Zack Malibu

Earl Hebner, veteran of many a main event, calls for the bell, and the fans ease back into their seats. All three men come out of their corners, moving around the ring and all waiting to see who makes the first move. Malibu freezes, getting in the ready position after having had enough of the pacing. Both PRL and Maddix stare at him, until Maddix breaks the silence by shouting "Get him!" to PRL, daring his two challengers to exchange blows! PRL turns to glare at Maddix, who nudges his shoulder, urging Tha Puerto Rican to go first, but that doesn't go over too well with the leader of the Lightning Crew, who shoves Maddix away! Before Maddix can respond, Malibu pounces, tying up with PRL. He grabs him in a headlock, but as he does, Landon comes forward and jabs a thumb in Malibu's eye, blinding him! When Zack lets go of the hold, but PRL and Landon take an arm and shoot him into the ropes, but he ducks their double clothesline attempt and bounces off the far side with one of his own! Each man scrambles quickly to their feet, but Zack is on top of thing, taking Landon and whipping him into the corner, then countering a charging PRL with a hiptoss that sends him back to the canvas! Zack charges the corner and leaps up, monkey flipping the World Champion out of it...but Maddix's agility allows him to land gracefully on his feet, but not so gracefully on his back as PRL blasts him with a hard running dropkick out of the corner! The champion quickly rolls away, and when PRL moves towards the ropes to taunt him, Malibu sneaks up behind him and catches him with a schoolboy! ON-NO! Not even a one count, as Maddix yanks Malibu out of the ring by his ankle! Landon delivers a kick to the stomach and goes for a suplex on the floor, but Malibu slips out, landing behind Landon...and then both get taken to the floor courtesy of a Puerto Rican Pescado, drawing a respectable amount of applause from the Latino members of the crowd who have come out for Angleslam tonight! Tha Puerto Rican even pays respect to it, raising his arms in a gloating fashion that others in the crowd don't take kindly to, then resumes his offense. He reaches down for Landon first, but Maddix brushes him off and runs him back first into the apron, then cracks PRL with a hard chop. Tha Puerto Rican staggers after that, and a second one follows, but as Landon pulls back from that chop, his bare chest is cracked by the hand of Malibu! Then, PRL is hit with a chop from the Preppy One! Landon comes forward and gets stunned with a European uppercut, then taken by the head and thrown onto the apron, back into the ring. He's in a fog but recovers quickly, getting to his feet, but then as Malibu looks to launch himself back into the ring, he's yanked down to the floor by PRL, then met with a baseball slide by the World Champion that knocks him into the railing! COLE Bit of a double team there, but that's no surprise despite the obvious tension between Landon Maddix and Tha Puerto Rican. They feel Zack doesn't deserve to be here tonight, and they're going to let those feelings come out in spades! Landon gets up and then dares PRL to enter the ring again, which the Spanish sensation does quickly. He runs in and gets sidestepped by Landon, who sends him to the ropes and then takes him down with a drop toehold. Maddix goes for an elbow to the back of the head, but PRL rolls out of the way. He gets up and tries for an elbow of his own, but Landon rolls out of the way! Both men scramble to their feet and lock up, with Landon grabbing a quick headlock. PRL struggles, then sends him off to the ropes, colliding with Zack as he got back on the apron! Malibu falls back to the floor, while Tha Puerto Rican staggers into the World Champion, who quickly hits a Lungblower on him! He covers, and PRL is three seconds away from taking a walk back to the dressing room! ONE! KICKOUT! Tha Puerto Rican gets a shoulder up as quickly as he went down, but Maddix pulls him up to stay in control. After being rocked with a threesome of forearms, PRL gets sent into the corner, collding hard with the buckles. Landon gives himself some space and then starts running towards him, but in mid-run he's blasted as Malibu comes out of nowhere with a springboard dropkick that cuts him off! Maddix rolls under the bottom rope, while Malibu gets up and charges the corner...and eats the boot of his rival in the process! The Puerto Rican Menace comes out of the corner and grabs Malibu in an inverted facelock, attempting his patented Lightning Strike, but Malibu shoves him forward to block the attempt! When Tha Puerto Rican turns around, he find a size 11 boot headed his way, as Malibu tries for SCHOOL'S OUT~! early on...and gets his foot caught! PRL swings Malibu around by his leg, then sends him to the ropes, leapfrogging over his rebound! Malibu rebounds again and is met with another leapfrog, and the third rebound sees him caught with an arm drag and sent across the ring! Zack gets