Toxxic

This is Spike's best promo ever. Hell, this is the best promo the SWF has seen for some considerable time.

I don't suppose anyone has got a list of what characteristics are needed for each gimmick, have they? only I'm sick of giving heel Rob Van Dam the Whole Dam Show gimmick, only for it to be 'not really working' when he is the embodiment of it, and so on... Also, since I'm running an all-female fed at the moment, it's really useful to know beforehand what gimmicks the game just won't allow a female wrestler to have.

OK, not quite as good a turnout this time as last time, we had two DNS (Hawke had personal reasons, JJ's flight was delayed, I have no info on why either Pretzler or Johnny didn't get anything in) and as for the rest of it... well, I'm not sure if we actually had a competitive match. On the other hand there were some good reasons for those as well (illness, last-minute work surges), I stress the word some good reasons. Anyway, I still find it promising that we can set up a card with 9 matches on without using any enhancement talent whatsoever, even if some people didn't show. I'm just trying to straighten a couple of things out and we should have the card up by tomorrow night, which will still give people a couple of weeks to write. Cheers everyone.

I know very little about American TV, but would Spike want Raw back after they dicked around with 'USA' so much on the last Spike episode? And has Raw been getting good enough ratings that it's worth fighting for?

OK, next question. My Saturday night graveyard show is being creamed in the ratings by TNA's new saturday night graveyard show (I'm Cult, they're Global). My network can't get ratings as high as theirs, but I've gone from getting 0.71 (which is as high as I can) to 0.23. If I overload that small show with stars and big matches to get the highest rating possible will I at least be able to get my own viewers back, or will the fact that they can get higher ratings than me in the same slot mean that I'm screwed whatever I do?

That's the only reason that can explain it. Carlito is a jabroni, another WWE reject that no organisation would sign, or only out of pity. But because Vince doesn't have a clue about the wrestling business anymore, since TNA is taking the real talent out of the WWE and turning them into superstars, he might fear that TNA puts it's hands on Carlito and uses his hidden potential. I don't think Carlito has any potential whatsoever, but i've been surprised before. Either he fears TNA or he thinks it has some use for him with latin americans. Christian I will give you, but I don't think TNA really turned him into a superstar - they just pushed him as a face initially when the WWE wouldn't. Angle came over on the same level as he was in WWE, tried to become Austin, failed miserably and then returned to being Kurt Angle again. Booker is still Booker, just not King anymore. Tomko has had a chance to show his deadpan acting skills and I maintain that they CAN do a Batista-ish push with him once he comes out of people's shadows, but they haven't done it yet. Rhino? No. Raven? Again, had a real chance with him but he got Jarretted. The NAO justifiably have been cast adrift. In fact, you look at the TNA roster and tell me one superstar that they've created. Just one. They could have done it with AJ, but dropped him back down to being comedy goof heel (he does it very well, but he's not a superstar). Joe had masses of momentum, but they killed him off too in favour of Angle. Harris was starting to get over, they turn him into a whiny heel. Robert Roode can't get out of the midcard if his life depended on it. Killings was massive for a while, but he got turned into another bit-part player.

That'll be it. I realised too late that my advertising is too low this month, but didn't put the two occurrences together. At least i know I can fix this next month. Cheers.

EWR - I'm a Cult fed with three TV shows. My popularity raises after each show... and then every monday I lose a couple of % popularity. Why? I'm not big enough to be at war with anyone. There's a matter of days between my shows so it's not because I've gone too long without putting any shows on. I've never before encountered my popularity dropping like that, but I also have done many games with promotions starting out at the lower end of Cult before, normally starting at National and working up. And it's not happening after a specific show either - my popularity goes up after EACH show (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) and then sometime between Sunday night and monday morning something gets knocked off for no apparent reason...

Exactly. If I create a wrestler, I want him to be good. Or I at least want something where I achieve something and from there can make as many CAWs as I want as good as I want. I also want more fucking attention paid to tag teams. I want tag team Finisher moves that actually keep someone DOWN, and you have to build a meter up to somehow. Maybe tagging in and out or something, or it gets built up as both of your guys do damage, or even gets built up by doing other, lesser double-teams. It makes jack-all sense to be able to do the 3D right at the outset, or whatever.

New word limits put on the Kibagami/Flesher and WC/Spike matches. Also, a match added for Muzz (enhancement I'm afraid, since I haven't had anyone else saying they want a match)

To help Landon and I with our planned bookings, please indicate whether or not you will be free to write for a show on Wed 19th December. As we all know, Ashes 2 Ashes is December 1st, so even allowing a couple of days for marking, show to go up, card finalised etc, that should still allow everyone two weeks minimum writing time. Requests for low word limits can be agreed, if it means that more people are willing to write.

Or he could just break his leg. Never rule that out as a possibility.

So mote it be.

Well, I recommend sorting it out with Tom then. Whatever you two agree is fine by me.

You guys want more words, you have them. I didn't want to overload you with a big limit on the pre-Christmas show. Work out what you want, we can do it. Also, people might be interested to note that a new match has been added to the card.

Basically, you know Janus used to have Ebony come out and destroy double no-shows? Well, I'm not a furry, and I find President Ramu to be representative of all that is right about comedy wrestling. Therefore, people who are part of a double no-show on my watch (and don't have a reasonable excuse) will find their character destroyed by a 12 year-old Japanese girl with facepaint.

An hour after Ashes 2 Ashes “Damn weather!” Johnny Dangerous spits, slamming the door of his car as he approaches the Dakota Dome. “I can’t believe how long it took me in traffic… the roads were a nightmare…” “You can stop complaining,” Scott Pretzler says, appearing from out of the shadows, “no-one’s listening.” “Well, you seem to be listening,” Johnny points out. “No-one who cares,” Pretzler corrects him. “However, I was late as well… although not at late as you,” he adds with a disparaging glance. “Landon’s gonna throw a fit,” Johnny grumbles, reflecting (not for the first time) how irritating it is to have Landon as a boss. “Still,” he adds hopefully, “there’s only room in his head for so many things at once, maybe he was staring at Megan’s cleavage or something and he forgot I was booked…” Scott Pretzler starts to say something, then stops. From the shadows of the building a small figure has emerged and makes its way towards them. It’s not until the parking lot lights fall upon the white-painted face of President Ramu that the pair realise just how much trouble they’re in. “Urrk!” is Scott Pretzler’s only comment as Ramu grabs him around the throat, then hoists him up and down with a chokeslam! *THUD!* “Damn, that hurts on tarmac,” Johnny notes, but before the Barracuda can turn his attention to defending himself Ramu is on him! *CHING!* Johnny’s eyes cross as the President astutely kicks him in the groin, then backs off a step before charging forwards again- *CRACK!* -and nailing a Shining Wizard! Johnny slumps backwards, pretty much unconscious. President Ramu stands up, dusts her hands off, and walks away.

