King Cucaracha

...and people who follow wrestling while being able to distance themselves from MMA, unlike Meltzer apparantly. Chokes are illegal. That's why wrestlers hide them from refs and are counted when they're caught. Pro wrestling convention, Dave.

ECenaW!

I guess if someone takes a spill over or into the guardrail it's easier to move from standing than from seated? Plus staying seated makes you look disinterested, unless you're in Japan or something.

I'm sure The Sk8ter Boiz are free to be involved. Question is, who do you get to play Corbin's role? (Yeah, I've got We're No Joke too. Awesome show. And that went over the heads of everyone except for PFL).

Spike needs to raise taxes in Cambodia to buy himself new ring gear. Insta heel.

JBL almost won the people around with his "They don't care about you, they won't even chant your name!" line. Ever since then it's been less prominent. Rey/Chavo would probably be better after Rey drops the belt and/or after Summerslam. Nobody buys Chavo having a shot at the World Title and turning him heel for the Bash might be a bit of a rushjob.

True. Trouble is, it'll be such an Eddie-centric feud that any decent wrestling will be instantly over-shadowed and it'll do nothing to quell the "Eddie" chants that Rey gets instead of Rey/619 chants he should be getting. London/Spanky vs. Finlay/Regal into Finlay/Regal vs. Gunner/Benoit would be fantastic. After last week, I'd like to see them do something worthwhile with Helms. He made Rey's piss-poor offence look pretty good and he's got a title. Crazy/Psicosis should make a decent midcard feud too. There's potential there. Once the big name (Batista) comes back, SD won't be in that bad of a position.

It's the type of match where the spectacle will make up for the actual action, like as Lushus mentioned Hogan/Andre. See also Hogan/HBK and personally speaking Kobashi/Sasaki, where it was basically 5 minutes of OMGSTIFFCHOPZMOTY~. They'll go out and tell a good story. The work'll be a bit shoddy and it'll be a 50/50 on whether it was an epic or an over-rated match. Oh, and I call dibs on the first fall ending within 5 minutes from a Foley small package.

Agreed, the Argies look great. Makes me wish I'd put the bet on them I contemplated before the tournament, Group Of Death and all. On cricket...I watch it, but I admit that it's both hard to understand and at times can be very boring.

Not Styles and Heyman, unless you want bitter anti-ECW sentiments every match I write. And every promo I write. We need commentators with flaws so we can include jokes. If all the commentators do is call the action it'll be a chore to write matches. So there needs to be a conflict team. I like the idea of Tony and Jesse as Syndicated regulars (even though I didn't use them at Syndicated. Doi!), no problems there. What we did at the SWF (Oh, the SWF is SOOOOO great, blah blah) was have guest commentators each week. One fixed, with his partner changed up each week. Trouble is writing old characters is tough if you don't know them. Hell, I've never wrote Caboose with an English twang, ever (partly because even though I'm English I'm terrible at it) and I don't know anything about his character. But we could try that for a month, one (or two) fixed commentators with a different old OAOAST veteran in the seat each week. I'd like Cole along with a heel, ala early Cole and Tazz or Cole and JBL.

They're all over-rated on this board? Sorry, it needed to be said.

Like a whole group of sports that the rest of the world doesn't know or care about? Yeah, pretty much. Football and baseball are our games, and we like it that way. Tough shit; we don't need to validate our existence by beating Peru in a soccer game like you guys do. To most people, soccer is just what everyone wants 8-year-olds to play so that nobody can feel bad about losing, inasmuch as you only need to run up and down with everyone else to feign participation. Hockey has basically the same "chase the item around and get it in the goal" premise as soccer, but at least it has the element of good old Americanadian physicality, and even that's being ruined by all the Floppy McFakehurts coming into the sport from--you guessed it!--soccer countries. I watch a soccer match, and I'm not sure if it's an athletic competition or a tribute to the life and times of Curt Hennig. You bump into a guy and he flies halfway across the field, writhing in pain. 'Soccer' fans hate that aspect of the game too, trust us. English football used to be much more competitive. It's Spaniards and Italians, mainly, who've brought it into the game. We have American Football in England. It's called Rugby and we're not decked out in more padding and gear than the mascots have to wear when we play it. Why American Football is called 'Football' is beyond me because every time I've watched it, the foot and the ball are seperate entities for 85% of a game. I tried watching the Superbowl a couple of times and it was all razmatazz, covering up a really boring sport. Far too stop-start, stop-start to actually sit through. Baseball is just cricket on an acid trip. And with less running. We play baseball over here too...it's called rounders and it's only played by 8 year old girls who are too disinterested or unathletic to play real sports. Then again, different cultures for different people I guess. In other news, ugh, what a night that was. No way we deserved to win, Sven gets the plaudits for 'great substitutions' even though Rooney was a passenger after coming on. How we're through after two games with the performances is beyond me.

I'll level with everyone. Yesterday was my birthday and it was also England v. Trinidad and Tobago. So, yeah, you do the math. My promo is in the show. And, it deserves reading if only for the most innappropriate poetry in OAOAST history. The Lumberjack Match is...well, it's not finished, let's say that. Hopefully I can get it posted tonight. If not, it'll definately up before next week. EDIT: And, it's up. I. Am. A. Machine!

Again, does WP hate ROH or am I just misreading the poor guy?

So, I take it WP doesn't like ROH? Or, am I reading him wrong?

Supes is responsible for The Masked Man. Obviously, Supes wins. (also Mister Warrior)

Yay. That's all I can muster, sorry. It's just not the same when you're 10 or over.

