King Cucaracha

Do people honestly believe Punk is ready to be a World or WWE Champion at this point? Jobbing or no jobbing. And with Cena, Batista, Kane etc. to contend with on Raw. I like Punk don't get me wrong. But I just think it's too early. All this talk of him being 'super over' is kind of exagerrated. He's getting good reactions for where he is and at times great reactions, but a few weeks ago he was getting booed against Kane and it's going to take a few weeks to get his face out there on Raw since his reactions aren't exactly huge when he's showed up before. If he suddenly cashed MITB in and won one of the World Titles in the next few weeks, are people really going to buy him as champion over the Batistas, the Kanes, the Cenas, the Jerichos and JBLs even?

Hours before Next In Line is set to get underway and the finishing touches are being put to some last minute details by SWF General Manager Toxxic and Commissioner's Assistant (at least when she's in earshot) Megan Skye. Conspicuous by his absense is the Commissioner himself, which would explain the relative calm and organisation at the moment. Megan and Toxxic happily go about their business without the usual distractions and everything seems fine. Of course, if there weren't something about to come along and change that I doubt I'd be so glowing. "...iva Espagna! A-la-lalala-la-la... la-la LA VIVA ESPAGNAAAA!" Draped in the flag of the new European soccer champions Spain, Landon Maddix enters the Commissioner's office with a slightly lopsided smile on his face and a definate lopsided walk. Told you so. "HHEEEYY PARTY PEOPLE!" Toxxic stares at Landon, watching him wobble unsteadily on the spot for a second before turning his head to Megan. "This gonna be the longest night of my life, I can tell..." #"WEEEEEEE are the champions, my frieeeends!"# "...yup." "Landon, don't tell me you've been drinking all night." Megan asks worriedly. "The game finished twelve hours ago." "Now, that... that may be true. But what's also true is that I may be a teensy bit inhe... inerh... inh... a little bit drunk. And you can't tell me that isn't God's will for every man on Earth! You can't preach to me like that man, don't you even think about it! I will smite you! HA! Hey, hey, how's it feel, huh? How's it feel..." Landon wobbles over to Toxxic. "...knowing that you didn't even qualify! You... you must be PISSED man! For real!" "Looks like I ain't the only one." Landon slumps on his desk, going through a curious routine of trying to cross his legs successfully without falling off the edge. Eventually he gives up on that task and just sits uncrossed with that same inhebriated smile. "So, you know what he's like after a couple of 'sangrias'." drawls Toxxic towards Megan. "Is he likely to have sobered up by the time the show starts?" "AH! The show!" Landon suddenly blurts out. "Yes, uh, how about we have a match inside a SWIMMING POOL! But... butbutbutbut... *sniggers uncontrollably*... WE TAKE ALL THE WATER OUT!! Oh and we should get that guy who's head was a HAMBURGER! Megan, get the number for that guy who's head was a HAMBURGER wouldya! He... he knew what was up. Oh my. Now, I also think I should be in the main-event... no, no, hear me out right, because I've been hearing a lot of good things about me and I think I should give me a chance to impress me... or I... or, something." ... "So that's how Dance Dance Dragon got a contract!" announces Toxxic in a eureka moment. "I'm really sorry about this." Megan says in embarrassment as she tries to haul Landon off the desk and out of the room. "I'll get him sobered up as quickly as I can." "Ooh, is-is-is that a promise now? I like where this is going..." "Don't worry about it Megan. If the past's anything to go by, he won't be like this for another 44 years." Megan finally barges her unsteady boss out of the door and as the muffled sounds of Viva Espagna echo through the empty hallways outside, Toxxic sighs and shakes his head. "God knows how many more years it's gonna be before I can act like that. Fuckin' England."

We actually got WCW over here around this sort of era, so I vaguely remember nWo 2000. When you think about how poorly the nWo revival went in the WWF, consider that was another two years on and in a promotion where it was fresh, it's probably no wonder an nWo revival after what had to be less than a year didn't work. Let alone that Jeff Jarrett seemed to be placed as the leader (and I'm not anti-Jarrett, he was just the wrong guy). Seeing Three Count mentioned, does their run as Hardcore Champion, singular not plural, fall under Sullivan or Russo? Infact, the WCW Hardcore Championship, period. What a worthless belt.

Zack, still working on this but won't be around tonight. I'll add to it tommorrow morning and then you're free to do the rest if you're still available. Sorry if that's a problem.

Me neither. Postponement anyone?

Another English central defender for me. Tony Adams

Okay, since 12 hours have passed hopefully I'm okay to go. I've checked, double checked, triple checked the list and I can't believe we've managed to miss this between us. My 18th round pick... Ric Flair vs. Mr Perfect Monday Night Raw (18th Jan '93), Loser Leaves WWF

Okay, I need a good right midfielder while there's still some on the board. So I think about the best bet would be this guy. I know what you're thinking, "he didn't play for Manchester United, what are you doing!?" But, just pretend. Luis Figo

Yeah, I'm surprised Kama went over The Godfather myself. Godfather's act was super-over back in '99.

The Undertaker vs. Mankind Summerslam 1996, Boiler Room Brawl A match ahead of it's time, at least in the WWF anyway. The single camera and the dingy environment really gave it a different feel from anything else I'd seen at the time. Overshadowed now by Hell In A Cell, but at the time this was an important success.

