugg pounds a fist on the arm of his wheelchair. “Don’t start something you can’t finish King.” “Threats? From you? There was a day that would have actually made me reconsider what I was doing. But Bo pretty much took care of that, didn’t he?” Thugg is fuming now. “So Thugg, it comes down to this. I am giving you one last chance to work with me instead of against me. You may not believe this, but I am not trying to drive the SWF out of business. What sense would that make? I am just trying to… decrease the bottom line a little. Last chance Thugg… think it over.” Thugg is livid, his blood is almost visibly boiling. He reaches out with both hands and pushes on his wheels, causing him to roll down the ramp. “You shouldn’t assume so many things King. Or one, you assume that I will work with you. Wrong. I’ve been down that road before, and I’m done being anyone’s bitch.” Huge pop as Thugg arrives at ringside. “I’m sorry to hear that…” “You interrupted again.” The crowd cheers as King stares daggers at Thugg. “You made one more assumption that was dead wrong.” “Oh really? And what was that?” “You assumed that just because I rolled down here on wheels means I won’t climb into the ring and wreck yo’ shit!!” A pop that dwarfs any heard so far explodes from the crowd as Thugg puts his hands on the armrests and pushes himself up!! He is standing!! He starts moving to the stairs and climbing while King looks around him for support, for an escape, anything… “But you’re a cripple… you can’t walk!” Thugg is in the ring now, and walking slowly, menacingly, towards King. “Wait… wait… wait… let’s talk about this… you didn’t hear the rest of my proposal! Profit sharing! Bonuses! Stevens’ old office!! I’ll even spring for a plant…” King is cut off suddenly as Thugg reaches out suddenly and grabs him around the throat!! King drops the mike and grabs Thugg’s wrist, trying to pull him off! Before he can do anything though, Thugg’s face drains of all emotion… save one… pure rage!! He grunts once and lifts King off his feet, holding him high in the air! As the crowd’s massive pop continues, Thugg turns slowly, showing off his prey to the fans! Riley speaks up for the first time in minutes… “He wouldn’t!! He can’t!” Comet yells into his mike, “And with the Untamed Chokeslam, Justice will be served!!” Thugg takes a step, but just as he is about to start the spin and slam King all the way to hell, his eyes roll back in his head and his legs buckle! He drops King to the mat and collapses on his side! King rolls to his feet and snatches up the mike. “I gave you your chance, you pathetic cripple! How dare you! How dare you come into my arena and try to push me around!” King steps forward and drives a $500 wingtip into Thugg’s side! “You just made a huge mistake Thugg! Huge!” Another hard kick knocks the breath out of Thugg. King takes a step back and chuckles. An evil smile slowly creeps across his face. “You see Thugg, I did some checking. Or rather, I had the company accountant do some checking. It seems that the mighty Thugg wasn’t telling the whole truth last week. I know your little secret.” Thugg pushes himself over to the ropes and props his torso up, putting him in a sitting position. He looks up at King, a mixture of anger and concern on his face. King continues, “Let me read you two very important entries in the public stock ledger. Ahem, ‘Brian Applewhite – 62,500 shares’ or exactly 25%. ‘Damien McKinney – 32,500 shares’ or 13%. You are a partial owner, yes. And yes, you have a majority over any other individual stockholder in the parent company… everyone except ME!!” The crowd really lets him have it now. Thugg is concerned, waiting for other shoe to drop. “Now Damien, I can’t fire you simply because you aren’t an employee. And you do have a right to the 13% of stock you own. I can’t do anything about that. What I do control though, and what I can do, is keep you the Hell out of my events and off television!” More boos as the crowd senses defeat! “I think you will find it damn hard to lead a revolution over the phone. Its over Thugg. You lose.” Thugg is devastated. His head rolls forward and his chin touches his chest. He is the picture of despair. “All is not lost though, you sad little gimp. I’ll give you one final chance to take advantage of my generous nature. I want you involved, Thugg. This company can only benefit from having you around, but in a backstage role. No television, no revolutions, no chokeslams.” King rubs his neck. “Just you helping the new guys understand what being in the SWF really means. Now you think about everything that happened here tonight. Everything. You have a lot of information you didn’t before we our little chat, so I’ll let you have until Lockdown. I’ll expect your decision then.” Thugg glares at King, some life left in him yet. But underneath it is that particular agony, that empty feeling, when you know you have hung it all on the line… and lost. “Now,” King says motioning to some security guys. “Get this wretched human being out of the ring. I have a main event to put on.” A few bigger guys come up and gently help Thugg out of the ring. Much to everyone’s surprise, the H–Ville Thugg puts up little fight as they sit him in his wheelchair and start to push him up the ramp. “Oh Thugg… one more thing.” The security guys turn Thugg around so he can see the Suicide King in the ring. “Don’t ever try to bluff the Gambling Man.” King’s music hits and he strolls up the ramp, walking right past Thugg and giving him a little wave as if to say “I’m not afraid anymore.” Comet is the first one to speak, breaking the sudden silence of the crowd, stunned at what they have just seen. “This is outrageous!! Ladies and Gentlemen, what we have just seen is… is…” “Incredible? Brilliant? Exquisite? Masterful?” Bobby tries to help. “Evil was the word I was looking for…” “Well, be that as it may, we still have one hell of a main event for you tonight as “Deathwish” Danny Williams takes on his former ally in the Magnificent Seven, the current U.S. Champion, Ejiro Fasaki! We’ll be back after these messages!” Fade to black…

Returning from the ever popular commercial break, a far camera has the SmarkTron in view, as a graphic shows Nathaniel Kibagami and The Apostle facing each other, their names seemingly burnt into the screen as the background shows various images from the previous fights of both men. “Welcome back to Storm, everyone…and if you don’t already know it, let me tell you…what you are about to witness could very well traumatize small children…” Riley starts. “Are you talking about our next matchup, citizen Riley?” Comet queries. “Let me finish,” Riley continues, “it could traumatize small children, as Nathaniel Kibagami is going to MURDER the Apostle in just a few minutes in that ring. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it…I…as well as all of you loyal fans out there have been waiting to see this SJL punk destroyed, and hopefully the third time will be a charm!” Riley laughs a bit to himself. “That sinful Silent has made his way through this tournament with relative ease, but I have been watching the Apostle just like you…and like it or not, he has something I can’t describe…” “…It’s called ‘skill’, Comet…Apostle has been just tearing through former Junior League Champions and I’m sure in the back of his mind he knows that he can take out Silent as well…” Riley’s comments are suddenly interrupted… It… Is… FATE~! Those ominous words signal the third round arrival of Apostle, as the lights in the arena drop out and those eerie heavenly lights burn down to the entranceway. Apostle steps through the curtain and is met with an almost operatic chorus of boos from the crowd. All Apostle can do is smile as his flames shoot up the entranceway, giving him a burning path to the ring. Funyon’s voice echoes throughout the arena. “Ladies and Gentlemen…the following contest is scheduled for ONE FALL and is part of the Genesis Four Tournament! …Making his way to the ring at this time…hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada… the SJL’s very own… …APPPPOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEE~!” Apostle stands at the foot of the ring steps, looking out over the booing crowd for a moment before climbing up and into the ring. A close-up shows a smirk on Apostle’s face as the camera turns to face the entranceway, showing fog rolling down as “The River Dragon Has Come” begins to play, it’s soft notes calling for the arrival of… *BAM* …today the warning came in flood… …architects and fools… …never cared for the poor man’s blood… …Nathaniel Kibagami…the Silent One…appears through the curtain and the fog as the arena lights flare up to an almost blinding level. Kibagami makes his way down the entranceway, looking straight toward the Apostle in the ring, ignoring the crowds cheers and chants, but as Apostle notices the eyes of the SWF veteran staring him down he climbs out of the back of the ring, watching as Funyon makes his announcement. “…and his opponent…hailing from Phoenix, Arizona…he is the Silent One… …NATHANIELLLLLL KIBAGAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!~! Kibagami rolls into the ring and to his feet as the arena lights return to their normal radiance, and he can be seen first looking out of the ring at the Apostle. Kibagami climbs the far right turnbuckle and breaks his eyes away from Apostle’s, looking toward the crowd as the fog begins to settle and Nick Soapdish rolls into the ring. Before he steps down, he reaches down into his boot and pulls out his infamous black marker and holds it in the air. The crowd explodes as he hops down from the corner and marks an “X” near that corner of the ring. Kibagami then walks to the other side of the ring, waving his hand at the Apostle to come back in. “What is Silent doing…Apostle has all the time he wants to get in the ring!” Riley comments as Apostle waits a moment before sliding under the bottom rope and into the ring, getting to his feet and staring across the ring at his opponent. Soapdish stands between the two men and looks back and forth between them as the crowd watches in anticipation. *DING DING DING* The bell sounds for the beginning of the match and Apostle takes off running for Kibagami, but stops short, standing about a foot away from the Silent One, looking him in the eyes. Kibagami takes a step forward, and Apostle backs away…but the stare is unbreaking. “It seems there is definitely no love lost with these two” Riley says as Kibagami continues walking forward until Apostle is pushed back to almost the other side of the ring and closer to the “X” that Kibagami marked on the canvas. “Apostle will need to call forth some superpowers if he wants to win this here tonight!” Comet bellows just as Apostle seemingly decides that enough is enough and takes a swing at Kibagami, who simply blocks down the punch, but makes no real move of his own. Apostle swings again and it is again blocked, but this time Kibagami has grabbed Apostle’s wrist and is holding it away from him. Apostle tries to pull his arm back, and after a few tries is able to successfully break the hold on his wrist, but Kibagami follows with a kick straight to the ribs of Apostle. “Hard opening shot from Silent there…and now he is backing him into the corner with kicks!” Riley calls the opening shots of the contest as Apostle desperately tries to maneuver out of harms way, ducking and darting in any direction he can, but Kibagami’s hard kicks finally get Apostle stuck in the far right corner. Kibagami stops his kicking and steps out of the corner as Apostle tries to catch his breathe, but not for long as his wrist is pulled away from his body as Kibagami irish whips Apostle toward the opposite corner… “Silent with authority on that irish whip there…and Apostle bounces off the turnbuckle like a pinball!” Comet’s words are truer than ever as Apostle comes out of the corner and is met toward the middle of the ring with another kick to the ribs and a driving DDT. Kibagami does not go for a pin attempt, however, and instead follows up with a perfect dropkick to the Apostle’s face just as he gets up to his knees after the DDT. Apostle again drops to the mat, holding his face in pain from the kick and tries to roll to the outside, only to be stopped halfway by Kibagami. “Let Him Go!” Riley yells as Kibagami pulls Apostle off the canvas and begins attacking him with hard elbow strikes, putting Apostle against the ropes. Nick Soapdish tries to pull Kibagami away, and is momentarily successful as he backs off of the Apostle before rushing in with a thrusting palm strike that causes him to flip up and over the top rope and to the floor. The crowd cheers as Kibagami watches the Apostle on the outside, regaining his composure, as Soapdish begins his count. …1… “You can’t get away, Apostle…just take your beating like a man!” Riley shows no remorse as Apostle walks around the outside, getting his thoughts in order. “Did you ever think that maybe he doesn’t want to run, citizen Riley?” Comet questions his partner. …2… Kibagami makes his way to the ropes, but is stopped by Soapdish who tells him to back up and begins motioning for Apostle to get back in the ring. Apostle makes no move toward the ring, catching his breathe for a moment. In the ring, Kibagami seems to be getting restless as he shoves past Soapdish and slides out of the ring near the Apostle. Apostle looks to his left and sees Kibagami bearing down on him, so instinct kicks in and he dives back in the ring. Apostle gets up to his feet slowly and looks back toward Kibagami, who has now climbed up to the apron. Apostle rushes toward him quickly, causing him to drop down to the floor once more, but Apostle takes the chance and DIVES OVER THE TOP ROPE, his body spreads out as he comes dropping down and lands on top of Kibagami! “SUICIDE DIVE~!” Comet yells as they crash to the floor and Soapdish restarts his count. …1… “Apostle is showing that he’ll do whatever it takes to win here!” Riley comments as Apostle slowly gets to his feet on the outside and begins to attack Kibagami with kicks of his own, but with nowhere near the power of the kicks of the Silent One. …2… Apostle continues with the kicks, trying to keep Kibagami down, but slowly he makes his way back up to his feet and begins to fight back, firing off some quick punches. Apostle throws up his hands to counter, finally catching Kibagami’s wrist and pulling it toward him, whipping Kibagami past his body and toward the ring post, where he bounces off the post violently before falling to the floor. A cameraman gets in Apostle’s face, but all he does is smile, causing the crowd to boo even louder as he lifts Kibagami and rolls him in the ring, following him close behind. Before Kibagami can get to his feet, Apostle stomps him down and moves down toward his legs, wrapping his ankles around the ankles of Kibagami and leaning down, trying to grab his arms. Kibagami starts to fight back, flailing his arms wildly to avoid being grabbed, but Apostle throws a palm strike to the back of his head. The shot puts him down momentarily and enables Apostle to hook his arms and roll backwards in the center of the ring, lifting Kibagami in the air in a beautiful surfboard position, arching Kibagami’s back