Landon/Toxxic continued... ---------------------------- ropes, but there's too much riding on this for it to be settled by mere fatigue. It's going to take a knockout, or worse, to decide this one." predicts Mak. As Stephens leans across the chair trying to shake himself back to his senses, Maddix notices the count has stopped and comes back up, climbing to the apron. Holding in his hand a long, thin black bag. "What the hell is that?" "I dread to think, King." Struggling over, Stephens looks to catch Maddix on the apron but The Next Generation is able to beat his opponent to the figurative punch by snapping off another forearm. A second forearm leaves Stephens dazed, before Maddix deposits the bag in the corner. Striding back over, Landon then exposes the chest... *SLAP!* "WHOOOOOOOO!" ...and lands a knifedge. Already weakening and growing more and more fatigued, the strike leaves Stephens floundering. And as he staggers away he ends up sprawling back into the steel chair in the middle of the ring, giving Landon time to climb carefully up the centre of the ropes in front. The ropes are much more unsteady in the centre and Landon looks notedly unsteady, but he does manage to get to the top and springs off as best possible, getting just enough height and length to slam into Toxxic with a diving forearm! The chair topples back, sending Stephens toppling back with it and hard on the back of his head on the canvas, as Maddix rolls away to safety. "Landon barely got him on that one." calls Mak. "I think if Landon could have springboarded to the top he would, but he seems sapped of energy." "He's probably got broken ribs because of that Toxxic Shock Syndrome on the chair, of course he's sapped of energy." "Well, as you well know it's not the 'Toxxic Shock Syndrome' anymore, but about half of that sentence was valid." Maddix uses the ropes to help him back up and to guide him back over to the corner... "ONE!" ...grabbing the black bag he'd retrieved earlier and undoing the cord tie at the top. "TWO!" Stephens is still being counted down as Maddix finally gets the bag untied and stumbles over to where his challenger lies, paying no regard to referee Hardcastle who he bumps out of the way. "THREE!" Wearily, Maddix looks down on Stephens. And suddenly, all the hatred and all the painful memories come flooding back to him, bringing a seldom seen look up from his inner reaches and onto his face for all to see. Stephens is moving, but he doesn't seem too aware of his surroundings, reaching out groggily...and finds Maddix's ankle, getting booted in the head as a result. Shrugging Stephens away, Landon raises the bag over his head again before tipping it up... "ONE!" "Wait, Hardcastle just started the count over!" states Francis. "Maddix just broke the count by kicking Stephens, what a mistake that could be." "TWO!" ...and from the black bag, come what must be a dozen LIGHTTUBES!! "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "Somehow, I don't think he cares." sneers King. Looking down at the glass sticks with a curious expression, Landon glances back to Stephens momentarily...before shrugging Hardcastle away and bringing Stephens back to his feet. Despite Hardcastle's best protests, Maddix then lands a succession of three quick forearms to the jaw before going to the gut with a knee. Doubled over, Stephens is prone, as Maddix scoops up one of the lighttubes. And despite it seeming strangely misplaced in his hands, Landon's swing is pretty assured... *KE-RAAAAAASH!* "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" ...AS HE SMASHES THE LIGHTTUBE ACROSS MICHAEL STEPHENS' BACK!!!! "Wha...I know this is Last Man Standing, but...this isn't like Landon at all!" Mak gasps. "I don't think Landon's ever seen a lighttube before, let alone used one...my God he's snapped. He's snapped!" "He snapped LOOONG ago, Mak! Hell, he had to have planted the lighttubes himself. Either him or Stephens..." "Well it wouldn't be Stephens, would it!" "I don't know, I could see Toxxic using a lighttube or two." Blood begins to trickle from a number of small cuts in Stephens' back, as well as one larger cut where the lighttube itself struck. Shards of glass lie around the challenger and a select few lie in Maddix's forearms, irritating him only slightly. Falling to his hands and knees, Stephens grits his teeth in pain as Maddix swats away the Spooky Toxic Lighttube Gas™ and glares down at the writhing Sensation with satisfaction. For a first time effort, this was a pretty good one. "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" The Tokyo crowd try to will Stephens back to his feet but they needn't bother as Landon gives them what they want anyway, helping Stephens back up. Not as accustomed to glass cuts as he once might have been, Stephens has no answer as Maddix then brings him into a standing headscissors, positioning him in front of the remaining lighttube pile! Still with a disturbed look in his eyes, still looking slightly crazy, Maddix savours this final moment of anticipation, before he finally puts Stephens into a glass filled world of agony... ...FOR A LITTLE TOO LONG, as Stephens lifts his head, catching Maddix over his shoulders and dumping him out onto the apron. "Wow...I thought he was gonna backdrop him right on those lighttubes, but he passed the opportunity up I think!" "That's why morality sucks." preaches super-heel King. Draped over the ropes, Stephens still favours his back. Which is why when Maddix digs his pedicured little nails into Stephens' back and grates away, the challenger shows rare emotive pain as he screams out in agony, all the little glass wounds being dug into and torn further open. After a couple more back scratches, Landon then quickly wraps on a front facelock and looks to hang himself from the ropes, applying some Hanging Wet Cement. Before he can be hung on the ropes though, Stephens despairingly throws his arms over the ropes, able to catch Landon's leg. Still the hold is applied and still Stephens is being choked on the rope, but it means Landon can't apply the body scissors... "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHUUUGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" ...and with one, HUGE, incomprehensible (even by the Japanese) Godzilla like roar of intensity, Stephens puts all the energy he can muster into lifting Landon from his draped position, over and onto his shoulder, cradling the leg and the head!! "YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" "OH MY GOD...CAFFEINE BOMB!?" Fighting frantically, Landon uses his free left hand to rain down punches across the head. None of them connect with any noted force because of his body position, but eventually the rapid fire of the punches takes it's toll on the bloody forehead and Stephens stumbles forward, dropping Maddix back onto the apron and earning himself a forearm to the jaw. "Man, Landon fought out of it...we'll never know if Stephens was going for his once patented Caffeine Bomb or not!" gasps Mak. "Sure we will, because OF COURSE HE WAS NUMBNUTS! HE'S TOXXIC!!" Draped over the ropes, Stephens is suffering now and can't prevent being dragged out through the ropes and onto the apron with the World Champion. Another forearm connects, and another, before Landon looks to go to the old Puroresu mainstay, the 'death move off the apron onto the thin pads on the floor'. Hooking under the head, Maddix is either going for a Complete Shot (which kill them both) or an Exploder (which would...uhm, kill them both). But Stephens fights back, elbowing his way out of oblivion and locking on THE CRAVATÉ!! "YYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" "Cravate! Cravate! The Champion's own pethold has been locked in by Stephens!" "God, it's even worse when he does it!!" Stephens hangs onto the cravaté for mere moments, as Maddix goes back to the nails in the glass cuts, scraping his fingernails down the bloodied back of the challenger until he relents and lets go of a now fuming Maddix. And, fuming, Landon lands a boot to the gut, pulling Stephens in. Double underhooking the arms. "NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "Oh...oh shit no, not on the apron!" Venomously and yet quite blankly staring in the distance, Maddix's half smile tells the world that Stephens is in serious trouble. Maddix adjusts his footing on the apron, all the while staring away, before finally deciding it's time to cripple Stephens once and for all... "DDIIIIIIEEEEE TOOXXXIII..." ...NO! Stephens wraps his foot around the bottom rope and blocks the lift, preventing the Demonstar. Shocked, Landon loses momentary focuses and allows Stephens time to lift his head up sharply, headbutting Maddix in the nads! And again! A third time, weakening Landon up. Still the underhooks remain though, so knowing he has to escape, Stephens snaps the head up again and backdrops Landon over... ...but he holds onto the arms... ...FLIPPING STEPHENS OVER... . *CRUNCH!* "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" ...AND BRINGING HIM OVER, SPIKING HIM HEADFIRST INTO THE APRON, SENDING STEPHENS FLIPPING TO THE ARENA FLOOR BELOW FOR GOOD MEASURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "DANGEROUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS~!" Hardcaslte leaps at least 3 foot up in the ring in shock as Stephens settles on the arena floor, one arm limply hanging at his side, the other over his head. Sat on the apron, Landon looks down at his opponent in semi-shock, semi euphoria. Toxxic's down. And he's not moving. "ONE!" In the ring, Hardcastle starts his count, eerily quieter than at any other time in the match. "TWO!" "My...my God. It seemed like Maddix knew the counter was coming and he managed to... "THREE!" "...to manouevre Stephens over, into almost a Riot Act Plus, the Canadian Destroyer, the pet move of his former partner and rival Todd Cortez... "FOUR!" "...only, with a double underhook. On the APRON!" "FIVE!" "Stephens couldn't get his arms up to protect his neck either. He's done." "SIX!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" The chants start up again, in hope more than anything, the Japanese crowd still hopeful that Stephens has some fight left in him. "SEVEN!" Maddix drags himself up on the ropes and continues to stare down at the motionless challenger, almost as if he is expecting Stephens to have fight left in him. Nay, fearing he has. "EIGHT!" But as the count reaches eight, Stephens still hasn't so much as stirred. "Hardcastle is at eight!" cries Mak. "Stephens needs to get up now and get up quick, or else "That's kind hard to do if your neck's broke. You, as a cripple, should know that." "NINE!" "Come on King, show some damn compassion for once!!" yells Mak. This is the last chance now... ...but still, nothing. Maddix turns to Hardcastle, waiting for that final count... "TEN! RING THE BELL!" *DINGDINGDING!* "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "It's over...damnit, it's over!" Dropping to his knees on the apron, sixteen months worth of emotions flood out of Landon as he clutches his hands to his face before throwing them toward the big man upstairs. Tears streaming down his face, Landon then rushes over to the timekeeper's table and grabs the World Championship belt, cradling it in his arms as he lets out a mighty cheer of victory! "Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Stephens has failed to answer the count of ten...and, therefore, your winner of this contest. And... STILLLLL!" booms Funyon, in unison with another gleeful yell from Maddix. "Your SWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION... LANDON... "LA CUCARACHA"... MMMAAAAAAADDIIIIIIIIIXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!" If this celebration is vomit-enducingly overstated, in stark contrast is the scene on the floor, as Hardcastle has exited the ring and kneels down beside Stephens, leaning in to check if he's conscious. Whether he is or not we don't see though, as Hardcastle is promptly kicked away by Landon, who stands over Stephens. The venom from before hs subsided. Now, it's the usual, familiar, smug cocky Landon, as if all his recent demons have been exorcised. Hardcastle pleads with Landon not to do anything stupid. But Maddix ignores his, because all he wants is one thing. "YYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS~!~!!~!!!" A photo opportunity, standing over Stephens like a hunter posing with his fallen prey. "After sixteen long months, Landon Maddix got the match he wanted. He got the result he wanted. And I think it's safe to say, he got payback for From The Fire tonight. Something inside of me hopes this is the end of Landon's evil streak...but look at him, showing no remorse whatsoever! Has Landon Maddix finally put the demons to rest, or is he simply embracing them more than ever before!? Has he gone over to the darkside, like Stephens predicted!?" Still weeping away, Maddix raises his World Title belt high over his head, EMTs rushing down the ramp behind him ready to tend to the still barely moving Michael Stephens. Paybacks are a bitch. So are fades to black.

