Toxxic

Scary thought - would that or would that not outdraw your average Smackdown PPV?

Was going to win the Cruiser title from Chavo, but got concussed by Bob Holly the weekend before. Giving us Jaqueline, the only known wrestler who's breasts are individually bigger than her head.

Notice how Heenan's answers were longer? In my opinion the older man was holding the younger one down, and let's face it, Heyman hasn't got too many years left in him. He should be main-eventing ToFs up and down the country, but as long as this sort of backstage politics goes on he's going to be stuck in the upper-midcard forever. Only a Benoit-like Renaissance can save him now.

I've already PM'd Thoth about it. You see, I want a face to take out all Toxxic's frustration on and since he's new/returning it wouldn't ruin anybody's run...

I'm telling you now, Janus - you can have Aecas, but it'll be a fight between you and me to see who gets to Kibagami first. Which could be interesting in itself... And yes, Toxxic IS that arrogant/insecure to go all out after a man simply because he lost to him.

I wondered if anyone would get that

That'd be... unreal. Fantastic, but unreal.

Well now - that's an unintended but very useful piece of information.

Alexander Zenon sits in his office, staring blearily at the desk in front of him. Of the most immediate concern is the piece of paper informing him that the censors were markedly unimpressed with the Aecas vs Mike Van Siclen match on Smarkdown, but the day-to-day drudgery of the job and the seemingly incessant communiqués from James Matheson are hardly helping. *BRING-BRING!* Zenon jumps, startled out of his miserable reverie by the office phone going off. He reaches over to pick it up, grateful for the distraction. “Zenon, what the hell is happening?” the distinctive tones of Toxxic bark down the line to the interim Commissioner. “Why the bloody hell did you take me out of the match against Dace Night and replace me with Stryke?” Sighing, Zenon wonders why no-one ever phones him to say something nice or approve of the way he does his job. “It’s absolutely bloody ridiculous!” Toxxic continues. “So what if I lost to bloody Kibagami, I’m still the goddamn ICTV Champion-” “Tox-” “-and you can’t screw me over like this! I’m not going to sit out like some bloody cripple just-” “Toxxi-” “-because Kibagami hit me with the Demonstar! I hit my head again this morning; I’m fine, I’m jumpin’ around!” Sensing a break in the flow, Zenon tries to jump in. “But-” He should have saved his breath. “If Dace Night wants me in a bloody cage, he’s gonna get it, alright! And if he don’t want it, he’s gonna get it anyway because-” “TOXXIC, WILL YOU PUT YOUR EGO DOWN FOR A MINUTE AND FUCKING LISTEN!” Zenon bellows at the top of his lungs. There is a momentary silence on the other end of the line. “Good,” Zenon continues in a slightly calmer tone. “Now then; you are pissed because I originally booked a non-title match between you and Dace Night in a cage, and I have now replaced you with Stryke, correct?” “Yeah,” the Straight-Edge Sensation confirms. “What I wanna know is; why the bloody hell have you done it?” “Because since I originally booked the card I have received a doctor’s report that is sitting on my desk,” Zenon tells him, shuffling the papers around, “and that says that as a result of your neck injury which was reaggravated on Smarkdown you are not fit to wrestle under any circumstances. That’s as in not at all. No wrestling, no cage matches and CERTAINLY not against Dace Night. Most people would be grateful for getting out of that stipulation, I might add.” “Look, I’m not scared of that bloody Brummie and you can tell him I said so,” Toxxic retorts angrily. “I’ve beaten him twice and I’ll do it again-” “That’s not the damn point!” Zenon growls down the phone. “Listen; for all the fact that you are an arrogant cocksucker with an insufferably high opinion of yourself you are still my ICTV Champion, and if events had gone slightly differently you’d be the Number One Contender for the World Title right now. All in all, much as it pains me to admit it you are one of the most valuable talents we have in the SWF right now. We don’t exactly have a huge roster at the moment and I’d think twice before letting Edward James or Spike Jenkins wrestle if they were declared medically unfit, let alone you. So sit your straight-edge backside back down, crack open a Pepsi Max or whatever the fuck it is you drink, rest your neck and just maybe you’ll be cleared to wrestle for Lockdown. Whereupon if you so wish it I will book you in whatever fucking insane match you want and, should it come to it, watch the premature end of your egotistical career with an entirely clear fucking conscience.” Before the Brit can make any reply Zenon slams the phone down and turns back to his paperwork. A phrase catches his eye and he pulls the piece of paper out, then begins to skim-read it. It’s from Matheson about the match Duran wrestled against Tom Flesher on Smarkdown. “I hate lawyers,” Zenon mutters, slumping in his seat. _____________________ Back in his motel room, Toxxic stares angrily at the receiver of the phone and then slams it down in turn. The straight-edger picks up a pillow, hefts it in his hands for a second, weighs it carefully - then turns and hurls it at the door as hard as he can with a wordless snarl of rage before collapsing back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. The textured paper fails to capture his interest and he pulls himself up into a sitting position, back resting against the headboard, and picks up the remote from the bedside table. One flick of a black-nailed thumb turns the TV on, a second starts the video playing. Toxxic comes off the top, looking for a top-rope hurricanrana that will send the Silent One flying across the ring as he wraps his legs around the throat of the former Clansmen...but Kibagami manages to stop Toxxic’s momentum as the Straight-Edge Sensation leans back, catching Toxxic’s arms with his own at the elbow. He tries to struggle, but Kibagami’s grip is sure. He knows that he has the match, now. Toxxic feels his opponent take a step backwards...then another, and another. He doesn’t need to look down to know that he’s in the middle of the ring. BAM! Dead center. ONE! TWO! THREE! Stop. Rewind. BAM! Dead center. ONE! TWO! THREE! Stop. Rewind. BAM! Dead center. ON- Stop. Rewind. BAM! Stop. Rewind. Slowly, unconsciously, Toxxic’s left hand reaches up to massage the back of his neck. BAM! Stop. Rewind. BAM! BAM! BAM! ...

