Mr. S£im Citrus

Does sleep count?

For promos, Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Epilogue. Like I said before, I think that the match I wrote, which lost to Mags at GZ, was better than anything else I've written... But the best match that I've written that won was probably against Pretzler at 13th Hour.

Eh, "motherfucker" is considered disrespectful in my circles... "Fucking" is okay, though; it's kind of like the difference between "damn" and "God damn," only... different...

Sloppy Joe... hell yeah!

Gotta be overeasy.

Sorry, I've missed a couple of shows; I wasn't aware that Jenkins and Zyon had been booked...

Wait a second... so if they win the titles, that doesn't necessarily mean that they will be defending at G6?

Don't let them get to you, Bo... I'd be happy if you came back. Jay Dawg, too; we could use some experienced tag teams.

:: waits for someone to accuse Danny of being egotistical for nominating himself :: Funny; when ELM and I were discussing how he should handle his heel turn, I (in my puro-ignorance) was trying to sell him on doing his turn like Backlund in '94.

That was more sort of an honorific, as in "Thomas Fucking Flesher."

Thanks for taking the time to do this, by the way, Toxxic.

The Pay Per View of the Year Award From the Fire '05 The Mayor McCheese Comedic Moment of the Year Award Pretzler vs. the Pope The Blazenwing Memorial Trophy - For ”Tool” of the Year No vote; I'm not a big fan of this tooling stuff. The Stubby P. McWeed Trophy - For Booker of the Year Thomas. F. Flesher

The Pay Per View Match of the Year Award SWF 13th Hour - June 12, 2005: Wildchild vs. Scott Pretzler - 30-Minute Iron Man Challenge The Non-PPV Match of the Year Award SWF Lockdown - May 18, 2005: Ejiro Fasaki vs. Toxxic© - World Heavyweight Championship The Feud of the Year Award Todd Cortez vs. Landon Maddix; I've always been a mark for feuds that are slowly brought to a boil. The Cyclone Comet Trophy - For Promo Writer of the Year Scott Pretzler, mainly because of... The Nathaniel Kibagami Trophy - For Promo of the Year This. Although Danny's Baba promo is a close second.

The Hville Thugg & Edwin MacPhisto Cup of Champions - For Best World Champion Two title reigns within the voting period pretty much means it has to be Toxxic. The Fallout ICTV Champion of the Year Award (only valid until the merger with the US Title) Landon Maddix The Thoth US Champion of the Year Award (only valid until the merger with the ICTV Title) Todd Cortez The Andrew Blackwell International Champion of the Year Award I'm obviously partial to two-time champions, so my vote goes to the Hawke. The Grimedogg Hardcore Champion of the Year Award IL as Hardcore Champion was the only time I can remember seeing him actually motivated to write. The El Luchadore Magnifico Cruiserweight Champion of the Year Award I'm going to say Pretzler, as I've been very impressed with what he accomplished as Cruiserweight Champion.

The Jayson Grant Memorial Trophy - For Wrestler of the Year Todd Cortez The Divefire Memorial Trophy - For Comeback Wrestler of the Year Ejiro Fasaki The Jay Dawg Improvement Award - For Most Improved Wrestler Jay Hawke The Axis Memorial Trophy - For Most Under-appreciated Wrestler Todd Cortez The Rane Memorial Trophy - For Most Impressive Career Sacred The Fallen Tag Team Trophy - For Tag Team of the Year Wild and Dangerous The Midnight Carnival Cup - For Stable of the Year Sorry fellas, but Martial Law was the most snakebit stable since Catch-22, and was only remarkable for the Maddix/Cortez feud. So, it's gotta be Revolution Zero. The Ace of Clubs Trophy - For Heel of the Year Toxxic The William Heartford Trophy - For Rookie of the Year Scott Pretzler The Grand Slam Trophy - For Face of the Year Wildchild

And you considered that to be called for on the basis of what?

Next week.

Was?

"The Proud," by Talib Kweli.

As long as, by "soon," you mean after I get back from Washington.

I know it's going to be unprovoked and uncalled for, but aside from that? No, not really.

The thread title pretty much speaks for itself. Curious about the Hall of Fame, too.