viciously. “Apostle has locked in that mexican surfboard…and Silent looks to be in a bit of pain.” Riley comments as Soapdish watches for any chance of submission, but Kibagami does nothing but try to fight out… “Kibagami will not give up to something like this…it takes a lot to take down the Silent One.” This comment from Comet riles up Riley. “Well I don’t think Apostle is done yet, chiefl” Kibagami continues to squirm, shaking his head as much as he can to tell Soapdish that he doesn’t give up. Apostle finally releases the hold, fed up and allowing Kibagami to fall to his side on the canvas. Apostle gets back to his feet and moves back over him, locking his wrists around his chin and driving his knee violently into his back before pulling up with the chinlock, keeping all his weight on the lower back. Soapdish again checks for submission as the crowd continues to boo Apostle’s every move. A close-up shows Apostle smiling once more, before he pulls back on the chin as hard as he can and putting more weight into Kibagami’s back. Apostle then leaps a bit and drives his knee harder into Kibagami’s back, causing him to wince in pain. He wrenches back hard once more on Kibagami’s chin as Soapdish checks once more, but again Kibagami just shakes his head. Apostle’s face shows a look of frustration as he lets him go and shoves his face to the mat. Soapdish sees the hard shove and motions for Apostle to back off as Kibagami slowly makes his way back to his feet, but as he reaches a vertical base Apostle comes in with a kick to his stomach doubling him over. This allows Apostle to underhook his arms and lift him into the air and flip his body over, driving his body into his knee with a backbreaker. Apostle goes for a pin… ONE… TWO… TH--- KICKOUT! Kibagami shoots off his back and rolls to his stomach, keeping himself out of any pin position. “Smart move for Silent, keeping himself off his back and making it harder for any pins” Comet watches as Apostle leaps over top of Kibagami… …he heads for the ropes…springboard off of them and high into the air… …backflipping and coming down hard onto the back of Kibagami, all of the weight of Apostle landing on top of him. “More pain going into Silent’s lower back…and it seems that down the line that could neutralize the power of those big powerbombs that he loves to bust out. Apostle seems to have done a great job scouting these last few days…” Riley comments as Apostle goes for another pin… ONE… TWO… THR--- KICKOUT AGAIN! Apostle shots off the mat and gets in the ref’s face, screaming about how he had the match won. As he turns back around, Kibagami has crawled to the ropes, slowly making his way up the ropes to his feet. Soapdish standing between the men to ensure that Kibagami can get to his feet, but Apostle shoves him out of the way and attacks Kibagami in the ropes with hard chops, each one reddening up his chest. *CHOP* BOOO! *CHOP* BOOO! Apostle laughs out loud as he continues with the chops, each one causing the crowd’s support for the SWF superstar to grow. SIIIIII-LENT! SIIIIII-LENT! The crowd’s chants seem to work as Kibagami suddenly flies off the ropes, shoving Apostle back and connecting with a series of hard kicks straight into his ribs. *CRACK* OOOOOH! *CRACK* OOOOOH! The sound of Kibagami’s right boot repeatedly meeting with Apostle’s smaller frame echoes through the arena and draws the cheers of the audience. Their hatred has turned into an almost bloodlust as they are almost crying for the head of Apostle to be paraded throughout the arena at the end of the match. “This crowd needs to calm down…it’s throwing off Apostle’s concentration!” “He’d better concentrate on survival at this rate, Bobby…” Comet responds to the demands of Riley as Kibagami whips Apostle toward the corner, rushing in with a lariat, but Apostle moves out of the way, causing him to meet the corner face first. As Kibagami turns back to face the ring, Apostle is rushing toward the corner looking for a splash of his own… …he leaps into the air…. *THUD* WOOOOOO! The crowd cheers as Apostle’s head is rocked with a stiff kick, dropping him to the canvas. Kibagami falls to the mat and goes for a pin. ONE… TWO… THR--- KICKOUT! The crowd explodes in boos as Kibagami looks up at the ref, but he shows him that it was indeed a two count. Kibagami wastes no time in arguing, however, pulling Apostle off the mat and whipping him toward the ropes, and as Apostle comes rushing back… Kibagami connects with a HARD LARIAT… “Apostle just got turned inside out!” Comet yells as Apostle’s feet leave the ground momentarily as his body is sent reeling backwards from the shot, flipping him into the air and around like a gyroscope before his body crashes to the ground, much to the approval of the crowd. Kibagami lays back on Apostle and hooks the leg… ONE… TWO… KICKOUT! Apostle’s shoulder pops off the mat and holds steady, showing that he is still alive, much to the chagrin of the crowd, who boos before Kibagami lifts him back up to his feet. He holds out his hand to hush the crowd before lifting Apostle high into the air in a fisherman’s suplex… “Fisherman’s Suplex!” Riley screams…but Comet cuts in… “I don’t think so, Bobby” he says as Kibagami flips Apostle around in the air and sits out, driving Apostle down in a powerbomb to the mat. “POWERBOMB! NO!” Riley yells and the crowd goes almost nuclear…with their cheers and Riley’s screams almost deafening Comet, as Kibagami folds Apostle over into another pin…. ONE… TWO… TH--- KICKOUT! “HE KICKED OUT! HOW DID HE DO THAT!?” Comet screams right back at Riley as Kibagami slaps the mat hard, allowing Apostle to try and make the ropes but just as he reaches them, Kibagami catches him and pulls him up to his feet, hooking in a facelock and looking for a suplex… …blocked! Apostle shoves Kibagami off of him and leans against the ropes to steady himself, but Kibagami rushes back in quickly, only for Apostle to duck and dump him over the top rope and to the floor. Kibagami turns around, but Apostle is ready, springboarding up and off the top rope, and coming down on top of Kibagami, dropping both men to the floor. Soapdish starts the count in the ring as the two men try to get back to their feet. …1… “Apostle just out-maneuvered Silent there, now let’s see where he goes with it…” Riley begins, but is cut off by Comet. “He needs to keep it in the ring…a match can’t be won on the outside!” he argues back as Apostle gets to his feet, pulling Kibagami off the ground by the hair and toward the corner of the outside of the ring. Apostle laughs a bit to himself as he turns Kibagami over and hooks in an inverted facelock before lifting him into the air… …and dropping him down back first right onto the ring steps!! Kibagami lets out a low audible moan before rolling to the floor. “My god! That could break a man’s back!” Comet screams, “Nick! Get them back in the ring!”