to his feet, but then gets blasted across the back with a forearm from Maddix! The champion grabs a rear waistlock, but Zack fires two elbows back, then reaches back and hiptosses Landon to the canvas! He reaches down to bring the "Saviour" to his feet, but Landon kicks up, knocking Malibu down. As he gets up, PRL grabs him from behind and runs him towards the ropes, catching him with a roll-up! ONE! T-KICKOUT! Landon kicks PRL forward, and Malibu reacts quick, dropping his head! PRL goes over the ropes, but hangs on, landing on the apron while clinging to the top rope! Malibu then nails Maddix with a running lariat just as he gets up, and then PRL slingshots himself onto the top rope, and springboards into the ring with an elbowdrop into the chest of the defending champ! Malibu then hops up to the middle rope and floats back with an Asai moonsault, and as he gets up he's lifted off his feet by Tha Puerto Rican, who throws him down into a legdrop on Landon before he goes for the pin! ONE! TWO! NO! Once again, the champion kicks out of PRL's attempt at victory, but he's the worse for wear out of the three competitors. Malibu and PRL bring him up and send him to the ropes, dropping their heads for a double back bodydrop. Landon manages to put the breaks on, nailing Zack with a hard kick that knocks him back, and then hits a quick STO on Tha Puerto Rican! PRL clutches his head and rolls around the canvas, leaving Maddix proud for all of two seconds, before he turns around and comes face to face with Zack! Malibu opens fire, striking hard and fast with open hand blows across the face, an inverted atomic drop, and then a Yakuza kick to cap it off! Malibu drops onto his nemesis and hooks the leg, while Earl Hebner does his thing and begins the count! ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! COLE The World Champion has been on the brunt of most of the punishment here tonight, and that's smart thinking. If Zack and Tha Puerto Rican manage to eliminate him from this matchup first, then we'll be guaranteed a new World Champion tonight! Malibu gets up, but no sooner is he on his feet that he's blasted from behind and dropped with a back suplex from PRL! Zack is then stomped on, as PRL puts the boots to him before bringing him up. An arm wrench follows, and PRL brings the point of his elbow down on Zack's forearm, then shoves him chest first into the corner. He pounds on the back of the popular prep, softening him up, then stands up on the middle rope and wrenches back on Zack's head with a rear chinlock! Due to Zack being in the ropes, Hebner gives PRL a five count...a luxury that the Spanish superstar is all too happy to take advantage of, as he keeps the hold applied the full time he's allowed! Tha Puerto Rican hops off the ropes and turns Zack around, striking him with a hard chop that echoes throughout the famed arena! PRL pulls Zack out of the corner, but Zack wraps his free arm around the ropes, preventing himself from going! PRL tries again and gets the same result, so he fires off a trifecta of jabs to stun Malibu and whips him across the ring...into the waiting arms of Landon Maddix, who comes to and hits a flash powerslam when he sees Malibu headed his way! Landon stays on top and keeps the leg hooked, while PRL circles them both. ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! Maddix and Malibu get to their feet...the former a bit quicker than the latter. Landon grabs the arm and wrenches, then segues into a stepover armbar, while PRL goes and holds Zack's other arm up by the wrist and unloads on his ribs with kicks. Maddix steps back over the arm, bringing Malibu to a vertical base, and together they shoot the crowd favorite to the ropes. Malibu bounces back, hopping over Maddix, who has dropped to the mat, and under a leapfrog from Tha Puerto Rican. Malibu hits the ropes again, leapfrogging over PRL...and gets dropkicked in mid-air by Maddix! Zack crashes to the mat, and gets the boot put to him a few more times by PRL, while Maddix claps and mockingly cheers PRL on! Tha Puerto Rican turns and glares at Maddix, who continues clapping...and then jabs a thumb in PRL's eye, blinding him! He sends him to the ropes and nails him with a crisp looking dropkick, and when PRL scrambles to his feet, he's met with a second one that knocks him through the ropes and onto the apron! Dragging himself up with the help of the ropes, PRL gets to his feet, but Maddix rushes the corner, leaps up, and then nails his occasional ally/opponent for the evening with a third dropkick that sends him down to the floor! COLE Tha Puerto Rican has been sent to the floor, and now Landon Maddix only has one opponent to deal with! COACH You make it seem like that's a good thing. Popick and Lindsay flock to the side of their mentor, checking on his condition. The World Champion throws insults and threats his way from the ring, gloating about his tactics to the crowd. Maddix turns around, and then freezes, because