Zack Malibu

Zack Malibu and Theodore Moneymaker will confront each other, with Moneymaker telling Zack that come Zero Hour he'll need to finally face his past. What does this mean? Only time will tell!

Having the guy come back after a 2 year layoff to stand by his wife as she battled cancer, suffer through her death, and care for his children would be enough to make The Great Khali into an ultra babyface. I don't think it was necessarily used to get a face character over, rather that TNA deals more to the hardcore/internet crowd, everyone knew about it, plus it was mentioned last year on TNA TV/PPV (Slammiversary, which Jarrett backed out of due to Jill passing away). I don't think that introducing Foley kills anything, because Foley has always had the rep for giving back to the young guys and knowing how important it is to follow your dreams. They'll probably run with the whole "jumped off a roof as a kid and wound up becoming a World Champion years later" deal for Foley to make him an inspirational babyface.

IIRC, it was Joey Abs (as Jason Arhndt or however it was spelled) who pinned Stone Cold Steve Austin in late '96 on an episode of Superstars. Austin was in a handicap match against two jobbers when British Bulldog ran in and leveled him for mocking the Harts (this was leading to the Bret feud for Survivor Series).

There is no way they can do Carnage justice while they still go for the "superhero fantasy" element that brings in kids as well as fanboys. He's too dark of a character for these movies.

Wow, first Agent names SBTB as the first show he's never seen, and then it gets confused with Boy Meets World. Oy vey. I've never seen any of the Harry Potters or any of the new Star Wars (have no interest in any of 'em despite having loved the original SW movies when I was a little kid). Have seen pieces of the LOTR trilogy and fell asleep during every single one of 'em.

I loved that mystery partner match, as I've always counted Steamboat amongst my top 5 favorite wrestlers. I've got it on tape somewhere and need to put it on DVD. I've also got that Clash match with Vader vs. Dustin...IIRC it was the first time Vader used the reverse powerbomb as a finisher.