. Apostle continues to assault Kibagami as he lies in pain from the shot to his back, kicking him repeatedly right where he connected with the steps. This draws even louder boos from the crowd as he lifts up Kibagami and tosses him into the ring, following behind and going for a pin as quickly as he can. ONE… TWO… KICKOUT! “SILENT KICKED OUT!!” Comet and Riley scream in unison as Apostle looks to the ceiling in disbelief and Soapdish checks to see if Kibagami is okay. Apostle sees the ref checking and shoves him away. “No! He is mine!” Apostle yells at Nick as he lifts Kibagami up and whips him into the ropes, catching him with a dropkick as he bounces back, putting him back down on the mat. Apostle pops up and stands over him, looking down at his opponent for a moment before leaping back up… flipping backwards through the air… …and coming down hard on Kibagami! “Shooting Star Press! It has to be over!” Riley screams, causing Comet to slap him hard. “Lower the volume a notch, Bobby…I’m dying over here…” ONE… TWO… THREE! KICKOUT! “HE KICKED OUT AGAIN!” Both commentators yell this time as Apostle’s smile turns to that of hatred as he straddles Kibagami and begins slugging at his face with closed fists, prompting Soapdish to literally pull Apostle off him and push him in the corner. The rabid crowd again shows their ‘love’ for Apostle as Kibagami gets to his feet. “And now the ref is putting an end to Apostle’s appalling behavior!!” Comet releases an outburst of frustration for the actions of the SJL superstar as Apostle can only watch his opponent get back up to his feet. Apostle climbs the corner and mocks the crowd, causing their boos to become almost deafening. He decides to show the crowd that they are ‘Number 1’ before hopping out of the corner and rushing Kibagami, who has made his way up to his feet by the ropes. Apostle does not learn from Kibagami’s earlier mistake, as this time it is he who drops down and tosses Apostle toward the outside. Instead of going toward the floor, Apostle catches himself on the top rope and lands on the apron, and as Kibagami pops up, Apostle starts to slug away with fast punches. Kibagami is prepared though, and blocks the punches before following up with a few of his own. Apostle goes for one more, but Kibagami catches the arm and pulls up with all his might… …fighting through the back pain… tossing Apostle over his shoulder and bringing him down with as much force as he can right onto his neck and shoulders. Apostle folds up and rolls to his stomach as Kibagami tries for a quick pin, but Soapdish is a bit of position for the count... ONE… TWO… THR-- KICKOUT BY APOSTLE! “Yes! Come On Apostle!” Riley cheers as Comet seems a little miffed. “That ref needs to play a bit more attention!” Kibagami lifts Apostle up quickly, before turning him backwards and hooking in a side waistlock. He picks Apostle up off the ground… ...his face in a grimace of pain and trying to fight out the hard shot he took to the steps and all the while holding him above his right shoulder… …Kibagami spins… …and DRIVES Apostle into the mat with a POWERBOMB!! “ROUGH REDEMPTION…SILENT JUST HIT THE ROUGH REDEMPTION!” Comet screams as Kibagami falls to the mat and rolls Apostle up for the pin… ONE…. TWO… THREE!!!!!! NO! APOSTLE KICKS OUT! “HOW?! WHY? MY GOD?!” Comet screams to himself, causing Riley to actually be the voice of reason. “That powerbomb was not up to Silent’s full strength, as that hard shot he took to the stairs earlier still seems to be affecting his offense…it has to be all those earlier shots to the spine…” Soapdish throws up two fingers toward the heavily booing crowd, showing indeed that Apostle kicked out. Kibagami can barely believe it as he pulls Apostle back up to his feet, going for an irish whip, but Apostle counters and Kibagami heads for the ropes…coming off and being caught by Apostle, who flips him upside down and back around through the air. Kibagami is able to maneuver out of Apostle’s grasp, however, rolling out of the hold and landing on his feet. “Back and forth action here!!” Comet speaks on the recent reversals as Kibagami follows with a kick to the midsection and goes back to the irish whip, sending Apostle into the ropes. As Apostle bounces back Kibagami looks for a lariat but Apostle is able to duck out of the way, spinning around in mid-stride and catching Kibagami with a kick to the stomach and a whip of his own. As he comes off the ropes Apostle catches him, lifting him off the ground, spinning his body around in the air as he tried ealier, but this time successfully as he drops and slams Kibagami’s back right across his knee! “Tilt A Whirl Backbreaker!! More Damage To The Back!! Pin Attempt!!” Comet and Riley trade comments. ONE… TWO…. THREE!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! “SILENT IS IMMORTAL!!” Comet yells into his headset as Kibagami’s arm stays hovering in the air momentarily. Riley brings Comet back down to Earth. “Silent got his shoulder up just in time… …he could very well be running on adrenaline now!” Riley slams his fists on the desk as Apostle again looks toward the referee in disbelief, but is repeated affirmed by Soapdish and the crowd that Kibagami did indeed kick out. Apostle pulls Kibagami off the ground again quickly, pointing toward the ropes for an irish whip, but as he attempts it he is pulled back into Kibagami’s grasp… “NO!” can audibly be heard coming from Kibagami as he hooks in another waistlock...holding Apostle in his grasp…even as he tries to break away… …he lifts Apostle up and over his shoulder once more, and Apostle is still fighting… Kibagami stalls for a moment before falling backwards…absolutely driving Apostle down right on the top of his head, causing him to fall backwards onto his stomach. “BACKDROPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPAH~!” Comet screams as the crowd finally gets a chance to cheer again. Kibagami, though feeling the pain from his own maneuver, is able to roll his body over and on top of Apostle. ONE… TWO…. THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “SILENT WINS~!!!!” The crowd goes wild as Kibagami rolls off Apostle and gets to his feet but then Soapdish, as well as the announcers, notice something at about the exact same moment. “WAIT…APOSTLE GOT HIS FOOT ON THE ROPES!” Riley screams as he and Comet again are in complete shock. “NOOOOOO!!!” Can be heard clearly booming through the crowd as Kibagami turns back around to see Nick waiving off the pin and Apostle’s foot sitting on the bottom rope. The arena crowd sits in stunned silence as Kibagami’s eyes are focuses on Apostle, who is barely moving, his foot still stuck on the ropes. “But how…” Riley asks as Comet cues the replay. ***SLOW MOTION REPLAY*** The replay shows Apostle’s foot on the bottom rope just before Soapdish’s hand comes down for the three count and victory. ***END REPLAY*** Kibagami’s face turns from the screen where the replay was just shown, a look of complete rage on his face. His eyes burning as he points toward where he marked the “X” on the mat at the beginning of the match, pointing down at Apostle before pulling his thumb across his throat and signalling for the Demonstar Driver. The crowd’s boos quickly turn back to ravaging screams as Kibagami pushes Soapdish out of the way and lifts Apostle up, dragging him across the mat toward the “X”. “This could be the end…” Comet somberly mentions. “Apostle…we hardly knew ye…” Riley quips as Kibagami shoves Apostle’s head back down, hooking in a standing legscissors, pulling his arms up and hooking them in. A close-up shows a devilish smile on Kibagami’s face as he begins to lift Apostle off the ground, but Apostle fights wildly, causing him to lose his grip. Kibagami brings his fist down hard across Apostle’s back and hooks the arms again, lifting quicker this time, but Apostle fights out once more, dropping down and crawling through Kibagami’s legs! “HE’S ESCAPED FROM THE DEMONSTAR!” Riley screams as Apostle rolls to his knees and clubs Kibagami in the back as hard as he can, doubling him over and allowing Apostle a chance to grab Kibagami’s ankles and trips him up, dropping him down on his face. Apostle wastes barely any time in rolling him back over and even less time in hooking Kibagami’s legs with his arms… “He’s going to turn him!” Comet yells… “No!!!” Riley follows along with the crowd, who are screaming for Kibagami