Smarkdown! The tourney continues!

August 26, 2003

** Last Week **

“ENOUGH!!!” yells King, inciting an uproar from the crowd. “Fine, Spike. Have it your way. You want a hard time, no problem. I was hoping I’d get a chance to even things out. Yeah, Spike. Two years ago, you were really buddy-buddy with the administration, weren’t you? Close to the one guy that had power at the time. Well, it’s that time again, Spike. Power is back in the hands of one man, but it’s not same guy whose ass you were living in back then.”

King continues as he slowly steps out of the ring, not taking his eyes off Spike as he casually walks away. ‘No, Spike, Mighty King of the Bombshell Shocker - King of BS. You want to play with the King of Hearts? You want to test me? Fine. Neilsen, the last person to try it, is nowhere in sight, and as luck would have it, he’s somebody that you never beat either.

So you want to throw shit in my face? Gamble with the Heatbreaker? Commit career suicide? Fine. I’ll be glad to help, Spike. That, you can bet on... That’s what the Suicide King is here for.”

.

Suddenly, the SmarkTron flashes to a picture of the Suicide King, dressed regally as always, sitting behind his desk. Again, the desk is covered in papers and there is a small pair of galsses on the end of his nose. As if noticing the camera, the Commissioner of the SWF looks up and begins to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been going over the books for the last few months and while our financial outlook is certainly better now that I have rid myself... I mean, the payroll... of Mr. Stevens' over-inflated salary, it is still a little grim and promises very little return for our stockholders... namely me.

"Therefore, in the interest of expanding profits without causing you, the wrestling fan, any undue financial difficulty by raising our ticket and merchandise prices, it is my unfortunate decision to suspend all bonus checks and incentives owed to our superstars over the next three months.

"Certain workers have, of course, proven their worth above and beyond the call of duty to this office, and will be rewarded... handsomely. Those who have not proven their worth may take this as a sign, a very public sign, that I will brook no insubordination from you.

"Remember who signs the checks now kids. Some of you might want to think about that a little the next time you are tempted to leak information to a website about the state of the locker room and bandy about rumors to the dirt sheets.

"Have a wonderful evening..."

** Recorded just a few minutes ago **

Ben Hardy, resident beat reporter, stands at the rear doorway with his head staring directly through the small crack in door as it stands slightly ajar. A faint voice can be heard coming from the other side of the door as Hardy’s jaw rests gaping on the floor.

(Voice) – I need you to deliver these for me Hardy, and I need you to do it quietly.

A group of small, individually wrapped letters slides mysteriously though the opening, but Hard puts his hand against them, preventing their entry.

(Hardy) – No way man. If King catches me delivering anything for you, he’ll fire me on the spot. Do you know what kind of rampage he’s been on?

(Voice) – Stop being a bitch Hardy! Take them…they’re important! Just be discreet about it man.

The letters are thrust a little harder into Hardy’s hand, who stands firm and refuses to take them.

(Hardy) – I…I…I can’t man. If he even knew I was talking to you right now, he’d be in such a fit. I’m not putting my job on the line.

(Voice) – Dammit Hardy! Why are you always such a pussy? Just take them, and deliver them throughout the show. You know, one and a time and shit. Then you can sneak around and you won’t give them out all at once. This is more important than you know, and if you deliver them, you’ll never have to worry about your job again.

(Hardy) – This is stupid! He’ll catch me. He’ll know…he always knows. He just suspended Spike for no reason at all. He already took our bonuses, and I mean…you’ve gotta know all the stuff he’s done.

(Voice) – I know, and that’s why I’m here. Don’t worry, just deliver them. If what you say is right, he already knows you’ve been bad-mouthing him, and you’re job is already lost. Just do it! Start at the top, and do it sporadically throughout the show! You’ll be fine, I promise.

Hardy picks his head up and starts to swivel it around, checking for on-lookers…he finds none. Hardy slowly takes the letters from the person behind the door, and reluctantly nods his head.

(Hardy) – Ok, ok…I’ll do it. But…but…but, you better be right. I don’t have anything other than this job, and I don’t want to lose it.

(Voice) – You won’t…now go!

Hardy looks around again…

(Voice) – NOW!

Hardy walks away and the door closes shut behind him, leaving all in attendance and watching from home wondering…what in the hell was that all about???

********************************************************************

BOOM!

The camera quickly pans the crowd of the Sioux Falls Arena showing tens of thousands of fans screaming they’re heads off. They’re clapping, stomping, and holding up their signs…doing whatever it takes to show their excitement because Smarkdown is live and on the air!!

(Comet) – Citizens of the world!! Welcome to SWF Smarkdown!! I’m your high-flying, spectacular, super hero, Cyclone Comet, posing as a less than mild mannered commentator, and right beside me is my faithful, but incompetent sidekick, Bobby Riley!!

(Riley) – Hey?!?

(Comet) – Face it, you’re not that bright.

The camera focuses in on the announce table just as Riley shrugs in agreement, while the fans behind them make asses of themselves.

(Riley) – Ok, I’ll give you that, but what was that we just saw? Who was Hardy talking to? What’s in those letters? Who are they going to?

(Comet) – Being the crime fighter that I am, I already know what’s going on, but…

(Riley) – But?

(Comet) – But…I think I’ll keep it to myself for the greater good of the world. You’ll just have to wait and find out.

(Riley) – Come on Comet!! Don’t be stingy…share what you know.

Comet reach over and gives Riley a playful slap…

(Comet) – No. We’ve got a HUGE Smarkdown lined up for you as we continue with the SWF World Title tournament. We get ever closer to our annual extravaganza known as Genesis, and our tournament progresses into it’s second round!

(Riley) – Don’t forget the loser’s bracket Comet…

(Comet) – Well, Bobby, I was going to spare those unfortunate superstars who did not win on Lockdown the embarrassment of calling it that, but since your lack of tact has already jumped the gun, I guess it’s too late. But he is right good citizens, we also have matches from the “loser’s” bracket as we attempt to crown a #1 contender to the SWF title.

(Riley) – Can I say it?

(Comet) – Sure Bobby, go ahead.

(Riley) – Let’s look at the card.

THE CARD

Loser's Bracket Matches

XCalibur v. Insane Luchador

English Dragon v. Judge Mental

"The Sinner"John Duran v. Aecas

"The Franchise" Mak Francis v. Dace Night

Viktor Tarankov v. Stryke

Winner's Bracket Matches

Annie Eclectic v. Micheal Craven

CIA v. Show

Dante Crane v. Ejiro Fasaki

Quiz v. "Deathwish" Danny Williams

Jay Dawg v. Apostle

Main Event

"The Sacred One"Andrew Blackwell v. Nathaniel Kibagami

(Comet) – What a spectacular lineup we have tonight, so let’s not waste another sec…

But before Comet can finish his thought, the Smarktron fires up and all the fans jerk they’re heads in its direction.