Why do players (I'm going to use soccer here, since it's the only sport I really know) choose to go and play in the first team of a smaller club than sit on the bench and get paid more at a bigger club? Because they want to play. I imagine Carlito's the same. His dad is a wrestling legend in Puerto Rico, if you had that sort of reputation to live up to would you rather run into doorways, take one move a week and get jobbed out in the biggest company in North America, or go and actually wrestle and (potentially) put on good matches (this is subjective, but at least potentially) that could make people watch and go "hey, he's pretty good, you can tell he's Carlos Colon's boy" or whatever, even if that was in a smaller company? Big fish, small pond etc, but basically he probably wants to wrestle. Now, if he can get away with wrestling lazily and not doing much and still get paid and booked and pushed, he might well take it. But I suspect he'd rather work hard than not work at all.

Bugger. I put the card up just before I read this. Sorry Muzz, was working on the basis that you weren't available. I'll see if anyone shows up / drops out over the next day or so, if nothing happens we'll run with an enhancement if that's OK.

(send all marked matches, promos etc to King Cucaracha) The Homecoming Tour is coming to a close - we’re not at Chicago yet (that’s the location for the Clusterfuck), but Iowa welcomes the SWF for its Winter Extravaganza! Ashes 2 Ashes proved that returning momentum isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, as Christian Blackwell and Nathaniel Kibagami both lost, while Scott Pretzler failed to make it to the Dakota Dome at all! Meanwhile Toxxic shows that he’s still got what it takes as he retained the World Title against Tom Flesher… but for how long? And will Michael Alexander’s defence of the New Blood Title and resulting title shot change the set-up at the top of the card? However, more pressing matters concern the World Champion because the Violence Distribution Network defeated Austin Sly and The Fabulous Jakey in explosive form, meaning they get a Tag Title shot tonight! However, there is one other Championship Match taking place… SWF CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE Wildchild© vs. ‘Hollywood’ Spike Jenkins It’s been a long time since the Cruiserweight Title topped the card - the last time was when Wildchild and Scott Pretzler went toe-to-toe for the belt back in 2005 - but that’s too long ago and hey, Wildchild’s always tried to push the division so here’s an early Christmas present for him. The Bahaman Bomber only managed a time-limit draw against overseas sensation Dance Dance Dragon, but pulled off a victory against the significantly larger Christian Blackwell at Ashes 2 Ashes. It’s back to the Cruiserweight Division now for Dub-Cee, against… …Spike? Yes indeed, Spike Jenkins took out four other cruiserweights at Class Is In Session, then stepped up a weight category to dispatch Nathaniel Kibagami with the Endwell at Ashes 2 Ashes. Jenkins is 2-0 in this latest SWF run; can he keep his momentum going and wrest the Cruiserweight Title from the man who’s held the title more times than any other, or will Wildchild retain the belt that has become synonymous with his name? Word Limit: 7000 Rules: Cruiserweight - 20 count on the outside, no throwing an opponent over the top rope Send To: King Cucaracha Tom Flesher vs. Nathaniel Kibagami My mouth is watering. Momentum is a fickle thing. Tom took a loss in a tag match, then beat Johnny Dangerous to get a crack at the World Title, then failed in that World Title shot. The Superior One is doubtless nursing a bruised ego, not to mention a sore head, but can he suck it up (and there’s quite a lot of ‘it’, these days) to get back into winning ways or has Flesher’s tenure at the top of the card finally drawn to a close? Opposite him is the unpredictable, unreliable and downright unsafe River Dragon, who returned in startling form to KO Christian Fury only to be beaten by Spike Jenkins last month. On any given night you might get a washed-up drunken addict or a deadly martial artist with a mean streak and the hardest kicks in the business. Tom Flesher’s likely to run into one of the two, but which? And will it matter either way? It’s amateur wrestling skills combined with some nasty headdrops and a bit of a paunch against Muay Thai and some even nastier headdrops… but a notably weak neck. Which of these slightly flawed warriors will triumph? Word Limit: 6000 Rules: Standard Singles Send To: Toxxic SWF TAG TEAM TITLES Revolution Zero© (Austin Sly & Toxxic) vs. VDN (Va’aiga & Dace Night) It was four years ago, but Dace Night and Va’aiga were Tag Champions, and damn good ones. Now back together and their legendary falling-out behind them, they’ve headed after the straps again. Those straps are currently being held by Austin Sly, whom was one-half of the team beaten by the Violence Distribution Network at Ashes 2 Ashes, and Toxxic… who just happens to be someone against whom Dace Night has never managed a victory in any form of competition, whether singles, tag or six-man tag. Will it be 2004 all over again and Dace’s team will fall short, or has the relentless schedule of title matches taken its toll on Toxxic? With Austin Sly doubtless out for revenge and Va’aiga always ready to throw a lariat or three, this should get interesting. Word Limit: 5000 Rules: Tag. Use the tag ropes. Send To: King Cucaracha MANSON vs. Johnny Dangerous MANSON is rolling on towards MANSONMAS (get your cards in the mail now!) with some serious momentum under his belt. This has not gone unnoticed by Landon Maddix, who despite his previous differences with the Savage Messiah respects in-ring ability when he sees it. MANSON has a chance to add a big name to his tally list here tonight by taking out Johnny Dangerous, a man who has seen his form slump somewhat since losing the World Title at Genesis. A win over MANSON could get him back into the right frame of mind… a win for MANSON will result in favourable treatment down the line when title challengers are being considered… Word Limit: 4500 Rules: Standard Singles Send To: Toxxic IN THE HOUSE OF MARVELLOUS Michael Alexander takes to the stage to let the world know which champion(s) he’s going after with his New Blood title shot, and why! CRUISERWEIGHT RULES Dance Dance Dragon vs. The Fabulous Jakey Triple D *pose, spit water* has yet to lose a match in the SWF. The mysterious masked man must surely think that there’s still a Cruiserweight Title shot lurking around for him somewhere after Wildchild couldn’t beat him within the allotted timeframe for the match. However, tonight he faces two-time former Cruiserweight Champion The Fabulous Jakey. Will Dragon dance on to victory, or will Jakey have the last laugh? Only time will tell. Word Limit: 4500 Rules: Cruiserweight - 20 count on the outside, no throwing your opponent over the top rope Send To: Ace309 Christian Blackwell vs 'The Paladin' Chance Silver The big Australian suffered a defeat at the hands of Wildchild last show, but given the talent of the Bahaman Bomber that's nothing to be ashamed about. Blackwell gets a chance to work out a few cobwebs this month and prove that his win at Class Is In Session wasn't a fluke by taking on Chance Silver. Word Limit: 4500 Rules: Standard Singles Send To: King Cucaracha Taiga Star vs Olaf Andersen NEWBIE AHOY! Aaron Starr turned out to be about as impressive as Ultimo Phantasmo (remember him?), but maybe he'll be back with a little more effort at some point... meanwhile we have another Star (one 'r'), this one being Taiga! The first female competitor the federation has had in a couple of years, will she enjoy the success of Annie Onita or just turn out to be another Candice Okimurra (I hope not, for her sake - Tom's active again, after all). Opposing her is the youngest and most athletic of the Four Norsemen, so let Big Battel commence! Word Limit: 4000 Rules: Standard Singles Send To: King Cucaracha JJ Johnson vs. Craig McLennan JJ Johnson is, shall we say, a little unreliable. He was booked into a ladder match against Luke-O and never showed up, despite the $10,000 on offer. Then he was put in a Submissions Match against Scott Pretzler, for which neither of them turned up. Tonight JJ has another try, this time against Craig McLennan. McLennan got that notable win against Chris Fury a couple of shows ago, but fared badly against Spike Jenkins in the Cruiserweight Multi-Man Match. Can JJ take him down? Word Limit: 4000 Rules: Standard Singles Send To: King Cucaracha *BE WARNED - PRESIDENT RAMU IS ON DUTY TO DESTROY ALL NO-SHOWERS* NON-RELIGION-SPECIFIC FESTIVE BONUS MATCH ALL-SHOW BRAWL II Insane Luchador vs. Christian Fury Hoo, boy. See, way waaaaaaaaaaay back in 2004 Insane Luchador had a few matches against Toxxic, one of which was the notorious All-Show Brawl that took place in Philly. It ended up with IL missing a moonsault from the top of the Smarktron - well, he hit the table he was aiming for, but Toxxic was no longer on it - and Toxxic got the pin. So, for a laugh, Landon dragged this stip out to give it a second airing. Insane Luchador seems tailor-made for this match, if he brings his working boots. Fury? Well, here’s hoping he might at least get some pinfalls in this match, even if not the winning one… Word Limit: 6000 Send To: Toxxic Rules: The match starts at the start of the show in the parking lot. It is a No-DQ, Falls Count Anywhere match that will progress until one competitor has scored ten (10) pinfalls over the over, or until the end of the show (at which point the competitor in the lead will have won) Writing Notes: You have your own referee (feel free to assign someone, not one of the regular SWF refs though as they may be used elsewhere. I used the Memphis Eel), and your own cameraman (Boz). The word limit should be split into several segments - one at the start of the show and then others to be placed between other matches as you see fit until you wish to end it. You MAY ask for your match to make a brief appearance on other people’s matches (a quick brawl in one door, through the ringside area and then back out another, for example), but they need to agree it, and obviously if you wish a fall to take place in that time then you’ll need to agree with your opponent what the score should be at that time. Good luck, and may the Force be with you.