an agitated Zack Malibu has risen to his feet and is inching towards La Cucaracha! COLE The former World Champion and the man who stole it from him are all alone and face to face in the heart of New York City! Maddix puts his hands up, pleading for Zack to rethink things. Maddix points to PRL out on the floor, motioning for Zack to come and work him over 2 on 1, saying "we can get rid of him!". Zack doesn't want to hear it, though. In fact, the only thing that's heard as Malibu moves in after Landon is the hard smack caused by his foot, connecting with Landon's thigh after a roundhouse kick! Landon winces, but stays on the move, circling Malibu until Zack moves in again, nailing him in the leg just above the knee with another hard kick! Landon winces again, but now grows frustrated, and fires back a kick of his own, tagging Zack on the upper portion of his left leg! Malibu responds with another kick of his own, and Landon fires back with a second kick, with the crowd egging them on as they duel! *SMACK* BOOOOOOOOOO! *SMACK* YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAH! *SMACK* BOOOOOOOOOOOO! *SMACK* YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH! Both men circle each other, limping slightly as their legs deal with the impact of the kicks. Landon fires another one off, but this time Malibu decides to block, grabbing the leg in mid-kick! He quickly takes Landon down with a Dragon Screw, and holds onto the leg, looking to trap Landon in a figure four leglock...but Landon reaches up and cradles Malibu before the hold can be applied! ONE! TW-KICKOUT! Zack kicks out, and as Landon stands up, knocks his legs out from under him, then dives on for the cover! ONE! NO! Landon presses Zack off of him rather easily and begins to get up again, but Malibu is up and running, literally! He bounces off the ropes, but Landon is ready for him. A monkey flip sends Zack through the air, but he lands on his feet...only to be caught with a slingshot sunset flip from a returning PRL...whose pin attempt is broken up when Landon Maddix nails him in the face with a basement dropkick! COLE Landon actually saving Zack from defeat just then, and one has to wonder why. COACH C'mon, Mikey Cole, do I need to explain it? The longer all three of these guys are killing each other, it's a lesser effort from all involved. Let the other guys exert all their energy rather than waste all of your own! COLE Coach, that actually...makes sense! All three men struggle to rise to their feet, and it's Landon who does so first. He acts quick, firing Malibu to the ropes, then grabs him and spins him in a tilt-a-whirl...but as Malibu spins he swings towards Tha Puerto Rican and catches his head! Landon then throws Malibu's legs up and off his shoulders, throwing Malibu into a jawbreaker on PRL! As he falls back into the corner, Malibu gets up, but dodges the oncoming lariat from Maddix, who runs all the way to the corner, and Tha Puerto Rican escapes at the last second! Malibu charges in, nailing the reigning champion with a Zack Attack II to a huge pop, but then turns around and gets hit with a gamengiri from The Corporate Champ! COACH Dodge THIS, bitch! COLE Dodge what? COACH Don't play that game with me, Mikey...Malibu just got knocked on his ass by Tha Puerto Rican! With Malibu down, PRL races to the corner and jumps up on the middle rope, hammering an already dazed Cucaracha with punches! Landon pushes PRL off of him, but Tha Puerto Rican races back at him...and runs into a back elbow! Landon hops up on the ropes, but before he can do anything, Tha Puerto Rican lunges forward once more, knocking Landon off balance, causing him to crotch himself on the top rope! With a Latin contingent urging him on (most of 'em, anyways), PRL climbs up the turnbuckles and braces himself, pulling Landon up and over before falling back to earth with a superplex that rocks the ring! COLE We felt the Earth move on that one! COACH Well, the ladies in the crowd should appreciate that. COLE Coach! Landon and PRL lay on the mat with the wind knocked out of both of them. The third man, Malibu, starts pulling himself up by the ropes, and turns to notice both of his foes laid out. Zack then steps out to the apron and starts making his way up the turnbuckles, listening to the crowd response grow louder the higher he gets. Zack places himself on the top rope and takes one final look, making sure his aim is right...then leaps off, soaring through the air like a screaming eagle before coming down with a guillotine legdrop on Landon Maddix...AND Tha Puerto Rican~!~!~! COLE A DOUBLE flying legdrop from Zack Malibu! He just connected with not one, but BOTH of his opponents on that! Zack rolls over and leans onto Maddix's chest, covering the shocked and shaken up braggart. ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! COLE Another two count! The World Champion is showing that he can be as resilient as he is arrogant! Malibu sits up on his knees