to fight back, but his disorientation allows Apostle to lift him up onto his shoulders and kick him violently in the small of the back… …Kibagami tries to stop the turn… …and FAILS! “Apostle has him in that Cloverleaf!! That is putting all of Apostle’s weight right down on his lower back!!” Riley yells again as Apostle sits down in the hold and screams his anguish toward the crowd and his opponent. “What do you think of me now!” Apostle repeats over and over, but Kibagami is slowly fighting out, not wanting to tap out… …His body comes off the mat and he begins slowly crawling toward the ropes… …closer…. …CLOSER…. …INCHES AWAY… …APOSTLE PULLS HIM BACK! Kibagami again fights to get back to the ropes, his face contorted and feeling every movement he makes, but Apostle is ready this time as he stands up momentarily before dropping his knee down hard across the back of Kibagami’s neck. His upper-body is now pinned down as Apostle continues to wrench backwards in the Cloverleaf, begging for Kibagami to tap as the crowd chants the opposite. “TAP!” “DON’T TAP!” “TAP!” “DON’T TAP!” “TAP YOU SON OF A BITCH!” “TAPPPPPPPP~!” “NOOOOOOO~!” “TAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP~!” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!” “SILENT TAPS OUT~!!” Both announcers scream as Kibagami’s hands begin slapping the mat, showing the world his pain as Apostle releases the hold and falls forward, his whole entire body spent after the grueling battle. Nick Soapdish raises Apostle’s hand as Funyon makes the announcement. “Here is YOUR WINNER…THE APPPPPPPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTLLLLLLLLEEEEEEE~!” The crowd goes completely nuclear as Apostle climbs out of the ring, raising his own hand in victory once more as the flames fire up the entranceway. “Unbelievable…” is all Comet can say as Apostle walks back to the lockerroom, holding his body in pain as Soapdish checks on the back and neck of the fallen Nathaniel Kibagami in the ring. “This kid continues to move forward…letting nothing stand in his way…absolutely nothing” Riley comments as Apostle passes through the curtain. The scene switches back into the ring, where Kibagami has made it to his feet, Nick Soapdish still checking on him as he holds his back and neck in pain. The crowd’s attention turns back to the SWF superstar as he raises his hand in the air, showing that he may have lost the battle…but not the war. The crowd cheers and continues to chant as the scene begins to fade out… SIIIII-LENT… SIIIII-LENT… SIIIII-LENT… “Silent is definitely not done in this tournament yet…definitely…” Comet can be heard commenting as the scene turns completely to black and the commercial break.

SWF Storm rolls back into Washington, D.C., the crowd still on their feet form the thrill of the last match! Scanning the sold-out MCI Center, several signs are visible, most of them having to do with the newest man to step up against King’s power, the hometown hero, The Hville Thugg! But turning our attention from the Thuggaholics, we cut to the SWF announcing team, who are behind the announce table, ready for the action to begin! Riley: Welcome back to SWF Storm! We’re live in the crime and murder capital of America, Washington, D.C., and I’m Bobby Riley! Comet: But fear not, young associate, for there shall be no crime and murder done to anyone in DC, especially you, because a defender of truth and justice is here! A defender of truth and justice named CYCLOOOOOOOOOOONE COMET! Riley: ...Let me get on my bullet-proof vest, Comet. Comet: But my steel-tough body deflects all bullets- Riley: Kid, you’re not Superman. You don’t have laser vision or anything like that. Comet: No, but I have this laser pointer... OF JUSTICE! Comet reaches into his utility bely, pulling out a laser pointer, and placing it in his forehead turns it on, pretending he has laser vision. Riley covers his eyes, blocking the laser as it traverses over the outside of his hands. Riley: DAMMIT, GET THAT AWAY FROM MY EYES! ARE YOU TRYING TO BLIND ME?!?! Comet: Yes... from the evils that you say lurk in such a place! Though I cannot see how since our great co-owner Thugg is from the area- Riley: And he’ll be more than glad to wreck yo shit, caped freak. But next, we’ve got our first match in the Genesis IV #1 Contendership Tournament Winner’s Bracket- Comet: But not any winner’s bracket, no! ‘Tis the Smartmarks Winner’s Federation Winner’s Bracket! Riley: Shut up, you idiot! Like I said, it’s a Winner’s Brakcet match with Michael Craven going up against Show! It’s been an interesting ride for both men as they’ve advanced in the bracket. Craven has defeated two former foes, IL and Annie Eclectic, while Show beat Aecas and CIA, narrowly missing fighting Spike after he was suspended! But which big man will be the first to move on to the winner’s bracket finals! Let’s find out! The crowd quiets down, but as it does, Rod Roddy’s voice blares over the loudspeakers... “Show! Come on down!” In the ring, Vicky Black turns over the name “Show” on a green sparkle Wheel-of-Fortune board as Crystal Waters’ “Come On Down” begins, and a pair of sliding doors open to reveal Show! He steps out and onto the ramp, microphone in his hand as he walks down the ramp, smiling broadly and flashing his pearly whites. Funyon: The following Genesis IV Tournament match is scheduled for one-fall! Introducing first, from Studio 3B, he weighs in at 299 pounds and is one half of the SWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, DOUBLE JEOPARDY... SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!! Brining the mic up to his lips as Funyon finishes, Show smiles before he speaks. Show: Tonight’s question is who is getting their ass kicked… and I do believe the answer is Michael Craven! SURVEY SAYS! Vicky Black turns over “Michael Craven” on the board, as Show throws the microphone away, sliding into the ring and posing as he waits for the match to begin. Riley: Did Show just say he was going to kick Craven’s ass? Comet: Why yes he did, young Robert! Riley: Comet, does Show even know what he just said? Comet shrugs his shoulders, but as he does, the lights cut out, the crowd going silent for a second. Suddenly, strobe lights pulse to the beat of the guitar and drums in the background as Saliva’s “King of My World” kicks in, the crowd beginning to boo loudly. As the first words kick in, the strobes cut out, a pale blue light covering the arena, illuminating the figure of Michael Craven as he walks out onto the stage, no expression visible on his shadowed face. Continuing his walk down to the ring, he turns around at the top of the ramp, walking backwards as he stretches his arms out wide, soaking in the crowd’s jeers. Halfway down the ramp, though, he abruptly spins back around, swinging his right arm in a straight path across the top of the stage. “BOOM!” A huge blast of bright white pyro kicks up, the smoke lingering on stage for quite some time as Craven finishes the spin, continuing his walk to ringside without interruption. Funyon: And, from Tampa, Florida, weighing in at 280 pounds... ladies and gentlemen, The King Of Nightmares... MICHAEL CRAVENNNNN!!! Entering casually through the middle and top ropes, Craven quickly scales the turnbuckle closest to him, opening his arms wide and soaking in the crowd’s response, a chorus of heavy boos, as a white spotlight shines down upon him, casting shadows across his face. Riley: This should be very interesting. Two similar-sized men, with somewhat-similar styles, both fighting for a chance to face The Boston Strangler at Genesis IV! Comet: I must say, the crowd seems very excited about