Thank you, Manson. I think my favourite is where she breaks up the submission while still playing on her Gameboy.

Clearly, none of you read the 'match' between Dace Night and the Insane Luchador at All Hallows. Or read the 'new sheriff in town' promo. Or have seen any 666.

I want to see Kibagami promoing about Greek paradoxes. That would make my week.

TOM FLESHER vs TOXXIC “Folks, it’s time for our main event,” Mak Francis announces, “and it’s got to be recognised as one of the biggest matches of the year, on paper at least.” “Paper?” King splutters, “what are you talking about Francis? You’ve got Toxxic, the longest-reigning, most-prolific, most-everything World Champion of all time, and Tom Flesher, a Hall of Famer who carries instant credibility and is probably the most gifted performed to ever step into an SWF ring, not to mention a two-time World Champion himself. And they’re going head-to-head for the World freakin’ Title!” “Yes they are,” The Franchise agrees, “but I think we should be honest about a couple of things here King. Tom Flesher is fat.” “What!?” “He’s fat,” Francis emphasises, “he’s out of shape and he’s lazy. He beat Johnny Dangerous, yes, but he sneaked by him, and I mean barely. Flesher is running on shortcuts, and on the day his reputation and his shortcuts don’t save him he’s going to take an embarrassing loss.” “So you think Toxxic’s going to win?” King asks. “I mean, I wouldn’t rule it out… but this is Flesher.” “Toxxic’s arrogant, and to be honest King I think he’s getting lazy as well,” Mak Francis counters. “We all saw how he viewed the other competitors in the World Title picture earlier this year-” “Yeah, and he beat them,” King reminds his commentary partner. “Yes, but Toxxic always used to be so fired up for competition, he had a burning desire to prove people wrong and prove himself to be the best,” Francis states, “it made for some interminable interviews but some damn impressive in-ring performances, but now… King, I feel Toxxic has lost his drive. He’s cruising, he doesn’t feel he has anything left to prove, and someday soon I think someone is going to shock him. It might not be Tom Flesher tonight, but it will happen.” “Way to talk up the struggling company, genius,” King mutters, “can we send it to Funyon yet?” The tuxedo’d ring announcer nods acknowledgement as production signal him through the earpiece, then raises his microphone solemnly. “Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is scheduled for one fall with a one hour time limit and is for the SWF World Heavyweight Title!” he booms. “Introducing first-” “Introducing first!” the voice of Allison Onita interrupts him, “is the star of the SWF, the man who single-handedly saved us from ruin in 2003, the man who took the Cruiserweight Title and demonstrated its true worth to the world in 2004 and 2006, he has championships galore, an encyclopaedic repertoire of holds and knows more moves in the bedroom than the rest of the roster does in the ring; hailing from Buffalo, New York and weighing in tonight at a lean, mean 231lbs he is your Next World Champion, ‘The Superior One’, TOM FLESHER!” …and with that the opening drums of ‘When The Levee Breaks’ by Led Zeppelin start up, followed a few moments later by the sinister guitar and menacing harmonica, and the- *BOOOM!* -explosion of blue pyro along the front of the soundstage! Tom Flesher struts through, surveys the crowd with a smug confidence and then starts to stride to the ring with Allison bringing up the rear and having words with anyone daring to talk smack to her man. “Flesher is still in great shape, I don’t care what you say,” King snorts, “he might have added a bit of muscle-” “It’s fat King, and I can’t believe Landon’s letting him get away with announcing himself at 231lbs,” Francis grumbles. “He’s not even competing in the Cruiserweight Division anymore, why does he have to pretend?” “He might not be Commissioner anymore but Tom Flesher does what Tom Flesher wants to do,” King reminds The Franchise, “and even Landon’s smart enough to know that he needs Tom Flesher in the main event more than he needs a completely accurate weigh-in.” Flesher mounts the ring steps, enters the ring without fanfare and then strips off his warm-up suit before Allison moulds herself to his body for the inevitable photo opportunity as the assembled fans take their chance to get a picture of one of the SWF’s true legends (before they put their cameras away and start booing him). Funyon looks on in slight disdain at the woman who keeps stealing his thunder. However, there is someone in attendance who wishes to ensure that Tom Flesher does not do what Tom Flesher wants to do… …and as every light in the arena hits full and the Smarktron whites out, it’s pretty clear who that man is. “COME AND HAVE A GO IF YOU THINK YER ‘ARD ENOUGH!” “COME AND HAVE A GO IF YOU THINK YER ‘ARD ENOUGH!” The rolling bassline of ‘The Gush’ by Raging Speedhorn starts to ooze out of the speakers and the Smarktron starts to darken swiftly to black; as it does so jagged white letters flash up a familiar slogan, one word at a time: “PREPARE TO BE PROVED WRONG…” Three chords ring out; the Smarktron shows Toxxic being knocked off the top rope to the arena floor by a Nathaniel Kibagami springboard enzuigiri; taken from the top rope to the mat with a Super Mark of the Beast by Gabriel Drake; chokeslammed out of the Clusterfuck by Janus. Then the shot changes to one of Toxxic taking Mike Van Siclen off a balcony and through a table with the Stephens Shock Syndrome, the shot starting to strobe and intercut with Toxxic’s smiling face, the devastating impact timed to coincide with the moment the song kicks in and the- *BOOOM!* -explosion of red pyro that announces the arrival of the SWF’s premier straight-edger! And through the flame and smoke… “TOXX-IC SUCKS!” …wearing a T-shirt bearing the face of former England national soccer team manager Steve McLaren with a strikethrough circle over it… “TOXX-IC SUCKS!” …Tag Title in his right hand, Stables Title in his left and World Title strapped around his waist… “TOXX-IC SUCKS!” …comes the man Tom Flesher has come to South Dakota to beat. “And his opponent,” Funyon booms, “accompanied to the ring by his sister Amy; from Nottingham, England, he weighs in tonight at 218lbs; he is one-half of the SWF Tag Team Champions, the leader of SWF Stable Champions Revolution Zero and is the reigning and defending SWF World Heavyweight Champion… this is ‘The Straight-Edge Sensation’… TOXXXXXXXXXXX-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC!!” “Oh crap, I forgot we get the drunk,” King mutters as Amy Stephens hoves into view behind her brother, swigging (as ever) from a can of Stella Artois and wearing an appropriately illustrated T-shirt bearing the words ‘I’m The Skeleton In Your Boyfriend’s Closet’. “King, I