IT'S LIVE! BIGGER, BETTER AND WITH MORE KELLY CLARKSON REFERENCES THAT YOU CAN HANDLE (i.e 1) IT'S GOT LOTS OF ~!s IT DOESN'T USUALLY HAVE THOSE WRESTLING MATCH THINGS THAT ARE A CHORE TO READ THROUGH! AND IT'S JUST A SCROLL AWAY! SEE ALL YOUR FAVOURITE OAOAST STARS! Leon Rodez Zack Malibu Alfdogg Mister Warrior AND ALL THE REST! (Bloodshed) EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT ON TSM OAOAST HeldDOWN~! "..." "..." "...what the hell was THAT!?!" The Suicide King finally manages to splutter in shock. "Joseph Peters, always trying to make a few extra bucks." shrugs Mak, trying not to draw any more attention to the situation than already has. "Well, we're ready for our main event..." "Which makes showing a commerical for that piece of crap company right now even worse! Incase you and everyone at home has forgotten, this is the SWF and this is SWF 13th Hour, where you're about to see some real wrestling like only the SWF can provide! Not some glorified stunt man troupe working washed up nobodies live from some...rundown bingo hall!" "They have bingo halls in Vancouver do they, King?" "We haven't got gay Mexicans running around with pink sombreros rubbing their genitals against other people's faces and masked Japanese nobodies doing DDR, I know that much!" "Oh no, a DDR gimmick in a wrestling promotion, how terrible would that be?" sneers Mak. "Exactly! So, main event time, right?" "Main event time indeed and when you talk about main events, this has the potential to be one of the biggest. Sixteen months in the making. The customary 13th Hour Last Man Standing for Michael Stephens, as he challenges for the SWF World Heavyweight Title, looking to join the prestigious 4 Time World Champion club. And his opponent is a man we've seen really go over the deep end in...well, not so much 'recent' months as 'every month this year' in Landon "La Cucaracha" Maddix. The third ever one on one meeting between these two men, their history has been well documented. Landon Maddix won his first World Championship from Toxxic in December of 2004, then challenged for the title in February of 2005 and nearly ended up with a collection broken vertebrea for his trouble. From there, Landon's career went downhill. He lost his partnership with Todd Cortez, lost his manager Megan Skye, floundered around achieving little of note. He lost at Genesis last year, he failed to repeat the Clusterfuck this year and that was just the start of the spiral." "If their history is so well documented, why do we have to run through it again?" "...by then, Toxxic was long gone." Mak continues regardless, acknowledging his broadcast partner with no more than a sideways glance. "He infamously downed tools at Ground Zero in London and disappeared from SWF screens and everybody's radars." "Shouldn't that be 'gaydars'?" King jokes, simply to BUTT in. "Because, you know, he's gay." ... "Landon blamed what aside from winning the Clusterfuck was a terrible year of 2005 on Toxxic and his questionable tactics at From The Fire, deciding that the only way to get his career back on track would be to lure Toxxic back to the SWF and avenge his defeat. Trouble being, nobody knew where Toxxic was. So Landon set about a campaign to basically piss Toxxic off to the point he'd storm back...which would work on 95% of the wrestling community, but seemingly not Toxxic. The campaign included but wasn't limited to: Verbal abuse, near mutilation of Michael Cross' hands for being straight edge, rejoining forces with Megan Skye, putting Ced Ordonez on the shelf with a Demonstar Driver, befriending Toxxic's sister Amy, sleeping with her, attacking her, costing her a match against Megan, attacking her again, dressing Matt Myers up as Toxxic, beating him down and then once Michael Stephens had returned and declined a match, threatening to cripple Amy." "...boy, it's been a long six months, eh?" "You're going to be intolerable through this, aren't you?" "Hate them both!" King proudly announces, taking a swig of product placement assured Pepsi Max. "I hate them both." "Well, all that aside, at the very base of this issue is an athletic rivalry. Maddix and Stephens are two very evenly matched wrestlers, similiar styles, similiar accomplishments, similiar weaknesses for that matter...but in many other ways, they're poles apart. For roughly a year these two men's career paths ran parrallel to each other, before their first match at Slay Ride 2004 and ever since then there's been a natural rivalry between the two. Take away the hatred and take away the personal issues and these two men simply want to prove that they are the better wrestler. That's what everything else has stemmed from." "Exactly." King surprisingly agrees. "It's all stemmed from one thing, the one thing that fuels this business. Ego. And these two have two of the biggest egos going." "I would have thought that fact would endear them to you." "Yeah, but then you see them wrestle and find yourself forced to hear them talk over and over and over again. I hate my job sometimes. Take these lengthy PPV filler exchanges with you for example..." *BOOOOONG!* "Uh-oh, I think we've hit 13th Hour King!" Mak shills, getting into the spirit of this slightly goofy PPV tagline like a real company trooper. "And to think, you only started talking at 12:25." "Tell me exactly, what am I supposed to do Now that I have allowed you, to beat me! Do you think that we could play another game Maybe I could win this ti-ime." "I kinda like the misery you put me through Darling you can trust me, completely! If you even try to look the other way I think that I could kill this ti-ime!"[/i] Emerging through the curtains and into the imposing surrounding of the Nippon Budokan to the roaring sounds of "The Game" by Disturbed, Landon Maddix is unexpectedly on his way to the ring and not wasting any time in doing so. Storming down the rampway, Maddix brushes past outstretched hands with his leather jacket flapping behind his knees. Megan Skye is having trouble keeping up, Maddix already at the ring while Funyon is busily re-shuffling his cuecards. "Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is your 13th Hour MAIN EVENT of the evening...and it is a LAST MAN STANDING MATCH, for the SWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP!" announces Funyon, to a surprising pop considering we're in the non-English speaking surroundings of Tokyo. "The rules for this match are simple...the first man to incapacitate their opponent, to the point that they cannot answer the referee's count of 10, will be declared the winner and the World Champion! Introducing first, being accompanied to the ring by his 'Perfect 10' Megan Skye. He hails from Huron, South Dakota by way of Madrid, Spain. Weighing two hundred, twenty four pounds...the reigning, defending, two-time SWF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION... LANDON... "LA CUCARACHA"... MMMMAAAAAAADDIIIIIIIXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!" "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "The World Champion, bunking tradition tonight!" says Mak with noted surprise, as Landon snaps into the ring and removes his jacket. "It's wrestling protocol that the challenger enters first, followed by the champion, but apparantly Landon Maddix isn't prepared to wait for his opponent to make his entrance." "Well, let's be fair. Landon's waited six months...plus the twenty minutes you took to recap this petty feud...for this match. Now he's finally got it, I can't blame him for wanting to get on with things." Wanting to get on with things is exactly Landon's mindset, staring down the aisleway and beckoning on for the entrance of the challenger. Megan enters the ring and tries her best to calm her champion down, but Maddix shrugs her away, impatiently yelling for someone to "hit Toxxic's music". Assigned referee Sexton Hardcastle has other things on his mind though, as he taps Megan on the shoulder and reminds her that she's not supposed to be here, pointing her way to the back! Megan seems confused at first, apparantly having not gotten the memo about no interference being allowed tonight...or, at least pretending not to have gotten it...but Hardcastle is having none of that. And despite Megan and Maddix's best pleas, Hardcastle continues to DEMAND~! that Megan leaves! "YYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" "I think Sexton's throwing Megan out of here and thank goodness for that!" cheers on Mak. "We've waited sixteen months for this match, this should be settled strictly one on one, man to man. And we all know Megan Skye isn't above interjecting herself into matches." "Well, looks like she won't tonight." Megan has finally given up the fight and gives Landon some last words of encouragement, and an even more encouraging peck on the cheek, glaring at Hardcastle one last time before sulkily leaving the ring. Back up the ramp she trapses, providing further delay for an increasingly impatient La Cucaracha. "COME AND ‘AVE A GO IF YOU THINK YER ‘ARD ENOUGH! COME AND ‘AVE A GO IF YOU THINK YER ‘ARD ENOUGH!" The piped in chant is barely needed with the reaction that it garners in the arena, but the typically English (brash, bullish, bloody hooliganistic, probably drunk) chant sounds out regardless. The crashing opening chord of ‘Rookie’ by Boy Sets Fire then hits and as the Smarktron starts to fade to black, jagged white lettering flashes up one letter after the other, forming that familiar, ominous phrase: "PREPARE TO BE PROVED WRONG…" As the spiky guitar riff starts up Stephens’ face appears smiling his distinctive lopsided grin before the Smarktron cuts into clips from his matches - the Super Intoxxication on Flesher to win his first World Title, the Glass Jawbreaker on Aecas, the All-Show Brawl with the Insane Luchador - along with clips of him grinning or smirking on the mic. Finally it cuts to footage of him taking Mike Van Siclen off a balcony and through a table with the Toxxic Shock Syndrome, the devastating landing timed to coincide with the- *BOOOM!