********************************************************************

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Ben Hardy raps lightly on the women’s locker room door while constantly glancing to his left and right for any sight of an eavesdropper. The door creeps open, and standing before Hardy and the world is the slender and vivacious Annie Eclectic.

(Annie) – Hey Hardy. How’s it going?

(Hardy) – F…F…Fine Annie. Uhhhh…

Hardy goes back to checking out the hallway, but finds no one.

(Annie) – Everything alright?

(Hardy) – Y…Y…Yeah…Yeah…everything’s fine. Here, take this.

Hardy thrusts a letter into Annie’s hand before she even has time to reach out and grab for it, and before she even has time to question Hardy about its contents or its author, Hardy darts down the hall and out of sight.

(Annie) – Geez…what’s got into him.

Annie stands in the doorway and opens the letter. Her eyes squint as she reads the letter, and as she finishes, she too starts to look around the halls for anyone possibly looking on. Once she has clarified that she is not being watch, she quickly turns back into the locker room and slams the door shut.

********************************************************************

(Riley) – He delivered one of the letters!!

(Comet) – We all saw that good sir, but I’d like to comment on how stunning Annie looks tonight. She’s just radiant from her big win on Lockdown against the villainous William Hearford.

(Riley) – But what about the letter Comet? What about the letter? Won’t you tell me?

(Comet) – No you fiend! But I know, and you can tell from Annie’s reaction, that the letter contains some top secret information. I just hope Hardy delivers them all before they can fall into the wrong hands.

(Riley) – You’re just talking outta your ass Comet. You don’t know what’s in those letters.

(Comet) – Language good sir, language. I’m sure we’ll find out about the letters soon enough folks, but in the meantime, it’s nearly time for our first match. XCalibur versus Insane Luchador, when we come back!

Starwipe to commercial.

August 26, 2003

The show comes back from the break and the focus goes to our two announcers at the broadcast table.

Riley: Welcome back to the show--

Comet: I'M CYYYYYYYYCLLOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNE COOOOOOOOOOOMMEEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!

Riley: Didn't we talk about this last week?

Comet: Shut up, Citizen Riley, and let us get on with the show!

Slipknot's "Wait and Bleed" sound throughout the speakers as the arena goes dark. White pyro shoots off all around the ramp with red ones mixed in for some fun. Through it all, Insane Luchador makes his way through the entrance. The crowd erupts for some nostalgia flashbacks as he gets in all his high fives with the fans. His excitement is shown while Luchador slaps all the fans' hands around the ring.

Funyon: Ladies and gentlemen...our first match of the evening is scheduled for one fall and is the first match in the Loser's Bracket of the Genesis Tournament!!! Introducing first, from Easton Pennsylvania, he weighs in at 201 pounds...he is...INSAAAAAAAAAAANE LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCHAAAADOOOOR!!!!

Comet: Luchador? He doesn't even have a mask! And he's from Pennsylvania! There is only one explanation...identity theft! I shall investigate!

Riley: No, don't do that! Let's wait until after the show.

Cold's "Stupid Girl" hits the arena while the lights go out. Golden pyro falls from the sky, forming a wall. Xcalibur finally makes his way through it and immediately is seen with eyes focused on the ring. A stupid fan tries to throw an empty cup at him, but Xcalibur catches it and stares at the styrofoam, then throwing it back in the face of the teen to some cheers. Xcalibur takes off his Astros jersey and gives it to an attractive ladie friend as he slides into the ring.

Funyon: And his opponent...from Houston, Texas, he weighs in at 236 and 2/5 pounds...he is...XCAAAAAALIIIIIIIBUUUUUUUUUUUUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Riley: Right off the bat, you can see that there is an advantage for Xcalibur in this match up. Luchador is taller, but Xcalibur's got more muscle. But let's see if Luchador is able to use his zaniness and hard...core...ness...? to his liking here.

DING DING DING

Riley: And here we go!

Comet: Luchador's already playing to the fans and they love this guy, making his return last week but unfortunately for him, losing against Craven.

Riley: The more serious man in the ring is not liking this, as he wants this match to get started already.

With Luchador's back turned to his opponent, he gets knocked down to the ground with a double axe-handle. Xcalibur quickly takes Luchador up and whips him to the ropes. A clothesline follows and that sends Luchador back to the mat once again. He thinks to make the cover, getting on his knees already, but thinks better of it.

Riley: Must've been first instincts there. Smartly, he doesn't cover. I mean, who wins with a clothesline?

Comet: Justice! As long as it's after a finisher! Anyway, Xcalibur's looking to win quickly, not with a pin, but with a submission!

Riley: Untimely Xecution...10 seconds into this match? Well, I guess the thought is, Andrew Rickman--

Comet: Who?

Riley: Insane Luchador!

Comet: What is he, a superhero?

Riley: Sigh...Insane Luchador has a lot of endurance. I guess Xcalibur's just gonna take some life out of him early on so he'll have a better chance at winning this match.

The crowd cheers for Luchador to break free of the hold. He can't move his way towards the ropes, because Xcalibur has modified the hold by hooking one of his legs. Struggling with all his might, Luchador goes for the vulnerable spot left open. He reaches back with the free hand and rakes Xcalibur's eyes, causing him to release the move, and sending the crowd in delight. Xcalibur rubs his eyes while making his way up to his feet. Luchador slowly gets up as well, but is kicked in the gut right as he turns around. Xcalibur whips the Pennsylvania native to the corner and runs after him. Xcalibur leaps high off the ground and hits a dropkick to Luchador's head, who was trapped in the corner. It sends Luchador down to his rear.

Riley: Xcalibur is now sticking his foot right up against the neck of Luchador! And he breaks it up at the four count.

Xcalibur grabs Luchador's arm and pulls him up to his feet off of the corner. Xcalibur gets down on his knees and gets in the leg sweep and a cover.

ONE!!!

T--

Luchador kicks out. Taking Luchador up, Xcalibur whips him to the ropes. An attempted clothesline is missed as Luchador ducks the arm. He keeps going to the opposite ropes and rebounds off that as Xcalibur turns around. Xcalibur tries to redeem that missed move with a kick, but that is blocked. An Enzurguri is followed, but is missed as well with Luchador ducking. Xcalibur lands on his feet and tries a kick backwards to his original position, but in mid-move, Luchador pulls that leg a little bit higher, dropping Xcalibur down. Luchador grabs hold of both feet now, and moves him into a better spot for him. Luchador leans backwards and catapults the Texan into the corner. Xcalibur's face ricochets off the pads and staggers back a bit.