wouldn’t trust Allison Onita to stay out of a match of this magnitude, and it looks like Toxxic feels the same way,” Mak Francis notes. “Amy laid out James Matheson when these two met for the World and Cruiserweight Titles at Genesis VII and stopped him from poking his nose in, and if she does the same tonight it’ll at least ensure the match is decided on the actions of the two competitors rather than their companions.” Toxxic reaches the bottom of the entrance ramp and rolls into the ring where he pops to his feet and regards Allison Onita from out of dark-rimmed eyes. Onita sniffs contemptuously, but turns and exits the ring (perhaps remembering that Toxxic isn’t above headbutting women if they interfere in his business). Tom Flesher just regards his opponent steadily, eyes flickering between him and the belt around his waist. Meanwhile Amy takes a seat on the outside, sets down her can and pulls out a Nintendo DS. “FLESH-ER SUCKS!” “ALL-I-SON SWALL-OWS!” “FLESH-ER SUCKS!” “ALL-I-SON SWALL-OWS!” Tom looks around with a faint grin on his face and nods slightly, in agreement with at least the second half of the chant. Toxxic rolls his eyes and strips off his trenchcoat, shirt and World Title, then hands his belts to referee Matthew Kivell and throws the coat and shirt over the ropes at Amy (prompting a vaguely audible off-camera expletive from his sister). Kivell hands the titles out through the ropes, then checks that both men are ready… and calls for the bell. *DING-DING-DING!* “It’s Toxxic vs. Flesher, one-on-one for the World Title!” Mak Francis reiterates as they start to circle. “Tom holds a pinfall victory over Toxxic but only in tag competition; Toxxic has defeated Flesher in their two meetings in singles matches, the most recent of which occurred over a year ago at Genesis VII.” “As ever with these two it’s going to be a fascinating clash of styles,” the Suicide King remarks, “Flesher is supremely skilled on the mat but tends to favour the big suplexes, headdrops and nasty submissions to get the match won; Toxxic is more well-rounded these days than he used to be, but I still struggle to remember another World Champion with such an emphasis on high-flying and high-risk aerial manoeuvres.” “I think one of the keys to Toxxic’s success is his high success rate at those aerial moves,” Francis puts in, “when you’re hitting them nine times out of ten, it’s not so high-risk anymore. I mentioned at Genesis how I view Toxxic to be the best proponent of a counter-punching wrestling style, of waiting for the opponent to try and beat him and then capitalising on mistakes; well, tonight I think he’s going up against the best practitioner of the other style, playing to your strengths and making the opponent wrestle the match the way you want it wrestled. Whatever I think of Tom’s current fitness level, if he can keep this match on the mat he’s got it in the bag.” “Conversely, if Toxxic can keep it moving I don’t see Flesher being able to keep up for that long,” King agrees, “the question is, will he get that kind of space?” Tom Flesher hopes not, and the Superior One starts to close the gap between himself and the grinning Englishman in front of him. Toxxic’s eyes narrow slightly, gauging distances as Flesher closes… and then Tom lunges with a blast double-leg takedown! …or at least, it’d be a takedown if Toxxic was still where he was meant to be. However the Straight-Edge Sensation dodged sideways at the last moment and is now bouncing on the balls of his feet a couple of metres away, flexing his fingers. Flesher lifts himself up off the one knee he landed on and reorientes himself on his opponent. “The first sign that Tom might have lost a step,” Mak notes, “I remember last year he caught Toxxic like that a couple of-” Flesher has just tried it again as Mak was in mid-sentence, but this time Toxxic not only sidesteps his opponent but swings a black-nailed hand around to deliver a slap to the back of Flesher’s head on the way past! “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” “Tell me he did not just do that!” Suicide King exclaims in shock. “Your eyes did not deceive you King,” Mak fires back, sounding barely able to believe his own, “if Tom has anything like his old ability still with him I think Toxxic just signed his own death warrant.” But the Englishman isn’t done. Not content with making it blatantly obvious just how much slower Flesher is than him, Toxxic suddenly launches into a forward roll, comes up to his feet, falls backwards onto his shoulders and then kips up explosively before beckoning Flesher in with an insulting flick of his fingers! Tom Flesher apparently sees red and in a rare loss of control he charges at his infuriating opponent- *BANG!* -to get taken down with a drop toehold! “I’m stunned,” Mak says, “we’ve just seen Toxxic out-cocky Tom Flesher. I didn’t even think that was possible.” Toxxic still has control of his opponent’s legs in the aftermath of the move and starts trying to lock them together in a likely setup for the Regal Stretch; Tom Flesher has had enough of being outmanoeuvred by his opponent and twists around onto his back before kicking out with his feet to send the Englishman staggering backwards. Flesher comes back up to his feet but he is again fractionally too slow, as Toxxic has had time to set himself and comes running back to launch himself into the air with a spinning heel kick that catches Flesher in the jaw and sends him tumbling back to the mat! Flesher is back up again straight away, only for Toxxic to once more beat him to the punch (and to a vertical base) and leap up into the air, snare Flesher’s head with his legs and snap backwards to take the Superior One over with a hurricanrana that sees Tom finish up rolling underneath the ropes and out to the floor of the Dakota Dome! “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The crowd appear to be pulling for whomever can impress them most, and at the moment Toxxic is that man with his blatant disrespect of someone they love to hate as well as his high speed offence. However, as the World Champion starts to bounce up and down in preparation for his notorious somersault senton to the floor Tom Flesher gets back up to his feet and, rather than staying where he is to get crushed by a ballistic straight-edger, instantly moves to the corner of the ring where he regains his breath behind the ring post. “Now that is smart,” the Gambling Man notes as the crowd noise reflects their disappointment, “you can go over the ropes, you can go through the ropes, but I’ve yet to see anyone in the SWF go over the ring post in a clean dive, and they certainly can’t go through it!” “I wouldn’t put an over-the-ring-post dive beyond Wildchild,” Mak Francis states, “but I’ll agree with you, Tom knows what he’s about. Toxxic caught him off-guard in