* -explosion of red pyro right across the themed 13th Hour set! This pyrotechnic display seems to take the reserved Japanese crowd by surprise a little, but they're soon roaring their approval again as the drums kick in. Striding out through the pyro's remnants, Michael Stephens comes to a quick stop on the stage as he looks down into the ring. Leaning over the ropes, Maddix's eyes are firmly locked on Stephens', with unfamiliar steely seriousness as he stares his opponent down. If Stephens were even remotely concerned by this unsettling, out of character look however, he doesn't show it as his trademark lopsided grin adorns his face. "And, introducing the opponent and challenger tonight! He hails from the city of Nottingham, England in the United Kingdom. Weighing in tonight at two hundred, eighteen pounds. The former three-time SWF Heavyweight Champion of the World... "THE SENSATION"... MMMIIIICCHHAAAAEEEEELLLLL... SSSSTTEEEEEEPPPHHHEEEEEEEEEENNNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!" "YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" "This is three years in a row for Michael Stephens in Last Man Standing Matches at 13th Hour, after Dace Night and of course the enigmatic Kibagami. Stephens has the Last Man Standing pedigree and he also has the hardcore wrestling pedigree, a former Hardcore Champion, one belt that Landon hasn't captured in his time with the company." "But Michael Stephens didn't win the Hardcore Title and wrestle in Last Man Standing Matches and do all that crazy stuff...that was Toxxic." teases King. "If he's really changed like you say he has, he'll have no advantage at all, right?" "That does remain to be seen, just how far this reinvented Michael Stephens is willing to go tonight. We know how far Landon is willing to go, we've seen that relentlessly this past half year. For Stephens, it may be a case of kill or be killed. Although, of course, we do hope nobody actually is killed tonight..." "Eh." Taking his time over walking to the ring, just for the sake of throwing his impetuous opponent off a little more, Stephens removes his customised England soccer shirt (who are so going to win the World Cup by the way, 1-0, we rule, etc etc) and hands it to a lucky fan at ringside. Of course, that fan is a Japanese fan and would only really have cared if his gift had the name "BECKHAM" on the back, but he accepts it regardless. It might fetch a couple of Yen on eBay after all. Stephens then finally reaches the ring, taking a moment to soak in the Budoken's unique atmosphere once more while his head is still clear before sliding into the ring, popping to his feet... ...and being instantly confronted by the World Champion who virtually headbutts Stephens in the process of going nose to nose with his hated rival!! "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!" "Man, you can feel the tension in that ring! This is sixte..." "Sixteen months in the making, blah blah blah. Pipe down just for a second wouldya Mak?" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "Granted my Japanese phrase book was a free gift with the bag of peanuts I bought at the airport, but if I'm not mistaken I think they're saying Toxxic's Number One." "Thanks for that King." sighs Mak. Unconcerned by this five foot ten Spaniard trying to punk him out, Stephens casually brushes him off. But Maddix comes right back in nose to nose straight away and starts to put the badmouth on the man who almost broke his neck sixteen months ago. Yes, sixteen months. Hopefully you've all got that plot-point memorised by now. Anyway, Maddix continues to grind his forehead into Stephens', trying to establish territoriality like some sort of wild animal which just seems to bug The Sensation, who's presumably dealt with this in a few Nottingham pubs in his day. Usually, a simple headbutt would suffice. His hair might even jab them in the eye and blind them, given a little luck. Times have changed. So's the hair. Lunging suddenly, Stephens catches La Cucaracha off guard and snares him into a side headlock to the surprise of virtually everyone. Even Hardcastle is taken aback momentarily and hesitates before realising the small responsibility of calling for the opening bell belongs to him. *DINGDINGDING!* "Okay, explain please." requests King. "Well, Michael Stephens wants to prove himself as an honourable fighter and a competent wrestler, both of which were knocks against Toxxic. And, I guess also, this will frustrate Landon even more." Clenching up on the headlock, Stephens drops to one knee and forces Landon's head into a more neck-wrenching angle in the process, a perhaps surprising display of technical thought from a man not noted for his pure wrestling ability. Especially not in Last Man Standing Matches. Slamming his fist into the canvas, Maddix can be heard growling away as the respectful Japanese crowd watch on intently. "Okay, and the real reason?" "That was the real reason..." "Oh come on Mak, you're not fooling me with this crap about how Stephens has changed. He's not fooling anyone. It's just a matter of time before he sees red again...or black, I guess, with all that eyeliner he used to wear...and snaps. Tonight, some other night, whatever, it's all a ruse until he decides to break some necks again. And besides that, why would you want to frustrate someone who's semi-pyschotic and out to break your neck in the first place?" Finally releasing the head, Stephens chains the headlock into a simple arm wringer and a tight wristlock, allowing Landon up to his feet but continuing to control his movement. The frustration is evident on the World Champion's face as he reaches for the eyes of Stephens but earns a wrench of the wrist that puts him back down to one knee. Landon seems to have been taken off his game by this unexpected start and his attempts to go to the eyes again are again thwarted by Stephens, wringing the arm out again. So Landon takes another route and tumbles forward, then rolling back up to his feet to aleviate the pressure on his wrist, allowing him to bring Stephens in for a knee to the gut. The wristlock broken, Landon is then able to get his first shots in on The Sensation. *SLAP!* ...and unsurprisingly, it's a disrespectful shot, as he slaps Stephens across the back of the head. "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" If Maddix had hoped this slap would wake up some inner demons in Stephens and prove him right regarding his actions towards him, he's going to be disappointed, as Stephens responds by reaching up and wringing the right arm out yet again, applying a simple armbar. "Back to the arm goes Stephens again." calls Mak. "He's not going to put the Champion down for a ten with wrist and armlocks, but if Stephens can incapacitate one or more of Landon's limbs then there's no danger of a Demonstar tonight." "That's a pretty negative strategy." "But a smart one in the early going." Fuming, Maddix pushes up to his feet and manages to manouevre his way back into the corner, hooking his free arm around the ropes. With no DQs and therefore no rope breaks, Stephens need not release the hold of his own accord. Of course, getting kneed between the legs would make you release your hold, own accord or not. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "Wow, how long must Landon have been waiting to do that." muses Mak. "Sixteen months maybe?" The Japanese fans look down upon this cheap tactic, but Maddix could care less. Finally, after sixteen long months (yes, I know), he has what he's wanted all along. 'Toxxic', at his mercy. Balling up his fist, Maddix's eyes light with fire as he measures the prone challenger and DRIVES a hate filled right hand into the temple, with perhaps more power than he's ever put into a simple right hand. Stephens rolls away and stumbles back to his feet, trying to keep moving as Maddix follows him in. By the hair, Maddix wheels Stephens around to face him... *SLAP!* "WHOOOOOOOO!" ...and lashes him with a knifedge chop, which the well trained fans know to whoop on cue for. The breath is taken away from The Sensation and he drops to one knee, where he recieves another measured right hand. The look on Maddix's face is one of disturbed delight, somewhere in between anger and pleasure, as he brings Stephens up again... *SLAP!* "WHOOOOOOOO!" ...for another big chop. At the moment, it seems Landon is just content to pick his spot on 'Toxxic' and wail on it, a firm and deliberate knee slamming into Stephens kidneys before he pops the Englishman in the ear with a snappy forearm strike. Stephens seems to be absorbing most of this punishment for now, stumbling away with a hold of his ear and backing into the corner, but certainly nowhere near being put down for ten. But that doesn't seem to be a concern for Landon right now. Winning the match isn't in his thoughts, instead settling his urge to beat the crap out of his most hated of rivals with his bare hands is top priority, following Stephens into the corner... *SLAP!