Works for me, and hopefully it'd restore some interest in the tag division; if nothing else, it would stop Landon from bitching about us not defending the tag titles, like we've been ducking people, or something...

Well, Ground Zero went up the day that we pulled into Norfolk after a seven-month deployment, so I didn’t have much time that day, and I’ve spent most of the subsequent three weeks making up for lost time with my son, and now I’m about to make my way to Washington to pick up my furniture. However, I subscribe to the “better late than never” point of view, so… SWF Ground Zero July 31, 2005 London Card Toxxic and Janus star in Non-sequitur Theater Apparently, Toxxic is broken out of his pre-match meditation by Janus, wearing a pink tuxedo ( ), who pokes him in the nose and proclaims that he knew something… knew what? And then walks into a broom closet and disappears… Say what now? Toxxic appears to be as confused as I am, and we kick off the show. The “National” Anthem Guest ring announcer Divefire with a stirring rendition of “London Calling” by The Clash… Not sure why we couldn’t have gotten the actual Clash to perform, though: I can’t imagine they were doing anything… Manson promo Manson explains where Griffon’s been, and vows to go for the (tag) gold whenever he gets back… And then he promises to serve Jay Hawke up an ass whoopin’. Manson vs. Jay Hawke – International Heavyweight Championship (Old School Rules) I like the banter between Champion and challenger to start the match off with… Taamo and Annie refer to a Spike Jenkins match that never ended up on the show, creating a mild moment… Nice pacing to open up the match, although I would have rather seen a little more personality by Hawke outside the ring, whether that consists of showing frustration at being manhandled by Manson, or giving it to the fans at ringside… Solid shoulder work by Hawke, which is his forte, after Manson misses on a charge to the corner… Manson counters a DDT attempt on the outside with the Consequences, and then steps his game up for a few minutes… Rolls Hawke back in for two… Guillotine legdrop gets two… Rolling Elbow gets two… Hawke pulls off a nice heelish move, luring Manson into a corner and pulling him face-first into the turnbuckles before hooking the Wing Span, and forcing Manson to use his last rope break… Manson with another comeback, and sells the arm to let go after a Fisherman’s Neckbreaker… Hawke trips Manson into the ropes with a drop toehold and hooks the Wing Span in the ropes for the first fall. Hawke starts the second fall with a keylock, and then mixes up some other arm work… Manson tries to fight his way back, but Hawke stops his momentum, and gets Shake Rattle ‘n’ Roll, for two… Legdrop gets two… Kneedrop gets two… When that doesn’t work, Hawke channels Andre and does the choke/break on four/choke routine, which I think that heels don’t use nearly often enough… Hawke with the Camel Clutch… Manson powers his way out of the Clutch, and tries to fall backwards, but Hawke counters into a crucifix, which I have a hard time visualizing… Leg lariat knocks Manson back down, and Hawke goes out to the apron to finish Manson off with Air Pillman, but the Raging Bull counters into Consequences to even the match at one fall apiece. Slow start to the third fall, as both men are still out… Eventually, they start trading chops/forearms, and Manson gets the better of it when Hawke goes for a headbutt and hurts himself in the process… Manson with a hotshot and a Gamengiri for two, when Hawke gets a foot on the ropes… Northern Lights Suplex gets two when Hawke makes use of back-to-back rope breaks… Western Lariat forces Hawke to use his final rope break… Hawke channels the Brainbusters/Enforcers by getting Manson to chase him around the ring, and attack him after beating him back inside… Hawke goes for a clothesline, but Manson backdrops him out of the ring… which earns him a disqualification? Hawke retains the title, and the crowd calls bullshit… Overall, a solid match, where Hawke goes over while making Manson look strong, so it’s all good. Aside from the fact that this match forced me and ELM to change the stip for our match at the last minute, I thought that it was excellent. As good a match as you could hope for without a title change. Wildchild promo I still don’t comment on my own stuff… But I will say that, in hindsight, I feel like a world-class chump for submitting that promo, only for my match not to win; talk about having egg on your face… Wildchild vs. El Luchadore Magnifico – No Disqualification King recaps the show to start off the match, and apparently we’re still