that opening exchange and now he’s recovering his breath and preparing for a different approach.” Matthew Kivell has started counting; Tom Flesher signals that the SWF’s senior official should make Toxxic move back, then slides in under the bottom rope without taking his eyes off his opponent. When he’s satisfied Toxxic won’t barge past the referee (and therefore necessitate sliding back out to the floor so as not to get caught in a compromised position) Flesher takes his time in standing up, then casually rolls his shoulders and neck. “See? He just hadn’t stretched out,” King says. Mak’s response is largely inaudible due to a sudden and temporary microphone fault, and probably all the better for that. Tom Flesher walks slowly towards Toxxic, who keeps a careful eye on the distance between them and circles so as to avoid being backed into a corner. The Straight-Edger is considerably lighter on his feet than his non-cruiserweight opponent so Toxxic doesn’t seem to have many concerns about being at least technically on the back foot, and he is able to dodge to one side when Flesher goes for his double-leg again… …but this time the move was a feint, and Tom follows Toxxic’s movement quickly enough to close with the Englishman, take him onto his shoulders and drop him to the mat with a Fireman’s carry! Tom gets back to his feet, smirks and drops an elbow… …and Toxxic rolls away, leaving the challenger to drive his own arm into the mat. “Close, but no cigar,” Mak comments, “Tom really can’t afford to showboat!” Flesher pushes himself back to his feet, clearly in a furious temper now, but he simply eats a dropkick from Toxxic that puts him right back down! Once more he gets back to his feet and once more he finds the World Champion there before him; Toxxic grabs Flesher’s wrist and Irish whips the challenger towards the ropes, but Tom puts his new bulk to good use on this occasion and reverses the momentum to send Toxxic in instead, then readies a Shotei. Unfortunately for Tom Toxxic ducks it and heads on to rebound off the far ropes, which he accelerates off to leap into the air and latch his legs around Flesher’s head, then sends the challenger rolling out to the floor again with a satellite headscissors! “FLESH-ER SUCKS!” “FLESH-ER SUCKS!” Tom Flesher takes a couple of seconds to get back to his feet, but when he does the Superior One is so frustrated that he slams his hands onto the apron in anger. However, he then looks up to see Toxxic running towards him across the ring and high-tails it towards the ring post again! Toxxic leaps upwards, but instead of hurtling over the top rope into empty space he lands on it, balances for a split second and then backflips into the ring, landing on one knee and inspecting an imaginary watch… then pointing into the distance with a furrowed brow while stroking his chin… then rising to his feet, putting his hands on his hips and giving the crowd his best cheesy grin! “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” “…and Toxxic breaks out the Catalogue Poses,” Mak grunts. The crowd might get a kick out of the opponent-baiting nostalgia trip, but Tom Flesher is clearly less than impressed. From his position of safety behind the ringpost he again demands that Matthew Kivell make Toxxic back up, which he does. Flesher doesn’t re-enter immediately however, pausing for a moment as he receives a relaxing shoulder massage from Allison Onita. However, Kivell starts to count and the Superior One clearly decides that the time has come for action, so he slides in under the bottom rope and gets back to his feet. Once more the two competitors circle and jockey for position, and this time when Tom Flesher goes for a double-leg takedown Toxxic drops and snares him in a front facelock. “Tom’s been really predictable,” Francis sighs, “and lazy.” “Oh, you think?” King snickers. “Watch.” Toxxic certainly has hold of his opponent, but Flesher reaches up and manages to disengage Toxxic’s arm from around his neck, then twists out to the side and forces his way up into an armwringer that brings the lighter man under his control. “He suckered him in!” Mak says, catching on. “He can’t straight-up catch Toxxic, so he allowed himself to be caught in a position he knew he could gain the advantage from…” Tom takes a moment to exchange pleasantries with Matthew Kivell, then pulls Toxxic in towards him and jabs his thumb into the Englishman’s eye. “Oh, come on!” Mak protests as some of the crowd boo and some cheer Tom’s action, and Kivell goes berserk, “was there any need for that?” “Need? No,” King admits, “but like I said, Tom Flesher does what Tom Flesher wants to do.” What Tom Flesher wants to do right now is latch his arms around the waist of the blinded Toxxic and heave him overhead- *BANG!* -with a Railgun suplex. Having done that, the Superior One brushes some imaginary dust from his shoulder, then walks over and leans down a little way to have a conversation with his winded opponent. ‘ONE!’ It’s a small detail… ‘TWO!’ …and easily overlooked… ‘THREE!’ …but Tom’s foot just happens to be resting… ‘FOUR!’ …on Toxxic throat. ‘FI-’ Tom ‘realises’ just at the last moment and steps back as Matthew Kivell continues to go off on one at him, but the Superior One is unrepentant and leans down to bring Toxxic up (by the hair, just for good measure). There is nothing reprehensible about the suplex setup that Flesher makes, but instead of bringing his opponent up and over he hoists Toxxic vertical, then takes a couple of steps forward and brings him down gut-first over the top rope. Matthew Kivell seems to think that Flesher should leave his opponent alone since he’s in (well, on) the ropes, but that is not to be as Tom steps forward to apply a Doc Marten upside Toxxic’s head as the Englishman hangs in his precarious and painful balance, not only causing pain with the kick but also sending Toxxic toppling down to the mat. Flesher ignores the referee’s protests and starts to bring Stephens up, then grabs him in a gutwrench and hoists him up onto his shoulder. “Derailleur coming up?” Mak Francis queries, but it turns out not to be as Toxxic kicks his legs and manages to slip out of the Canadian Backbreaker Rack before Flesher can drop to his knees and complete the move. The World Champion lands on his feet behind his opponent and sets off for the ropes at a run, but even as he does so Allison Onita hops up on the apron and starts hollering at Kivell that Toxxic raked the eyes to get out of the move. The SWF’s senior official turns around and orders her to get down… *CHING!