James "Phoenix" Cone vs. Bohemoth

The orchestral strains of "Rebirthing" by Skillet grind out over the arena as we return to HeldDOWN~! COLE Here we go, the first in-ring appearance for some time from James Cone. And he's got a BIG preview of what's to come at War Games on his plate. The strings break into crunching guitars as the song hits full swing and the stage EXPLODES in sparks and a continuously billowing flame right at the center. Phoenix emerges and loosens up a little before marching to the ring to the unfamiliar sound of jeers. BUFFER The following contest is set for one fall. Introducing first... from Columbia, South Carolina. He weighs in at two hundred and thirty five pounds... ladies and gentlemen, this is JJJAAAAMMMEEESSSS... "LUNAR PHOENIX"... CCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Phoenix looks almost offended at the reaction, shaking his head sadly at the fact he's being percieved as the 'bad guy' all of a sudden. At the ring area, he pauses and surveys before heading up the steps. Phoenix enters the ring and throws his arms up confidently despite the lack of support from the crowd in Des Moines, before heading to his corner and limbering up. COLE Cone has been out of action for the past few weeks through injury. The last time we saw him, he was doing THIS to Sly Sommers and turning the popular opinion of the OAOAST against him, all over Sly Sommers' unbiased opinion of him created a change man... [QUOTE=OAOAST MILAN SPECTACULAR] Sly comes to, sitting up while in a daze. The referee comes to help Sly up...but Phoenix asks him to leave. The crowd goes quiet...and Phoenix offers Sly his hand. Sommers looks around, then grabs it as Phoenix helps him up. The audience stands up and applauds as they raise each other's arms! COACH This is awesome! You always want to see this after a hard-fought battle! What a show of respect! Phoenix shakes Sly's hand, then opens the ropes for him. Sly waves Phoenix off, then opens the ropes for him! Phoenix smiles and bows to Sly graciously. Phoenix goes through the ropes, but when he gets on the apron, he opens the ropes for Sly. Sly shakes his head like, "You silly kid," then walks onto the apron. Phoenix raises Sly's hand again on the apron... COLE As these two incredible athletes bond after a great bout, we're going to go to... ...PHOENIX JUST SUPERKICKED SLY OFF OF THE APRON! COACH What the hell just happened? Phoenix drops down to the floor, then goes down on all fours and crawls up to Sly's unconcious body. He whispers in Sly's ear... PHOENIX Who is the star now? Who's the main eventer now? WHO DOESN'T HAVE THE PASSION NOW? Phoenix spits in Sly's face, as a swarm of referees rush to aid Sly. The commentators have gone silent, as Phoenix crawls away backwards. His eyes never leave the mess of humanity that he left at ringside, as he gets to his feet and slowly walks backwards to the locker room. The commentators stay silent, as the final shot before commercial is a close-up of Sly's unconcious face... [/QUOTE] Watching the replay of that on the big screen, Cone remains emotionless... *BbwWbAhmotherfuckerLlIiiBbbEErRrAATtTeeyYyOUUurRrMmmMmMiIInNnDddDd!!* "YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" ...until "Liberate" by Disturbed powers through the arena and suddenly he has something to worry about. Powering out from the back, Bohemoth fires up on the stage and flexes his meterosexual muscles before marching on to the ring. BUFFER And, his opponent hails from Greenville, South Carolina! Weighing two hundred, eighty four pounds... "THE METEROSEXUAL MONSTER"... BBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - HHHHHEEEEEEEEEMMMMMOOOOOOOOOTTHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! "YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" COLE Bohemoth, now an official member of Team Sly Sommers this Sunday night. A huge addition to have inside of War Games, but as it stands Sly still only has two partners out of four, where-as Phoenix has the ranks of Cucaracha Internacional on his side! COACH The only partners Sly could find to put their faith in him and they're sworn enemies. What does that say? Bohemoth powers up the ring steps and into the ring, locking eyes with Phoenix before he scales the turnbuckles for some more muscle pumping. COLE First time ever meeting here tonight on HeldDOWN~! A big match with big War Games implications. And as far as Bohemoth and Zack Malibu go Coach, they looked on the same page last week when fending off two of Phoenix's partners this Sunday, James Blonde and Faqu. COACH Yeah but those egos are only gonna stay in check for so long. Proven fact. *BELL RINGS* Bohemoth points at Phoenix and signals that he will break him in half with his bare hands. Phoenix looks around himself in shock...then bails out of the ring! Bohemoth tries escaping the ring, but the referee blocks his exit as Phoenix giggles at how he's gotten out of his beating temporarily. Bohemoth backs off from the referee, seemingly to allow the ref to count...but then climbs out of the ring on the opposite side, then runs around the ring to chase Phoenix! The chase goes all away around the ring until they get back to where Phoenix started, as he slides back into the ring. Bohemoth tries the same thing...but gets met with stomps as soon as he gets his upper torso underneath the bottom rope! Phoenix delivers a barrage of shots to Bohemoth's body, trying to capitalize on the big man being down...but Bohemoth seemingly is feeling no pain from these shots. Phoenix is delivering blow after blow, but Bohemoth is getting to his feet like nothing is happening. Phoenix doesn't notice this, even as the big man gets to his feet. Phoenix starts delivering some hook punches to the stomach before looking up at Bo's face...then being scared back with a big FLEX! COLE Big Bo is not one to be messed with! Phoenix gathers himself, then comes off of the ropes behind him, charges at Bo, and leaps for a flying bodypress...but gets caught by the monster! The crowd cheers as Bohemoth backs into a corner, then hits such a big bodyslam that he tosses Phoenix from one end of the ring to the other! Phoenix bounces off of the mat, comes to his feet, and backs up into the corner behind him, clutching his back. Bohemoth charges across the ring and hits a big avalanche! Bo immediately Irish whips Phoenix to the other corner, then charges across and hits a second avalanche! Bo pulls Phoenix out of the corner with a front facelock, into mid-ring, and lifts Phoenix for a vertical suplex...and he holds him up in the air! COACH Bohemoth has SUCH scary strength! If he doesn't want to let you down, he won't! After