Riley: With that swing of momentum, Luchador rolls him up! ONE!!! TW--NO! Xcalibur gets out of the pin.

Comet: Tremendous way to take some charge of this match by the Insane one! Justice must prevail!

Luchador lifts Xcalibur up and takes him to the corner, following up with some knife-edged chops.

SMACK!

WOOOO!

SMACK!

WOOOO!

SMACK!

WOOOO!

Red marks appear on Xcalibur's chest as Luchador grabs onto Xcalibur's shoulders, feet on stomach, and leaning backwards to execute the monkey flip on Xcalibur. With the Asian's body parallel to the ropes, Luchador runs to the ropes, leaps onto the middle rope, twists his body and hits the springboard leg drop on the neck!

Comet: Move after move after move! All clean and crisp!

Riley: With the cover to boot! ONE!!! TWO!!! Xcalibur gets the arm up.

Luchador is up and starts stomping away at Xcalibur, knocking him down to the ring every chance he has to get up. After the kicks and a few punches to the back, Luchador gets a rush through him and jumps on the middle ropes, balancing himself there and jumping up and down as the crowd responds positively. He takes a moment to stick both his arms in the air, and all of a sudden, Xcalibur comes out of nowhere to use his forearms to knock Luchador off and over the ropes to the outside. Knowing the outside is not his strong suit, Xcalibur settles in the ring by waiting for the JL'er to be counted out.

Riley: Smart move there, for the outside is really for the hardcore type, something that Insane Luchador is very good at.

Comet: Whoa...heels aren't supposed to be smart!

At the count of five only, Luchador is able to slide back into the ring, but not that easily, for Xcalibur is there to hit an elbow drop to his head. Xcalibur takes Luchador up and whips him to the ropes. On the rebound, Luchador's caught with a headlock applied. It's only there for a few seconds as Luchador fights off Xcalibur with a few elbows to the abdomen. Luchador turns and bounces off the ropes, aiming a clothesline right at Xcalibur's head, but he ducks. Luchador stops momentarily after the missed attempt, and Xcalibur applies the waist lock. He goes for a German suplex a few times, but Luchador shifts his weight forward, blocking the move.

Riley: No dice on the German and a standing switch, now, by Luchador. Xcalibur gets in a few elbow shots to the head there and breaks free!

Xcalibur knees Luchador in the stomach and applies a front face lock. Taking Luchador up, Xcalibur htis the snap suplex. He has the face lock still applied and executes another face lock. Once again, Xcalibur takes Luchador up and hits another snap suplex, completing the Triple Crown series.

Riley: The Triple Crown is complete! And there's the cover...ONE! TWO! NO!!!!!

Comet: The Good Guy in this matchup is up, as should be. I mean, have you seen those righteous Superman movies?

Riley: Cyclone, are you actually comparing Insane Luchador to Superman?

Comet: Well, they both kinda fly, right?

While Xcalibur is on his knees punching away at Luchador's head, the ref keeps telling him to use the open hand. Of course, that never works, but it's a moot point now as Xcalibur is up and stops the hurt. Xcalibur lifts Luchador up to his feet and whips him to the ropes. Xcalibur sizes his opponent up for a wicked lariat, but it's missed! Luchador...

Comet: ...with the superkick! That just screams all kinds of Justicity!

Riley: This could be it! The cover...ONE! TWO! NO!!! Xcalibur is up.

Luchador lifts Xcalibur up to his feet and grabs an arm. He twists it to gain the advantage and knees Xcalibur in the midsection a few times. Front face lock is applied as Luchador lifts an arm up. The crowd mimmicks the same. DDT!

Riley: We've seen this before in the past. Xcalibur's got his Triple Crown of snap suplexes, and now, could Luchador return the favor with his own Triple Crown of DDTs?

Comet: There's another one! This kid's dishing out some punishment!

Riley: And there's another! That looks to be enough for Luchador. Here's the cover! ONE! TWO! Again Xcalibur kicks out.

Luchador amuses the crowd by going a bit crazy after that near fall. He grabs Xcalibur's leg and pulls it up into the air, then slamming it down to the mat. Flashing over to Xcalibur's hands, Luchador stomps on them like crazy. Luchador proceeds to head BUTT Xcalibur repeatedly causing Xcalibur to let out a little scream. Xcalibur struggles to his feet while Luchador lets him. He grabs and arm and sends Xcalibur to the ropes. Xcalibur counters by grabbing on to the ropes and not rebounding. Luchador stops what he was going to do and runs towards Xcalibur, clotheslining him over the ropes to the outside.

Comet: There you go, Luchadorman! Use your gavel of all that is good to smash the unholy nail of rusty things and all...that is bad.

Riley: Run out of things to say?

Comet: Never! You creitin!

Xcalibur lands with his face smashed on the outside apron as he falls backwards near the announce table. Luchador signals for a high risk move, a finger pointing towards the lights with the crowd letting out a yell! Xcalibur proceeds to get up and slowly turns around. Luchador, with hands on the top ropes, pulls back, then flings forward, both feet then on the top rope, and leaping towards Xcalibur down below! He lands around Xcalibur's neck and completes the sequence with a hurricanrana as the fans go nuts!

Riley: Incredible move, as we see the replay!!! Right in front of our broadcast table too!

Comet: I like this good-doer!!! Not only does he entertain the fans, he entertains us!

The move takes out Xcalibur but it takes out a little of Luchador as well. Slowly, Luchador gets to his feet. He recognizes what he's done and celebrates, jumping on the announce table up and down to rile up the crowd! He steps down from the booth and tends towards Xcalibur. He grabs Xcalibur's head and tries to lift him up, but Xcalibur falls back down, obviously knocked out for the time being. It's flashback to Weekend at Bernie's as Luchador struggles to get Xcalibur into the ring. After a while, he manages to lift Xcalibur in the squared circle. Luchador covers quickly.

ONE!!!

TWO!!!

THREE!!!

The ref's hands count three, but he realizes that he made a mistake!!! Xcalibur's hand had been on the bottom rope!!! Luchador celebrates in 'victory' but the ref tries to tell him that the 'W' was not under his belt just yet. A little argument ensues, but quickly stops while Luchador drags Xcalibur into the center of the ring. Cover!

ONE!!!

TWO!!!

THRE-NO!!!

Xcalibur barely gets the shoulder up!!! Infuriated, Luchador stands to his feet. Xcalibur is already positioned well in the ring, so Luchador runs towards the ropes, bouncing off the middle one and ending it with a moonsault! Another cover!

Riley: ONE! TWO! NO!!!