Regarding Rave, Russo was apparently the one after him/interested in him, so I suppose there's some type of idea in place. Jimmy can be a solid, albeit unspectacular worker. He had a cup of coffee with TNA in the Nashville days during the "rotating X division stars of the week" that also included pre-Team Canada Eric Young, Matt Sydal, The Backseat Boyz, and other notable indy talents. Even in ROH, he was nothing more than a decent undercard guy until he turned heel and did a good job in the Embassy angle.

The Observer this week reported Jarrett vs. Angle will not be a Bound For Glory match. Angle will be in the main event, however. I'm guessing it's either Joe's big win in a stip match (Six Sides Of Steel, maybe?) or that they're close to a deal with Lesnar. Being that they're getting two hours soon, I expect them to make the hard sell to guys like RVD, Jericho, Goldberg, Lesnar, Big Show and/or Hogan.

Triple H. The early portion of the McMahon's son angle will see him get screwed over at every turn, but then he wins the Rumble and now Kennedy has no choice but to face the music at Wrestlemania.

OK, so apparently all we have for the main event is all I've written so far, and there's no way I can finish this on my own until the weekend given work and life in general. If that's the case, Angleslam is gonna have to wait until this Sunday, because I didn't expect this to have to be done solo (which is why I had posted it/worked on it as early as I did in GCF).

Cor Von is still at home "taking care of his family". Burke needs to be rehabbed a little after jobbing to Punk so much, but jobbing to Balls "The Animal" Steele hasn't helped the cause.

EWC had asked me to try and finish the main event, but I don't have an updated version of it (not sure how much work he and/or KC have done on it) to do so.

It was originally meant to be a swerve on Batista, but when Eddie was getting bigger face responses than Big Dave, they kept him on as a face.

WO this week was reporting that WWE seems to want to build a Punk vs. Big Daddy V ECW Title feud.