"Getting Away With Murder" hits for the first time in a few weeks on HeldDOWN~!, and the unexpected sound of Papa Roach's anthem brings the fans to their feet, for they know what it means! COLE Here he comes! The OAOAST's favorite son returns here tonight on HeldDOWN~!, and it's great to see Zack back! Amidst the cheers, ZACK MALIBU heads out from the back, all dressed up with some place to go...namely down to the ring! The leader of The In Crowd heads to the squared circle, slapping some hands along the way, as the ratings are surely rising for the appearance of the former World Champion. After obtaining the mic, Malibu steps up into the ring and poses briefly for his fans, then starts to say what's on his mind. MALIBU I know that most of you are wondering where I've been since Angleslam. I know that The Enterprise would like to spin things in their favor and think that they've broken me down and run me off, but as you can see by me standing here in this ring that is far from the case. The reason for my absence from OAOAST television was simply due to a family situation. As you all know, I've got a beautiful baby daughter at home who fell victim to illness last week, and I rushed out on the first flight I could find to be by her side. While it was nothing serious, even the slightest hint of sickness will take its toll on a young child, as any parent here in the crowd can attest to. I might be new at this dad thing and might worry a little too much sometimes, but my family takes precident over my wrestling, and I'm sure everyone can agree with me on that. The crowd applauds Zack's noble gesture, and he nods in thanks before getting back to business. MALIBU NOW, since I am back here on HeldDOWN~!, let's talk about a few things, shall we? Let's talk about Angleslam, and The Enterprise, and the fact that I, for one, am growing SICK AND TIRED of Theodore Moneymaker pulling strings, swaying things in his favor, and claiming that I'm the biggest fraud this company has ever seen! Well, Moneymaker, congratulations. You've succeeded in drawing my ire, because I'm going to make you eat those words. You've got yourself surrounded by your little empire, your Enterprise...people who are quick to do your bidding for a quick buck, no matter the cost or consequence. Meanwhile, I stand in this ring as your polar opposite, the leader of a group of individuals more talented and more dedicated than maybe anyone I've come across, past or present. You come out here and bring up the past, incidents that I may not necessarily be proud of, but they happened. I can't take them back, but I will damn sure not let you use them to manipulate your way through this company. The blood and sweat that this company was built on is thicker and means more to everyone in that locker room than any currency you can flash around, so instead of peeling off $100 bills and bribing your way through life, take a page out of my book. Be a MAN, Theodore, and face your challenge head on. Be a man, be the elitist you pride yourself on being, and stand face to face, nose to nose, with ME! Don't just tell me what you think...SHOW ME. Show me here, in this ring! The crowd roars, as Malibu's grandstand challenge has been thrown out. Surely enough, it's only moments before a response is heard, by a voice booming over a microphone even before the person speaking has stepped through the curtain. "Zack, Zack, Zack..." Stepping out onto the ramp is THEODORE MONEYMAKER, the object of Zack's ire, but he's certainly not dressed for a fight in that dapper ensemble. MONEYMAKER Look at you, Zachary. So full of piss and vinegar, so eager to be the conquering hero once again. Well, sadly, not tonight. You, for once, are not on my agenda. The crowd boos loudly at the cowardice, although Moneymaker would have you believe it's for another reason. MONEYMAKER Now I've listened to you tonight, Zack, and you do make some sense. I think it is about time that I showed you what I think of you. Unfortunately for you, it's not just what I think of you, Zack. Do you think I'm acting on my own opinions when I talk about your checkered past? Do you think I do it just to goad you into a fight, to lure you into a trap? Zack Malibu, when you look in the mirror every day, you are staring at your own worst enemy! The hell that has been brought down on you numerous times is of no one's fault but YOUR OWN! You are so desperate to save face, Zack...so desperate to remain accepted by these peons that you will have them eat out of the palm of your hand when the truth is the only person you care about is YOURSELF! You lose at one of our major PPV's and vanish into thin air, because of a family emergency? Then you come back and proudly proclaim how you've been home being Father Of The Year? Come clean Zack...your family is just as much of a lie as your heroism is! Zack's face drops, as Moneymaker is crossing the line. MONEYMAKER Struck a nerve, have I? Let's think about this one...the OAOAST's Franchise, the living, breathing superhero. A role model to people all over this world...had a child out of wedlock and not ONCE has even hinted that his girlfriend, the mother of his child, might just be the woman he wants to spend his life with. This same man travels the world, bloodies people, verbally abuses people including WOMEN, hangs out with a former junkie and a former porn star, and yet is supposed to be revered?!?! Personally, to me, that is UNACCEPTABLE! You do not DESERVE to be applauded, Zachary. You do not deserve the cheers of these people. I myself do not give a DAMN what they think about me, but you are simply the Pied Piper, leading all of these blind mice along with your charade. So now, Zack, that being said...I'm going to grant you what you've asked. I am going to step into an OAOAST ring, and I'm going to tell you...nay Zack, I'm going to show you the error of your ways. I'm challenging you to show up at Zero Hour, Zack, and step into that ring... MALIBU You're on! You don't even have to finish that sentence, Moneymaker, because at Zero Hour, I will be more than happy to kick your ass across this ring! The crowd roars at Malibu's proud proclamation, but Moneymaker simply chuckles. MONEYMAKER There you go, getting ahead of yourself again, Zack. See, at Zero Hour, we will be in that ring staring each other down...but we aren't having a match. The crowd boos, and now Malibu claims, off mic, that Moneymaker is a coward. MONEYMAKER I'll be there, Zack, but not to wrestle. I'll be standing in that ring watching you turn pale, watching as your eyes lower, because at Zero Hour, I'm challenging you to face the one thing that you fear more than anything. The one thing that you don't want anyone to remember...not these fans, not your so called family at home, not your friends in the locker room. At Zero Hour, Zack Malibu, I am challenging you to come face to face with YOUR PAST. Moneymaker, looking more stern and determined at this point, stares at Malibu, who looks more confused than ever. Moneymaker then cackles and walks off, leaving a bewildered Zack Malibu alone in the ring. COLE Zack Malibu returned with a vengeance here tonight, but Theodore Moneymaker has threatened to have Zack face his past at Zero Hour. What do you think that means, Coach? COACH Well, short of Moneymaker showing up with a DeLorean for Zack to go back in time, I don't know! COLE We know THAT'S not happening. COACH Do you even realize how much money that guy has? He probably drives one now just for fun! COLE You really believe that, don't you?