Comet: Obviously, this man in black and white has been blinded by evil! I mean, that was three! ONE! TWO! THREE! It's as clear as black and white!

Riley: Oh, the irony, right?

Luchador says that it's all over now, making hand signals that can only be interpreted as "That's it!!!" Luchador drags the body to the near corner. Step by step, Luchador climbs to the top of the turnbuckles. He leaps up, twisting his body for the 450 splash!!! However, Xcalibur bends both knees, sending the pain the other way to Luchador with the crowd wincing with him. Xcalibur rolls on to the outside of the ring apron and uses the ropes to help him get to his feet. Luchador, grabbing his stomach, stands up and sees Xcalibur. He goes for a shoulder block through the ropes, but Xcalibur jumps up in the air, landing with a leg drop to Luchador's head. His head bounces off the midde ropes and flings backwards to the apron. Xcalibur walks on over to the adjacent side of the ring. He grabs on to the top ropes and flings foward, hitting a 450 leg drop!

Riley: He hits the Sword's Plunge!!!

Comet: This cannot be over! Get up young Luchador! Get up!

Riley: ONE! TWO! NO!!!!!!!!!!

Comet: Tis destiny for Luchador to triumph over this mean Xcalibur!

After a while, and both men on their feet, Xcalibur hits a few punches to his opponent's head. Twisting Luchador's body around, Xcalibur grabs backwards the head and drops down for the reverse neckbreaker. Luchador regains his concious for a while, sitting up. While he gets to his feet, Xcalibur watches on, intently, jumping around like a boxer about to attack. Luchador is up, but is sent back right down with a dropkick from the Texan to the legs, making Luchador landing on his knees. Xcalibur follows it up with a kick to the head, causing Luchador to drop forward, eyeballs barely intact. Xcalibur rolls him over.

Riley: This has got to be it! No one can survive that loud kick! ONE!!! TWO!!! TH--NO!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it!

Comet: Believe it, citizen! Insane Luchador is up and--

Riley: Here's another cover by Xcalibur! ONE!!! TWO!!! T--NO!!!!!!! I thought that was it too. Xcalibur, when he's had the chance, has tried to work on the head of Luchador.

Comet: Well, he's got a lotta life in him, Luchador that is. Got some ring rust, but so does his opponent.

Xcalibur whips Luchador to the corner of the ring. Xcalibur surges to Luchador, hands up for an axehandle, but is greeted with a boot to the face. Luchador shakes off the pain as quick as he can and jumps into a sitting position on the top turnbuckle. Xcalibur turns around and sees Luchador flying towards him! The crossbody is countered as Xcalibur catches Luchador. Xcalibur is fallen backwards, but rolls on through to keep Luchador in his hands and back on his feet. Xcalibur sets himself in the middle of the ring and hurls Luchador back in an over head suplex!!!

Riley: Wow! There's some adrenaline rush by Xcalibur, able to throw Luchador around.

Xcalibur walks on over to his opponent and grabs him by the hair, pulling Luchador up. He knees Luchador in the gut and sinals for the Houston Hurricane! With one knee over Luchador's neck, and the urge to swing Luchador downward to the mat, he goes for the set up to the finisher. As Luchador is spiraling down, mid way through, he spins out of it. And with hand still in Xcalibur' grip, Luchador uses it to his advantage, pulling Xcalibur towards him and twisting around to jam the face with an elbow with the free arm. This dazes Xcalibur for a while, and Luchador spins around, bouncing off the ropes and knocking Xcalibur down with a vicious clothesline!!!

Comet: Huzzah! A glorious clothesline must have done it!

Riley: ONE!!! TWO!!! THRE-----NO!!!! Xcalibur kicks out of the cover!

Comet: Darn that two faced referee!

Luchador, unpleased with the count, picks up Xcalibur. Luchador gets crazy for a while, sending a fury of fists and kicks to Xcalibur. Xcalibur drops down to the mat in a fetus position, trying to protect himself from the mad man. Luchador lets out a yell, and the crowd does so as well. Xcalibur is taken up to his feet and gets in a few punches off his own to the sides of Luchador, but Luchador sends him back down with a shot to the head. Heading over to the ropes, Luchador leaps up once again.

Riley: Another springboard...this time he connects with the clothesline!!! This has got to be it! ONE!!! TWO!!! THR--NO AGAIN!

Front face lock is applied, and Luchador lifts the Asian up in the air, hitting the vertical suplex in the end. Luchador pops back to his feet and stomps away at Xcalibur, then dropping down for a leg drop on the head. Luchador grabs Xcalibur up. He whips Xcalibur to the ropes. On the rebound, the Texan baseball slides under Luchador's legs. Luchador tries a clothesline as he turns around, but Xcalibur ducks it and grabs hold of the waist. Xcalibur heaves his opponent back for the belly to belly suplex!

Riley: That belly to belly was what was left of Xcalibur for this while. Does he have what it takes to change the momentum around here?

Comet: I hope not! Insane Luchador must come through, for all of mankind! Or just to advance in this tournament.

Xcalibur is the first to get up, Luchador follows a few moments later. Xcalibur attacks Luchador on the back of the neck. He applies a full nelson lock and moves trips him up with his leg, sending Luchador down to the mat face first. Sluggishly, Xcalibur rolls Luchador over for the cover!

ONE!!!!!!!!!!

TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THRE--NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luchador with the hand up in the air. Xcalibur shakes his head. He grabs Luchador and sets him up in a sitting position. Xcalibur runs towards the ropes in front of Luchador. On the rebound, Xcalibur attempts a kick to the head, but Luchador leans to the side, causing Xcalibur to spin 360 on one foot! Luchador gets back into a straight up sitting position again and grabs the foot in the air, pushing it forward and causing Xcalibur to fly back down to the mat!

Riley: Beautiful counter by Insane Luchador!

Xcalibur reaches to his feet quickly, however and goes over to the now standing Luchador. A whip to the corner follows by Xcalibur. He runs to Luchador, but he gets out of the corner and gets in a drop toe hold, Xcalibur's head smacking against the middle turnbuckle. Luchador rolls outside and climbs up the ropes. He sits down on the top turnbuckle and lifts Xcalibur's head from the middle one. Front face lock is applied. A finger is up in the air in a circling motion.

Comet: It's Tornado DDT time!

Riley: There he goes! Beautifully executed!!!