* …and as his attention wavers Tom Flesher takes advantage of this fact to dropkick the rebounding Toxxic in the crotch. “Oh, come on!” Mak Francis yells as some fans cheer and some unreservedly boo, “Tom, at least pretend to wrestle this match!” “He is pretending!” King laughs, “he’s fooling Kivell!” But for how long? Matthew Kivell may have been distracted but he’s no fool, and in a second he’s going to turn around and see Toxxic writhing on the mat and holding his crotch. Tom Flesher decides that the time has come to take affirmative action… so he walks over to Toxxic and stands on his throat to give the ref something else to concentrate on. Sure enough, as Kivell turns around Toxxic’s hands fly to his throat and Matty starts his count… ‘ONE!’ ‘TWO!’ ‘THREE!’ ‘FOUR!’ ‘FI-’ Tom stands back and spreads his arms innocently, but Kivell gets in his face and tells him he damn well knows Tom did that deliberately. Flesher starts to argue, thinks better of it, admits his guilt… and then goes back to do it again. ‘ONE!’ ‘TWO!’ ‘THREE!’ ‘FOUR!’ ‘FI-GODDAMIT!’ Tom grins at Kivell, bends down and pulls the wheezing Toxxic off the mat, slips behind him and hoists him up and over for a belly-to-back suplex that dumps the straight-edger back down on the mat, then hooks the leg for a cover… ONE! TWO!! …but Toxxic kicks out well before three. Tom shrugs, brings the Englishman up to a vertical base again and then locks in an abdominal stretch which he cranks back on as Kivell, relieved that Flesher is using an actual, legitimate wrestling hold, checks Toxxic to see if he wants to give up. The World Champion shakes his head but he’s clearly not comfortable, which suits Tom Flesher fine. “A simple hold, but perfectly applied,” the Suicide King notes with approval. “Yes, but look at Tom,” Mak Francis points out, “he’s already breathing a bit heavily. He might be able to take punishment, but Flesher’s cardio has taken a severe beating since he was last competing regularly. Tom is renowned for his second wind, but all the same…” The abdominal stretch is all well and good, but it lacks a little ‘bite’. Tom Flesher seems to think that the perfect way to add something to it is to cautiously, and with one eye on Matthew Kivell, reach an arm out behind him. Allison Onita hops up onto the apron ready to grip her man’s wrist and add a bit of torque- *THUNK!* -and hurriedly gets back down again as Amy Stephens appears at the corner of the ring and swings her chair into the post, then points menacingly at Onita! Allison raises her hands in a conciliatory fashion and backs off, leaving Tom Flesher looking around to see what the problem is. Amy catches his eye and then flicks him a v-sign along with an anatomically improbable sexual suggestion, so Flesher suddenly relaxes his hold, swings around in front of his opponent and refastens his left arm under Toxxic’s right before heaving the Englishman over in a head-and-arm suplex! *BANG!* Flesher sits up and folds his arms, glaring at Amy with a ‘so there’ expression; the Punk-Rock Princess shrugs and heads back to her corner, not that bothered about what happens to her brother if there’s no way of getting involved in a fight herself. Flesher snorts, then heads over to make a cover… ONE! TWO!! …but Toxxic kicks out again. Flesher pulls him up and Irish whips the World Champion into the corner, then follows him in at high speed and delivers a brutal Yakuza Kick that sends Toxxic slumping down into a seated position! “I think they felt that back in Nottingham!” Francis exclaims as Flesher retracts his leg, listens to Kivell telling him to leave Toxxic alone until he leaves the corner, nods, and then places his boot over his opponent’s throat to start choking him again. ‘ONE!’ ‘TWO!’ ‘THREE!’ ‘FOUR!’ ‘FI-’ Flesher backs off as Kivell interposes himself, but continues to argue with the referee, presumably on the basis that he’s Tom Freakin’ Flesher. Finally he pushes past the protesting official and pulls Toxxic up to his feet, then performs another Irish whip towards the far corner and starts to follow the Englishman in. However, the brief break afforded by Tom’s argument with Kivell seems to have allowed Toxxic’s braincells to start firing again and the World Champion manages to vault to the top rope, then come flying back with the Role Reversal clothesline… …Flesher sees it coming and hits the deck… …but instead of crashing and burning Toxxic manages to turn his dive into a forward roll, comes back up to his feet and runs on for the turnbuckles his journey started at and leaps to the top rope again! Tom gets back to his feet and looks around for his opponent- *SMACK!* -and gets taken down with the Corkscrew Dropkick! “YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” That particular piece of acrobatics seems to have got the crowd behind the Straight-Edge Sensation but Toxxic is far more concerned with his opponent that the opinions of the fans, and as he gets back to his feet with a wince he cautiously starts to stalk the Superior One. Flesher begins to rise, winded but not seriously hurt… and as he turns around Toxxic leaps up, latches his legs around Flesher’s head once more and then rolls backwards with a hurricanrana; however, instead of sending Flesher tumbling across the ring Toxxic has managed to put a real ‘snap’ on this one, and the crown of his opponent’s head gets driven straight into the mat! *BANG!* Toxxic reaches back as the move is completed and hooks one of his opponent’s legs for the pin… ONE! TWO!! …but Flesher kicks out! “I know Tom has an eighteen-inch neck, but that still had to hurt!” Mak exclaims as Toxxic falls forward when the pin is broken. “Yeah, but it’s going to take more than that to put Tom away,” King says. That’s fine by Toxxic; the straight-edger comes up into a crouch, steel-grey eyes fixed on his opponent and all traces of the earlier mockery gone, deadly serious now. Tom Flesher starts to rise, but before he can fully get to his feet Toxxic darts in and brings him up, turns him around and locks his arms around his opponent’s upper chest before hoisting Tom off his feet and then kicking his legs out to bring Flesher down with a Sambo Slam that sends the challenger back-first into the mat. With Tom down Toxxic then gets back to his feet and heads for the turnbuckles, where he jumps to the second… …to the top rope… …and moonsaults back off! *WHAM!* “Raford Calling!” Mak shouts as the move hits home and Matthew Kivell dives to make a count… ONE! TWO!! …but Flesher kicks out again! Toxxic doesn’t waste any time in complaining to Matthew Kivell, instead dragging Tom up to his feet again, then Irish whipping him towards the ropes. However Tom manages to reverse the move and sends Toxxic into the cables instead before ducking his head ready to take the Englishman up and over with a back bodydrop. Bad move. *CRUNCH-WHAM!