The SWF - providing options since way back when. Greetings David, we've heard a lot about you. PUNK ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dace's are great in terms of writing anlysis, Tom's was just funny. And good, and a hell of a lot of effort. What I want to know is what happened to Maddix doing the holt report?

SD5's predictions to come MAIN EVENT SINGLES MATCH WORLD TITLE BOUT "Deathwish" Danny Williams© vs Nathaniel Kibagami ~Tricky tricky tricky. It shouldn't be happening yet, that's all I know. Even though Silent beat me, I have to give the edge to Danny. JUST. ~SD5 says Danny retains following a Dangerous German. CAGE MATCH Stryke vs Dace Night ~There's no real way i can call against Dace. He's British and all. Not to mention good. And there's no way Taamo can interfere here. TAG TEAM MATCH TAG TEAM TITLE BOUT Janus & Aecas© vs The In Crowd ~Looks like Sunset Boulevard's time has come. Again. ~SD5 says that the two seven-footers CREAM Cortez and MVS and don't even let MVS in the ring. Since I can't use character dynamics on there I booked Aecas vs the Boulevard in a handicap (since that's what it'll turn into) and... Aecas beat Cortez with the Burning Angel anyway. Heigh ho. SINGLES MATCH NON-TITLE Landon Maddix© vs "Hollywood" Spike Jenkins ~MADDIX IS GOLD~! ~SD5 says Spike wins after a... swinging sitout neckbomb? Fair enough... TRIPLE THREAT CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT Johnny Dangerous© vs Austin Sly vs Alan Clark ~I give this to Sly. Man is talented. ~SD5 says Johnny makes Sly tap to the Barracuda, but not before taking a running powerbomb over the top rope to the floor five minutes earlier. Now THAT is how you no-sell. HARDCORE MATCH Crow vs Insane Luchadore ~I'm gonna go with Crow.

Johnny: Yeah it worked. Go Johnny Go!

Opening promo - Nice words from Danny, effective too. And I'd have really liked to go one-on-one with you. Maybe some other time. Cortez vs Stryke Good match and decent pacing. I like the little dynamic that's being set up where it's fairly obvious that Cortez is far more of a tweener in Sunset Boulevard while Van Siclen is bsically a full-fledged heel now. To my eyes the paragraphs are a bit too long and unbroken, and Comet calls Bobby Riley "Bobbo" and bit too often since he's usually fairly formal, but that's more a quibble over style than content. Some of the descriptions are a little flat in that they seem to describe what's going on without actually "feeling" it, but that's such a damn vague criticism that it's of virtually no use. Overall it's good, and big up to Zack for his first solo win! Dace vs Crow vs Stryke STOP PUSHING TOXXIC! Love it. Obviously you can see from the start that this is Dace's work. Annnnnnnnnd... decent brawling, I like Riley's comment on how Dace brings a chair while Spike and Crow are wrestling... and Spike smack the shit out of the other two for a while. Hmm, whatever. And eliminates Crow! Oh dear. But in the end the inevitable happens and the High Priest of Horrorcore has his way. i will say that a couple of Dace's sentences didn't make grammatical sense but for a brawling tablefest you can't fault it. Austin Sly vs Insane Luchador I mark for Sly, by the way. And I LIKE the interplay between Comet and Riley, even if Comet is a little rude for Mr Family Values. And I really, REALLY bought the Austin no-show there, so i was pleasantly surprised with the whole ambush thing. He pulled out a couple of surprising endings to matches, now we have a surprising start. Things can only get better. Alan Clark vs Jacob Helmsley Not all that much to say about this one. Perfectly good match, although i have seen Clark write better. Jacob got a flurry of offence in, Clark makes his face-in-peril comeback, it's all good. Mike Van Siclen vs Aecas A Shining Wizard will NOT nearly knock Aecas out, especially not at the start of a match. Guy is as tough as nails. i'm not sure that for someone with Strength 8 that MVS would count as a "huge weight" either. And... you know, taking off Aecas' boots is really, REALLY cheesy. The guy wears fucking New Rocks, they take an AGE to unlace. Overall, this match has a better flow to it than Aecas' but it's rather self-indulgent and (in my view) slightly inaccurate. The interplay between Comet and Riley is GOLD~ however. MVS Promo Hey, people are cheering Johnny! Go Johnny! Coy West vs Landon Maddix. How many times do I have to tell you people - MADDIX IS GOLD~! Brilliant match with some very funny comments littered throughout. Especially about soccer. And Maddix even takes off Coy's RUNNINGWORDSINTOEACHOTHERONACLOSEFALL. i love it. RESPECT your new champion, bitches. Tom Flesher vs John Duran Great match. It was obvious from the outset that Duran was jobbing because he was made to look so good... but a great match, and Duran standing up in the Wet Cement and then hitting a Northern Lights was really nice. Big up to Taamo, even though he was the obvious choice to win. Kibagami Promo Short and to the point, although I didn't say that Kibagami and Silent aren't the same person on the night I beat him, I said that on Lockdown. Hey ho. Me vs Kibs OK, i'm going to try not to be petty here since I actually think it's for the best that Kibs won. But... I'm a little miffed at the lack of my full entrance since the "Prepare To Be Proved Wrong" thing IS Toxxic. And I don't do the "X", that's Cortez. That aside - the opening sequence is very good, and the chain wrestling owns what I wrote. I'm not exactly sure what a Gedoh Clutch IS... but it didn't work anyway, so hey. The submission stuff is good too. Hey you know what? The onyl time Toxxic EVER does the Rock City Drop is when someone else writes him. i haven't even used it yet. Which for a Sig Move is pretty bad, and why it's about to be replaced. Oh, I don't think I've ever used a knife-edge either, but hey, that's a minor detail. Overall, I'm not annoyed at all about being beaten by that match. I will agree with what Z said to me in chat that I thought my finish was better, but Kibs overall product did the business. And so Toxxic goes down to pinfall for only the second time. I'm gonna have to work harder, it seems. Great show overall, and I'm so looking forward to Kibagami vs Danny.