Now with his turn to speak, Malibu eyes both of his Angleslam opponents, while the crowd shows their support for the popular superstar by chanting his name, delaying his speech. "ZACK!" "ZACK!" "ZACK!" Maddix isn't happy about the biased crowd reaction, and he lets the crowd know by turning to them and chastising them. Tha Puerto Rican appears equally agitated by it, but he stands back, allowing the World Champion to make an ass of himself. Maddix goes so far as to shove PRL by the shoulder and ask if he's going to put up with that, but PRL shoves him back, causing a commotion between the two. Tensions flare, but Malibu of all people is the one to break them up. MALIBU THIS...this doesn't bode well for you guys come Sunday! Look at the two of you, ready to act on impulse and throw down at a moment's notice...that's good. But think about it...irrational decisions can lead to unfortunate consequences. Think about it. You guys get into it right now, and you're just making it easier for me. Is that how you want it, Landon? Or you, PRL? A title shot in the world's most famous arena, and you want to hand it to me on a sliver platter? Go right ahead, I won't complain! You guys wanna brawl, fistfight, claw, scratch, kick each other's asses, go for it, I'll wait for you to finish. Malibu backs up, motioning for Landon and Tha Puerto Rican to continue their squabble, but neither do. MALIBU Let me tell the two of you something, right now. The three of us have nothing in common. The three of us have no ties to each other other other than one thing. That this Sunday, the three of us are going to put on the most intense battle in OAOAST history. The three of us all have one goal...to capture...or in your case, Landon, retain, THAT. Malibu points to the World Title slung over Landon's shoulder, causing the cocky champion to pat the belt and nod his head. MALIBU That's what it's all about. I don't care about either of you, I just care about THAT. That belt means everything to this company. That belt is what everyone in that locker room is striving to get at, and this Sunday, we three are going to go balls to the wall, we're going to fight to the finish, we're going to bust out whatever cliche fits the situation but the bottom line is that this Sunday we are going to WAR! You can talk all you want about the "Angleslam Curse". You guys can map out a strategy and make it so I don't have a chance in hell of winning. You can double up on me, call out the Lightning Crew, pay off someone to jump me, have me maimed in front of the entire New York population, but you know, deep down, that it won't stop me. That I'll keep coming. I'll get up every time I'm knocked down. Those who have cast a shadow of doubt over what's going to happen in Madison Square Garden have NO IDEA what that does to me. It's my fuel. It's my energy. It's my motivation. I am NOT losing this time. I'm at my absolute best when my back is against the wall. Whether it's you, Landon, or you, PRL. Whether it's the both of you at the same time...I'm ready. I'm not going down this time. Maddix, you screwed me, and you screwed Tha Puerto Rican, just to get that belt around your waist. You're an opportunistic sonuvabitch, but you haven't proven that you deserve to have that belt yet. PRL, you've waited a long time for this. You got screwed too, but in your case maybe karma was coming back to bite you on the ass, because you've cut corners 1000 times over since the moment you debuted here. The both of you best bring your A-game. The both of you better prepare for the fight of your life.

My segment has been edited in. Stacked show, I've only skimmed some of it, but given there's not much going on at the office, I'll get a chance to read the whole thing sooner than later.