The crowd erupts, but Luchador declines to go for the cover. Instead, he looks down at the fallen wrestler. Luchador heads over to one of the corners and is about to climb the ropes, but has a thought. With an eyebrow raised, he places both hands on the turnbuckle pads. He fiddles around the pad and finds what he was looking for. A string. He starts to untie it. The ref, who was checking up on Xcalibur turns around and sees what's happening behind him. He goes over to Luchador and tells him to stop it. Luchador doesn't listen to the ref, only to the fans as finally, he untangles the string which holds the pads together. He takes it and raises the pad up in the air, the crowd erupting, jumping up and down, wanting that piece of plastic and cotton. Luchador tosses it aside as Xcalibur regains his senses. The ref turns and grabs the pad, then attempts to place it back to where it should be as the crowd boos the hell out of him. Luchador stares at the ref and then takes the pad away from him. The ref and Luchador get in it with each other and Luchador has enough. He throws the pad into the audience as they fight each other for it.

Riley: There's another thing up for bid on EBAY!

Comet: You can't say their name! They don't sponsor us!

Luchador turns his attention to Xcalibur, grabbing both of his legs and turning his head back, seeing if his next move can be on target. He goes for the catapult! Xcalibur takes out both hands and stops in front of the corner, preventing his head from being bloodied up. But suddenly, he propels backwards and grabs his forehead.

Riley: What the--

Comet: Xcalibur's playing possum! He's faking it all! This is totally unfair...that evil doer!

Riley: And it wasn't fair when Luchador exposed that turnbuckle?

Comet: Of course not! Luchador is a face...you dumbass. They never cheat!

With him thinking Xcalibur is down for good, Luchador has a pleased look on his face. The fans try to tell him that the move didn't work, but the wrestler ignores them, as usual in this situation. Luchador grabs Xcalibur up, signaling for the final move of the match!

Riley: I think he's going for the Evenflow DDT!!! If he hits it, it'd be all over!

The front face lock is applied on Xcalibur. Luchador prepares to drop down to the mat, but Xcalibur blocks it! Luchador stalls with a confused look on his face. All of a sudden, Xcalibur grabs his opponets waist and lifts Luchador up in the air, leaning backwards, sending Luchador to the exposed turnbuckle!

Riley: What a counter by Xcalibur!

Comet: Hey! Using citizen Luchador's own tactics against him? That evil cheater!

Blood is seen, starting to drip down Luchador's face. Xcalibur kicks him in the gut and places a knee over his head. He takes Luchador by the arm and swings him down, twisting Luchador onto the mat, knocking him out! Xcalibur drags Luchador to the near corner. He climbs to the top and faces towards the ring. Xcalibur leaps up in the air, shooting star press style, ending it all with a leg drop to the neck!!!

Riley: What a beautiful move! Xcalibur's Revenge is hit!!!! It's all academic! ONE!!!!! TWO!!!!! THREE!!!!!!!!!! It's all over, Xcalibur advances on in the tourney!

Cold's "Stupid Girl hits the speakers as Xcalibur rolls out of the ring, one arm raised in victory and Luchador being attended to by the ref.

Comet: Boo!!! There must be a glitch with the plans of goodness in the world. And it's up to me to find out why Luchador lost!

Riley: Because he got hit in the head with that steel turnbuckly thingy.

Comet: Unfair enough!

Riley: Well, we'll be back.

August 26, 2003

Back on the air and the fans still buzzing from the fantastic opening match, Smarkdown takes a break from matches as…

“ALL ABOARD!!!”

(Riley) – It’s King! It’s the commissioner, the Suicide King.

“AH HAH HAH HAH!!”

King appears on the stage, and the fans really let him have it as he walks down the ramp with a confident smile on his face. Ignoring the obvious heat he receives from the fans, King slides into the ring and grabs a microphone, which was tossed in by Funyon for fear of losing his job for not moving quick enough.

(Comet) – The evildoer, Suicide King, is back out here, and we all know it can’t be good for anyone but himself.

(Riley) – Shhhh! Stop that Comet! Didn’t you see what happened to Mark when he spoke ill of the commissioner?? You don’t want to get fired do you?

King waits patiently in the ring for the angry crowd to quiet down, but when he begins stamping his foot, they only raise their noise level.

(Comet) – I care not of this job Bobby…I am here to stop the villains of the world…of which King is one of the biggest.

(King) – That’s ok, I will just talk over you.

King’s statement sends the crowd into yet another frenzy of boos, but he just pulls the microphone back down and continues to wait.

(Comet) – See? The good people here in South Dakota know King for what he is…

King begins and the crowd quiets down…

(King) – Good people of North Dakota…

BOOOOOO!!!!!!

(Riley) – This is South Dakota Comet…not North Dakota.

(Comet) – I know that Bobby. And King knows it too…

(King) – Oh…oops. I’m sorry…my mistake. Good people of South Dakota! I, the 25% owner and commissioner of the SWF, greet you and welcome you to the phase one of the new and improved SWF! We’ve done away with some old policies and some old talent, and we’re still making progress in purging the SWF of the slackers, low lives, degenerates, and ingrates that bring down our bottom line, or should I say, my bottom line. Being that I do own a portion of the SWF, it is very important to me that we put on the best product in the world, for you the SWF fans!

(Comet) – He doesn’t have the fans’ interest in mind! He has his OWN interests in mind! That scoundrel…what is he up to?

(King) – We need to have the best of the best, and we expect 110% from all of our talent, especially our champions! Which brings me to the reason I’ve come out here tonight. Just like with anything in life, sometimes, things happen by accident. Some times, things happen that are unavoidable freaks of nature that could never happen twice in a million years. You know…like being struck by lightning, or winning the lottery, or me losing in the ring. Well, a little while back, we had such an occurrence here in the SWF. I let it go, just to see if it would play itself out, but unfortunately it did not. Now, I am forced to take action and once again, make the tough decision in the best interest of the SWF, its stockholders, and the fans.

(Comet) – Get to it already!

King pauses for a moment, allowing a chance for the fans to boo and hiss at him. He paces the ring a bit before restarting, amid the partisan crowd.

(King) – Now, before I continue, I need to call someone out here because this directly concerns him, and I need to make sure he hears me.

(Riley) – Oooo! Another firing?!? Who’s he calling down?

(King) – So…MAK FRANCIS…COME ON DOWN!

King waits a moment before…

"So you wanna be a franchise, live large, a big house, five cars..."

And the arena rises to its feet as a wall of green pyrotechnics explode, revealing the Franchise himself between the intermittent flares of light!

(Riley) – It’s Mak Francis! He’s calling out Mak Francis! What did Mak do?? Is he gonna get fired too? Or maybe suspended?

(Comet) – Mak’s the ICTV champion…he’s a solid citizen and a great wrestler. What on earth has he done to be subject to King’s power mongering?

King nods as the fans cheer the Francise, accepting that they might like him. Mak, on the stage, merely stares a hole into King, realize that something sinister is afoot as his entrance fizzles to a quick end.

(King) – Mak…glad you could make it. Thanks for coming.