* "WHOOOOOOOO!" ...hitting another chop. *SLAP!* "WHOOOOOOOO!" ...and a second... ...before simply clamping his hands around Stephens' larynx in a sadistic attempt to choke the life out of the challenger!! "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "Is it just me, or does Maddix look like he's getting off on all this?" asks King, not altogether searching for an actual answer. "Wouldn't surprise me. And this is exactly the tactic we expected from Landon, to let his emotions get the better of him and to simply turn this into a brawl, be it consciously or unconsciously." Releasing his choke, Maddix now shows a little wrestling ability as he brings Stephens out of the corner with a snapmare. Only to then show very little wrestling ability, by pounding his kidneys with a firm dragon kick! Grabbing hold of Stephens' head for balance, Maddix then fires off another... and another... and another... finishing up with a fifth kick, that strikes Toxxic right across the external protrudence thing on the back of your head, a weak spot that doesn't react too well to being kicked. Slumping onto his back, Stephens looks up at the bright lights of the Budoken, blinking in disorientation. "ONE!" Hovering over him, referee Hardcastle begins his first count of the Last Man Standing Match. "TW..." Which doesn't get very far, before Maddix shoves the official away from the scene having apparantly not got nearly enough of his fill of punishment dishing just yet. "I understand that Stephens would more than likely gotten back up before ten, but I don't think it's too smart of Landon to be wasting attempts at winning this match." says Mak critically. "After all, he may not get too many more tonight." "If I gave him any credit, I'd say Maddix was smart for not giving Toxxic a free rest on a count that was clearly never going to win him the match. But, of course, I give him no credit." "No kidding." It's now the World Champion that hovers over the woozy Nottingham native, savouring the next upcoming strike...for a little too long, as Stephens suddenly fires up a right hand into his gut. Shaking that off quickly, Maddix is able to cut the challenger back off before he can reach his feet though by way of a firm boot to the head, which Stephens takes a pair of before he finds himself pressed up beside the bottom turnbuckle. Reaching down, Landon pulls Stephens up and positions him so he's now sat against that same turnbuckle, cruelly placing his foot over Stephens' windpipe and lifting his standing leg off the canvas to leave his entire 224 pound frame blocking the air passage. Hardcastle can do no more than stand and watch on inanimately as screams of "CHOKE TOXXIC, CHOKE!" rain down from the sadistic World Champion, grinding his heel down across Michael Stephens' adam's apple before leaping away. Backing quickly across the ring, Maddix then gets himself a runup before charging back. Leaping high into the air, the flying Spaniard seems to hover in mid-air over Toxxic for a moment, before coming down with a hesitation dropkick... ...but by then, Toxxic has pulled himself out onto the apron and Maddix ends up jolting himself awkwardly on landing. Coming back up with a hobble and a hop, Landon favours his right knee before collapsing back down, clutching the limb that had buckled itself up against the bottom turnbuckle. "There's a way that Michael Stephens can win without channelling Satan...if Landon can't stand, he won't be winning a Last Man Standing Match!" Mak astutely points out. The mood has changed now as Landon shuffles himself across the ring away from Stephens, clutching his leg in agony and calling Hardcastle over for some medical assistance. Hardcastle is also told to "Keep Toxxic away" because "I'm really hurt, damnit!", Maddix pulling down his right kneepad to try and repress any swelling as Stephens watches on. And doesn't buy it for a second. Moving in, Stephens is kept at bay by Hardcastle, who's busily trying to check Maddix can continue, waiting for him to stop sobbing for long enough to give him an answer. Being a newly honourable wrestler, Stephens isn't one to attack an injured opponent. But then again, he suspects Landon isn't really an injured opponent. So, Stephens has another think and decides to do just as he's told, backing off to one corner of the ring and kicking himself up onto the top rope for a little R&R. "Well...uh, this main event has come to a stop...Landon Maddix, down with an injured knee and...hopefully it's not too serious." "Oh jeez." groans King. "I know you're the play by play guy, but do you have to be so gullable? He's taking a page out of Megan's book, he's faking it. It's the oldest trick in the book. Don't you watch any tapes?" "I know you don't like the kid, but come on King. Give him the benefit of the dou..." Slowly realising that Stephens isn't coming back for another try, Maddix's sobbing abruptly stops. And his knee abruptly becomes 100% as if by magic, as he clambers back to his feet, yelling at Stephens that he's "not supposed to do that"... *SLAP!* ...and finally Stephens' temper gets the better of him for a split second, slapping Maddix across the face for being so dumb. "...nevermind." Mak finishes belatedly. Reeling from the slap for a moment, Maddix fires up again as he wheels back... *SLAP!* ...slapping the taste out of Stephens' mouth... *SLAP!* ...only to get one back, more of a palm strike than a unsporting bitch strike as Stephens tries to steer us back into a wrestling encounter by switching behind the World Champion, reaching back for the head and setting for a simple neckbreaker. At least, that's what Maddix is expecting, until Stephens does a quick 180, bringing Landon around and sitting out with the Pressure Drop! "Nice move by Stephens..." "But it's not going to win a Last Man Standing Match." "King, give him a chance, they've only just rung the opening bell. This is still the feeling out process." "I didn't sit through sixteen months for a feeling out process." King snaps. "And, that's probably not the best term to be throwing around with a homosexual and a haircare obsessing Spaniard in the ring, by the by. We don't want people to get the wrong idea." Stephens comes back to his feet and helps his opponent up with him, the Englishman rocking the Spaniard with a fitting European uppercut. In Japan. Can't win them all. Draped over the ropes, a defensive kick from Maddix is easily deflected by Stephens who brings Maddix back off the ropes, into a second European uppercut. This time Landon doesn't drape, being bounced back off by the ropes and falling into Stephens' clutches. Up into a fireman's carry goes Landon...and down, with a fireman's carry takedown goes Landon, the Japanese crowd applauding despite not getting the headdrop they may have expected. Instead, they get Stephens sitting the Champion up and backing the short distance off the ropes, shooting back with a basement dropkick to the back of the head! Maddix clutches at the neck on impact and rolls around in pain, as Stephens rolls to his knees. And after assessing the situation, he shrugs and motions for Hardcastle to count. "ONE!" "TWO!" "Here's the difference in this match, Stephens just wants to win." points out King. "Maddix wants vengeance and crap, Stephens just wants the win and the belt..." "THREE!" "...usually that'd be fine and dandy, but this is Last Man Standing." "FOUR!" "A match that Stephens didn't ask for and I'm not sure he's entirely comfortable with, even now." agrees Mak, as Maddix is comfortably to his knees before Hardcastle can reach his count of five. No longer needed the referee backs away to a safe position across the ring while Stephens moves in, scooping Landon the rest of the way off the canvas and wringing out the arm once more. This time it's just for some brief control as he then pushes Maddix away, getting length on an irish whip that sends Maddix across and into the ropes. Back shoots Landon and he manages to find some spark on the way, charging forward with forearm raised. However, Stephens sees it coming and ducks the arm, causing Landon to keep on charging off to the opposite side. As he rebounds for the second time though, Stephens is off his marks, rushing in and intercepting the oncoming La Cucaracha with a crude soccer tackle which in World Cup season should earn him a yellow card at least. To be fair though, Maddix does make the most of it (like most cheating Spaniards) and is sent sprawling into the air, landing with a thud, chest first on the canvas. "I would say he went for the ball, but there is no ball!" Mak chirps. "So, then why say it?" Rolling around on the canvas like the typical Spaniard that he is, Maddix clutches his ankle while Stephens comes off the ropes. Slowing up as he gets towards his target, Stephens then tumbles forward, flipping over with a somersault legdrop right across the back of the head. "Nice agility by Stephens...almost a standing Hangover." calls Mak. "And look at Stephens, asking for the count again, trying to get this match