We move further into the evening as HeldDOWN~! returns with the C&C Announcing Factory, Michael Cole and The Coach, greeting us from Sofa Central. COLE Last week, a technical snafu early in our broadcast saw the planned AngleSlam press conference not go as expected, as video transmission from the site of the conference was blacked out for several minutes. We've heard heard from or will hear from the three participants at various points tonight, and right now we're going to show you this video package on one of those men. Take a look at the Franchise of our company, Zack Malibu. ZACK MALIBU ON: CAPTURING HIS FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. ...ANGLE SLAM...NO! NO! ZACK slips out, LANDING ON ONLY HIS LEFT LEG! ZACK LANDED ON ONE LEG! Kick to the gut...POP DROP! POP DROP! ZACK MALIBU COVERS! 1... 2... 3! * DING DING DING * "Winning that World Title at Anglemania II...man, I don't know if any feeling can come close to what I felt at that moment. To make history not only that night, but over the years by being a part of this company's growth...that's irreplaceable." ZACK MALIBU ON: FIGHTING CHAMPIONS, FRIENDS AND FOES. Zack speeds down the hallways in the custom made forklift made popular by he and his friends The Boogie Knights at one point. Zack hops off, and throws the food-covered Edward Robins onto the lift, and then drives off, raising him up off the ground. Zack drives through the entranceway and out to the arena, lifting Edward even higher up, so that the lift is sticking over the top rope and into the ring. Zack climbs off the Spirit Lifter and onto the apron, and looks out to the crowd, while Edward dangles in the air, hanging off of the forklift blades. Malibu goes to the top rope, all the while keeping his focus on Edward. MC:"What is he doing?" With Edward half-off the forklift blades, Zack jumps up, soaring through the air and hitting a Guillotine Legdrop, taking Edward off the forklift blades with it! Coach:"YO!" Both men crash to the canvas, as the fans start chanting "Holy Shit" at the spot. The referee watches both of them, and finally Zack rolls over, just barely getting his body in position to pin his opponent. The referee makes the count... 1! 2!! 3!!! "Having that World Title, though...it's both a blessing and a curse. Here you are, representing a company on the fast track to becoming legendary. You've got to be a fighting champion and nothing less, because everyone...friend, foe, even the fans, want what you have. Having that belt did wonders for my career, but it tore apart relationships. It ripped The In Crowd apart. The ironic thing is that Caboose and Anglesault, the guy I nearly beat for the World Title and the guy I won my first one from, became two of my best friends in the business. When I first came here, a lot of people thought I was just another prettyboy, trying to get attention. Going to hell and back with those two showed not only them, but the world that I was for real." ZACK MALIBU ON: THE ANGLESLAM CURSE. Calvin pulls Zack to his feet, and mouths something to him...THEN TOSSES HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE~! ZACK MALIBU IS BEING HUNG~! The referee slides out of the ring frantically, trying to undo Zack from the cable. Calvin climbs up the ladder steadily, making it to the next to last step, and reaching up, the OAOAST Title Belt swaying in the breeze. The referee frees Zack from his grip, and Zack collapses to the deck, out of breath and near-faint, as the referee looks into the ring... AND SEES CALVIN SZECHSTEIN GRAB THE OAOAST WORLD TITLE BELT~! "I don't know if I'm cursed, but I know that I just can't seem to gain a victory at Angleslam. In 2003, I lost my World Title to Calvin Szechstein..." The crowd roars as Zack and Crystal land...but Crystal tucks and rolls backwards just as she crashes...AND COMES UP WITH MALIBU'S LEGS IN HER ARMS~! THE CRYSTALLING IS LOCKED ON~!!!!!!!!! "...the next year, I lost the World Title again, to Crystal." ...BECAUSE DREK STONE SLAMS THE HEAD OF ZACK MALIBU INTO THE CANVAS WITH A FALLING STAR DRIVER! COLE That spiteful sonuvabitch! Drek nearly passes out from exerting so much energy, but rolls over and still hooks a leg, even though the bloody Malibu is completely blacked out. ONE! TWO! THREE! "2005 was an interesting year, because you had the friction in the company. The whole dynamic of the latter half of that year saw this company in what I'd call the worst shape it was ever in. Drek Stone beat me at Angleslam two years ago, and I'd have accepted that just fine, just like I have with other losses. People say that that night is what led me to hate him so much, but it's not. He beat me in the center of the ring...it was his actions afterwards that caused all the turmoil." ZACKMALIBU ON: THE PAST YEAR. Angleslam 2006. Blank drops to his knees, and pulls Malibu's head up, the cameras catching the grisly visual of Zack, with his eyes squinted shut, drenched in blood. Blank wipes his hand across Malibu's forehead, staining his own hand with some of Zack's blood, and LICKS IT, before spitting it back in Malibu's face and dropping him down again! He comes over again and reaches out for Blank, but as soon as Bruce feels him, he spins around, grabbing one of the small monitors off the announce desk as he does... *WHAM~!* ...AND HE BLASTS ZACK MALIBU ACROSS THE HEAD WITH IT! "One year ago, at Angleslam, I took on the man that I would call my toughest opponent and not think twice about it. That match, that whole feud with Bruce Blank brought things to a new level. What you saw go on between us was the very definition of a blood feud, sometimes literally. When you go after me it's one thing, that's the way this business goes. But when you go after my girlfriend, and my DAUGHTER, you're crossing the line. Bruce Blank wasn't afraid to cross lines, and he wasn't afraid to take pain in order to dish out more. The fact that I retired him from this company ranks right up there with any title win you can name, because I felt that not only did I redeem myself and my family, but I spared other superstars from becoming victims of his psychotic tendencies." School's Out 2007. Zack pushes him away, right into Anglesault, who shoves Stone forward RIGHT INTO SCHOOL'S OUT~! COLE HE GOT HIM! COME ON ZACK~! Zack falls on top of Drek Stone, and Anglesault, still favoring himself with one hand, uses the other one to do the one thing people have been waiting to see all night. ONE! TWO!! THREE!!! "Earlier this year I also managed to eliminate another problem. Winning the World Title for the third time meant as much as it did the first time, maybe moreso because finally the fans knew the belt was around the waist of someone who cared about it. We've gone over Drek Stone so much in the past, it's repetitive to drag it on. Suffice to say, I promised that I'd restore the honor to that championship. Guys we've talked about here tonight, like Anglesault and Caboose...we paved the way for this current generation of superstars. A lot of guys have come and gone in this company, but the legacies remain." ZACK MALIBU ON: HIS ANGLESLAM OPPONENTS. Favoring the ribs, Malibu keels over and winds up scooped up again, onto Landon's shoulders, before La Cucaracha decides to put him to bed. GO 2 SLEEP ON ZACK MALIBU~! COLE No, COME ON! This is robbery! This was a premeditated assault! Malibu, with blood dripping down his chin, is lifeless, as Landon Maddix makes a rather arrogant cover. ONE! TWO! THREE! DING! DING! DING! COLE NO! I don't believe it...this can't be happening! "Landon Maddix got one over on me. I'll admit it to the face of anyone who asks. Does that mean I think highly of him, or respect him? Not one bit. Landon Maddix outsmarted me, but that's all the credit I'm gonna give him. He took advantage of an opportunity, and some people think it was the cheap way out, but the fact is that if any of them had that contract to cash in without notice, they'd have done it too. Tha Puerto Rican was looking to do the same thing to me, but Landon cut him off at the past. Landon Maddix in one night outsmarted two longtime OAOAST stars, myself included, and got himself a World Championship. What Landon fails to realize though is that not only has he painted that target on his back by winning the World Title, but he's got TWO people breathing down his neck at the same time. Tha Puerto Rican and I have never, ever faced off one on one. In all our accomplishments, in all our time in this federation, he and I had never truly crossed paths until this situation came about. Landon Maddix, he's the last holdover from The Wildcards feud...the most intense, brutal feud that this promotion ever saw. Sure, Todd Cortez is still around, but look what happened there. I went outside of the box again. I outsmarted Landon AND Tha Puerto Rican at Syndicated. Do you think Landon's ego could handle that? Do you think Tha Puerto Rican liked having his back against the wall like that? Just like they showed me what they're capable of, I'm able to keep them on their toes. We're going to be in New York in less than two weeks, with that World Title on the line. Do I worry about the "Angleslam Curse"? No. Do I worry about what Landon Maddix or Tha Puerto Rican have up their sleeve? No. You know why? Because time and time again, I've proven that I'm at my best when my back is against the wall. So if Landon's going to take the cheap way out to try and cling to that belt, let him try. If the whole damn Lightning Crew wants to try and beat me down to soften me up, bring them on. Those two did what not many can claim to do...they brought Zack Malibu down a notch. Now, they'll have to live with the consequences. Angleslam's creeping up on us, boys, and only one thing is for certain...come hell or high water, we're going to make history. If you expect to be the last man standing, you'd best bring your A-game, because I know I am."