selling the phantom Spike Jenkins/Triple-J match… ELM jaws with some fans at ringside, which gives WC an opening to attack him on the outside… Mags turns the tables on WC, though, putting a hurt on his chin before finally rolling him into the ring… so the match can start… WC avoids a corner splash, and goes back on offense. Flesher says that WC’s in danger of running out of gas, like he did against Maddix? Is that what happened? My memory must be failing me… Blue Crush gets two, and WC pulls ELM back to his feet, but Mags rakes his eyes, because he’s RUDO~! Jake Roberts clothesline gets two… Mags throws WC out of the ring and Pilmanizes his knee… Shinbreaker on the apron sets up the Estiramiento Vicioso… WC counters by managing to get his upper body off the mat and grabbing onto the back of ELM’s head, using Mags to support his weight while he starts punching ELM in the face… Mags lets go, but immediately follows up with a head-and-arm suplex for two… WC counters some dastardly heel tactics by ELM, and then gets a sidekick for two, but sells the knee… WC reverses his shin guard, and then cleans ELM’s clock with a leg lariat that gets two… WC picks up a chair and tries to use it on Mags, but ELM dodges, and then dropkicks the chair back into his face, but only gets two… Mags whips Wildchild into the ropes, but WC ducks a lariat, and counters with a Pinball, only to sell the knee again afterwards… WC gets Mags into a corner and starts attacking with the reversed shin guards, but I’m having difficulty visualizing how WC is kicking Mags in the chest with the reversed shin guard; is he supposed to be using back kicks? ELM fights back, though, and hits a bridged German for two… Cancun Crunch gets countered into a backdrop, and the Caribbean Cutter gets two… Both men trade punches, and Mags takes over again when he anticipatses WC’s counter to Dia de los Muertos… Mags goes for the BCC, but WC counters with a mule kick to the bean bags… Wild-Driver connects, but WC’s too weak to go for the pin. He finally makes the cover after forever, but only gets two… WC ties ELM in the Tree of Woe, and then locks in the Sangria Stretch, but Mags gets out by trying to bite WC’s fingers off… Dia de los Muertos gets… two? What do you mean, gets two? Wildchild will apparently not lay down for ELM… until Mags breaks the Mexican Flag over his head to get the three count. ELM adds insult to injury by spitting in WC’s face. I was down, and more than a little discouraged by this loss, but I wanted to give Mags props on writing a great match. I’d also like to thank Judge for giving me feedback on what I wrote… Unfortunately for me, this sets the WC character back a few steps: not only did losing to ELM invalidate everything I wrote in that promo, but it furthers Wildchild’s kayfabe stigma as someone who can’t win the big one (WC has a losing record in singles matches on PPV, and is winless outside of the Cruiserweight division). I’m not sure what I can do from this point, as a writer, as I fear that I may have peaked, and am on the way down. I’m sure that other people may have differing opinions on my writing, but I feel as though the losing match that I wrote was the best match that I’ve ever written. I guess I don’t have much choice but to go back to the drawing board and see if I can re-invent myself. Toxxic promo David Blazenwing interviews Toxxic, who is not forthcoming in his strategy for the match, other than to say that he plans on winning, and that Pretzler won’t soon be forgetting what’s about to happen to him… And since the sub-theme of this show seems to be Toxxic running into random retirees for no apparent reason, we see his interview interrupted by none other than Hall-of-Famer Edwin MacPhisto, who is selling hot dogs, and invents a three-headed monster to cover his exit, and escape the shame of being seen peddling the mystery meat. Kind of blah as pre-main event promos go, but anything that features a cameo appearance by the Crown Prince of Flash and Panache deserves two thumbs up. Toxxic vs. Scott Pretzler – Canadian Deathmatch I think that the Orchestra should have sold the booing a little better, but it was nicely done, nevertheless… Toxxic comes out the pocket to have Boy Sets Fire perform his theme music live… If I didn’t know better, I’d say people have been biting the ring intros that I used for my match against Ejiro; that’s if I didn’t know better, that is… Rapid-fire exchange of moves starts the match off, and it looks like Toxxic is going to gain the early advantage when he surprises Pretzler out of a missed Role Reversal with a Corkscrew Dropkick, but Pretzler sends him out of