about ten seconds, the crowd starts to count along with the length of time Phoenix is being held up in the suplex... ELEVEN! TWELVE! THIRTEEN! FOURTEEN! FIFTEEN! SIXTEEN! SEVENTEEN! EIGHTEEN! NINTEEN! TWENTY! TWENTY-ONE! TWENTY-TWO! TWENTY-THREE! TWENTY-FOUR! TWENTY-FIVE! TWENTY-SIX! TWENTY-SEVEN! TWENTY-EIGHT! TWENTY-NINE! THIRTY! ...and Bohemoth brings Phoenix crashing down to the canvas to the crowd's cheers! However, before Bo can go for the cover, Phoenix rolls out of the ring! The fans catcall Phoenix, who is still holding his back, as Bohemoth reaches over the top rope, trying to grab Phoenix. He gets Phoenix by the neck and pulls him up onto the apron...but Phoenix escapes Bohemoth's clutches by reaching up and raking Bohemoth in the eyes! Bo backs up, holding his eyes, as Phoenix comes back into the ring, comes off of the ropes, and hits a chop-block to Bohemoth's left knee, sending the big man crumbling down! Phoenix puts his foot behind the back of Bohemoth's knee, grabs the ankle, and leaps backwards, trying to yank the knee out of socket! COLE Phoenix knew he couldn't fight a stand-up battle with such a huge man, but everyone's the same size on their back without legs! Phoenix grabs Bohemoth's leg as Bo screams in pain, then yanks on the leg, trying to yank the leg out of socket! Phoenix keeps ahold of the ankle and applies a standing kneebar. Bo escapes by putting his other foot in front of Phoenix's face and pushing him off! Phoenix gets back up, as Bohemoth limps his way back up to his feet. Bohemoth connects with two punches in a row...but Phoenix goes right back to the knee, sending Bohemoth down with a low dropkick. Phoenix gets up and stomps repeatedly on Bo's leg. Phoenix yanks Bo over to the ropes by his leg, then places the leg on the bottom rope. Phoenix climbs onto the middle rope and come crashing down on the knee, which is bridged up in the air! Phoenix climbs back up to the middle rope, the leg still draped on the bottom rope...and he crashes down onto the leg again! Phoenix drags Bohemoth back to mid-ring by the leg and goes for the Figure Four Leglock...but after he twists around the leg, Bohemoth uses his other leg to push Phoenix off of him, sending Phoenix face-first into the top turnbuckle! The momentum of the collision causes Phoenix to stumble backwards, right into a schoolboy... ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! Both men come up, with Bo showing obvious pain in his left leg... but he powers Phoenix up for a slam...and his leg gives out, causing him to fall back with Phoenix on top... ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! Phoenix gets up and starts stomping Bohemoth, who is so powerful that, at one point, he's able to grab Phoenix's foot in mid-stomp and shove him backwards by it. While Phoenix rolls back up to his feet, Bo gets up to one knee. Phoenix sees this and sends him right back down with a low dropkick to the face. With Bohemoth on his stomach, Phoenix wraps his calf around Bohemoth's, then falls backwards, once again hyperextending the knee. Phoenix looks around at the crowd, who boo him for downing one of their heroes. So, he pulls Bohemoth up with a front facelock and hits his patented Snap DDT! COVER! ONE! TWO! SHOULDER UP! The crowd cheers, as Phoenix freaks out! He quickly pulls Bohemoth back up for another DDT...but the crowd's cheers give Bohemoth a surge, causing him to send Phoenix back into a corner with a big charge! Phoenix crumbles into a seated position in the corner, as Bo falls back, holding his knee in pain. Bo tries to kneel up to his feet, but Phoenix gets up first. He pulls Bo up to his feet and goes for an Irish whip...but Bo won't budge! He tries again...and again, Bo won't move. The crowd's beginning to notice that the demeanor on Bohemoth's face is starting to change from pain to rage, as Phoenix again struggles to Irish whip the big man. Phoenix looks up...and Bohemoth growls at him as the crowd roars! Phoenix is scared to death, as he drops to his knees, begging off the big man. Bohemoth looks around, as the crowd begs him not to trust the crafty Phoenix. Bohemoth then grabs Phoenix by the hair and punches him right in the face! COLE The big man might be wounded, but the heart of a shark lives within him...and he sees red! Bohemoth is still limping, but he pulls Phoenix up and whips him off to the ropes. Phoenix comes off of the ropes and runs right into the MURDERLINE! Bohemoth goes down with Phoenix, still holding his knee. Both men get up at the same time, Phoenix throws a punch, but Bohemoth blocks and responds with one of his own that sends Phoenix down! Phoenix bounces back up...and gets another punch right to the face! He goes down, bounces back up, and gets whipped off to the ropes...running right into the big Front Spinebuster! Bohemoth bounces up to his feet, the adrenaline of the crowd's cheers driving him! He signals that the end is near, as he pulls Phoenix up to his feet... COACH This is looking like it's going to be short and sweet... Bohemoth pulls Phoenix up and lifts him for the kill...he swings Phoenix around...but Phoenix lands on his feet in front of Bo, stomps him in the knee to knock him down, then bails out of the ring! COLE What is going on?!?! Phoenix then visibly asks the referee to start counting, because he isn't coming back! The ref's count starts.. ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE! SIX! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! TEEEEN! *DING DING* BUFFER Ladies and gentlemen, your winner by countout...BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHEEEEEMOOOOOOTH! Bo's sitting in mid-ring, clutching his knee, as Phoenix is up by the entrance, pointing at his head to show how smart he thinks he is. However, his back is turned to the entrance, which proves to be a huge mistake.. COLE Look behind you, Phoenix! It's Sly! Sly taps Phoenix on the shoulder, but Phoenix brushes him off. Sly does it again...same thing. Sly grabs his shoulder...and Phoenix realizes something is up. He feels behind him, gets a panicked look on his face...then turns around and screams! Sly cocks his fist back and blasts Phoenix in the face with a closed right fist! Phoenix flies backwards, as his hated foe stalks after him! Phoenix paces backwards, then realizes that if he goes back into the ring, Bohemoth is waiting for him! He looks back and forth...back and forth....and then jumps into the crowd and runs! Sly soon chases after before both men get lost from the cameras in the darkness... COLE James Cone can run tonight, but there will be nowhere to run from Bohemoth or Sly Sommers Sunday night at The Great Angle Bash!