It's that time again folks. Today's topic...what if, at Summerslam '97, when Owen Hart dropped Steve Austin with the piledriver that broke his neck, it was Austin's last match? We know that Austin did manage to come back and kick off a wrestling boom the likes of which we haven't seen since, but could that have happened without Steve Austin? Would the dynamic rises of The Rock or Mick Foley meant as much to create the Attitude Era? Would Owen have suffered repercussions for injuring the man the WWE was banking on to be a top star for them for years to come? Would this affect the Montreal Screwjob at all, as McMahon would be down one top talent and might not want to risk losing another? You know the drill. Follow up with your hypotheticals and what ifs, here. What do you think would have happened in the biggest star in wrestling had his career cut short before it truly even took off?

I ususally try to do these In Your Opinion/Armchair Booker style threads once a week, so here's the latest one to get discussion going. What if, in 1993, Hogan and McMahon didn't have their big falling out? Let's go so far as to say Hogan played no part in the steroid trial leading to their bad blood for a while? Hogan never met Bischoff, never went to WCW and brought Brutus, Earthquake, Honky Tonk Man and his others around. We probably would have never gotten a Renegade, never had Flair lose that retirment match, and never had the shitfest known as Starrcade '94. Vader wouldn't have been made to look like a fool, and the Dungeon Of Doom would/could have ceased to exist. Now, if that happens, it also means that McMahon might not have been as open to let guys that didn't fit his normal mold into the spotlight (Bret, Shawn, Owen). Could the clique have co-existed with Hogan? Would Bischoff have ever been so jaded by the spotlight of Hogan being there to let guys like Austin and Foley go to the opposition without caring about it? Would we have gotten an NWO angle as tide-turning as it was without Hogan's involvement? So, TSM, what do you think the WWF/E and WCW would be like if Hogan stayed put, or even outright retired altogether and did his Hollywood thing. Would we have gotten the Monday Night Wars, the NWO, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Attitude era, and everything else that we're so fond of? -I started this topic at The Pit already, and a few things mentioned were the fact that WWF would be more likely to lose Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart with Hogan staying. It was also discussed that Hogan could easily do the shocking heel turn as the jaded hero going against his fans in the way that Bret did, and maybe even could have done the double turn that launched Austin into the stratosphere. The topic of Michaels leading the NWO as a cowardly heel came up, as did Bret jumping to lead Hall and Nash in WCW. Just a few sidenotes that might help discussion move along.

There had been talk of reuniting them at one point before the whole "California Flyin' Brian-Blondes Have More Fun" gimmick for Pillman came about.

Going off Harley's post here, a heel Horseman group in '93 (not with Roma though...perhaps Flair, Anderson, Orndorff and Windham) jumping Davey Boy and Sting leading to Davey recruiting his family (Bret and Owen...Neidhart too since he had done some WCW work in '92, maybe even early '93) to come in and even the odds would have been a hell of a storyline. And as an aside to that, think of what could have come about with Bret Hart vs. an in his prime Rick Rude, Owen/Davey vs. the Hollywood Blondes (or the dream match of Hart Foundation vs. Blondes), Owen or Bret vs. a young Benoit...WCW would have a hell of a roster to deal with if they made those simple 2, maybe 3 additions. Keep in mind that if Hogan stayed in the WWF and the younger guys got jaded faster, you could have Michaels bail out in 1994 as was expected for a while, making another solid addition to the WCW roster.

Having not gotten a chance to watch it yet, is the Pillman/Sullivan angle intact? I have the offical WCW VHS of this converted onto a DVD, and on that version of the show, they simply have Pillman yelling "I respect you!" and removed the whole "bookerman" portion of it as he runs out of the ring. I don't understand why WCW would do that, unless they were trying to play into the "Pillman works against the script" angle even in releasing the video, but then again why include a segment like that if that was the case?