Actually, I don't believe Jones and Killings were to feud, but rather somehow develop respect for each other and form a tag team. The reports were that Pac Man was hinting that he was going to be competing for the World Tag Team Titles at some point. So if he's able to wrestle (or even if he's not), odds are that it's going to come out that it wasn't Killings who jumped him backstage, but someone else, and that's how Killings and he forge an alliance.

I'm guessing the latter is due to the boxing match rumored for SNME.

Show me where I compared Pacman to Mike Tyson. I said it was TNA's attempt at a Tyson angle, namely taking the hot topic controversial sports star of the time and bringing him in for the media rub. I wasn't talking about fame or money-drawing ability, just the fact that it's a similar situation and an attempt to get their name out there. Granted the WWF was well-known when Tyson came around, but that angle was one of the cornerstones of the Attitude era. As far as building people up, TNA has done a damn good job of building up Samoa Joe and AJ Styles (just off the top of my head) into familiar names amidst the non-smarks...TNA's problem lies in the fact that they were either too shy to put the belt on AJ despite marketing him as their franchise player (and now he's little more than a faction lackey), or in Joe's case, didn't pull the trigger when they should have. They were on their way to doing it with Monty Brown too, but a combination of a stupid booking decision (his heel turn) and his own lack of enthusiasm in the business killed that quick.