Getting backstage after his eventful Love Shack, Leon Rodez still looks to have a lot on his mind as he walks the halls. As he rounds the corner, he looks around, presumably for Zack Malibu's locker room. Before he can get to where he's heading though, he's accosted. MELODY LEON! HEY, OVER HERE! The last thing he needs right now, Leon forces a smile as Melody Nerdly waves him over from across the hallway where she stands with her brothers The Christ Air Express and big Baron Windels. LEON Hey guys. Have you seen Zack around? MELODY Yeah, we saw him earlier and he was wearing a retro Iron Maiden t-shirt! What a p0ser, spelt 'p zero oser'. Like he's ever listened to Iron Maiden in his life. Phff! I hate people like that. Like, David Beckham. What the hell, you married a [i]Spice Girl[/i], you have no right to advertise old rock bands on your rippling torso! Like, would you own that rockin' Journey t-shirt if you didn't love them? LEON Probably not, but tha... MELODY [i]#Just a small town girl... livin' in a looooonely world... she took a midnight train goin' an - yyy - wheeerrreee#[/I] Unable to resist such a rocking song, Leon signs along with the last bit under his breath with a warm smile on his face before snapping back to life. LEON Yeah, look, I need to find him, shirt or no shirt. That came out wrong. But, still. MARV Maybe you should try his locker room? LEON Yeah... thanks... you know I should have to come to you straight away man. MARV Don't mention it. MELODY Are you okay Le', you look kinda down. LEON Ah, it's just Maddix, getting under my skin. He brought up the 'neck thing', that's all. I'm fine really. Smiling sympathetically, Melody rubs at Leon's arm. MELODY I know how you feel. We've all had things happen to us in our life that we'd rather forget... like the time I went on that date with Kobe Bryant. Melody looks off into the distance. LEON Oh great, she's having another one of her obscure internal fantasies. Listen, guys, when she comes around with some weird nonsequiter line, tell her I'll talk to her afte... MELODY Two hours and all he talked about was basketball. Nice guy though. Perfect gentlemen. Anyway, we're gonna go read the message boards to see if they've announced any more of the roster for the OAOAST videogame yet. I mean, I know I had creative input in the project and they took my suggestion to name it No Homo for some reason, but until IGN say I'm in these fingernails are gonna stay chewed down to stubs, cause we both know I don't CAW well. Plus I started a poll on like eight different boards, who would you rather see released, MARV or MEL? Gonna see how that's going. You wanna come with? LEON Maybe later. Melody thinks for a second. MELODY We were thinking about having a NHL '08 tournament afterwards as well. That interest ya? Apparantly it does, as Leon has to think about it. Hard. LEON Well I'm sticking around until the show's over at least. But, keep the Red Wings aside, just incase. Before any further talk can distract him Leon rushes off to try and find Zack again. Melody, The CAE and Baron go back to their conversation meanwhile, with Melody looking pretty happy all of a sudden.