this battle, Robert, but evil-versus-evil? How can that be exciting? Riley: You just sit there and figure it out, OK? Don’t speak until you do! Turning his head around, he smiles as he sees Show, hopping down to warm-up on the ropes in his corner. Show backs off to the opposite corner, waiting for Craven to finish his stretching. Kivell also waits, and as Craven finishes, bringing himself up to look at Show, he nods that he is ready. Show nods back, and with both men ready, Kivell turns around, and signaling to the timekeeper... DING DING DING! Riley: Winner’s Bracket Semi-final match under way! The two men slowly move to the center of the ring and immediately lock up, but Show gains a quick advantage, transitioning into a front facelock and wrestling Craven to the mat! Mike, though, puts is amateur experience to use, grabbing Show by the legs and pulling forward. Doing so shifts Show’s balance, causing him to fall onto his back, but Craven holds onto the legs, bridging into a pin! One-The hold breaks before Kivell can even make the count, both men rising to their feet. Show moves forward to grab Mike, but Craven drops to his knees, tripping Show across his shoulders before he flips him onto his back with a fireman’s carry! Show hits the mat, Craven immediately leaping on top of Show, pinning him down to the mat! One-The count again breaks before Kivell can make a count, both men rising quickly back to their feet. As they do so, Craven goes low, grabbing Show around both of his legs, but Show grasps Craven in a waistlock as he grabs his legs, pulling free of the double leg takedown as he lifts Craven and rolls towards Craven’s back, effectively gut wreching him into a sunset flip pin! Kivell drops down to count... One-Craven breaks the hold! The crowd cheers not for the break as much as the action in the ring, which is keeping them well-entertained and attracted. Comet: Robert, perhaps you could explain as to why these two no-do-gooders are chain-wrestling? Riley: It’s simple. Show started out by trying to power Craven to the mat, so Craven naturally responded with an anateur counter and move of his own. After that, I don’t really know what happened, but perhaps both men are trying to show the other one up, no pun intended. But oddly enough, why would Show try to do something like this, knowing Craven can more than hold his own in such a style? Both men rise to their feet, but Show backs away, dodging Craven as he lunges out, trying to grab hold of Show. He hops to the right, ducking Craven as he dives at his legs, The King of Nightmares hitting the mat hard as Show keeps moving. Risnig back to his feet, though, Craven finally catches him, grabbing him around both legs and driving him into the mat with a double leg takedown! As Show hits the mat, though, he puts his knowledge of the mat to use, rolling onto his back to prevent Craven from rolling into another pin on him. In return, Craven drops to his knees, locks his arm around Show’s thigh, and lifts up, rolling onto his side, but pinning Show’s shoulders to the mat as he executes a crotch lift! Kivell drops to count... One! Show breaks the pin attempt! He is clearly not doing as well as he expected against Craven, perhaps forgetting that like Flesher and Francis, Craven was at one time an amateur wrestler. Both men rise back to their feet, but as they do, Show lunges at Craven’s legs... and connects! Grasping Craven’s left leg, he attempts to force him down witha singe leg takedown, but the crafty Craven spins himself around while in Show’s clutches, grasping him around the head and between the legs before he falls, letting Show slam him down on his side, but in doing so, Show knocks himself into a side cradle, Craven pinning Show to the mat! Kivell drops down, counting out... One! Tw-Show breaks the pin attempt, knocking Craven onto his back! Riley: Another amateur takedown by pin, and Craven barely gets under two! Comet: It seems Citizen Craven is trying to out-wrestle Show early on, perhaps trying to tire him out, conniving cohort! Riley: But I’m more surprised he hasn’t realy started woking on a certain body part yet. He’s normally already started doing so, but maybe Show’s trying to- As Bobby comments, both men slowly rise to their feet, but as they do, Show lifts his knee up, slamming it into a distracted Craven’s gut! Show’s plan of sidetracking Craven works perfectly as Mike grabs his gut, clutching it in temporary pain. In doing so, he allows Show to bring his arm up before clubbing it into the back of Craven, dropping him to the mat quickly. Riley: Ouch! What a blow! Craven looks like he’s in pain! Comet: Show just dropped citizen Craven faster than Jimmy Hoffa in concrete shoes out on Lake Michigan! Riley: Are you running out of analogies already, Comet? Comet: Certainly not, as I always carry with me my copy of the Superhero’s Book of Analogies, Cliches, And Other Such Phrases! Riley: ... I should have never asked... Craven grabs his back in pain as Show pulls him up by his hair, nailing him in the head with a few hard right hands. Dragging him onto his feet, Show connects with two more right hands before he grabs Craven by the arm to whip him to the ropes, but instead of letting him fly to the ropes, Show throws his arm out, dripping Craven to the mat with a short-arm clothesline! As Craven’s body hits the mat, Show quickly covers him, holding Mike down for the pin attempt! Comet: What a clothesline of villainy! Young Show has knocked citizen Craven off his feet, and here’s a cover! One! Tw-Kickout by Craven! Riley: Show’s going right for that weakened neck of Craven, which is probably what Craven expected. Comet: The question is not what Craven expects, young apprentice, but how long his neck can take such heinous and sinister punishment of doom~! Pulling Craven to his feet, Show throws another hard knee into his gut, once more doubling over The King of Nightmares. With Craven bent over, Show draws his forearm up, bludgeoning Craven’s neck with a clubbing blow! Craven drops to his knees, grabbing his neck as he slowly rises, but Show swings down again, dropping Craven back to his knees again with another clubbing neck shot! Mike cries out in pain, rising even slower the third time, but he fails to rise back up before Show connects with a third blow to Craven’s neck knocking him flat on the mat for several seconds. Show stands back, watching Craven as he rises slowly off the mat, grabbing his neck in pain, and as he gets to his feet, Show boots Craven in the gut, grabbing him around the head in a front facelock before dropping back and DDTing Craven into the mat! Comet: Quite the DDT from Show, bouncing Craven off his fragile neck... OF EVIL~! Riley: Just pick which one is more “evil” already, Comet. You’re getting ten times more annyoing than you usually are. Now on the mat, Show quickly rolls Craven over onto his back and hooks his leg, forcing Cravens’ shoulders into the mat! Kivell drops to count... One! Two! ... Kickout by Craven! The crowd boos loudly at the kickout, finally getting involved in the match for the first real time as Show grabs Craven by his head, pulling him to his feet. As he pulls Craven up, though, Show reaches down, grabbing Craven between his legs and turning him upside-down, slams him down into the mat with a scoop slam! Riley: A scoop slam from Show... and why the hell are they booing Craven? If this is “evil-versus-evil”, then why aren’t both men being booed? Comet: It’s simple, Robert. Craven is alligned with Suicide King, and the crowd hates King because he hates Thugg, whom the crowd loves. Therefore, by the process of association, they hate