(Mak) – Cut the shit King…what do you want? I’ve got a match to prepare for…

(King) – And prepare you shall…but before you go and start grunting and sweating, I’ve got some news that you should hear.

(Comet) – Well, my superior powers of deduction tell me that Mak will not be fired, but if he’s not fired, then what is King’s news?

(Mak) – Something I should hear? I don’t have time for your games King…I’m trying to get a world title shot here.

(King) – Now come on Mak…we all know that’s not going to happen. Please…hahahaha. Am I right people?

The fans boo King loudly, and immediately start up with…

“FRAN-CHISE!”

(Mak) – Sounds like there are some people who don’t quite agree with that assessment King. Besides, I’m the ICTV champion, bub…I think I’ve got as good a shot as anyone, and this gold around my waist definitely means I’m a cut above the rest.

(King) – See…I’m glad you brought that up Mak because that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, like I was saying before you came out here…here I the SWF, we expect a certain level of performance from our champions. We expect them to win…win big…and put on a great show for our fans. We expect them to always perform like…well…like champions.

(Comet) – What is he getting at?

(King) – And, Franchise…we can’t accept anything less than perfection from our champions. And we certainly CANNOT accept champions who can’t even get past the first round of the Genesis IV tournament!

BOOOOO!!!

Mak stares at King, his eyes squinted in a rage set to explode…

(King) – In fact, you’ve been less than stellar since you won that belt. Lackluster matches…working stiff…and that’s just the beginning. However, I concede that before you won the belt, you had a fire inside that made you hungry, and it made you perform great. You were kicking ass and taking names. And this worries me Mak…it worries me a lot. I can’t have superstars that get complacent when they get a title…you’ve gotta be hungry…you’ve gotta have the desire…you’ve gotta be perfect!

BOOOOO!!!

(Comet) – This is ridiculous. Why is he berating Mak like this? No one’s perfect. Mak lost a very tough match on Wednesday…a very tough match. He gave it everything…

(King) – So now I’ve gotta do something I should have done a while ago…

King paces the ring once again, waiting for just the right amount of suspense to build up…

(King) – First of all, Mak…you can take off that belt.

WHAT?!?

(King) – That’s right…take it off. You’re no longer ICTV champion!!

BOOO!

(Comet) – What in the….? He can’t do that! He can’t just strip Mak of the title for no reason!

(Riley) – Sounds like he has a reason Comet…Mak hasn’t been up to snuff lately. Maybe this’ll teach him a lesson.

Mak raises his mic to speak, but he is interrupted by King…

(King) – That’s right Mak…I, Suicide King, hereby…

STRIP YOU OF THE INTERCONTINENTAL-TELEVISION TITLE!

A gasp comes over the crowd…over Comet and Riley…over Mak himself.

(Comet) – Wha??

As Comet starts to take off his commentator garb for more suitable attire, Riley puts his hand on his shoulder and nudges him back to his seat…

(Riley) – Settle yourself “hero”. No need to get your ass kicked and lose your job over some non-talented hack like Francis.

(Mak) – You…You…You can’t do this! I earned this title! I earned it with my blood…my sweat…my tears! You can’t just strip me of the belt! Who the hell do you think you are?

(King) – I’M SUICIDE KING DAMMIT, COMMISSIONER AND PART OWNER OF THE SWF! And I assure you Francis, that I CAN take the belt, AND, IN FACT, I JUST DID!

(Mak) – This is horse shit! This is crap! What about Fasaki…he ain’t done shit either…take his belt.

(King) – Now, now Mak…all is not lost. Like you said, you’re still in the hunt for the world title, right? Perhaps, without the title, you’ll regain that hunger you once had, and make a solid run. Although, it’s probably a long shot considering that you already have one loss in a double elimination tournament. But hey, a shot is a shot…now don’t blow it.

(Mak) – You son of a bitch!

Mak drops his mic and starts to charge the ring at King, who does not budge.

(King) – Do you want to get fired too Mak? Because I’m THIS close to firing your ass.

Mak stops in his tracks as King basks with his trademark smirk.

(King) – You have a shot…but if you take another step, I won’t hesitate to fire you and have security escort you out. I think you should take some of this energy out on Dace Night tonight.

(Comet) – This is horrible! The ICTV title…stripped off Mak Francis!!! For what?? What is King’s problem?!?

(King) – Good…glad to see you can be smarter than you look. Now, march to the back and prepare for your match. Kick some ass tonight…you can do it Mak…I believe in you…these fans believe in you. Make it happen Mak…keep this anger…and keep hope alive!

Mak gives King the finger, turns on his heels, and heads up the ramp towards the back. King’s music fires up as the camera follows Mak to the stage and through the curtain into the back. Just as he brushes the curtain aside, he is face to face with Ben Hardy!

(Hardy) – Here!

Hardy thrusts a letter into Mak’s chest while he looks around the Franchise to see if King is coming yet.

(Mak) – What the hell is this?!?

Mak’s face, filled with rage, glares at Hardy who begins to shake.

(Hardy) – Just take it…hurry!

Mak snatches the letter from Hardy and then storms past the sideline reporter, bumping him hard as he passes.

(Riley) – Another letter!! What does it say?

(Comet) – Forget the letter Bobby! We just lost the ICTV champion! Francis was just stripped of the title he worked so hard to earn. This is horrible…and UGH! Someone needs to stop King!

As Comet tries to fight back the tears, Smarkdown cuts to commercial!

Edited August 26, 2003 by Edwin MacPhisto

August 26, 2003

And we fade back in to the Sioux Falls Arena, where a packed crowd greets the camera with cheers! A few signs in the crowd like “Silent is Golden”, “Justice can’t buy a win” and “Pop Quiz… Like a Zit!” are shown by the camera before zooming down to the commentators table, where our own masked superhero and his ambiguously gay sidekick sit ready for the next match

“Welcome back, faithful citizens, to another edition of SWF Smarkdown! I’m the CYCLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE COMET~!, masked man of JUSTICE~!”

Bobbie sighs and shakes his head. “And I’m Bobbie Riley, your resident sane announcer, and we’ve only just started a night of great wrestling! It’s the second match, and it’s old vs. new with William Hearford facing off against English Dragon. It’s criminal to have it this low on the card.”

“Wrong, Bobbie, it’s just two criminals on the card. These two have shown nothing but disrespect for both the rules and their opponent. If I were in charge, I wouldn’t even be considered to go up for something as prestigious as the SWF World Title.”

“But thankfully morons like you aren’t in charge. Instead, our great commissioner, the Suicide King, decided to make this tourney a double elimination match just incase there were a few fluke wins in the mix.”