[color=blue]OAOAST Productions, Proudly Presents...[/color] [color=purple][size=6]#~~THE LOVE SHACK~~#[/size][/color] [IMG=http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii59/KingCucaracha/loveshack.jpg] ^ !!!!! We go to the ring to find the ring canvas covered with the decor of The Love Shack set. That consists of a desk, two stools, a purple carpet and a Grand Rapids street sign. Arguable whether you can call that a 'set', more arguable still if you can class it as 'decor', but that's what there is. Stood behind his talk show desk is Leon Rodez, waving in acknowledgment at each shout and female scream catches his attention while he waits for some quiet. Adorning his chest is the new Leon Rodez t-shirt, coming soon OAOAST.com, just in time for The Great Angle Bash maybe! LEON Hey hey hey and welcome to, almost, the only show in town, the show too smooth to be cancelled, The Love Shack! And when you think love and shack, you've gotta be thinking Des Moines, Iowa! "YYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" LEON Even I'm not sure if that was meant to be a derogatory comment or not, but thank you for the cheers anyway. Well, I was expecting a quiet night tonight, but after the surprise cancellation of Reel Talk last week, I've had to complete a few contractual obligations and take their guests for tonight. I shall place them in my imaginary trophy case, beside the plaudits I recieved over them and the viewers who chose this show over their's. House Of Worship, we comin' for ya! In the meantime though, The Great Angle Bash is three days away and so to is War Games. Team Sly Sommers versus Team James Cone. We already know Sly has snapped up Zack Malibu and Bohemoth for his squadron. And Cone has my guests tonight signed and sealed. Give it up if you're so inclined, for CUCARACHA INTERNACIONAL... with a 'C'! [b]"PREPARE...FOR...LANDON!"[/b] [i]...WAAAAAHHHHH... *DUM DUM*[/i] "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" "Megalomaniac" hits to a torrent of boos, aimed towards Landon "La Cucaracha" Maddix as he leads his group to the ring. The Six Man Tag Team Champions James Blonde, Faqu and Nathaniel Black recieve Landon's glowing attention, Todd Cortez recieves just a cold glare. COLE The men who sided with James "Pheonix" Cone for this Sunday's War Games Match, but have publicly stated they've got no interest either way in the dispute with Cone and Sommers. They're simply in it for themselves. COACH Nothing wrong with that. COLE Well these men will be stepping into the unforgiving confines of two steel surrounded rings, whatever their reasons. By the end of The Bash, they may end up regretting it. COACH No no, you've got it all wrong... [i]four[/i] of these men are stepping in. Cortez ain't doin' shit except fetch coffee pre-match. The ranks of Cucaracha Internacional climb into the ring with little acknowledgement for the Shack's resident host. With only two stools, Landon takes a seat with Megan right next to him. Black, Blonde, Faqu and Cortez all prefer to stand. Just as well really, since they don't have much choice otherwise. LEON So, customary welcome to the Love Shack... MADDIX Yeah yeah, I know how it works. Not my first time. LEON True. I hope you kept that copy of High School Musical 2 from last time. The extras are top-notch. I doubt anyone at all remembers what we're talking about, so let's gloss over it. War Games is why you're here, set up as a challenge from Sly Sommers to James Cone. Now knowing your grasp of OAOAST history, I doubt you'd be able to pick either one of them out of a line-up. So, my first question. Why would you get involved in War Games when you've realy got no stake in it? MADDIX Simple. Opportunity. Exposure. The chance to take Cucaracha Internacional to the top. Black and Blonde nod in agreement behind Landon. MADDIX You see, it doesn't matter about the risks. Doesn't matter to us who's on the other side of the ring. James Cone's dispute with Sommers... doesn't matter to us. All that matters is victory and exposure. War Games is going to be all about Cucaracha Internacional. The rest of 2008 is going to be all about Cucaracha Internacional. We are the premiere collection of talent in the OAOAST and it's about time we started showing it, on the big stage, in the big matches. After we dominate in War Games, we will be the group everybody's talking about, as we deserve to be. It's as simple as that. LEON Okay, I can respect that. But, there's another opinion floating around. MADDIX What 'other opinion'? LEON Well, last time you were in War Games... infact, the only time you were in War Games... you tapped out. "YYYYYEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Eyes bugging a little at that being brought up, Landon scowls at Leon. LEON And opinion seems to be that maybe you're risking the health and careers of your team-mates in the most dangerous environment in professional wrestling, just so you can get some redemption for yourself. MADDIX That's... that's ridiculous! I mean... you... First of all, you need to change who's opinions you listen to because they're clearly a group of daydreamers and conspiracy theorists. Trying to make a story where there is none. You know what... yeah, it does still bother me, what happened in War Games last time. It still holds a place in my memory. Maybe because I lost. Maybe because I tapped out. Or, maybe because [i]I HAD A SPIKE JAMMED INTO MY TESTICLES[/i]!! "YYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Megan winces a little, rubbing Landon's shoulder consolingly as he looks down at the mat. For a few moments he continues looking down, with only the cheering crowd heard. MADDIX I'm okay. I'm okay. (turns back to Leon) Now, somebody like you is probably into that kinda kinky stuff. But not me! I gave up before I lost one of my... guys. There's no shame in that. No shame at all. Any man would have done what I did! Anyone who says otherwise is a liar! As far as this theory about me wanting 'redemption' goes? That's way off the mark. Do you really think I'd put Faqu, James Blonde and Nathaniel Black in War Games just so I could make people forget about me being stabbed in the penis on syndicated television? Do I look selfish enough to do that? LEON That's a rhetorical question, right? MADDIX I've said it once, I'm gonna say it again. I'm not above repeating myself because more often than not what I say warrants being heard twice. War Games is going to be all about Cucaracha Internacional. Not just Landon Maddix. But about Nathaniel Black. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" MADDIX About James Blonde. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" MADDIX About Faqu... FAQU BLAAAHHAHAAAA!! At the sound of his name, Faqu sparks to life and starts beating his chest. Landon subtely motions for Blonde to "calm him down" so he can keep talking. MADDIX It's going to be about us. Zack Malibu is going to find that out. Bohemoth is going to find that out. Sly Sommers is going to find that out. Whoever joins up with Zack Malibu and Bohemoth and Sly Sommers, they're going to find that out. One or the other, they will submit to us. Who knows, somebody might get hurt inside War Games as you keep alluding Leon. But it won't be one of us. It'll be Bohemoth, or it'll be Sommers, or it might even be your buddy Zack. Think of the statement [i]that[/i] would make to the OAOAST, for Cucaracha Internacional, huh? You know, if I remember correctly... Landon stands up from his seat, causing Leon to defensively do the same. MADDIX ...last time, it was YOU who got hurt in War Games. Landon smiles in the face of Leon, while in the background Todd Cortez can be seen with hands on hips and looking clearly offended that Landon would bring that up. MADDIX Two things, Leon. Number one, if you want to preach about the dangers of War Games, how about you go tell your buddies. And number two... if you're thinking about having your buddy's back again like you did last time, best think again. Because even though I've benched Todd Cortez onto the sub's bench where he belongs, if you step into War Games, don't think I won't have your neck broken again! "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" COLE Oh come on, that's completely uncalled for! Apparantly, Todd Cortez agrees and he steps forward to confront Landon about just what he's saying. He gets there before Leon can do anything about it himself, the host watching Cortez and Landon argue off mic for a few seconds as the crowd urge him to jump in. Landon has other ideas though and manages to shrug Cortez off. MADDIX You know what, thanks for having on the show, it's been a pleasure, come on guys. Dropping his microphone on Leon's desk, Landon hurries out of the ring with Blonde, Faqu and Black close behind. Cortez is left behind in the ring and looks towards Leon apologetically, unseen by Leon who watches Cucaracha Internacional leaving. Under pressure from Landon, Cortez follows after the rest of his 'team-mates' still looking frustrated at what happened. COLE Landon showing a distinct lack of respect for Leon Rodez. An unneccessary reminder of the neck injury that sidelined Leon for so long in 2006 and 2007. I don't think Cortez appreciated it being brought up either. COACH Oh yeah, because he showed a ton of remorse at the time! COLE Well, Cucaracha Internacional will look to ruffle more feathers ahead of War Games later on, as Zack Malibu runs the Gauntlet. We'll be back with more HeldDOWN~! next.