over with at every opportunity it seems." "ONE!" Stephens rolls away to a neutral corner of the ring and lounges back, watching on through half-lids as Maddix holds the back of his neck, kicking his feet in pain. "TWO!" "Stephens is almost testing the waters at the moment. Deep down, he knows he'll need more, much more to get a ten." "THREE!" Soon to stir, Landon rolls onto his back to see Hardcastle counting him down. And only seeing three fingers raised, the Champion wisely takes a moment more to regain his senses... "FOUR!" ...before pushing back up, again beating the five count, let alone a ten. "The thing is, you're right, because he knows what it takes to keep Maddix down for ten." points out King. "The question is, does 'Toxxic' do what he knows it will take to win, or will nice guy Michael Stephens try to prove a point to himself and probably nobody else by being 'honourable'." "I doubt that Stephens wants to stoop to the levels he had to at From The Fire 2005, but you get the feeling that it'll take something that severe to keep Landon down. If Landon is capable of movement and capable of thought, he will not let Stephens win. Because if he does, that would probably send him spiralling right over the edge of insanity. At From The Fire it was just about the belt, now it's more personal than anything we've seen in the SWF for years...it may even take MORE than a Demonstar to keep him down!" Wanting to keep the pressure on, Stephens moves straight back in, applying a rear waistlock. Instinctively, Landon's past training with Msrrs. Hawke and Johnson kicks in and he bends his knees to lower his centre of gravity, blocking any intended follow up by Stephens. Landon then snaps a back elbow up under the jaw before performing a standing switch, into his own rear waistlock. Not that suplexing is or ever has been his game, Landon stops short of sweeping Stephens over as the crowd anticipate, remembering the age old adage: "You Can't German Toxxic". Toxxic, Michael Stephens, whatever. Either way, instead of dumping the name changing challenger backwards, Maddix goes in the opposite direction and lifts Stephens off his feet, charging him gut-first into the top turnbuckle, leaving Stephens sat winded on the middle turnbuckle pad!! "OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" "Ooh..." groans Mak. "Unorthodox from the World Heavyweight Champion, but certainly effective. Michael Stephens continues to try and wrestle this match in a more traditional manner, as he has done each and every match since his return, but Maddix clearly has other ideas." Leaving Stephens perched awkwardly, Maddix exits out to the stretch of apron to his opponent's left and hooks on a front facelock. Only, this front facelock has the added effect of choking Stephens across the top rope in the process as Maddix crouches down, leaving Stephens flailing around trying to swat Landon away. His flailing is all in vain however and Landon only relents when he's good and ready. And even then, it's followed by a hard forearm to the face that topples Stephens backwards. Despairingly Stephens manages to grab the top turnbuckle as he falls back and hangs near horizontol from the middle buckle, which seems just great for Maddix as he climbs the top turnbuckle over Stephens. "Oh no, this can't be good." "And Stephens is helpless. If he lets go, he drops on his neck. If he doesn't...well, same deal." Reaching the top and looking down with intent, Maddix shoots a wad of spit down into the face of The Sensation before leaping up, tucking his legs in... ...and DRIVING THEM DOWN INTO STEPHENS' STERNUM WITH A DOUBLE STOMP!!!!! "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Stephens' grip on the buckle is broken by the two hundred, twenty four pounds coming down on him and he lands hard on the back of his head on the canvas, Landon coming down in front of him and flicking the hair from his eyes. To reveal a smile. "He could have crushed Stephens' sternum with that!" gasps Mak. "He came down feet first..feet first across the chest, from that height with that angle of landing! Stephens may be in trouble." "ONE!" Hardcastle lays the count in on Stephens again, this time uninterrupted by the Champion. "TWO!" "THREE!" Stephens continues to lie motionless with a hand pressed to his chest, breathing heavily from the effects of the devestating double stomp and the not much more favourable landing. "FOUR!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "FIVE!" Stephens begins to move around now, pushing up off the canvas with his hands, only to stop for more breath. Watching on from the centre of the ring, it's hard to tell if Landon is disappointed that Stephens is recovered so quickly or not. If he is, he's hiding it well. "SI..." Reaching his feet, Stephens has no time to celebrate beating the count, as he's hauled back by the waistband of his Tripp NYCs and brought into a knee to the spine. Stephens doubles over in pain as Maddix then grabs hold of the hair and pitches the challenger forward, out through the ropes and to the hard floor of the Nippon Budokan. The timid Japanese fans at ringside quickly retreat as Stephens tumbles up against the flimsy barricade, Maddix following close behind. "And here's our first forray to the outside in this main event, which may spell bad news for Michael Stephens." Maddix slams the flat of his boot into the back of Stephens' head before leaning over the barrier, demanding a chair from ringside. One of the braver Japanese fans obliges and Maddix snatches the chair away, stalking Stephens as he crawls away around ringside with no interest in getting involved in a weapon fight. Unfortunately, crawling is not an easy pastime with a possibly crushed sternum, allowing Maddix to jog around and in front of Stephens, waiting for a chance to strike. *CLANG!* HURLING the chair, Maddix strikes Stephens right across the forehead, the chair deflecting off across ringside as Stephens covers his head in his hands, incase Maddix had more than one heavy steel impliment to throw. "Chair right to the face and Stephens is now realising what he...well, not so much got himself into as he was forced into by the World Champion." groans Mak. "On the bright side, if he were in Nottingham it'd probably be a knife hurtling towards his head." Retrieving the chair, Landon slides it into the ring, leaving one unlucky ringsider having to crouch to watch the rest of this main event. Landon then retrieves Stephens and slowly pulls him up to his feet, Stephens providing no resistance as he's gone virtually dead weight from the effects of chair all up in his grill, yo. Eventually Landon does get Stephens up though, draping him against the apron... *SLAP!* "WHOOOOOOOO!" ...and landing a knifedge chop, fueled on by the fact that Stephens' forehead is becoming slowly stained with his own blood. *SLAP!* "WHOOOOOOOO!" Another chop finds the mark, dropping Stephens to his knees. Which is like a green light to Maddix as he snatches a handful of Stephens' bluey black hair and follows the slightly misquoted advice, "When in Tokyo, do as the Tokyoians do" by firing off a succession of Kawada kicks... *THWAP!* ...each... *THWAP!* ...one... *THWAP!* ...across.. *THWAP!* ...the... *THWAP!* ...lacerated... *THWAP!* ...forehead!! "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "This ruthless streak from Maddix is disturbing. Why does everyone have to go psycho around here all the time?" "Poor working conditions." "Ah." "ONE!" "Oh, and Hardcastle is counting Stephens out here..." "TWO!" "...he just took six kicks in the face and he might be KOed here!" "THREE!" "FOUR!" With Stephens showing no signs of movement, Maddix is caught in two minds, whether to allow this count to continue or to do what he's longing to do and continue beating Stephens senseless. "FIVE!" "SIX!" "SEVE..." And finally, Maddix takes option two, breaking the count just as Stephens shows signs of consciousness by pulling him to his feet, dumping him back into the ring. Still looking quite lifeless, Stephens rolls away from the ropes with the blood now flowing freely enough to drip onto the canvas leaving a small but encouraging (for Landon at least) crimson trail behind him. "Landon was sadistic enough before, now he's got the taste and the sight of blood. I've got a bad feeling about this." Rolling back inside, Maddix picks the steel chair back up off the canvas and sets it open in the centre of the ring before going back after Stephens. Against the ropes, a defensive Stephens grabs the top rope and tries to kick the Champion away as he approaches, but Maddix manages to avoid the wild flailing kicks and lands one of his own across the forehead. And another, both aimed right at The Sensation's gaping laceration. Maddix then reaches for the hair and pulls Stephens back up, dragging him out and popping him with a quick forearm strike. The blood loss is making The Sensation a little woozy and these forearms are taking more of a toll than usually, a second strike enough to leave him wobbling on rubbery legs, allowing Maddix time to remove his right elbowpad. Out into the crowd goes the pad, a third forearm finding the mark before Landon shoots off the ropes, charging back towards Stephens with a SURE, THE GUY WHO USES THIS ALREADY WRESTLED TONIGHT SO IT'S NO LONGER AN HOMAGE BUT HEY, IT'S THE BUDOKAN, BITCH, LARIATOOOOOOOOOOOO... ...