“I’d hardly call Citizen Nathaniel’s and Citizen Annie’s wins flukes,” retorts Comet, “They struck down eVil© just as I would have: Totally clean and in the middle of the ring!”

“Whatever. At any rate, it’s still a travesty that these one of these two have to be eliminated when someone like Annie Eclectic is still in the winners bracket.”

As Bobbie finishes up, the ever-over Funyon steps up into the ring to a nice-sized pop. A small “Fun-yon! Fun-yon! Fun-yon!” chant breaks out in the nose-bleeds as he gets ready for the introductions.

*DING DING DING*

“The following match is the second match in the loser’s bracket of the GENESIS! TITLE! TOUUUURRRRRRNAMENT and scheduled for one fall. Entering first…”

“Land of Hope and Glory” plays over the Sound System and with nothing else than that out steps the English Dragon onto the ramp, dressed in his red suit with the SJL European Championship affixed firmly onto his waist. Behind him stands his ever doting butler Robertson, who massages his neck as the native of the British Isle steps down the ramp to a hail of boos.

“Now entering the ring, weighing in at 223 pounds and hailing from London, England, he is the SJL EUROPEAN CHAMPION! He is ENGLISH DRAAAAAAAGOOOON!”

“It seems like the Dragon’s neck is still very weak from taking the Demonstar Driver,” notes Comet, scratching an imaginary beard on his masked chin, “To say the least, that truly is a devastating move. Thankfully it’s being used FOR JUSTICE~!”

“It’s a fricken head drop!” says an astounded Riley, “How in God’s name can that be justified?!”

“Well sometimes, Bobbie, evil has to have righteousness pounded into their heads.”

“I think you need to have some sense pounded into you head. You’d have to be an idiot to scold a guy for having his neck nearly broken while praising the guy who tried to do it…”

Robertson steps up onto the apron as Dragon walks up the steps, and the big butler sits down on the ropes while ED wipes his feet on the apron, allowing his master to slink in relatively easily. He goes over to his corner, where Robertson unhitches his Euro belt and places it on the steel steps before continuing to massage the young wrestler’s tender neck. Meanwhile Funyon brings up the microphone back up to his lips.

“And entering second…”

The intro to “Testify” by Rage Against the Machine begins to play over the PA System while the house lights begin to dim down to a deep red. The song begins to crescendo, getting louder and louder until it peaks-

“NOW TESTIFY!”

-And skips right ahead as three sets of red pyros go off! The house lights return to normal as an old man in a familiar stylized Football jersey steps onto the stage to a massive hail of boos, which causes Robertson to turn around in disgust, but not English Dragon, who continues to ignore anything else but the massage.

“Now entering the ring, weighing in at 242 pounds and hailing from Royal Oak, Michigan, he is a former SWF TAG TEAM CHAMPION, HARDCORE GAMER’S CHAMPION, and SJL WORLD CHAMPION. He is THE JUDGE, WILLIAM HEAAAAAAAARFOOOOOOOORD!”

“Every time I see this man I have to say I am completely disgusted,” spits out Comet as only a superhero could, “A former man of the law turning his back on everything good and right. It makes my mask quiver with anger!”

“Oh please. The guy is quite possibly the most experienced veteran the WF has ever had. He’s a technical wonder, and the only reason he hates the fans is because THEY HATED HIM FIRST. If someone booed me I’d be rightly pissed at them as well.”

“You can’t just expect the fans to love you, Riley. You have to attempt to win them over, and I think it’s obvious who shunned who first.”

The crowd is still giving him some boos, but the Judge ignores them for the most part as he steps up onto the apron and through the ropes. He walks over to his corner, where he does a few leg stretches with the assistance of the turnbuckle. Meanwhile, Robertson finally finishes up the long massage of Dragon’s tender neck and steps over the rope, onto the apron and to the outside as the Englishman finally focuses himself on the match at hand. Kivell goes over to the Judge and taps him on the back, asking him if he’s ready, and the Judge turns around and nods to him. He quickly looks at ED, who also nods, and Matty points to the timekeeper’s table for the bell!

*DING DING DING*

The match is on to a mostly apathetic reaction from the crowd, and the two wrestlers walk out towards the middle of the ring, Dragon bouncing around energetically on his feet while the Judge strides out in his calculated, cautious way.

“Again, while these two share a similar style they are definitely not the same,” informs Bobbie, “English Dragon has shown that he is a true all-rounder; he mixes up a nice combination of aerial attacks and stylized impact moves with a good knowledge of submissions. On the other hand, the Judge tends to play a more conservative ground-and-pound game, wearing down his opponent with powerful suplexes, a fantastic knowledge of submissions and mat wrestling, and experience that is matched by few. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how they match up.”

“Well, there’s definitely one thing they do share: A heart of EVIL~!”

“… Every moment I’m with you is another moment I wish I was with Grand Slam.”

Back in the ring, the two men have stopped a few feet outside each other’s reach, and they tentatively circle around, looking for an opening. Finally, Dragon is the first to move…

… Extending his arm in a handshake? From the outside Robertson gives a polite clap as the crowd gives a small negative reaction, obviously predicting what’s going to happen. The Judge, on the other hand, tilts his head and gives him a deadpan look as if to say “You’re kidding, right?”. Dragon shakes his hand, getting impatient, and the Judge extends his hand, ready to pull him in for a short arm lariat…

*SLAP*

But gets a palm across the face as Dragon brings his hand up for a disrespectful slap! The crowd gives him what for as he spins around, soaking in the boos for a moment while the Judge takes a step to the side, putting a hand up to his cheek as a vengeful looks flushes across his face. The confident Briton comes back to face Hearford, a small smile visible on his face for his beautiful work…

*SMACK*

WHOO!

Right into a Knife-Edged chop! The young man stumbles back as Justice decides to rectify the earlier offense with force, and he begins pushing him back already!

*SMACK*

WHOO!

*SMACK*

WHOO!

*SMACK*

WHOO!

English Dragon is sent stumbling backwards from the power put behind the chops, clutching his chest in pain while the Judge follows up on the arrogant foreigner with a lock-up. He quickly spins his arm over and catches Dragon in a headlock, and the foreigner acts particularly distressed as Justice torques the rookie’s head in the basic hold.

“It looks as though that neck is really injured,” says Riley with a degree of sympathy, “You have to give him some brownie points for working through an injury like he is.”

“Only if he didn’t have it coming to him,” says Comet full of righteousness, “I’ve gotten around to seeing a few of his JL matches, and after seeing how much he abuses the rules it’s about time to see him on the disadvantaged side.”