To play Devil's Advocate, nobody is making TNA money at this point. They have the upper echelon of stars that occasionally spike buys (Sting's return, Joe vs. Angle 1), but not one star in that company is a consistent draw. Not to mention that cutting loose/cutting back on guys like the Lance Hoyt's and David Young's and The Naturals is not necessarily a bad move on their part, as they needed to trim some dead weight sooner or later. It's better than people like Eric Young or James Storm or Alex Shelley getting cut. Pacman Jones is very much the Mike Tyson angle for TNA. If they can't work out the legal problems than it won't be as effective (and in the worst case scenario, utterly pointless, booking-wise), but they got their name out there, and that could be worth the investment. I've long been 50/50 on Russo. He's had some good contributions, and I admire the man in the sense that he tries his best to find something for everybody to do, but enough's enough. Either rein him in or let him go, because his shit's not flying these days. Some ideas may sound good in theory, but they're not clicking in practice.

KC, I'm kinda glad I see that this has gone unfinished thus far. I got hit with a stomach virus late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and haven't been online since my attempts to remain at work yesterday in my condition. It looks like you're still working on this so just let me know where to pick up come morning. If anyone complains about HD being late (and I don't think anyone would), feel free to blame it on me and my illness, heh.

Could this be the whole Jimmy Rave work/shoot that's been rumored lately?

This will be the theme song for the event, for those wanting it for video/hype package purposes:

I don't know if I'd compare him to Raven, but he's trying to do that whole Zen surfer/rocker type deal it seems. I think the promo's only sound forced because that's not his style...I thought he was fine as the cocky party boy heel. Oh, and RepoMan, I held the title of Resident Kelly Clarkson mark for quite some time now, lol.

When Serotonin was set to get a big push, So Cal Val was supposed to be Raven's girlfriend in the group.

This statement is actually pretty far from the truth. I'm not sure how much OVW you've seen, but there was a point where Basham and Damaja were the highlight of the promotion, and this is when it still had guys like Orton, Cena, ex WCWers like O'Haire, etc. involved. I can't stress enough how much people need to see the Loser Leaves OVW match they had back in '03...if you're judging them based soley on their WWE/TNA work, it'd be like you were watching two different people. Phenomenal match. Morgan was still a bit green last I saw him (due to no one in WWE listening when Cornette said to just hold off). He's very good on the mic as well, but we never got to see him speak without a stutter. Conway is a good hand in the ring, and has good charisma, he just got stuck having a streak of shitty gimmicks. WWE has a habit of trying to polish the turds (re: pushing guys like Masters) while shitting on those who could actually do better than what they're given (see the aforementioned OVW talent, Brent Albright, and countless others).

Awesome, nice to see a throwback to OVW with the affiliation. Hopefully Cornette doesn't let him get booked like a chump and Morgan can finally make something of himself. Guy had all the potential in the world before, then WWE threw him on TV with no buildup (as Heyman's flunky) or as a stuttering fool (with Carlito). I'm not hopeful. They looked to be going in the right direction with Basham and Damaja but I haven't seen them in quite some time. Instead Hoyt is now the focus of the feud and of the three, he's the worst worker. It's a damn shame, I love Damaja. It was in the WON last week that Damaja flaked out on TNA, no-showing the tapings before the last PPV. So he looks to be done, leaving Basham holding the bag so to speak. Putting Morgan, Basham and Rob Conway in a stable helmed by Cornette could be all kinds of good, but I don't want to see any heel authority figure type deals going on.

Awesome, nice to see a throwback to OVW with the affiliation. Hopefully Cornette doesn't let him get booked like a chump and Morgan can finally make something of himself. Guy had all the potential in the world before, then WWE threw him on TV with no buildup (as Heyman's flunky) or as a stuttering fool (with Carlito).

No, it's going to be rather overbooked. To be defeated, that person has to be bleeding and whoever gets the victory gets a title shot at...some point in the future. It sounds incredibly stupid to me. They did that stipulation before in the Nashville days (IIRC it was something like the New Church and the ECW guys against S.E.X.), so it's hardly anything new (and if memory serves, that was a decent brawl). There's nothing overbooked about it. Those matches are made for people to bleed anyways, so they're just selling the gore factor. Also, the title shot was stated as coming at No Surrender, not one of those phantom #1 contender deals. If anything, this sounds like one of the least clusterfuck matches they could have/have had. Not to mention that we've got four competent workers, and one who hasn't been so bad in recent times (Tomko) involved.