the ring when he gets a little closer, and then nails a Suicide Dive… Sick bump with the guardrail, even if I don’t quite understand the physics of it; I mean, if Pretzler knocks the rail out from underneath Toxxic’s feet, then how does he land on it back-first? Wouldn’t Toxxic fall backwards to land on the concrete? Anyway, Pretzler rolls him back into the ring for a two-count… Hart-breaker is followed up by a Rude Awakening for two… Pumphandle backbreaker and another Rude Awakening gets two… Toxxic punches his way out of a Wildbomb attempt, and starts pounding away at Pretzler’s face… Discus clothesline sends Pretzler out of the ring, and Annie is practicing her non-sequiturs on commentary… Back in the ring, a brief countering session leads to a Toxxic superkick, and sets Pretzler up for the Sobering Thought, which gets two… Leg lariat in the corner is followed up by a flying Oklahoma Roll, for the first three-count. Pretzler takes exception to Toxxic’s post-pinfall celebration, and Pearl Harbor’s him… Brainbuster gets two… Superiority Complex sets up a Guillotine legdrop, that only gets two? Toxxic no-sells the Superiority Complex? Is this the same guy who got pissed when Johnny wrote him to kick out of the MI Slam? Toxxic hits a Northern Lights for a one-count, which he has to relinquish when he apparently can’t support Pretzler’s “boyweight”… Toxxic whips Pretzler into the ropes, but Pretzler reverses, and nails Toxxic with the Kitchen Sink, and then finally gets the Wildbomb for a three-count to even the match at three apiece. Pretzler tries to get a cheap fall quickly: lateral press gets two. Hooks the leg for two… Toxxic fights his way out of a Snowflake Suplex attempt, and heads out to the apron to hit a springboard Blockbuster… Toxxic scores on back-to-back flying fistdrops, and then feigns the third before suckering Pretzler in for a flying spinning heel kick that sets up a corkscrew hangover legdrop, but it only gets two… Final Shine gets two… TSS gets two? Pretzler fights out of the Intoxxication, and shoves Toxxic into the ringpost, sucking him into a Snowflake Suplex as he staggers out, which gets him a FIVE count, to take the lead 8-3. By the Numbers gets two… Schoolboy gets two… Toxxic eats a brainbuster, but floats through a second one to hit the Underkill… Pretzler crotches Toxxic going for the Inglorious, and then hits a shoryutei to set up the Boilermaker, but Toxxic counters with an avalanche Caffeine Bomb for a SIX count, to take a 9-8 lead. Toxxic lateral press gets two… Hooks the leg for two… Shake Rattle ‘N’ Roll gets followed up by a Rude Awakening for two… Toxxic is too tired to hit the Caffeine Bomb, and Pretzler hits chops aplenty, as King praises his conditioning… Pretzler whips Toxxic into the ropes and hits the SECOND-best dropkick in the business ( )… Powerslam gets two… Clean Living gets two… Pretzler fights back, and hits an Enzui lariat, which sets up the Tildebang, but Toxxic counters into the Intoxxication… but only gets two~! And then, suddenly, Toxxic does what he claims he never does… That’s right… He Cheats to WIN~! Jet distracts the referee, allowing Chris Card to supply Toxxic with an aerosol can filled with mace, which he promptly injects into Pretzler’s eyes, and then knocks him out with brass knucks for the three-count to win the match 12-8, even though Divefire apparently forgot how to count (3+5 = 9?)… But Toxxic’s not done yet; he reaches underneath the ring to grab a set of hair clippers, and then climbs into the ring to use them on… himself? The hell? Post-match Toxxic promo Michael Stephens completes the process of separating himself from Toxxic in the locker room, although it would have come across better if the narrative would have actually referred to him as “Michael” instead of as “Toxxic.” Flesher calls him up to demand an explanation, and Michael tells him that his contract expired at midnight and that, quite frankly, he’s tired of being in a business where, eventually, you end up fighting everyone you come in contact with… Michael hangs up on Flesher, removes (and subsequently breaks) the chip in his cell phone that held the last of his ties to the SWF, and then goes outside to say his goodbyes to Jet and Chris Card, before leaving to return to Nottingham. I have mixed emotions about this promo, to say the least. I feel as though it was very well written, with the exception of that lapse in the narrative that I mentioned previously, and is certainly a better-articulated reason for quitting than most people provide (at least for those who can actually be bothered to give a reason). I suppose it bothers me a little