When I was younger, I loved the taste of coffee (I remember as a little kid, sipping it with a spoon out of my grandfather's mug). Like coffee milk and coffee ice cream too. Along the way, I stopped like the flavor of it regarding everything. When my teen years hit and I was helping out at the family bakery, I would do overnight shifts during the summer. One of the guys each night would go on a coffee run, and asked what I wanted. This wound up with me trying a French Vanilla coffee, and I got hooked. I used to have one or two every night. Then one night, it was either a rancid batch of coffee or it just didn't sit well with whatever was in my system, but it made me sick. I swore off coffee right then and there. Ironic, since at the time I was frequenting a coffee shop which became my hangout for years. The original owner of that shop at one point even made a French Vanilla coffee, begging me to try it so that he could see me drink a coffee in front of him after all my years of going there without getting one. I took two sips and promptly asked for a bottled water to wash the taste out of my mouth. Nowadays at work, I can't go a day without at least one, usually several cups of Lemon Zinger Tea. I'm not really picky about my types, but that's easily my favorite.

I believe William Regal showcased the helmet during his speech ragging on Hogan to set up a RAW main event between the two of them in 2002.

Great, now I'm hungry.

The thing with Christian is that there's not much freshness on the WWE side of things. He's fought Cena, Jericho, Batista, Big Show, Undertaker, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, Edge, some of them in prolonged feuds. That's a vast majority of your uppercard scene right there. The argument could be made for Jericho, but when he came back he was plugged in with Randy Orton (whom he never feuded with) and JBL (whom he had barely even had any matches against IIRC in his earlier run). Personally, I think Christian is just as well off in TNA as if he returned to WWE. He might get a good return pop, but I don't think they'd push him as anything more than an uppercard at best type.

Thanks KC.

Ugh, sorry to do this guys, but this is going to have to wait at least until tomorrow now. The Pit got shut down without warning, and I've been helping to start that anew, on top of returning to work after three days off. If someone, ANYONE can add or even finish the match I'll love 'em for it (not literally), but there's been so much going on the last few days I've only been able to do random checkins to TSM and not a lot of match writing. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from.

I'll finish up the match today. I have some surprise Labor Day plans sprung on me and wasn't home the last few days. Also, I'm having to deal with The Pit having been deleted, and helping figure out how to get that back up and running.

Here comes the latter part of the match, unfinished of course! COLE Nerdly caught the Suspect coming with that kick, and put him down! Wright rolls out of the ring, being tended to by Mackie while Abdullah pulls Leon up and does a mocking performance of Leon's dance steps before swinging with a right...that gets blocked! Leon jabs, and jabs, and jabs, then starts doing his own dance to a huge pop...but Abdullah cuts it off with a kick to the gut! Leon gets sent to the ropes, but puts the brakes on and strikes Nerdly with a kick as he ducks for a back bodydrop...but then Moneymaker runs across the apron and jerks Rodez down by reaching over the ropes and snapping his head back! Tony Brannigan is again unimpressed with his cousins actions as he leads him back to his corner...and as Leon rises to his feet, Christian Wright slides back into the ring and drills him in the back with a kneedrop that sends Leon out to the floor, on The Enterprises side of the ring! COACH Smart thinking! Looks like the former tag team champions aren't showing unity like they used to! COLE There's a difference between unity and underhanded tactics, Coach. Take a guess which on The Enterprise are using here tonight! Brannigan turns around to see Christian Wright backing away, and now he pays attention to him, scolding him for coming back in while being the illegal man...and THIS distraction works against poor Leon, as Moneymaker jogs across the apron and comes down with an axehandle that floors the In Crowd member! Moneymaker pulls Leon up and rolls him back into the ring, and while Wright is exiting, Nerdly grabs Leon and pulls him away from the ropes, holding on for a near fall! ONE! TWO! NO! KICKOUT! COLE Leon escapes that fall, keeping The Usual Suspects in this one! Abdullah pulls Leon up and takes him by the head, throwing him into The Enterprise corner, where he makes the tag to Moneymaker. Together, the two each take an arm and pull Leon out of the corner, but rather than send him across the ring, then hurl him backwards, slamming his back against the corner! Moneymaker then uses several kneelifts to weaken Leon, and then makes a tag to Wright, who comes in and uses a series of shoulderblocks to further take the wind out of him as Moneymaker watches on! Wright then pulls Leon out of the corner and uses a snap suplex, then hits the ropes and falls forward with an elbowdrop across the throat of his opponent, then pins him against the mat forcefully, going for the victory! ONE! TWO! NO! COLE The Enterprise functioning as a cohesive unit here, keeping Rodez at bay and as far away from Malibu as possible. COACH Which is good for them! COLE And good for Zack, because while it might be agonizing to watch his partner get worked over, he's gaining some valuable recuperation time! Malibu rallies the crowd, leading them in their chant of "LE-ON!" "LE-ON!" as Abdullah has him trapped in a chinlock. The spiritual adviser wrenches Leon's head, cranking his neck in directions it wasn't meant to go, all while Malibu is forced to look on and helplessly await the tag! Tony Brannigan keeps an eye on his cousins crew, making sure they aren't continuing with their typical heel shenanigans, as Abdullah pulls Leon up and traps him in a front facelock, then hammers him across the back! COLE Abdullah Nerdly slowing the pace down, and continuing to work over Leon Rodez. Abdullah clubs Leon across the back, but Leon manages to shove him away and then starts moving towards Zack, but as he does Abduallah comes back up behind him and traps him in a sleeperhold! COACH Good night, little Leon! The crowd gasps as Leon fights to stay awake, looking to battle his way out of the hold. Moneymaker cackles over in his corner as Nerdly smiles at his employer, proud to be the one putting their rival down! Leon struggles, but starts to fall to the pressure of the hold, dropping to one knee! Nerdly keeps the hold cinched in, and Brannigan leans in, checking to see if Rodez has gone off to dreamland! "LE-ON!" "LE-ON!" Malibu pounds on the turnbuckle, rallying the crowd as much as possible in an effort to keep Leon alive in this contest! Nerdly shouts at the crowd to shut up, but it only motivates them to chant louder, feeding into Leon's motivation! Slowly, Leon starts to power up, trying to find a way out...and when he reaches back and grabs Nerdly by the head, he jumps downward and jars him by bringing his head down on top of his own with a jawbreaker! Nerdly staggers back, while a weary Leon crawls, eventually pushing up to his feet. Nerdly charges in but Leon drops the head and sends him up and over with a back bodydrop, then dives for his corner, slapping Zack Malibu's extended hand and making the legal tag! COLE Heeeeeeeeere we go! The crowd roars as Zack slingshots in, nailing Nerdly with a leaping lariat mere seconds after he gets to his feet! Christian Wright charges in but finds himself hiptossed over! Zack stares down Moneymaker, and as the