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Stephens ducks the arm and thrusts a sharp mule kick back into Maddix's direction, catching him hard in the abdomen as he wheels around. "Avoids the contact!" calls Mak. "Apparantly, Michael Stephens has been watching his Puro tapes." "I highly, HIGHLY doubt that." King disagrees. With his back to the doubled over Champion, Stephens wipes his hand across his forehead, confirming his fears that he's infact been busted open. But this isn't the first time Stephens has seen his own blood and he doesn't let it concern him unduely, making a quick signal to the fans that he's going to 'end it' as he reaches back, hooking Landon's head in a 3/4 facelock. Landon tries to answer this with a counter. However, Stephens is a step ahead, dropping to one knee with a short chinbuster, coming straight back up to his feet and charging to the ropes. With an impressive vertical leap, the challenger plants his feet on the top rope and somersaults backwards, looking for his renamed Sliced Bread, Sunny In England. However, as is prone, the sun over England is unexpectedly clouded over, via Maddix countering with two hands in the toucous to push Stephens safely over his head. Stephens safely lands on his feet behind Maddix, who takes a page from his opponent's book, thrusting out with a kick...only for it to be read, blocked and caught by the challenger! "What's good for the goose wasn't good for the gander on that occasion!" Mak metaphors. "You know, you don't actually have to try and make up for my disinterest by becoming all flowery and poetic all of a sudden." Stephens leaves Maddix hopping on one foot for a few seconds, apparantly waiting for a counter attack. A counter attack which comes in the form of an enziguri, which Stephens sees coming a mile off and easily ducks his head out of range from, causing Landon to flop harmlessly onto his front on the canvas. Stephens now releases the foot and allows Landon back up. Holding his gut, The Next Generation stumbles around into a boot from Stephens, doubling him over and enticing The Sensation into a quick double underhooking of the arms. Maddix instantly tries to struggle free, but earns himself a knee to the left shoulder! A knee to the right! And another knee to the left, weakening him up suitably for Stephens to set and lift, swinging Maddix around in patented fashion, before sitting out with the Triple S (Stephens Shock Syndrome)... *CRAAAAAASH!* ...BRINGING MADDIX DOWN TORSO FIRST ACROSS THE SEAT OF THE OPEN STEEL CHAIR!!!!! "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" "OH! That looked unintentional, but what a break for the challenger!! We could be on the verge of a new World Champion, via what seemed to be an accident..." "Accident Schmaccident!" screams King, finally into this match, if only because he has a reason to be controversial again. "That was deliberate...he hasn't changed a bit and I can't say that that's a bad thing right now, because Maddix is hurt and I was right all along!" Maddix remains draped over the now dented chair as Stephens remains seated. Judging by the look on his face, while the move was 100% intentional, the landing position certainly wasn't, showing signs of surprise and almost even remorse at the scene. This isn't how he would have chosen to win. Not in any way that could prompt excuses from Maddix afterwards. But one thing Stephens shares with his alter ego is the fact they're not stupid. And knowing what's done is done, Stephens nudges Maddix off of the chair and to the mat, where he signals for Hardcastle to go ahead and count. "ONE!" "Well accident or no accident, Stephens thinks he's done enough." "TWO!" "THREE!" While the count is ongoing, Stephens strolls over and grabs the steel chair. Hardcastle's count wavers for a second as he seems unsure of The Sensation's next move, relieved then when Stephens simply discards the chair in one corner of the ring. "FOUR!" "Break out the eyeliner, because Toxxic's back!" cheers King, breaking the silence at the commentary table." "King, please!" "FIVE!" "Using the chair was clearly not Stephens' intentions and I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you casting doubt on his motives like that." protests Mak. Rolling from his front to his back, Maddix keeps his arms clamped over his damaged ribs, a grimace on his face as he knows he has to fight through the pain to get back to his feet, within a count of five. And cause himself even more pain in the process. "SIX!" "The count is up to si..." "Do you seriously believe that was unintentional?" "Yes, I do! Stephens didn't see the chair, he started with his back to it." "SEVEN!" "Oh come on Mak!" snaps King, as Maddix starts to try and clamber back up, the crowd still respectively silent while inwardly hoping Maddix fails to recover. "He knew the chair was there long before he countered the Lariat, let alone anything else. Hardcastle is ready to count the eight, Toxxic's steel grey/blue eyes staring on from the corner... ...as Hardcastle need not continue his count, Maddix up to his feet. Barely. And gingerly. But up to his feet nonetheless. "Maddix is back up, but the damage may have been done." points out Mak. "Stephens just needs to capitalise quickly and he's got the World Heavyweight Championship in his sights for a record equalling fourth time!" "Especially if he dumps him on the chair again." "*sigh!*" With no intention of bringing the chair back into play Stephens comes out of his corner once Hardcastle makes it clear that the match is okay to continue, turning Landona round and into a firm European uppercut! Maddix's already aching chest fails to stand up to the shot and he falls flat on his ass, meekly holding his hands up in an attempt to beg off from his most hated of rivals. Knowing that Landon is prone to trickery, Stephens doesn't move into eyepoke territory as he lunges forward, dropkicking Maddix in the chest and putting him flat on his back. "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" Acknowledging the chants, Stephens turns to the crowd and bows to them. Luckily, they don't see this as in any way racist and applaud him all the more, probably surprised they even got a reaction from Stephens of all people. "Now, you can't tell me that Toxxic would have done that, let alone in the middle of a Last Man Standing Match." Mak argues. "Showing respect to his fans in mid-match wasn't Toxxic's style." "Phooey. It's all for show, that's all." Bringing The Next Generation back to his feet, Stephens again comes in with the favoured European uppercut, forcefully enough to send Landon backpedalling into a corner where he nestles, looking for a breather. He won't be granted one however, as after signalling for Hardcastle to move from his path Stephens charges across the ring, diving into the Champ with a Stinger Splash! Already winded, Landon slumps further down in the corner. He's soon brought right back up though, lashed with another European uppercut against the turnbuckles before Stephens wrings the arm, shooting Maddix across the ring with a forceful irish whip. And by only releasing Maddix halfway across the ring, Stephens ensures that Landon goes hurtling... *CLUNK!* ...sternum first into the turnbuckle, with whiplash inducing velocity!! "Wow, the ring almost shifted!" gasps The Franchise of the SWF. "From a two hundred twenty pound weakling like Maddix? Only in the world of hyperbole, Mak." The impact not only drops Maddix but rolls him back through for good measure, Stephens bringing him up off the canvas. Turning Landon around, Stephens then snares the arm again and sends the Champion right back the other way... *CLUNK!* ...and sternum first into the buckles he just came from! "And again, Maddix goes chest first! And unintentional as it's origins were, Stephens is working on the sternum all the same, which is exactly what he should be doing." Stephens' forehead continues to drip with blood which distracts his momentarily, before he again drags Landon up and again performs a simple arm wringer on the right limb, to aid a whip. This time, Stephens follows in after Maddix, charging a couple of steps behind. As he hurtles towards the corner this time though, Landon takes full advantage of the pro wrestling law of threes, avoiding a third collision by grabbing the top rope and pushing up and over. Unfortunately, Landon's frail upper body means he can't get the usual height on the floatover, allowing Stephens to stop underneath him and catch Maddix, so he lands seated on his shoulders. Fear stricken, Maddix tries to grab the ropes again, but can't as Stephens turns out of the corner... "SEE!" ...walking towards the middle of the ring... "SEE!" ...and dropping Landon forward, sitting out with a Front Electric Chair Drop that plants Landon right on his face and chest again! "...oh." mumbles King, taken aback. "That wasn't what I expected." "Evidently not. You need to give Michael Stephens at least some benefit of the doubt and some credit, even if it is your job to be controversial." "Give him credit? Why!? If he'd hit him with the Dangerlust, he'd be World Champion now!" Rolling back through to his feet, Stephens makes it clear to Hardcastle that he doesn't require a count, turning Landon over and dragging him across the ring to place him perpendicular to the corner. Stepping out onto the apron, the bloody Sensation then begins his climb up the buckles, heading towards the top and eliciting a buzz around the Budokan in the process. "And now, Michael Stephens looking to put the exclamation point on this one!" Reaching the top tier, Stephens looks down at the intended target, the World Champion's bruised sternum. Getting a steady footing, to his feet comes Stephens, standing tall over the Nippon Budokan for some suspense building seconds before finally coming off the top. Stephens tumbles forward, somersaulting 360... ...NO, MADDIX MOVES! His evasion saves him from a chest collapsing, but Stephens lands on his feet, one of the conditions of attempting a Somersault Double Stomp of course! And Stephens is also able to manage not to blow out a knee on landing, allowing him to be prepared as Maddix pulls himself up on the ropes. Expecting to find his challenger suffering from a crash and a burn, Maddix instead walks right into Stephens' clutches, The Sensation hooking Landon under the head and arm, looking to hit the Side Effect... *CHING!