* “And that’s a Sobering Thought!” King shouts as Toxxic’s patented facebuster/DDT combo finds its mark. Tom rolls onto his back, eyes slightly glazed, and Toxxic gets back up to head to the turnbuckles once more. He vaults lightly to the top rope facing out at the crowd, kisses his fist, then leaps backwards and twists in midair to come down with a fistdrop right between his opponent’s eyes! “Toxxic’s got the match back under his control,” Mak Francis comments, “as soon as Tom gave him the space to move he was able to pick up the pace and dictate events.” Toxxic doesn’t seem to think that one fistdrop is enough, so he heads back to the top rope and comes off with another that finds its mark with pinpoint accuracy again. The crowd gives this a largely positive reaction, so on the basis that he might as well play to them while he gets the chance Toxxic raises his hands above his head and twirls his index fingers around each other. “YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” The Straight-Edger doesn’t seem to feel up to vaulting to the top rope yet again so he steps through the ropes to the apron and starts climbing; once at the top buckle he stands up straight, raises his arms above his head in preparation for a little ‘whip’ on the move, then somersaults off down towards Tom Flesher… *BANG!* …but the extra time has allowed Flesher to recover enough to roll aside, and the Hangover misses! Both men instinctively roll further away from each other to give themselves time to recover, but it’s Flesher who gets back to his feet first and, shaking his head to clear it, heads back towards his prone opponent. Unfortunately for Tom Toxxic sees him coming with enough time to kip up to his feet, seize the surprised Buffalo native by the arm and then armdrag him over! Tom manages to more or less roll with the move and grabs the ropes to haul him back to his feet, only to be clotheslined over them by a World Champion desperate to retain the momentum! However Flesher is stubborn and refuses to go to the floor, hanging onto the ropes and remaining on the apron. The Superior One starts to pull himself back to his feet, but Toxxic charges at him again, leaps into the air and springboards off the second rope on the other side of the ring corner to leap over the top rope and snare Tom with a hurricanrana that takes the two of them to the floor of the Dakota Dome! “HO-LY SHIT!” “TOXXXXXXXXXXX-IC…” “HO-LY SHIT!” “TOXXXXXXXXXXX-IC…” “OK, that was impressive,” the Gambling Man admits. “Probably stupid, but impressive.” “It’s a case of playing the odds,” Mak Francis replies, “if that move helps Toxxic win the match and retain the title, it’ll be worth it!” Some people are actually starting to actively cheer for the Straight-Edge Sensation now, and that information filters into the Englishman’s brain to prompt a familiar lopsided grin. Toxxic rolls back into the ring (not without a wince) as Matthew Kivell lean over the top rope to start the outside count. Tom Flesher, back hurting and lacking breath, struggles to orientate himself and get back to his feet… …and this time as he staggers upright, he’s not behind the ringpost. “INCOMING!” Mak yells as Toxxic explodes off the far ropes, sprints across the ring and takes to the air once more to land clean on top of Tom Flesher with his running somersault senton! “HO-LY SHIT!” “HO-LY SHIT!” Matty Kivell places his head in his hands and wonders privately what the hell he has to do to keep order in these matches, but Toxxic doesn’t seem too interested in prolonging his time on the outside. He gets back to his feet and stands on an empty chair, one foot on the guardrail, and sweeps his arms out wide, palms flat, to invite the cheers of the crowd… “TOXXXXXXXXXXXX-IC…” “TOXXXXXXXXXXXX-IC…” …then drops back down, drags Tom Flesher up off the floor and rolls the Superior One back into the ring. The straight-edger follows him a moment later, rolls him once more to get him away from the ropes, then hooks the leg and makes the cover. ONE! TWO!! TH- -but Tom kicks out! Toxxic takes a moment to cast a glance at Matthew Kivell, but instead of castigating the referee he takes hold of Tom and pulls the heavier man back up to his feet before placing him into a standing headscissors. He then underhooks the right arm… underhooks the left arm… and then (not without some effort), hoists his opponent UP… …AROUND… …AND… …DOWN! *BANG!* “Stephens Shock Syndrome!” Mak shouts, “that could be it!” Toxxic rolls Tom over onto his back and makes the cover… ONE! TWO!! THR- -but perhaps that slight delay gave Flesher enough time to recover, or maybe he’s just too tough to be put that that easily; regardless the challenger kicks out, and the match is still in progress! Toxxic seems rather less than pleased with the development and draws a black-nailed thumb ostentatiously across his throat, then pulls the wobbly Flesher back up towards his feet. The World Champion grabs a ¾ facelock, points at the nearest set of turnbuckles and sets off at a run with a view to delivering the Sunny In England, but Flesher shoves him in the back to break his grip, then as Toxxic turns around Tom thumbs him in the eye again! “YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” The cheers come first, but the boos linger longer; Tom shrugs, and delivers a Shotei that nearly disconnects Toxxic’s jaw before doubling his opponent over with a kick and grabbing a double underhook of his own which he uses to bring Toxxic up and over; not just that, but Flesher floats over into a pin to make it a Britishplex! ONE! TWO!! …but Toxxic kicks out! “I think that may have been a subtle insult from Tom,” Francis notes. “That’s talent,” King replies, “it’s not everyone who has the presence of mind to slip an insult in as they regain momentum in the match after taking a pasting.” Tom looks up at Matthew Kivell and starts to argue about the count; it therefore takes Kivell a moment to realise that Flesher’s forearm is purely coincidentally places across his opponent’s throat… ‘ONE!’ ‘TWO!’ ‘THREE!’ ‘FOUR!’ ‘FI-’ Flesher removes his arm with bad grace, then pulls Toxxic up into a sitting position and sits behind him to apply a bodyscissors before leaning back and squeezing. “So King,” The Franchise asks as Kivell asks Toxxic whether he wants to give it up, “some people might interpret this as a simple weardown from Tom, but the way he’s breathing tells me a different story.” “So maybe Tom is a bit out of shape by his own very high standards,” King shrugs, “if the man knows his limits and can adapt to them rather than trying and failing to wrestle how he used to, why should we criticize him?” “Because he mainly adapts by cheating like a goddamn bastard,” Francis grumbles. Tom Flesher has a firm hold on his opponent’s solar plexus, and on the grounds that it can’t really hurt (him, at any rate) he starts to twist his legs and brings Toxxic over so that his shoulders are in contact with the mat… ONE! TWO!! …but Toxxic fires a shoulder away from the canvas in time! The Englishman tries to push himself back into a more upright position, but Flesher is having none of it and sends him down again… ONE! TWO!! …but Toxxic kicks out again! Tom allows the Englishman to come back up into a sitting position, then leans forwards and grabs a rear waistlock as he disengages his legs. From there he comes up to a vertical base, bringing Toxxic with him and then suddenly arching backwards to haul the World Champion over with a German suplex! *BANG!