that a guy who, despite never ever cheating (until his final match), and proclaiming to have numerous physical limitations, was never made to look weak (always ended up coming out on top in every feud he was involved, if not flat-out dominating the whole thing from start to finish). And that wouldn’t really bother me much until I realize that Toxxic never really used his status to give someone else a rub in return before retiring. Maybe I’m a little old-school, but I seem to recall, at least since I’ve been around, that pretty much every established star has at least attempted to put at least one person over before they left: Danny put over Va’aiga and John Duran, Flesher put over Toxxic and Maddix… and me (thanks, by the way, Tom). Thugg put over Clark (or, at least, appeared to be trying to). King and Mark gave Dace a huge rub at G4, and he appeared to be the next big thing, until real life took up too much of his time. Silent put over Toxxic, and so did Van Siclen, Annie and Sacred, willing or otherwise. I’m not saying that I think that Toxxic should have jobbed clean in his hometown, in his last match, but I guess I’m just somewhat surprised that he seemingly didn’t try to elevate anyone else to fill his spot on his way out. Be that as it may, lest anyone think otherwise, I want to congratulate Toxxic on a brief but dominant run in the SWF; I’ve enjoyed reading your writing, and I hope that you stick around the fed in some form (other than chat, of course, since everyone knows I don’t hang out in there). Anyway, I’m only half done, so let’s move on… SWF Ground Zero July 31, 2005 Las Vegas Card Megan Skye interview Megan seems to be in the Miss Elizabeth role from WM5, as she’s concerned for both men. She feels bad about the way their partnership ended, which should be expected, and hopes that no one gets badly hurt tonight. Funyon’s “National” Anthem Funyon outdoes Divefire with his rendition of “Viva Las Vegas.” Elvis rolls over in his grave. Zyon vs. Nick Blum vs. Marcus Ward – SWF Hardcore Title Let me just say for the record that I’m really uncomfortable with Blum’s ring entrance… And we start out with a Ladder-No DQ-Texas Bullrope match… Ward yanks on the chain as Zyon goes for the ladder, but Zyon was playing him all along, and uses the momentum Ward just gave him to crash into him with a somersault senton in what is a nicely-written spot… Zyon climbs up the first three ladders in no time flat, and then hits Blum with a Final Flash… But Ward pulls him off the fourth ladder… Now in control, the ground-bound Ward drags both his opponents to the slot machine and puts an end to the tragically mismatched stips… only to come up with something worse: a Pillow-Cage-Tables match… Pillows? Ward puts a hurting on Zyon, but Blum comes out of nowhere to knock both men down with a splash as Ward is setting up for a suplex… Lionsault and the 180 Elbow get 2.9, but Zyon breaks up the pinfall with an Asai moonsault… Zyon beats both opponents to the outside of the cage, but has to go back in and put somebody through a table… The bit with LDP calling the action in “real-time” is fairly original, but kind of hard to follow… Zyon sets Blum up on the table, and goes to the top rope to end this match, but Blum channels Pillman and counters with a standing dropkick… Ward powerslams Blum onto a pillow ( ) and gets a tilt-a-whirl piledriver on Blum… Ward hits a triple rib-breaker on Blum and then throws him back-first into the cage… More “live action” commentary shows Ward about to put Zyon through a table, but Blum returns to the action… Some difficult-to-follow action takes place, and Ward changes the stips once again, pulling the lever as Blum tries to put Zyon into a table, which makes it into a No DQ-Submission-Elimination match… And Ward promptly takes advantage of the No-DQ stip by abusing the referee… Ward puts Zyon in a crucifix kneebar for a quick tapout elminiation…Ward spinebusters Blum onto a ladder, and the ties him up in the ladder and racks him for the win and becomes the new Hardcore Champion. Nice fast-paced match to kick off the second half of the PPV. A few small flow problems, but nothing too serious, and a very nice PPV debut for Ward. Johnny Dangerous interview Johnny claims that he cost WC the World Title for his own good, because he wouldn’t wish what he’s about to do to Ejiro on his best friend… He then goes on to verbally bury Ejiro, while promising to win the World Title for his loyal fans, the “beautiful people” of Las Vegas. Very effective if slightly disturbing promo. It definitely would have come across better if Johnny hadn’t no-showed 75% of his heel turn (sorry bro, I kid because I love…). Todd Cortez vs. Landon Maddix – Casino Brawl The Minor-Powers explode! The Arn Anderson of the SWF takes on the Honky Tonk Man of the SWF. The match has no proper introduction, as we find Cortez walking around the casino floor, looking for Maddix, while Maddix is apparently on the other side of the casino, trying to hide from Cortez… Maddix sits down for a game of blackjack, and even wins a hand, despite knowing nothing about the game of blackjack. Cortez finally finds Maddix, and it’s on! Cortez smacks Maddix around, and even suplexes him off a blackjack table onto the floor, before Landon turns the tables on him… Brawling continues, and a humorous spot when some casual fan apparently confuses Cortez for John Cena, or something… which enables Landon to turn the tables with a low blow… Maddix kick open a cut on Todd’s forehead, and then runs off… Cortez gets up and looks for him, only for Landon to break a rake across his back. Maddix goes for the cover, but there’s no referee… Cortez mounts a comeback, hitting Maddix in the face with a broken piece of rake, and then throws him onto a roulette table… and bets Landon on 17. The wheel lands on 6, but Todd doesn’t seem to be bothered by it… Cortez tries to suplex Maddix off the table, but Landon counters with a Greco-Roman punch to the balls… I love the dialogue with Landon talking shit to Cortez, even if I think that the catching the fist bit was a little cliché… Hilarious cameo by the referees, by the way… Cortez appears to want to break Landon’s arm off, but runs headfirst into a slot machine trying for the Hollow Point… More great dialogue, and this time, Soapdish joins in… no offense, guys, but so far, the dialogue and stuff that’s going on outside of the match has been more entertaining than the match itself… Landon jams a stool into Todd’s chest for two… Maddix tries to climb up on top of a slot machine, but gets distracted by a little old lady long enough for Cortez to pull him down… Some more shenanigans ensue and Cortez snatches a drink tray from a passing waiter before smashing it over Landon’s head, drinks and all… Cortez scoop slams Maddix on the ground and the pulls him back up, ripping his shirt off and laying in some vicious chops… but Maddix surprises him with a small package for two… But Cortez regains control, reversing an Irish whip and Jannetty-ing Maddix through a glass window… Cortez drags Maddix into the lobby and chokes him out with his own belt… Cortez beats on Maddix something awful, appearing to get madder the more he hits him. He finally throws him into a wall and covers him after he falls down, only to pull Landon up… Landon makes him regret his lapse in judgment, reversing a whip into a potted plant for two… Landon runs away after failing to pin Cortez, running to the salon of all places… Cortez eventually finds the salon and, suspecting that the hairdresser is protecting Maddix, threatens her to reveal his location, which lets Landon catch him from the blind side with a superkick for two… Cortez gets Maddix in a “barbers” chair and spins him around rapidly. He goes for a superkick, but the stylist stops him, distracting him long enough Maddix to blind him with shampoo, and then hit the Shining Wizard for the win… Landon gets one last parting shot in, literally and figuratively, before leaving. Very emotional match, and kept me interested, but it left me wanting in terms of actual technical content; it was average for a brawl, and terrible for a wrestling match… I but it’s a wacky stip, which is Landon’s wheelhouse, so it’s very well written. I only hope that 1) this feud isn’t over, and 2) Landon learns to write a good actual wrestling match, so that this feud can have the five-star blowoff that it deserves. Johnny Dangerous vs. Ejiro Fasaki – World Heavyweight Championship Solid description as the challenger heads out to the ring… as I mentioned before, however, it would have had more meaning if the promos that were intended to flesh out the whole “beautiful people” thing had been written and/or posted… Guys, it’s “Battle Without Honor or Humanity,” by Tomayasu Hotei; am I the only one here who knows that? I guess it’s a good thing that my match didn’t win since, according to the card, Red Herrington was supposed to be officiating in London; that would have been a wee bit difficult to explain… Johnny backhands the Champ, and away we go… Ejiro takes Johnny down and works him on the mat, which is how things should go, and Johnny fights his way to the ropes to force a break… Johnny with a side-headlock, but Ejiro rolls him onto his shoulders for one… Johnny muscles