Nah, it's Sunset Boulevard. For finishers they alternate between the Divine Brown and the Blow Job.

“Welcome back to Smarkdown!” Cyclone Comet’s voice rings out across the nation as the cameras sweep around the Indio Polo Field. It’s dark, the stadium lights are UP~ and the crowd are still red hot on this balmy Californian evening. Making brief appearances on-camera are signs reading “The Section Behind Flesher’s Ego Can’t See”, “I Miss Grappler” and even two guys who have clearly worked together as one holds a sign reading “Duran Was Screwed” and the other clutches one bearing the words “Why Leave Megan Skye Out!?”. Cutting away before the FCC can start proceedings the production team return to Cyclone Comet and Bobby Riley, seated as always at their announce table and ready to go once more as they prepare to call the night’s main event. “I hate this job sometimes,” Riley muses, peering up at the sky. “It’s a wonderful evening and here I am stuck inside... well, kind of inside... behind a desk, anyway.” “Robert, your smooth and seamless words are an inspiration to commentators the world over,” Comet replies gravely. “Truly none of us can hope to compete with such a masterful vocabulary and immaculate delivery.” “Up yours, spandex monkey,” Riley retorts. “I may not be a cunning linguist, but-” “It’s time for the main event, Citizens!” Comet hurriedly cuts him off. “We’ve seen an amazing show so far, but now it’s time to see who faces Danny Williams for the World Title! The date of the title shot has not been confirmed, but Commissioner Zenon has told us that the winner of this match WILL face Citizen Williams for the title at some point down the road!” “Well I think we all know who it’s going to be, don’t we Comet?” Riley asks, still annoyed at being interrupted. “And don’t think it’s going to be Mr. Headlock, because I know someone who’ll have something to say about that!” As if in response to Bobby Riley’s words the Smarktron suddenly blacks out before the words ‘Prepare To Be Proved Wrong’ flash up in jagged white letters as the crunching guitars of Lostprophets’ ‘We Still Kill The Old Way’ ring out over the stadium. The crowd comes to their feet, a raucous chorus of disapproval echoing up into the starry California sky... but the man the Smarktron shows taking Mike Van Siclen off a balcony and through a table with the Toxxic Shock Syndrome doesn’t care what these people think. GO! BOOOM!! The stage erupts in red pyro and a slim figure with spiky black hair emerges through the smoke. Toxxic stares out at the stadium, lopsided grin on his face, before turning and beckoning behind him. Jet emerges a second later, the Intercontinental-Television Championship wrapped around her waist, and together the pair start the walk to the ring. “Ladies and gentlemen, the following non-title contest is scheduled for one fall and is to determine the Number One Contender to the World Heavyweight Title!” Funyon booms. “Introducing first, from Nottingham, England; accompanied to the ring by his girlfriend Jet; weighing in at 218lbs, he is the SWF Intercontinental-Television Champion; the ‘Straight-Edge Sensation’... TOXX-XXIIIC!!” Toxxic rolls under the bottom rope into the ring and ascends the nearest turnbuckle, glaring at the capacity crowd through his eyeliner before throwing his arms out, palms flat, in his straight-edge pose. The reception to the ICTV champ is less than warm and Toxxic drops back to the ring before cracking his neck from side-to-side... then wincing and clutching it with one hand. “This young man put in an impressive performance at Battleground,” Comet admits, “and you have to respect anyone who is able to win the ICTV Title - but he is evidently still feeling the effects of the Pay-Per-View!” “Of course he is, Comet!” Riley splutters. “Aecas dropped him on his head through a table! That doesn’t heal overnight, you know! The crowd here are lucky that Toxxic is chancing his health by coming back so soon, in my opinion.” “Believe me Robert, I think the crowd here would’ve been quite happy if Citizen Toxxic had played it safe,” Comet comments dryly. “Nevertheless he is here, and now he will have to reap what he has sown.” “...Eh?” “Toxxic challenged Nathaniel Kibagami, now he has to face him,” Comet explains patiently. “I know you’ve made some questionable decisions in men over the years Robert, but would you want to go up against an annoyed Kibagami?” As Riley splutters the arena lights abruptly cut out, and words come into focus on the flickering Smarktron. Of old the skilled first made themselves invincible to await the enemy’s vincibility. Invincibility lies in oneself. Vincibility lies in the enemy. Thus the skilled can make themselves invincible. They cannot cause the enemy’s vincibility. Thus it is said, “Victory can be known. It cannot be made.” -the Sun-Tzu, Chapter Four.” Speak of the devil. The haunting opening melody of “The River Dragon Has Come” lilts out of the speakers, lulling the audience ever so slightly... BAM! The distortion hits, and the arena lights up – every available spotlight is trained on the entrance ramp. White blasts of pyrotechnics streak up, down, back and forth along the ramp, sending sparks spiralling everywhere. The Smarktron flickers one final time, and the image changes – the burning ankh, gigantic, red, consumed by flames, towers over the audience, three stories tall...and the first line of the song echoes out over the crowd. Today, the warning came in the floooooooood... A final burst of white pyro shoots up from the centre of the entrance ramp, temporarily blinding the audience to the curtains behind...and through the sparks... ...comes Nathaniel Kibagami. “And his opponent...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “...weighing in at two hundred and sixty-one pounds...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “...hailing from Phoenix, Arizona...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “...NA-THAN-IIIEEELLLL... KIBAGAAAAAAAMMMIIIIII!!” Kibagami strides down the entrance ramp, eyes fixed on the man awaiting him in the ring. Last time they met the River Dragon came off worse, but Kibagami is back into his rhythm. He defeated Alex Zenon at Battleground, and then he beat newcomer Todd Cortez on Lockdown. Now a chance at the World Title is on the line, and Kibagami rarely lets a chance go to waste. Besides, he has some personal issues with Toxxic that need addressing. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” And he knows just the man to do it. The Slaughterer climbs into the ring and mounts the turnbuckle, arms spread wide in his crucifix pose. Across the ring Toxxic leans back against the ropes, a smirk playing around his mouth. For his part, the Straight-Edge Sensation has yet to see anything in the man he is about to face to convince him that the outcome of this match will differ from before. “Toxxic certainly looks confident,” Comet notes as the ICTV Champion grins down at Jet on the outside. “And with good reason, Comet!” Riley asserts. “He’s possibly the hottest commodity in the SWF right now!” “Perhaps,” the superhero admits, “but while confidence is good, over-confidence can be fatal.” *DING-DING!