* Flesher doesn’t bridge into the pin, however he does roll on top of Toxxic afterwards and hook the leg as Kivell dives to count… ONE! TWO!! TH- -but Toxxic kicks out! Tom Flesher is distinctly displeased by this verdict, and starts to let Matthew Kivell know this in no uncertain terms. The cockney referee mouths off back at Flesher, tapping the badge on his chest to remind him who’s in charge here, but Tom slaps his palms together to indicate that he is certain Kivell’s hand should have come down for the third time, then jabs his finger into Kivell’s chest to emphasise his point. “Tom needs to be careful here,” Mak says, “he’s been pushing his luck with Kivell in this match and he doesn’t want to give the referee cause to disqualify him.” However, Matty Kivell isn’t going to throw a World Title match out on these grounds; he simply waves a finger in Tom’s face to warn him, then steps aside and invites Flesher to return to the match. Toxxic has started to get up to his feet but Tom has no intention of allowing the straight-edger to continue moving under his own steam, so he takes hold of Toxxic’s arm and brings the World Champion over his shoulder and into a seated position on the mat in front of him with a judo throw. “I think Tom’s going for the King Cobra!” Mak shouts as the crowd noise suddenly rises and Flesher leans down… but Toxxic jerks backwards and brings his foot up, kicking Tom square on the top of the head! Flesher staggers back, but not for long; within a couple of seconds the Superior One is heading back towards his opponent, only for Toxxic to kip up and leap into the air, swinging his leg around at blistering speed with the kip-up enzuigiri… that Flesher ducks! “OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Toxxic manages to land on his feet, but facing away from Flesher; Tom grabs a rear waistlock and heaves, sending Toxxic flying with a release German suplex… *whump* …but Toxxic flips through and lands on his feet! “OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Tom gets back up, turns around to see what devastation his throw has caused, and finds himself kicked in the stomach and then taken down with the Unfinished Business! *BANG!* “YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Toxxic rolls Tom over and hooks the leg, prompting Kivell to dive down… ONE! TWO!! THR- -but Flesher kicks out! “I honestly thought he had him there,” Mak admits. The crowd seems to think the same, judging by the reactions ringing around the Dakota Dome. Even Toxxic seems to think that should have been it, but the Englishman doesn’t want to give Tom the same chance to recover that he took advantage of himself while Flesher was jawing with Kivell, so he brings Tom back up to a vertical base and hooks him up for a suplex… then reaches down to try and hook Flesher’s left leg. “He’s going for the Caffeine Bomb!” Mak shouts. However, Tom Flesher has other ideas and starts firing Shoteis into Toxxic’s ribs. The Englishman is winded and withdraws, but Tom follows up and reaches over his crouching opponent to grab a gutwrench, then starts to lift… “Ego Buster!” King shouts. But no, Toxxic has wrapped arms and legs around Flesher’s legs and is desperately sandbagging. Tom heaves with all his might but can’t hoist Toxxic up when the straight-edger is clinging on to Tom’s own base, so he pauses for a moment. In that moment Toxxic twists and manages to overbalance Flesher, bringing the Superior One down onto his front and with his legs under Toxxic’s control! The straight-edger tries once more to hook Flesher into the Regal Stretch, but Tom simply pulls himself to the ropes and forces the World Champion to break the hold. Toxxic draws back in disappointment but perhaps doesn’t give his opponent quite the break he should by pushing back past Matthew Kivell in an attempt to get back on Flesher and keep the momentum on his side. Unfortunately for the World Champion this means his body is shielding Flesher from Kivell’s view… *CHING!* …and although Kivell may have suspicions about where that headbutt landed, he can’t prove it! “BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Toxxic staggers away in his own private world of pain while Flesher defends his actions vigorously to Kivell and slaps his belly to show where he believes the blow landed. Then he waves the referee out of the way, lines up on Toxxic… …starts to run… …and pastes the World Champion in the head with a Yakuza Kick! *CRACK!* Toxxic hits the mat like someone who’s been shot; Flesher pulls up, turns and dives on top of his opponent, hooking the leg for the pin… ONE! TWO!! THHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! “HE KICKED OUT!” Mak yells, “I thought Toxxic was done for, I thought we had a new World Champion!” Flesher slams his hand into the mat in frustration but doesn’t waste time querying the count; instead he pulls the World Champion upright, threads Toxxic’s arm through his legs and clamps onto it with his left hand, then thread his other arm across his opponent’s chest… “Logical Disconnect!” King calls… but Toxxic has one last gasp left in him, and he starts desperately firing elbows into the side of Flesher’s head! The blows snap Tom’s head sideways and in conjunction with the damage already done, cause him to slightly loosen his grip… …enough for Toxxic to wriggle free, turn around and grab a ¾ facelock, then run up and push back off the ropes that are just within reach. *BANG!* “SUNNY IN ENGLAND!” Mak and King yell at the same time, as Toxxic desperately hooks the leg and rolls into the cover. Kivell dives to count once more… ONE! TWO!! THREE!! …and once more is all that’s needed. *DING-DING-DING!* “Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner,” Funyon booms, “and STILL~ SWF World Heavyweight Champion; the ‘Straight-Edge Sensation’… TOXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC!!” “He’s done it!” Mak shouts, “it took pretty much all he had, but Toxxic has retained the World Title against Tom Flesher! Folks, that’s all we’ve got time for but join us for the SWF Winter Funtime Show on the 19th December!” The last shot of the SWF presents Ashes 2 Ashes is of Toxxic sitting up wearily, retaking possession of the title belts handed to him by Matthew Kivell… and grinning. Bring ‘em on. ©2007 British Mafia Productions for the Smartmarks Wrestling Federation ‘Raising Workrate By Typing Faster’

Opening promo of extreme magnitude to go here...