Like, before the intro. That's not technically opening segment. If that's a problem, then... well, I dunno, do something about it! [b]EARLIER TODAY[/b] Backstage in the arena we see lovebirds Leon Rodez and Maggie Nerdly sat together on a metal production equipment case somewhere behind the entrance stage. Things still seem tense between the two as anyone who's been following the show would assume. But at least they're within a couple of feet of each other and talking. Leon's hand rests on top of Maggie's, who looks pretty forelorn. MAGGIE It's just getting too much. I mean, everybody's talking and being the topic of gossip around here isn't exactly fun for somebody who's gotta go round interviewing people all the time. Guys round here ain't got much in the way of manners. You should have heard the things Reject said to me last week. LEON I did and I'm sorry you have to put up with it. But you've just got to try and not let it affect you babe. It's something we're going to have to sort out between us. Forget everybody else. Nobody else really knows anything, it's just gossip. MAGGIE I know. LEON Anyone who speaks out of turn'll have me to answer to. Or Tyler and Shayne if I'm busy, either's good. The two share a brief smile, just as ZACK MALIBU walks into shot grabbing their attention. ZACK Hey Maggie. Leon. Can I have a quick word? LEON Uh, now's not really a good time. ZACK It's kind of important. Sighing, Leon motions to Maggie to give him a second before standing up and leading Zack out of earshot by the arm. LEON Listen, don't take this the wrong way Zack, but... now really [i]isn't[/i] a good time. Can this not wait? ZACK Right. Sure. When you're done with your relationship issues, come find me. LEON There's no need to get like that... ZACK I'm sorry. It's just, I've kind of got some problems of my own to worry about right now. Like wrestling five people tonight. Somehow Maddix has got me booked in a Gauntlet Match against him and his followers later, which is all I need. Who knows what's going on right now for that to have come to fruition. Anyway, I could do with speaking to you before then at least. If Maddix has his way I won't be around to say much afterwards. Leon takes a quick look back at Maggie. LEON Look, I've gotta go do my show soon. Once I'm done with that, I'll come find you. ZACK Thanks. Zack pats Leon on the shoulder before heading off. Leon shakes his head as he strolls back over apologetically to Maggie, sitting back down next to her as we [B]roll V.T[/B]...

A better set of spoilers, from PWInsider

I'm pretty sure both are on the line in the challenge. At least that's how I thought it went. Milano vs. Curry Man = epic win.

Well, Cafu getting picked justifies me not taking Roberto Carlos.

To be fair, Trips has lost like half a person's worth of unneccessary muscle mass since then.

Has anyone actually confirmed that ECW is doing the Raw talent exchange deal, or are we all just assuming so?