* “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” The chants rise around the two men in the ring as they size each other up. Toxxic shifts from one foot to the other, shaking his shoulders, twitching his neck, loosening everything - but Kibagami just stands there, a watchful statue with the hint of a smile playing around his lips. Toxxic starts to move in... then stops, as Kibagami makes absolutely no reaction. Confused, the Straight-Edge Sensation starts to move in again... but still the River Dragon doesn’t so much as twitch. “Citizen Kibagami certainly unsettling his young opponent here,” Comet muses. “Even though he was defeated by Toxxic a few weeks back, Kibagami is definitely not intimidated.” “It’s more than that, Comet,” Riley replies, apparently deciding to do his job for once. “Many of Toxxic’s moves are based around sudden shifts of weight and momentum to catch larger foes off-guard - if Kibagami doesn’t move, there’s no momentum to work with!” Apparently deciding to see how far he can push this, Toxxic’s stance relaxes and the rookie approaches his opponent openly. With the manner of a tourist trying to break the concentration of a Buckingham Palace guard the straight-edger proceeds to wave his hand in front of Kibagami’s face... to no reaction. Shrugging, Toxxic turns away - only to bring his hand back round in a vicious bitchslap! *WHAP!* And Kibagami catches it. “Uh-oh...” Comet mutters. The smile creeps across Kibagami’s features as Toxxic’s eyes widen in shock... and NOW the River Dragon moves. With a precise motion the former Clansman twists Toxxic’s arm over his head, wrenching in a basic armwringer before starting to UNLOAD elbows into his opponent’s limb. The blows jar Toxxic’s arm right up to the shoulder and the Straight-Edge Sensation cries out in pain - but if there’s one form of wrestling that Toxxic’s well-versed in, it’s arm work. The Brit swiftly rolls forward, releasing the pressure, before twisting own body to trap Kibagami’s arm in a similar predicament. His inferior strength means that Toxxic needs both hands to keep the limb trapped, but that doesn’t stop him from blasting the River Dragon’s bicep with kicks. Nathaniel’s features show more discomfort that actual pain, but Toxxic knows how to work with that. He slams his boot into his opponent’s gut to discourage any thought Kibagami may have had of escaping in the same way, then uses his advantage to lead the River Dragon towards a turnbuckle. Pausing for a moment to set himself Toxxic literally runs up the buckles and then jumps back into the ring - but on the way down he traps Kibagami’s arm underneath his leg... *WHAM!!* ...causing the River Dragon to land on his face and crushing the arm with a legdrop! “Another innovative move from the Hot Commodity!” Riley laughs while Toxxic retains his grip on his opponent’s arm. “You won’t see a headlock out of this man, Comet!” “Oh believe me Robert, I doubt we’ll see many headlocks out of Citizen Kibagami tonight,” Comet assures his partner. “They don’t inflict nearly enough pain.” Toxxic starts to pick himself up, fingers still locked around Nathaniel Kibagami’s wrist. Eager to return to a vertical base where he can start to retaliate Kibagami follows up to his knees - but then Toxxic screws himself sideways through the air, torquing the arm in its socket and driving the River Dragon’s face back into the mat one more time. The Straight-Edge Sensation still has his grip locked in, and he looks out at the crowd as if expecting to hear the familiar “Toxxic Sucks!” chant... but there is only one sound to be heard inside the Indio Polo Field. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Rolling his eyes with a “you’ll learn” expression on his face, Toxxic starts to rise again. Kibagami follows once more, but this time Toxxic simply starts running in a circle around his opponent. With his arm trapped the bigger man can do little more than pivot on the spot, unable to use his greater strength to slow the cruiserweight down, and as he runs Toxxic manages to bring Kibagami closer to the turnbuckles. The Straight-Edge Sensation seizes his moment and runs up the buckles again - but this time drops clear down to the stadium floor, whiplashing Kibagami’s trapped arm off the top rope! The Slaughterer staggers backwards across the ring, clutching his arm despite himself. He instinctively turns away from the source of his pain for a moment, but the rising crowd noise clues the former Clansman into the danger and he starts to turn - only to be met with a springboard spinning heelkick from the ICTV champion, who had quickly clambered back up to the apron! Toxxic grabs the right arm again and locks in a Magistral Cradle, rolling forward to bring the River Dragon’s shoulders into contact with the canvas and sending Anthony Michael Hall down to make the count... ONE! TW-Kickout! “Citizen Kibagami out before the count of two, but the first cover goes to Toxxic!” Comet calls from the announce table. “I’d say that might give him the psychological advantage - but that’s Nathaniel Kibagami he’s in the ring with...” It’s obvious from the lopsided grin on his face that Toxxic never expected the pin to get the win, and that it was just for the sake of making a point - but Kibagami knows how to make a point too. *CRACK!!* The River Dragon came to his feet smoothly after kicking out, and as Toxxic regained his feet the Slaughterer landed a vicious kick in his opponent’s midsection. The Brit staggers back, partially winded, and Kibagami moves in. *CRACK!!* One to the left arm. *CRACK!!* One to the right. *CRACK!!* One more to the ribs. *CRACK!!* Another to the right arm. ... *SMACK!!* “Gamengiri!” Comet calls as Kibagami launches himself into the air before slamming his foot into the side of Toxxic face. “Toxxic will need more than a bit of eyeliner to hide that in the morning!” Kibagami eyes his prone opponent, appearing to be thinking about going for a pin himself - but instead reaches down and pulls Toxxic up again. The dazed straight-edger tries to take evasive action... *CRACK!!* ...but a lightning-fast kick to the gut doubles him over before he can take two steps. The smile on Kibagami’s lips is clearly visible now, and it is not a pleasant sight as the Slaughterer unceremoniously drags his opponent to the middle of the ring, places him in a standing headscissors and reaches down to hook both arms up behind the straight-edger’s back. “He’s going for the Demonstar Driver already!” Comet gasps. “With the state of Toxxic’s neck after Battleground, this could be lethal!” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” The arms are hooked, and Kibagami braces himself to hoist Toxxic up and end this right now... but the prospect of imminent cranial damage galvanises the Brit into action, and he starts to struggle. Kibagami frowns and attempts to tighten his grip but his right arm is slightly less than one hundred percent from Toxxic’s earlier assault, and with a tremendous amount of squirming the Straight-Edge Sensation wriggles his left arm free. Now with room to manoeuvre Toxxic manages to extricate his right arm from his opponent’s clutches as well, and grabbing the River Dragon behind his knees he pushes forward with all his might! *THUD!!* Unable to balance, Nathaniel Kibagami topples gracelessly backwards to the mat. Almost before he’s even made impact Toxxic somersaults forwards, taking Kibagami’s legs with him into a bridging pin! ONE! TW-Kickout! But it will take more that a hard landing to put Kibagami down, and the River Dragon kicks out powerfully once more. “Ha!” Riley yells. “That double underhook is how Toxxic sets up the Toxxic Shock Syndrome, of course he’s going to know how to counter it!” Toxxic rolls off and come to his feet first, and with his head starting to clear from the River Dragon’s attack he decides it’s time to return the favour. Standing side on to his opponent the Straight-Edge Sensation measures the distance with narrowed eyes, waiting for Kibagami to turn... *SMACK!!