Ejiro down for one… If I were writing this match, I would have alluded to how Ejiro got worked by WC’s side-headlock in their latest match together, and built on it… Ejiro pushes Johnny into the ropes and hits a standing dropkick for one… Ejiro channels Ricky Steamboat, and I see that my “old-school” references are starting to rub off on my partner… Johnny hits a dropkick to the back of the head, but Ejiro counters a back-body drop with a boot to the head, and a running forearm for one… Johnny gets up, and Ejiro takes him to Chop City! Ejiro ducks a lariat attempt, and hits a belly-to-belly for one… Johnny whips Ejiro into the corner, but the Champ catches him coming in with a boot to the face, and then hits an elbow off the middle turnbuckle for two… Greco-Roman eye rake puts Johnny in control, and the Barracuda locks in his namesake, but Ejiro gets to the ropes immediately. Johnny holds on to the submission a little too long for someone who hasn’t officially turned heel yet, but I’ll overlook it… Johnny channels Demolition Smash, and then talks a little smack before getting some offense in, and lifts the Champ into a fireman’s carry, only to dump him over the top rope. Ejiro takes a man-sized bump on the way down, and LDP and Comet admonish him for his tactics… Solid, if unspectacular brawl on the outside, and I like the way that Johnny’s progressively smaller face pops have been written to this point… Ejiro wakes up and fights back, getting a few forearms, but he tries too much before he’s really back to fighting form, and Johnny sidesteps him, shoving him into the ring steps… Johnny grabs a chair, but Herrington takes it from him. This appears to have been Johnny’s strategy, however, as he uses Red’s distraction to kick Ejiro in the nuts… Johnny lifts Ejiro back onto his shoulders, and throws him into the ringpost… and now, the booing starts… Johnny no-sells the Ejiro chant, but appears to get rattled by them as they get louder. Ejiro tries to mount a comeback and punches Johnny in the face, but there’s not enough mustard behind it, and Johnny punches him back… German suplex gets two… Ejiro gets an elbow in, but gets knocked down with a shoulder block as he comes off the ropes, and Johnny mounts him to deliver a few punches. Hometown crowd turns on Johnny, and he’s absolutely shocked… and then, he becomes absolutely angry… Johnny throws a fit at the edge of the ring, allowing Ejiro to catch a second wind… Screaming Elbow is followed by a punch to the face… Ejiro goes for a neckbreaker, but Johnny squirms out, and takes the Champ to Chop City… Johnny counters something with a spinning heel kick, but I’m not exactly clear on what it was supposed to be in the first place; this sequence kind of comes off like when you’d see a guy go to the ropes back in the 80’s and come off the top turnbuckle with a kind of double-axe handle looking move on their prone opponent, only to be caught by a boot to the face, and you’d be like, “what did they think they were going to hit in the first place?” Anyway, tangent over, as Johnny milks the spinning heel kick for a long two count… Spinal exploder times two gets 2.5… Small package gets two for Ejiro… Ejiro goes for a waistlock, but Johnny elbows him in the side of the head… Shotei and an MI Slam gets 2.99… Ejiro sidesteps the Johnny kick, and hits an overhead belly-to-belly… Ejiro takes a risk and hits the diving elbow for 2.99… Ejiro ducks another lariat, and hits the Rude Awakening… Fast-paced countering sequence sees Ejiro lock in the Cobra Crossface… Johnny reaches the ropes, and Ejiro comes within an eyelash of getting disqualified for not letting go… Brutal brawling sequence, and Ejiro whips Johnny into the corner, but Johnny catches Ejiro coming in, and hits Snake Eyes into the post! Ejiro collapses onto the mat, and Johnny goes up to the top, where he comes down with Death From Above for three to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Final comments Personally, I think that the PPV would have flowed better if it had been presented like WM2, where they went back and forth with the different venues, but all things considered, it came across quite well. Could have used a little more promoage, but not bad by any stretch. Pretty good writing all around. I realize that I’m already four shows behind (and, by the time I’ll be able to sit down and review a show again, I’ll be five shows behind), but if you guys want me to do this for the shows since GZ, I’ll give it a shot.

I have a fair amount of stuff that I'd be willing to trade, if I had any means of making a copy of the stuff I already have... but unfortunately, I don't...