Brought to you by American Express Taped: June 19th, 2008 First air date: June 22nd, 2008 (check local listings for airings in your area) Announce team: Tony Schiavone and Jesse "The Body" Ventura Lead correspondent: Tony Brannigan After last week's mysterious pre-emption, Syndicated returns to the airwaves as if nothing had happened, with Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura ready to call the action as ever. With Vinny and Biff in HD action, Syndicated possibly gets more hosed than ECW on draft night! But fear not because there are worthy replacements! Rico de Janeiro in action against Moracca of Los Diablos, The Christ Air Express versus former Lightning Crew/Corporation amigos Spanish Fly and Mr. Boricua, plus in the main-event a Women's Title match! But first... ***Reggie Lamont -VS- Jumbo*** A batle of the bigmen. One kinda bigger in the height stakes than the girth stakes, but still two big guys. Jumbo had the crowd solidly behind him and got them clapping in the early going. Whatever support that gave him helped to deflect three shoulder block attempts from Reggie who just couldn't seem to knock Jumbo off his feet. A rake of the eyes proved Jumbo's weakness, but not enough for Reggie's bodyslam attempt to work and the Jamaican ended up getting crushed! Lamont rolled to the floor to regain his breath while Jumbo danced for the crowd. Reggie finally got the advantage after a missed avalanche and a big Bicycle Kick. From there Reggie saught to wear on Jumbo's stamina with headlocks and chinlocks. It seemed to work as Jumbo's breathing got heavier and heavier, to the point that when he finally did fight back, he missed another avalanche and wound up right back down. Seeing his chance, Reggie hit his attempted bodyslam from earlier on, only to score just a 2 count. Angry, Reggie tried again, but Jumbo 'floated' out the back and connected with a BIG Belly To Belly! Jumbo found a second wind from somewhere and started mowing through Lamont before setting up the XL Splash. Jumbo found no water in the pool though and fell victim to a Scissors Kick, before being stacked up high on his shoulders, with tights held, to earn Reggie the 3 count. Winner: Reggie Lamont, via pinfall After commercial, we came back to the interview stage with lead correspondent (yeah, no sure what that job description really means either, but w/e) Tony Brannigan. His guest for the week was the United States Champion Colombian Heat, who didn't take long to get the crowd pumped up for him. Brannigan quizzed Heat about his run as US Champion so far and on the rumour that the US Champion was going to be involved at The Great Angle Bash somehow. Heat replied that it was only right for him to defend the US belt at the namesake event of US hero AngleSault, "tho', now I'm thinkin' 'bout it, I guess they're all named after him ain't they?" Apparantly the rumour hadn't really reached him though, what with all the "big things poppin'" in positions of power in the US. But rest assured, whoever was found to face him The Bash for the US Title, they would definately "FEEL THE HEAT!" ***Rico de Janeiro w/Lucius Soul -VS- Mariachi w/Moracca*** The heat was turned up a week early though, by the arrival of Los Diablos! The referee somehow managed to get some order restored as Lucius seemed intent on seeing action and Moracca seemed intent on seeing 'action', finally getting the official competitors in. Rico's power advantage had Mariachi bouncing around the ring in the early going. But any time Rico seemed to have the upperhand, Mariachi did something to unnerve the strictly heterosexual Brazilian stud and throw him off his stride. It took Rico a while to get used to Mariachi's... well, his 'handsy approach'. But once he got control, the encouragement from the outside from Lucius helped him to keep his mind on the win. Rico worked Mariachi's ribs over and almost forced him to submit from a long abdominal stretch. Mariachi found away out though and the armdrags suddenly started to come thick and fast. Disorientated, Rico was subjected to being ridden like a pony complete with much slapping of the Brazilian flag on his BUTT. But Rico, still stinging from the repeated embarrassments from one Krista Isadora Duncan, responded by getting up and DECAPITATING Mariachi with a Lariat!! Lucius sprung into life and beat down Moracca on the floor, as Rico then delivered a Shoulderbreaker, before applying the Rico Vice (Anaconda Vice) to tap Mariachi! Winner: Rico de Janeiro, via submission The vengeful Mardi Gras Homewrecking Crew continued their attack after the match for good measure. Lucius sent Moracca flying into the ringpost, then slid into the ring to deliver the Fro 2 Sleep by way of exclamation point on Mariachi. The MGHWC made it perfectly clear they're sick of being made to look the fools on their way to the back as well. THE GREAT ANGLE BASH 2008 June 29th, Minneapolis, MN LIVE on Pay-Per-View! ***The Christ Air Express -VS- Spanish Fly and Mr. Boricua*** Tag team action saw the Nerdly twins up against two men with their careers in limbo, the former Lightning Crew and Corporation team of Spanish Fly and Mr. Boricua. Fly found himself as leader of the team for once in his life, mainly due to Boricua's... limited mental capacity, shall we say. And Boricua, due to that, was willing to listen to Fly, despite him being barracked from all four corners of the arena with abuse and "CRY - BABY" chants. Fly matched up well in the speed ranks with both MARV and MEL as they traded quick holds and counter holds, as well as plenty of arm-drag variations. Things got less even when Fly sensed trouble and tagged in Boricua. MARV failed to do anything with the bigman, so called in MEL. Even together the Nerdlys struggled to budge Boricua though and were soon swatted away attempting a Double Dropkick, dropped with clotheslines. Boricua and Fly took over on MEL, with Fly coming in with the quick attacks in the corner before handing back to Boricua to do the bulk (pun intended) of the wearing down. A Sidewalk Slam and a Big Boot both got nearfalls for Boricua. And Fly nearly won after a precision Spinning Wheel Kick. But MEL proved gutsy and eventually dropkicked Boricua's knee attempting a corner charge, Boricua going into the middle turnbuckle and MEL making the tag. MARV took the fight to Boricua and Fly, doing more damage to Fly obviously. His energy was nullified by a Boricua Powerslam though. Soon Boricua and Fly were picking the CAE apart, Fly feeding them off to Boricua one by one. Boricua delivered a thunderous Chokeslam on MEL who then rolled to the outside, leaving MARV to the wolves. After toying with him for a while, Fly got MARV hung on the ropes for the 619. He connected, at which point Boricua pitched him to the floor. Boricua was happy with his work but Fly was not, berating the big man and telling him to get MARV back in so he could hit the Fly Swatter. Doing as he was told, Boricua pitched one of the CAE back inside. But unfortunately he picked the wrong one and Spanish Fly missed the Fly Swatter on MEL, moving out of the way and then delivering a quick Melanoma (Michinoku Driver) on Fly to score the 3 count! Winner: The Christ Air Express, via pinfall Boricua lumbered back in too late and The CAE celebrated their win, leaving Spanish Fly to again berate poor Boricua for his incompetence. Up we went to Jesse and Tony, to recap the shocking events of last week's HeldDOWN~!, specifically those surrounding AngleSault. The announce team confirmed that AS's position in the company was up in the air but no official announcement had been made as of yet and advised us to stay tuned to OAOAST.com for more information as it arrived (gee, thanks guys!). But, they promised there would be developments this week on the Haitch Dee! NEXT WEEK ON HELDDOWN~! Zack Malibu runs the Cucaracha Internacional Gauntlet! But first, they must visit the Love Shack! Just what in the hell is going on with AngleSault!? Plus maybe plenty but that's up to interpretation, MORE! ~OAOAST Women's Championship ***Malaysia Nerdly -VS- Jessica Jobbs*** The Ultimate Combination Of Beauty And Beatdowns™ put her title on the line for the first time in the Syndicated main-event. Her opponent, Jessica Jobbs, didn't exactly look confident as she watched Malaysia walk to the ring cracking her cat o' nine tails. Can you blame her? The answer, inevitably, was no. Jessica put up a game fight but was simply out-matched in size and power. Malaysia dominated virtually from start to finish. Jessica's fight was rewarded with the support of the crowd, willing her on as she landed isolated shots on Malaysia early on. Every shot to the jaw or chest seemed to annoy Malaysia even more than she came in though and she made Jessica pay dear with a teeth rattling clothesline. Malaysia took a few minutes to stretch and torture Jessica, applying painful submission holds, pulling at hair and bodyparts all with a disturbingly satisfied smile on her face. Another few gallant shots from Jessica took Malaysia up to another gear. She sent Jessica flying with a Butterly Suplex, then sent her halfway across the ring with a Fallaway Slam. The fans' support soon turned to awe at Malaysia's power, as she tossed Jessica around like the proverbial ragdoll. With Jessica on her last legs, Malaysia then powered her up over a shoulder into the Canadian Backbreaker. After a few stretches on the rack, Malaysia then drew the biggest groan of the night, a groan of anguish from the crowd as they watched Jessica get SPIKED on her head with a Piledriver from that position. Academic from there, the ref counted a quick 1, 2, 3 and Jessica Jobbs lived up to her name at the Women's Champion's hands. Winner and still Women's Champion: Malaysia Nerdly, via pinfall After the match, Malaysia brought out the cat o' nine tails. Luckily the referee was able to prevent her from using it though and she simply cracked it threateningly with the Women's Title overhead, a dangerous message sent to the OAOAST females as Syndicated went off the air.