* ...and scores with a superkick! Kibagami goes back down to the mat, but Toxxic isn’t content to leave him there. He grabs the River Dragon’s long black hair and hauls him up to his feet, then takes his opponent’s right wrist and attempts to whip him into the turnbuckles. Even after the superkick Kibagami still has enough wits left to counter the move and sends the straight-edger in instead - but then again, that was exactly what Toxxic planned. The grinning Brit vaults upwards, then comes flying back at his opponent with a diving clothesline... ...and Kibagami hits the deck, leaving Toxxic to sail harmlessly overhead as the Role Reversal misses! Toxxic tries to adjust in mid-air to land rolling, but only half succeeds and skids clumsily across the mat before pulling himself up by the far ropes. He turns around, trying to draw a bead on his opponent... *WHAM!!* “YAAAAKUUZZZZAAAA KICK!” Comet yells as Kibagami’s boot nearly decapitates the arrogant British punk. The cruiserweight’s body bounces limply off the canvas, causing Jet to shriek in alarm at ringside, but she is the only person in California who seems to care. The smile is back on Kibagami’s lips, and the Slaughterer drops down to cover his opponent. ONE! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” TWO! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” TH-Kickout! Toxxic’s shoulder fires off the canvas - and Kibagami looks anything but displeased. Instead the sinister grin slides back across his features, and as he hauls the Straight-Edge Sensation up by his hair he clearly and sarcastically mouths the words “Oh dear,” to a surprised Michael Hall. “Citizen Kibagami is apparently glad for the opportunity to inflict more pain on Citizen Toxxic,” Comet says with mild concern. “Far be it from me to question the actions of such a great athlete, but he would be well-advised not to take this man lightly!” “Oh, let him take Toxxic lightly,” Riley pleads. “Please let him take him lightly...” Still with that disconcerting grin, Kibagami applies a front facelock to his hapless opponent. Before Toxxic can even think about trying to wriggle free the Slaughterer fires off a knee to the ribs, driving the wind out of his opponent. Not satisfied, Kibagami nails the Brit with another, and then one more. Toxxic almost drops to his own knees from the impact, only the choking grip around his neck preventing him. Kibagami reaches forward and grabs his opponent’s left wrist, bringing it up behind Toxxic’s back in a hammerlock - then falls backwards, spiking the Straight-Edge Sensation down with a DDT! Kibagami appears to be considering a cover again, but once more the River Dragon decides against it and pulls Toxxic upright. And it is very clear what is on his mind. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “You’ve already seen that he’ll counter it, you moron!” Bobby Riley yells. “Try something else!” “Ah, but Toxxic might not manage it this time,” Comet tells him. “And then the match will be over-” “Shut up, you’ll only encourage him!” Once more the Straight-Edge Sensation gets put in a vertical headscissors, and once more Kibagami hooks both arms up behind his opponent’s back - but this time Toxxic sticks a leg out and hooks it around a rope. Irritated, Kibagmi tries to pull Toxxic clear, but Toxxic desperately holds on, then actually drops his weight down and reaches out with his other leg as well. Both legs are locked around the middle rope and Kibagami’s efforts to untangle his opponent merely cause the straight-edger’s body to be stretched out horizontally. He sets himself for another heave, but is cut off by the hand of Anthony Michael Hall on his shoulder and the referee’s count! Hall starts to chastise the River Dragon for maintaining the hold while his opponent is in the ropes - and is completely unprepared for Kibagami to drop Toxxic and round on him, a dangerous light in his eyes. No-one can hear what is said to the SWF’s head official as he backs away across the ring, but despite his insistence on repeating the rules it is clear that Hall is rattled. Hall is no longer sure if he is in the ring with Nathaniel Kibagami. He has the worrying suspicion that he may actually be refereeing Silent. Unheeding of the referee’s concerns, Kibagami turns back to Toxxic who is pulling himself up in the ropes. Reluctantly, the River Dragon concedes that it is pointless to try for the Demonstar Driver just yet, but he has other weapons in his arsenal that should prove perfectly suitable for putting the rookie down. Nathaniel measures his opponent - then fires off a spinning back chop- “WHOOO!” -and continues the spin to hit another! “WHOOO!” “Am I missing something?” Bobby Riley asks, looking around at the crowd. Toxxic staggers back into the turnbuckle, clutching at his chest. Grabbing his arm, Kibagami wrenches backwards and hauls the straight-edger out, then twists whilst retaining his grip so that Toxxic is stopped in his tracks and brought to face him once more. A swift kick to the gut bends the Brit over, and Kibagami places him in a standing headscissors yet again - but this time he reaches down, locks his hands under the rookie’s torso and hoists him up onto his shoulders! “Fall From Grace!” Comet calls as the River Dragon places one hand under each of Toxxic’s arms. “This will do the job just fine!” But in order to a move to do the job, it has to hit. And when threatened with being dropped on his head, Toxxic can be a slippery little bastard. The Straight-Edge Sensation twists in Kibagami’s grip, freeing himself and dropping down behind the River Dragon... *WHAM!!* “Reversed into the Underkill!” Riley chortles in delight as Toxxic snares Kibagami’s head on the way down. The back of the former Clansman’s head bounces off the canvas, and Toxxic leans forward to hook a leg... ONE! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” TWO!! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” TH-Kickout! Toxxic rolls away from the rising Kibagami, ribs stinging and head swimming. There is something different about Kibagami this time; most notably his determination to break Toxxic’s neck, and with that foremost in his mind the Brit isn’t really in the mood to quibble over minor details. Regardless, this needs to end soon. Preferably now. Kibagami gets back to his feet, rubbing his head. That drop wouldn’t have troubled the Silent One of old, but he isn’t here. Kibagami is however, and he turns to seek revenge on his opponent- *KERR-RRACK!!* -but Toxxic launches himself at the River Dragon’s shins with a sliding soccer tackle! The impact sends Kibagami flipping forward, blazing pain shooting up his legs. The Slaughterer still rises, but he isn’t quick enough to avoid Toxxic snaring his arms and wrenching them up behind his back as the Straight-Edge Sensation sets up the Toxxic Shock Syndrome. Bracing himself, Toxxic prepares to hoist Kibagami off the ground - but the River Dragon’s superior strength allows him to free his arms, before hitting a back bodydrop on the straight-edger! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “Ha!” Comet celebrates as Toxxic writhes on the mat clutching his back. “If Citizen Kibagami should know better than to try for the Demonstar then Toxxic shouldn’t go for the Toxxic Shock Syndrome! As you said Robert, the similar setup means both know how to counter it!” Nathaniel Kibagami calmly considers his options. The Demonstar is not yet appropriate. Toxxic has countered the Fall From Grace twice, once tonight and once in their prior meeting. But Kibagami is a man of many methods. Applying a rear waistlock, the River Dragon hoists Toxxic back to his feet and then quickly shifts his position until he is alongside the rookie. He wraps his leg around Toxxic’s, then snaps his whole body backwards- *WHAM!* -taking Toxxic down to the canvas with a Russian Legsweep! Calmly, methodically, Kibagami turns his opponent over onto his stomach, wraps his arms around the straight-edger’s waist again, bring him to his feet... *WHAM!* ...and delivers a brutal gutwrench suplex! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Now the Slaughterer smells blood. Grabbing Toxxic off the canvas in another rear waistlock the River Dragon tucks his head underneath Toxxic’s arm and hoists the straight-edger up as if for a backdrop, but at the apex of the lift he instead spins his opponent round into a powerbomb! Toxxic starts to go down... ...but locks his legs around Kibagami’s neck... ...and brings him over with a hurricanrana! “Toxxic counters the Rough Redemption!” Comet calls, amazed. “Try as he might, Citizen Kibagami cannot land a telling blow!” Caught off-balance, Kibagami stumbles forwards and falls through the ring ropes! He manages to catch hold of one and prevents the fall to the floor, but his balance is precarious. The Slaughterer grabs the top rope and pulls himself upright on the apron - only for Toxxic to run to the turnbuckles, vault off the second rope, fly over the top and snare him with a hurricanrana that takes both men out to the floor! “HO-LY SHIT!” “HO-LY SHIT!” “HO-LY SHIT!” For the first time the crowd are inspired to chant something different as Kibagami lands HARD on his neck and back. Toxxic staggers up and cracks his neck from side-to-side, wincing at the momentary pain that shoots through it as a result. Glancing around he sees Kibagami already stirring and slides back into the ring before getting to his feet and running clean across it. The crowd start to boo, thinking that the Straight-Edge Sensation is turning chicken - but Toxxic hits the far ropes, rebounds and charges back towards Kibagami, then flies over the top rope once more and drives the River Dragon back down with a running somersault plancha! “HO-LY SHIT!” “HO-LY SHIT!” “HO-LY SHIT!” “Toxxic is really putting his body on the line here Citizens!” Comet says. “So far neither man has had enough sustained offence to really gain a real advantage but although it makes me shudder to say it, the so-called ‘Straight-Edge Sensation’ may be able to get the upper hand now.” “I love it when men put their bodies on the line,” Riley observes. Toxxic knows that Kibagami can take more punishment that him, so he makes himself grab the River Dragon by the hair and haul him up. Kibagami will win a war of attrition, and he knows he has to keep the pressure on if he’s to survive this. Setting himself firmly the rookie hauls on his opponent’s arm and sends the Slaughterer towards the ring post- *THUNK!!* -then grabs Kibagami as he staggers backwards from the impact, locks in a rear headlock and drops to one knee, driving the other into the back of his adversary’s neck. Toxxic then pops back up and twists round, driving the River Dragon down with a Diamond Cutter! “Detoxx!” Riley calls jubilantly as Kibagami’s jaw bounces off Toxxic’s shoulder. “A count-out win is as good as any other!” Toxxic rolls slowly back into the ring, feeling the effects of the match so far. Anthony Michael Hall’s count is well underway- “FIVE!” -but the River Dragon is starting to move on the outside again. “SIX!” Wearily, Toxxic watches as Kibagami starts to push himself up. It seems that it’s going to take something special to put this man down. “SEVEN!” And the chants are starting to rise again. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “EIGHT!” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “NINE!” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” And with a half-second remaining, Nathaniel Kibagami slides back into the ring. Before he can rise Toxxic starts to rain down boots on the back of his head, still targeting the neck. Michael Hall pulls him away momentarily and gives Kibagami the second he needs to stand, but the Straight-Edge Sensation weighs back in again with a right hand that snaps the River Dragon’s head round. Still slightly dazed, Kibagami offers no response as Toxxic whips him across the ring - but then the Slaughterer reverses the momentum and sends Toxxic into the ropes instead. As the Brit rebounds towards him Kibagami drops his head, looking for the back bodydrop - but you never, ever lower your head in front of Toxxic. *CRUNCH-WHAM!!* Kibagami’s head bounces first off the Straight-Edge Sensation’s knee, then off the mat as Toxxic takes him down with the facebuster/DDT combo known as the Sobering Thought. The River Dragon rolls over onto his back, stunned by the impact, but Toxxic doesn’t cover him. Breathing heavily, the Brit walks over to the ropes and steps out onto the middle of the apron. Michael Hall starts counting, but Toxxic takes only a second to gather himself before vaulting up to the top rope - then launching into the Shooting Star Legdrop known as the Inglorious! *THUD!!* But Kibagami moves, and the outstretched leg hits only canvas! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Kibagami starts to push himself up again as the Californian crowd chant his old name towards the stars. It’s no longer the name he goes by, but he has it tattooed above his breastbone. It’s close to his heart in more than one way. Toxxic is also starting to rise, limping slightly from the jarring impact in his hip but still fast enough to avoid the Slaughterer. He’s going to have to time this just right. The straight-edger turns and Kibagami lashes out... *Whoooosh!* ...but Toxxic ducks the Burning Lariat! The Brit straightens, turning to check on his opponent’s position... *WHAM!* ...and Kibagami reverses direction and nails him in the back of the head with a left-arm Burning Lariat instead! The Straight-Edge Sensation tumbles forward to land in an untidy heap by a turnbuckle as Kibagami drops to one knee, neck burning and head swimming. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” But they’re calling his name. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” And unbidden, the smile creeps across his lips again. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” The River Dragon slowly rises, but in his hand is a small, thin object he just plucked from his boot. Bending down, Kibagami extends one hand to the canvas... and uses the black marker to draw an “X” in the exact middle of the ring. As the crowd noise starts to rise again he turns to stalk towards his fallen quarry, and the referee, the stadium, even the ring itself begin to fade into the background. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Only the chant is left. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Kibagami stands over Toxxic, who stares up at him with a dazed expression. The Slaughterer reaches down, stretching out a hand to pull the rookie up. He won’t be able to block the Demonstar this time. But hurt as Toxxic is, he’s not quite as hurt as he appears. So when Kibagami leans down he reaches up, grabs the River Dragon’s tights and pulls. Off-balance, Nathaniel Kibagami stumbles forwards, his head slips between two turnbuckles, and the top of his skull slams into the steel ringpost. *THUNK!!* “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” It seems to Nathaniel that the chants come from a long way off now. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” As he staggers back, vision swimming, he feels his body being lifted slowly off the floor. Finally he is supported on the shoulders of his opponent. Toxxic stares out at the crowd, who continue, as they have done for virtually all the match, to chant that name. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Face creasing up in anger, Toxxic starts to walk. The burden over his shoulders is heavy, but not unmanageable. He takes one step, then another, and then another... and then stands in the middle of the ring, directly over the “X” that Kibagami has just drawn. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Toxxic lifts his left arm, and as well as he can with 260lbs over his shoulders in a Fireman’s Carry, he mimes taking a swig from a can. “Caffeine Bomb!” Comet gasps. “This is the move that put Kibagami away last time!” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Toxxic is going to teach Kibagami the lesson that Edwin MacPhisto should have taught him a long time ago. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” You don’t fuck with a Brit. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Toxxic hooks his left arm behind Kibagami’s left knee and takes a deep breath... then jerks and lifts, spinning the River Dragon off his shoulders and down... ...Down... ...DOWN... *WHAM!!* ... ... And the crowd, appropriately enough, fall silent. Toxxic retains the cradle for the pin as Michael Hall drops to the mat. This move wouldn’t have troubled the real Silent - but the Silent One is no more. ONE! The River Dragon has gone. TWO!! And all that is left now is Nathaniel Kibagami. THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Mind you, that’s still more than enough. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! “RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!” “He kicked out!” Comet yells in disbelief as Kibagami’s shoulder jerks off the canvas. Michael Hall’s hand actually hits the mat for the three and the SWF’s Head Official has to tell both Toxxic and the timekeeper that it was only a two, much to Toxxic’s displeasure. “I know he’s only been here three months, but this is the first time anyone’s ever kicked out of the Caffeine Bomb!” the superhero continues, clearly shocked. “NO!” Riley shouts. “He can’t have kicked out, Comet! That should have ended it!” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Toxxic is back up to his feet, arguing furiously with Michael Hall. He doesn’t want to believe that Kibagami kicked out either. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “My only theory is the manner of delivery, Robert,” Comet speculates, still sounding shaken. “Toxxic prefers a sheer-drop version of that move but Nathaniel is a little heavy for it; the version he just performed allows him to hit it on heavier opponents, but at some cost to its efficiency!” “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” “But that beat Kibagami last time!” Riley protests. “How did he kick out this time?” “Your guess is as good as mine, Robert. No-one knows what drives this man.” Toxxic ceases his fruitless argument with Michael Hall and turns to look at his opponent. Kibagami is still on the ground, but starting to push himself up on his elbows. He has either countered, avoided or just plain kicked out of everything Toxxic has to offer, and for the first time an unfamiliar emotion starts to penetrate the wall of anger and frustration that the straight-edger has surrounded himself with. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Kibagami is up to all fours now, and Toxxic is beginning to feel afraid. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Shakily, Kibagami tries to get to one knee - and Toxxic moves. Doing his best to ignore the aches in his own body, the Straight-Edge Sensation grabs Kibagami’s long black hair again and hauls him up, then slams his forearm into the River Dragon’s jaw with a brutal European Uppercut. *WHAM!* Toxxic is feeling scared. *WHAM!* Being scared makes Toxxic feel weak. *WHAM!* And feeling weak makes Toxxic feel angry. *WHAM!* Very, VERY angry. *WHAM!* *WHAM!* *WHAM!* Kibagami’s had his head driven into the ringpost and then been dropped on it. The blows snap his neck back and make his vision blur - but Nathaniel Kibagami will be damned if this rookie is going to lay into him with no reply. *CRACK!* “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” *CRACK!* “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Toxxic is amazed that his opponent can still fight back, and with his eyes narrowing he fires off a RIGHT! LEFT! RIGHT! LEFT! Windup... DISCUS CLOTHESLINE! But Kibagami catches the arm! “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT...” Summoning his remaining strength Kibagami simply shoves Toxxic into the corner. The straight-edger’s eyes dart around looking for an escape route, but there is none available. *CRACK!* Kibagami fires off a kick to the ribs. *CRACK!* Another. A little shakily, to be sure, but Toxxic isn’t exactly steady either. As the breath shoots out of the Brit’s lungs Kibagami grabs the top rope by his side, springboards off the second and whips his right foot round in a gamengiri... *Whooosh!* ...ducked! Kibagami completes the circle, coming back to face his opponent - and Toxxic grabs the River Dragon’s head in both hands, places his skull under his opponent’s jaw and sits out! Kibagami staggers away, clutching his ringing head as Toxxic rolls under the bottom rope to the apron. The ringpost, the Caffeine Bomb, the uppercuts and now the jawbreaker all conspire to mean that Nathaniel Kibagami is doubled over in pain - and Toxxic slingshots his body from the apron over the River Dragon’s broad back, hooking him around the shoulders as he does so and bringing him over in an Oklahoma Roll. And all of Nathaniel Kibagami’s weight bears down on his own neck. ONE! TWO!! THRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! *DING-DING!* “BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” “Ladies and gentlemen, here is your winner,” Funyon booms over the guitars of Lostprophets and the deafening roar of a Californian crowd who are shitting all over what they’ve just seen transpire, “and Number One Contender to the World Heavyweight Title... TOX-XIIIC!!” “After all that it comes down to a simple matter of weight and momentum, just as Citizen Riley said,” Comet breathes disbelievingly. “Citizens... we have a new Number One Contender, but I cannot believe that this is Justice.” The crowd are furious. In the ring in the middle of the Indio Polo Field Toxxic rises unsteadily to his feet, one hand clutching at the back of his neck. The Straight-Edge Sensation is breathing heavily, but Danny Williams’ title is now within his reach.