Craven as well, and they want to see him lose, so they cheer Show, hoping he’ll win. Still standing, Show sees Craven in a prone position for more punishment. He lumbers to the ropes, going as fast as he can, and as the big man bounces back, he leaps into the air, pulling his legs up before he leg drops Craven across his throat/neck! Craven grabs his neck in response, rolling onto his back in pain, but Show pulls him back over, and hooking his leg, tries to pin him to the mat again! One! Two! ... Kickout by Craven! The crowd is displeased, wanting to see King’s disciple go down, but that is not the case... yet. Focusing back in the ring, Show grabs Craven, pulling him up into a sitting position before grasping him around the head and neck in a sleeper hold! The crowd pops as a chant begins to grow louder, becoming more and more audible: Crowd: Kick his ass, Show! “Clap-clap-clapclapclap!” Kick his ass, Show! “Clap-clap-clapclapclap!” Riley: Hey, this crowd’s biased! Just because Craven’s better than any of you doesn’t mean you have to boo him! Comet: I must side with the fans and root Show on, as he is the lesser of two evils. Riley: What, by holding Craven down with a sleeper? Comet: Yes, the sleeper hold... OF TEMPORARY JUSTICE~! Craven has both arms free, allowing him to push off against the mat, using his size to his advantage as he begins to force himself up against the slightly bigger Show. Show tries to force him back down, but he has little success at doing so, resulting in Mike being alboe to get to his feet, but now in a standing sleeper. The crowd continues their chant as Craven draws a free arm forward, slamming an elbow back into Show’s ribcage! The crowd pops as Show cries out, but holds on, forcing Craven to once again throw an elbow into Show’s ribs. The second elbow also draws boos and distracts Show just enough so that the hold slightly loosens, allowing Mike to break free of the sleeper to a tremendous chorus of boos! Craven gasps for air as he tries to catch his breath, but Show grabs him from behind, lifting him onto his shoulder, and falling back, slams Craven on his neck with a backdrop! The King of Nightmares cries out as Show sits up following the drop. Comet: Lo and behold! Show has cast evil to the mat with that backdrop... Riley: Let me guess... of justice~?!?! Comet: No, just an ordianry backdrop, Citizen Riley. Nothing justice-like about that. Recovering slowly from the backdrop, Craven rises and staggers to his feet, grabbing his neck in pain, the crowd cheering loudly as Show ascends, turning to face the King of Nightmares. He backs up a little bit, taunting Mike with a quick pose as he waits for him to stop staggering, and once he does, charges forward at Craven, lifting his leg up and thrusting it out into a yakuza kick! Show catches Craven as he recovers from the backdrop, looking up to see the kick on it’s way, but out of familiarity, Craven ducks out of the way of the kick! Show brings his leg down as he realizes that Mike ducked, but turning around, Craven weakly throws a kick into his chest. Show catches the kick, leaving Craven in a dangerous position, but Craven improvises, leaping off his other leg and swinging that same leg around into Show’s face, both men falling to the mat as a result of an enziguri! Show grabs his jaw, slowly sitting back up while both men get up onto their feet. Show draws his arm back, nailing Craven with a right hook as he swings forward, but Craven takes the blow and counters with a hook of his own! Show’s head whips to the right side, whipping back to the left as a perfectly-timed left hook crashes into his jaw! Riley: Craven’s finally fighting back! He’s got Show on the ropes, and perhaps, now we’ll get to see Craven dominate! Comet: Never fear, for his vain attempt a comeback shall fail in the end! Riley: Fail, like “They Came From Outer Space, Part II” did at the box office, Comet? I believe you’re familiar with that bomb- Comet: Now, now, Robert, let’s not bring my acting career into this match. Besides, it was the number one grossing movie in Afghanistan for six weeks! Riley: Really… how many people still live in Afghanistan? Six? Show staggers back a step or two as Craven makes his next move, placing his hands behind Charlie’s head. The former Grappler can do little as Craven sits down, driving Show’s chin down with a sitdown jawbreaker! The subsequent release of Show’s head causes his neck to whip back as he falls to the mat, Craven slowly getting back to his feet. Riley: Sitdown jawbreaker from Craven, and look at Show drop to the mat! I haven’t seen anyone or anything fall like that… oh wait, I forgot about your credibility as an actor! Comet: I suggest you focus on the match, humor-deprived homosexual! Riley: Don’t even start with the gay insinuations, masked marauder… Show begins to recover from the jawbreaker as he ascends, but in doing so, leaves himself vulnerable to further attack from Craven. The King of Nightmares quickly moves to position himself in front of Show, so that when he steps forward, Craven can grab him around both legs and lift him into the air. Only keeping him up for a second, Craven falls back, slamming Matthews onto his face with a flapjack! Riley: Monstrous flapjack from Craven! Show just landed on his face! Craven lets go of Show’s legs, the Tag Champ rolling onto his back as he covers his face with both hands, crying out in pain. Rather than pull him up for another move, Craven rolls over and crawls on top of Kivell, hooking his leg and pinning him to the mat! Kivell begins to count… One! Two! Show kicks out! Craven doesn’t waste time, though, grabbing Show by his head and pulling him onto his feet. Comet: Ha! Evil is overpowered again! Justice and truth shine through once more! Riley: That’s not justice! Justice is Craven kicking Show’s ass all over Washington, D.C.! As he is pulled to his feet, Show is grabbed around the neck by Craven and whipped over his shoulder, landing in a sitting-up position on the mat after being snap mared by Mike, releasing his grip on the chain as he flips. Now on the mat, Show is grabbed around the head and arm by Craven, thrown into a dragon sleeper! Show tries to fight his way out, but Craven helps him up, oddly pulling him to his feet at first, but then, it becomes apparent why he has done so. With Show in the right position, all Craven has to do is spin and sit down, slamming Show’s head off his shoulder with the Roll of The Dice! Riley: Roll of the Dice!!! Craven hit Show with the Roll of the Dice! If he can pin him, it’s over! The crowd watches on, booing loudly as Craven releases Show, rolling him over and hooking his leg. They boo even louder as Kivell counts over them: One!!!! Two!!! THR-Kickout at the last second by Show! Craven cries out in anger astThe crowd roars with cheers. Kivell jumps up, holding up only two fingers while Craven protests, holding up three fingers. Kivell continues to hold two up, refusing to change his count, and he gets two fingers from Craven in response. Comet: My, citizen Craven seems extremely upset with citizen Kivell’s correct and honest call! Riley: You’d be pissed, too, if the ref was blatantly counting slow just so that you wouldn’t win! Pulling Show to his feet as he rises, Craven nails him with two hard right overhand punches, sending him staggering back a step as Craven runs for the ropes, bouncing off them and flying back at Show, nailing him with a quick clothesline! Show slams into the mat, slowly rising off it as Craven strikes, kicking Show in the gut. Craven grabs him around the head as he doubles over, and wasting little time, lifts him up into the