* ...but that imaginary sound effect can mean only one thing. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "Lowblow by Maddix, unfortunately perfectly legal in this match." laments Francis. Booted below the belt, Stephens understandably releases Maddix to tend to his testicles. Which in turn allows Landon to back up into the corner, hopping onto the middle turnbuckle and hopping straight back off, coming over the bent double challenger with a Mushroom Stomp between the shoulder blades! "ONE!" Landon stumbles on from the stomp and crawls across the ring, holding his chest in one hand... "TWO!" ...and pretty soon, a steel chair in the other, recovering it from the corner where Stephens has placed it. "THREE!" And unlike Stephens, Maddix has no qualms about using it to his advantage, waiting on Stephens to drag himself back up. "FOUR!" "Stephens is getting back up quickly here, but he might want to rethink that with what's waiting on him." Mak muses. "FIVE!" The count is halted halfway as the challenger reaches his feet. Stephens still favours the shoulders as he lumbers in towards Maddix, the World Champion still weilding the open chair until Stephens wanders into striking range... ...and he jams the top of the open steel chair into Stephens' trapezious muscle!! "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Dropping to the canvas, Stephens quivers around, trying to get some feeling back into his right arm where the chair struck him. Meanwhile Maddix sets the chair back up in the centre of the ring where it lied before. That didn't turn out great, but Landon obviously has confidence this time as he lifts Stephens back up off the canvas by the hair. Bringing Stephens in front of the chair, Landon then locks on a front facelock and turns him to face the metallic furniture. "BRAINBUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!~!!~!!!" "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "On the CHAIR!?" "Evidently he's given up on the beatdown phase and advanced to the attempted crippling phase." says King uncommitingly. "I really don't wanna see this..." "Welcome to my world, Mak." Gripping the Tripps by the waistband, Landon sets the bloody Stephens up and hoists him vertical... ...NO! Stephens floats all the way over, using Maddix's lifting momentum against him, able to land without impaling himself on the steel chair and whipping Maddix around into a sudden left jab! A right! LEFT! RIGHT! And the \/-sign flip-off sets up the discus clothesline... ...that Maddix of course knows is coming, ducking underneath in time to catch Stephens coming back around... *CLANG!* ...AND SPIKE HIM FACE-FIRST INTO THE CHAIR SEAT WITH THE COMPLETE SHOT!! "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Bouncing off the steel, Stephens' blood smears down the light grey metal chair as he slides off of the already dented and mangled seat and onto the canvas. Maddix stays down also, having caught the top of his head on the corner of the chair in delivering the move. "ONE!" "TWO!" Maddix stirs first, having only taken a glancing blow. "THREE!" Pushing up on the back of the chair, Maddix reaches his feet and dusts his hands in satisfaction, apparantly remembering he has the small matter of the World Heavyweight Championship riding on this match and settling for victory over mutilation. "FOUR!" "FIVE!" However, he may not even get victory, as Stephens begins to rouse himself back into consciousness. "SIX!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "SEVEN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "TOXX - IC ICH - EE - BAN!" "EIGHT!" "Look at Maddix, he thinks it's over!" Sat on the middle rope, Maddix signals for Hardcastle to get on with it as Stephens now has a hand on the chair and is using it as an aid to get back to a vertical base. "NI... ...NO, HE'S UP!!" "YYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Leant on the chair he may be, but Stephens has reached his feet and is therefore standing, meaning this main event will continue on! Much to the chagrin of Maddix, who jumps down from the buckles and charges Stephens... *SMACK~!* ...AND EATS A STEPHENSKICK!!! "YYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Stephens falls back into the chair, sitting back and taking a breather while Hardcastle lays another count on the Champ. "ONE!" "TWO!" "Maddix might be KOed, he's not moving!" "THREE!" "FOUR!" The Champion is moving now, although he's hardly doing the hoochiecoo. Shaking out the cobwebs, Maddix tries to sit up, but fails and slumps back down, earning an excited cheer from the crowd who sense this may be it. "FIVE!" Those same people are disappointed moments later however, as Maddix rolls over and pushes himself slowly up from his front... "SIX!" ...to his knees... ...and to his feet, breaking the count before seven. "Stephens is busted open and struggling to get his bearings, Maddix dazed and struggling for breath...we've got a gutcheck situation here, with the World Title hanging in the balance!" Hardcastle signals for the two to continue wrestling, forcing Stephens to claw himself off the chair and flick the bloody hair from his eyes to set his sights back on the World Champion. Both men slowly clamber back towards the other, Maddix's head hanging limply to his side whilst Stephens' arms are ready stretched, waiting for his prey to fall into his trap. Maddix staggers around to meet Stephens, stepping back out of range of a European uppercut attempt before catching The Sensation in the back of the head with a snap forearm. Stephens stumbles forward a couple of steps, but summons up some FIGHTING SPIRITUUUUU~! and hits the ropes, Landon wearily walking towards Stephens as he bounces back. With a head of steam, the challenger tumbles towards Maddix with a spinning heel kick attempt...but La Cucaracha is able to duck underneath the flying Brit! Stephens bounces off the canvas, skidding to a halt by the opposite ropes while Maddix turns to measure the challenger. Up stumbles Stephens, hardly gaining his footing before Maddix runs in at his lost opponent. Instinctively Stephens ducks his head with a backdrop over the ropes in mind, but Landon is one step ahead, able to catch the top rope on his way over and land safely on the apron. And as soon as he gains his footing, Landon promptly surrenders it, hooking Stephens under the jaw as he drops from the apron, snapping Stephens' neck across the top rope and causing him to whiplash face-first into the canvas! "ONE!" And again, the count is laid on Stephens. Meanwhile, on the outside, Maddix makes the most of his chance for a rest as he crouches down on the floor and sucks in some much needed oxygen. "TWO!" "THREE!" Stephens starts to show signs of life early and not knowing where Maddix is or what he has planned, The Sensation decides not to milk the count, clambering back up to one knee. A quick check of the forehead confirms that the blood is still flowing, although thankfully for Stephens it is slowly beginning to cease. Still though, his forehead remains crimson stained... "FOUR!" ...as he pushes back to his feet. "Maddix was hoping more that the combination of abuse would keep Stephens down rather than just the snap on the

Hasn't happened. We don't 'know' anything. I mean, I know Paul Heyman's consistantly delivered on his promises so maybe I'm just pessimistic, but there is a chance it won't happen. Again, when it does I'll be delighted because I So, Gangrel is 'new', right? I hope that was sarcasm and not just because you admitted you don't know any storylines are confirmed but then you quote a gimmick that hasn't been confirmed by, you know, actually happening.

ECW = WWE TNA =/= WWE But whatever, give it a sub-folder and keep the mutants appeased.

I smell a runner.

Somebody explain how this is a 'new' breed. Please. CM Punk etc. CM Punk has never appeared in ECW. Or "ECW" for that matter. When he does, no problem. Until then, invalid arguement. Next?

Cahill was also coming back from injury, right? He was injured for Everton right at the end of the season IIRC.

Throw Leon in, I've only got a promo planned. I'm not sure if CC is back around so you should probably clear it with her just incase, but I don't see any reason that you can't use Crystal and Gunner too.