This post used to be threatening Dace with being dropped on his head should i somehow find time to write. And now Zed changed it, for which he has my eternal gratitude. I'll be back. But I'm looking forward to the main event - which I won't see until I get back from seeing Bad Religion at the weekend! Whoooo!

Now WC's gone I believe that you, me and Clark are jointly the fastest in the ring with Speed 7 for all of us. WC was the only one to go "all out" on the speed side of things. The thing as far as Toxxic is concerned is that he uses a lot of springboard stuff, but if he's facing a fellow cruiser he'll always try and out-strike them or drop them on their head and only really picks up the pace against the big guys. I still reckon Zack should smuggle some more OATTOASTers in. There must be a budding Rey Mysterio in there somewhere. And Johnny - you CAN fly. But generally you tend to kick people instead. It's not like you're the human pinball Wildchild was.

Does the name Matt Hardy ring a bell?

Well as active teams that are actually friends with each other - I believe we currently have the Wayward Sons and Hollywood Boulevard. And the division was looking so good for a while as well. Personally I reckon the Cruiser Title should at least be on the same level as the USJL.

What, include the Cruiser champ inthe Cruiser title race? Are you mad? OK, 10.

Where did I say that? I just said that a lot of the cruisers are also competing for other belts as well. So not everyone is going to be in the title race at once.

Make that 9. Stryke, Spike, Cortez, Landon and me are all cruisers in addition to the four in the matches. But when you were champ Spike and Stryke were inactive officially, Jake and Liston were no-showing, Lee and Cortez hadn't joined and I was out of the Cruiser title hunt due to my loss to Clark (followed by my renunciation of being "forced" into it). But what you have to remember, WC, is that half of those Cruisers are also contenders to the Hardcore Title, and the other half are contenders to the USJL title. And probably one or two will be contenders to the ICTV title as well, if I ever get around to defending it this time round. And then there's the fact that (assuming Todd Royal ever shows up again) the House of Todd and Crotez as one half of Sunset Boulevard are contenders to the tag titles. Too many titles, too few wrestlers.

Speaking of which, are we going to see any more of the OAOASTers coming over? Cos it struck me recently that what this fed really lacks is "custom-made" tag teams. You know, like the Legion of Doom (only hopefully less stiff), two team members that have a cohesive team dynamic and a reason for being together. Even the best tag teams in the SWF (from what I've seen, anyway) are always two individuals who happen to be working together because it suits them for now. I was just thinking that a "jump" of two OATTOASTers trying out a "custom-made" tag format could work quite well, because the tag division isn't exactly thriving now Todd Royal's "injured", WC is on indefinite hiatus and Janus and Aecas hate each other. On another topic, I'm glad to see that although Todd Cortez and Toxxic both have a defining character in their straight-edgeness, they're two very different people. Toxxic, for example, probably wouldn't give a damn about either the Lord above OR his family...

I have to say, I think that says it all. If this was a worked match and Kibagami was the calling wrestler then holding onto the headlock might have come across as making him look weak. But this isn't the case - kibagami was writing to beat an entirely different match. The fact was that squashes don't win unless they're facing no-shows in the SWF, so he had to give Cortez some respect and some offence. So he couldn't toy with him all match. And it would have looked strange to stop toying with him deliberately. Keeping the guy grounded because the Kibagami character simply COULDN'T BE BOTHERED to do anything more flashy worked fine for me.