air, dropping back quickly as he plants Show’s head into the mat with an inverted DDT! Show lands on the mat facing down, but instead of releasing the hold to pin Show, Craven quickly grabs Show around the arm as well as the head and scissors his body, throwing the bigger man into a guillotine choke hold! Riley: Craven Clutch on Show! The King of Nightmare’s time-honored guillotine choke has resurfaced as Craven continues to wrench Show’s neck! It’s only a matter of time now! Craven smiles as he traps Show in the hold, punishing his neck. Show’s muscles tense and strain as he reaches out, his neck throbbing in pain, but the ropes, the only thing he can do to save himself right now, are not in front of him. Show gasps for air as the hold is still applied, but he’s familiar with this move and knows how to break it. Forcing his legs up under his body as far as he can, he digs in, elevating himself and pushing Craven back onto his shoulders! Kivell drops to make the count as Show pins Craven down: One!!! Two!!! TH-Craven releases the hold and pulls his shoulder up! Show falls over as Craven releases the hold, The King of Nightmares slowly rising to his feet. Comet: An ingenious, spuerheroic mobe by Show, nearly pinning citizen Craven with his own move! Rising to his feet, Craven grabs Show, pulling him up. Reaching back, he unloads with two hard right hands before grabbing Show’s arm and whipping him to the ropes! Show lumbers forward, hitting the ropes and bouncing off them as Craven ducks down, peparing to throw Show into a back body drop. Show, though, drives his knee up as he hits Craven. leaping into the air and knocking Craven to the mat with a high knee smash! Craven hits the mat, rising with a hand on his face, but Show cuts him off at the pass, grabbing him from the side, and hooking his right leg with Craven’s, trips Craven up, sending him slamming back into the mat with a STO! Riley: Lovely Parting Gift from Show! Craven got hit out of nowhere! Comet: But how did such a big man sneak up on Craven? Riley: I think he was dazed, Comet. As Craven hits the mat, Show quickly covers him, Kivell dropping to make the count while the crowd rises from their seats... One! Two! THR-Kickout by Craven, causing the crowd to boo loudly! Show grabs hold of Craven’s head, pulling him to his feet, and once there, he grabs him in a waistlock from behind and lifts him into the air, releasing him into a German suplex! Riley: A German from Show right after the kickout, and Craven just landed on his neck! Craven crashes down on the back of his neck, bouncing off the mat onto his chest. He clutches his neck, crying out in horribe pain from the move while Show sits up, pushing himself to his feet before he makes his way over to Craven. Instead of pinning Craven, though, Show reaches down and pulls him up onto his feet, hitting two quick jabs on the way up, and grabbing him by the arm, whips him to the ropes! Craven, though, stunningly reverses the whip, sending Show flying to the ropes as Craven nearly falls over. Shows hits and bounces off the ropes, and as he does, Michael Craven leaps into the air, flipping and catching Show in the chin with a dropkick to boos from the displeased crowd! but Craven boots him in the stomach, causing Shwo to double over. Grabbing Show in a side headlock, Craven catches his breath for a second before he takes off, running a short distance before bulldogging Show onto his face! Riley: Bulldog from Craven! Show’s down! All Craven has to do is cover him and he’s got him! Craven quickly rolls Show over, hooking his leg as he pins Show down for... One! Two! THREE-Kickout by Show, causing the crowd to pop loudly! Craven is in a state of disbelief as he slowly gets to his feet, arguing with referee Mathew Kivell. Comet: And right makes might once again, as that somewhat-do-gooder Show kicks out! Riley: Show’s not good in any way, Comet! Comet: Well, he’s less evil than Craven. Craven bends down, pulling Show back to his feet, slightly smiling with a smirk as the crowd continues to boo. The King of Nightmares makes the fans boo louder, immediately nailing Show with a hard right to the temple! Show goes down stunned, dropping to the mat for a second. He quickly rises to his feet, where Craven fires off three rapid right hands and whips Show to the ropes. Show hits them and comes off them hard but as Craven waits for Show to return, the Tag Champ cocks his arm back, swinging it around and clocking Craven in the head with a runnning elbow smash that drops him to the mat! Comet: RUNNING FOREARM SMASH OF NOT-SO-EVILNESS FROM SHOW~! Riley: It’s called the Password Plus, you moron. Comet: Regardless, it has knocked Citizen Craven onto the mat, where he will get what he deserves! As Craven hits the mat, Show jumps on top of him, covering him while Kivell drops to count... One! Two! THREE-Kickout by Craven! The crowd boos in anger, hoping that the running elbow smash would have done Craven in, but he has barely survived it. However, Show grabs Craven, slowly pulling him to his feet. Comet: So close! Justice was nearly served on that nefarious Craven! With Craven pulled up onto his feet, Show reaches up to hit two more right-hand punches, then runs back for the ropes. He bounces off them, flying back at Craven, but he suddenly spots Craven’s right arm dropping to the mat as he ducks down, quickly bring it back and up. Show knows what’s coming, but he can’t put on the brakes fast enough, and he is helpless to watch as a diving Craven’s right forearm flies into his face! Upon impact, Annie is thrown onto his back abruptly while Craven lands on his knees. The crowd begins to boo loudly as Craven tries to slowly push himself onto his feet, breathing heavily and still grabbing his neck. Comet: ZOUNDS! What power! What move is that, Robert? Riley: That, Comet, is a charged-up forearm smash from Craven to Show! Breaking his daze, Show tries to climb to his feet, his head throbbing in pain from the last move! The King of Nightmares, though, awaits him, and reaching down, Craven slides the recovering Show onto his shoulders! Craven holds Show for a second before he helicopter spins him, dropping him down into a stunner with the last of his energy before he collapses back onto the mat! Riley: GULF COAST CRUNCH!!! GULF COAST CRUNCH BY CRAVEN! BOTH MEN DOWN!!! Show and Craven lie on the mat near each other, neither moving, but slowly, Craven rolls over, struggling to throw an arm/shoulder on top of Show’s chest, the best he can do to cover him as Kivell drops to make the count. Riley: THIS MIGHT BE IT! HERE’S THE COVER! Comet: For the sake of all things good, let this not be the end of the match! Do not let evil conquer not-as-evil! Riley: ...What the hell do you mean, Comet? One! Two! THREE!!! DING DING DING!!!! “King Of My World” plays in the background as Craven tries to get up, but collapses back to the mat. Kivell assists Craven, helping him up to his feet, but Craven them shoves Kivell aside, looking down at Show, a large smile spread across his face as Funyon makes it official. Funyon: The winner of this contest by pinfall and advancing to the Winner’s Bracket finals... MICHAEL CRAVEN!!! Riley: YES! Craven wins again! Take that, Mr. Spandex Pants! Comet: It seems that the greater of the two evils has come out victorious, Robert, but he shall get his... perhaps at the hands of CYCLOOOOOOOONE COMET~! Riley: I doubt that, caped blunder, but next, we’ve got more action, including Apostle battling Nathan Kibagami and our main event, a battle of the armbars between Danny Williams and Ejiro Fasaki! We’ll be right back after this brief commercial break!