According to the WON update today (and I didn't see it mentioned anywhere else), McMahon got pretty pissed about Killings' debut match, feeling he sold too much for Dykstra.

I mentioned it before, but I think that Matt Morgan could benefit greatly if they were to pit Foley against him. Especially if they were to turn Morgan heel, but I'm not sure if they want to do that while he's able to be a crossover star for them.

No problem, I'll get to work on it ASAP. Also, I'll have a promo for HeldDOWN~! either late tonight or tomorrow, depending on what I can get done since I'm at work.

I'll see if I can break it down as best I can... Booker is a heel, but was booked as the hometown babyface in his match with Joe. They used that match to position him as a sympathetic figure and Joe as a monster. Also, he was helped in that match by Sting, who was at the time a true blue face. Sting returned helping a heel (Booker), who was actually a face that night, against a face (Joe) who was actually a heel that night. Now he's been targeting AJ Styles, who seems to be one of two people with any clear alignment at this point (face, while the other person, Kurt Angle, has played a solid heel). He stated that AJ went to far in his grudge against Kurt Angle (another heel). Nash is the face coach of Samoa Joe, who has been booked to be a heelish manipulator that Joe doesn't fully trust. Now Joe seems to be playing the "woe is me" heel role, while Nash appears to be playing the "you need to show more respect" face veteran role. Keep in mind that in all this, the veterans (Nash, Sting, Booker, Angle) are supposed to be the heels, while the younger crew (Styles, Joe) are supposed to be the faces.

I cited it as an example, but it's a likely route. Also, you would think that the "younger workers not respecting those who paved the way" would make them the heels and the veterans sympathetic, but again, it's TNA and Russo booking we're talking about. The one thing I would like to see out of Foley though is in some way, put over Matt Morgan. Foley excels at getting people higher on the card at his expense, and Morgan deserves it the most. Not to mention if they can position him as a top star and build his credibility, he's a guy already somewhat known to the mainstream thanks to American Gladiators. I know Foley is friends with Joe and will likely want to work with him, but Joe doesn't need a rub. He needs help, sure, but not a rub.