Interesting to see how 'Moose' looks, considering she got messed up pretty bad in IWA a few days ago, because she was booked in a deathmatch tournament against a backyard moron. That's all I need to hear.

Surname: Bacon This most interesting surname has two possible interpretations, both of Germanic origin. It may be a metonymic occupational name for someone who prepared and sold cured pork, a pork butcher, from the Old French, Middle English "bacun, bacon", bacon, ham (of Germanic origin). The name, according to another source may derive from the Germanic personal name "Bac©o", "Bahho", from the root "bag", to fight, which was common among the Normans in the form "Bacus", "Bacon". Hence, the name was probably introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. "Documents illustrative of the Social and Economic History of the Danelaw", records one Richard Bacun in Lincolnshire in 1150, while Nicholas Bachun was mentioned in Staffordshire in 1226, in the "Abstracts of the Contents of the Burton Chartulary". Interesting namebearers, recorded in the "Dictionary of National Biography", include Lady Ann Bacon (1528 - 1610), who was governess to Edward V1 and mother of Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626), first Baron Verulam, the English philosopher, statesman and essayist, who described the inductive method of reasoning. The Coat of Arms most associated with the name Bacon is a red shield, on a silver chief, three black mullets (knight spurs) pierced. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Bacun, which was dated circa 1150, in the "Chartulary of Staffordshire", during the reign of King Stephen, known as "The Count of Blois", 1135 - 1154. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. Hmm... I'll take the second interpretation, I think.

I was split between picking a winger or Roberto Carlos. But then I had to rely on the only right back I'd be interested in staying another round and decided against it.