The camera looks in through the opposite ring ropes and gets a shot of Dragon gritting his teeth as his sensitive neck is wrenched before the pair start moving backwards, and as they reach back, Dragon leans into the ropes and uses the rebound to throw the big man off his neck and towards the other side! The camera watches as the old veteran grows to the size of a titan as he gets almost on top of the camera and shrinks back down as he runs back towards Dragon, who steps out and fires off a superkick around mid-ring!

*…*

But it misses as the Judge ducks under it, and bounces off the ropes again, coming back with a huge lariat! Dragon is dropped like a rock to the mat as Justice stands over him for a moment before going down the mat for a headlock. But he never gets it as he’s hit with a kick to the head from Dragon before he can even get to ED’s head. Hearford stumbles back a few steps, allowing the Englishman to roll out of the ring for a second, where Robertson rushes over and begins to give him a neck massage again to some jeers from nearby fans.

“Get back in the ring, criminal, and fight like a man!”

“Hey hey hey,” says Bobbie on the defensive, “He’s just regrouping. It’s a common tactic to stop the other guy’s momentum.”

“More like a dirty stalling tactic, Bobbie. I’ve never approved of them and I refuse to start now.”

The Judge approaches the ring ropes and motions with one hand for ED to get back in, but Kivell pushes him away to give Dragon some room to come in before starting a count. Even as Matty counts away, Robertson continues to give the massage and some encouraging words to his master, and at around “6” Dragon raises a hand to tell Robertson to stop before he jumps up to the apron and enters again with renewed energy. He walks over towards the Judge, who stands out at mid-ring, and motions for a knuckle-lock. The Judge follows suit, and they nearly get one hand, but Dragon opts for a kick to the gut which Justice catches! ED follows up with a quick Enzuigiri, but the Judge ducks that as well!

*CRACK*

Not the returning Gamengiri, though. The crowd gives a small pop for the quick sequence, but that’s quickly silenced as Dragon quickly gets back up and swipes his arms at the crowd to shut them up, though that results in boos rather than silence. He looks back at the Judge one the ground holding his nose, and quickly steps over to him, sitting him up and nailing him in the back of the head with a dropkick! The Judge holds the back of his head, but the Englishman quickly begins pulling him up to his feet.

“A great sequence there by the English Dragon. He caught the Judge off guard with that super-fast returning Gamengiri after Hearford almost got him.”

“Indeed, but the disrespect he gave the citizens of Sioux City for cheering for him was certainly uncalled for! For the love of Thoth, they were cheering him and he shoved them down!”

“Hey, the guy doesn’t like Americans and he doesn’t hide it. At least he’s honest with it.”

“Honesty isn’t an excuse for being bitter about something as petty as a few titles way back when.”

“A few titles? It was 7 titles!”

In the ring the Englishman put Hearford back on his feet, and he pulls his arm back before firing off a knife-edged chop right into his chest!

*SMACK*

WHOO!

But it doesn’t go unchallenged. The Judge isn’t that far out of it and he strikes back with one of his own!

*SMACK*

WHOO!

Dragon is pushed back a step or two, but he isn’t about to concede any sort of victory for a Yank yet. He winds back up and fires a curt response to the Judge’s counter-point.

*DOINK*

A poke to the eyes! The Judge holds his abused pupils for a moment as ED tries to take the ill gotten advantage, pulling him in for a European Uppercut! The Judge stumbles backwards, and Dragon follows up with sharp kick to his left knee. He doesn’t buckle under, but the Judge stumbles back a bit. ED smiles before maneuvering around for a waistlock, but the smile quickly changes to a frown as the Judge easily breaks his grip and turns it into a hammerlock. Bouncing about on the balls of his feet trying to keep the Judge from pulling the arm ever more upward, but Hearford quickly changes this, transitioning it into a wristlock before grapevining the rookie’s head and sweeping him to the mat!

“Just look at that transition,” says Bobbie with some admiration, “Fluid as all hell. When it comes down to chain wrestling, the Judge has to be one of the best.”

Dragon clutches his tender neck in pain as the old veteran quickly recovers from the sweep. He back up and flips ED over, grabbing him around his chin for a Camel Clutch! The foreigner yells out in pain as his weak neck is pulled back far more than it should be. The crowd gives a small pop as the arrogant European struggles towards the ropes as his worried butler watches on.

“After taking that Demonstar Driver, this craven Cockney may be in some big trouble!” says Comet as Dragon moves towards the ropes, but is stopped by ‘Judge Mental’ only a few inches out of their reach, “Even a simple submission like a Camel Clutch is a match-ender to his sensitive spinal cord…”

Indeed, it’s obvious to all the fans nearby that the loathsome limey is in excruciating pain as Kivell continually asks him “Do you give up?” He reaches out once again, and it looks hopeless…

But he grabs the ropes!

“Robertson, the slimy servant! He pushed the ropes closer so that Dragon could get the break!” says an outraged Comet, “I hate to sound clichéd but-“

“Then you’d be a mute and we’d all be quite happy.”

Kivell looks a bit perplexed at how Dragon reached the ropes, and he looks over towards Robertson, who quickly stepped around the corner after pushing the ropes inward. He holds his hands behind his back and gives Kivell a deadpan stare, and the ref doesn’t think twice of it before making Hearford break the hold. The old man does so, though he looks at Robertson as well with a sneer. He yanks up the Briton by his arm and immediately locks up with him, and he quickly begins overpowering the young champion. He quickly spins around, grabbing Dragon’s head and pulling him right over his shoulder. Dragon lands in a sitting position and the Judge reaches around without even looking for an inverted facelock…

… But Dragon instinctively ducks it! Justice is put off balance as he bends over a little too much, and the quick ED capitalizes, rolling back a bit to catch his legs under the Judge’s armpits before going forwards for a prawn hold!

ONE!

TWO!

THNO! The Judge sits back up, pinning Dragon to the mat!

ONE!

TWO!

THRENO! Dragon struggles, flipping the pin to the side! Still holding onto the Judge’s legs, he rolls the Judge onto his back, ending up in a Rana-type pin!

ONE!

TWO!

THREENO! The Judge kicks out strong, though slightly peeved that his own reversal was reversed.

“Holy precarious pinning predicaments! Those were a few near falls there.”

“Yep, these two guys can get your shoulders on the mat from just about anywhere.”

The Judge is the first off the mat as Dragon still a bit tired from the Camel Clutch, and he pulls ED right up by the wrist and whips the smaller man at the ropes! Hearford follows suit, leaning back into the nearest ropes…

*WHACK*

“BOOOOOOO!”

The Judge falls down to one knee, holding the other as Robertson quickly puts a metallic object in his pants pocket. The fans are outraged at the tactic, but Kivell doesn’t even get a chance to look over at the bad butler as Dragon immediately takes advantage of the kneeling Judge, nailing him in the face with a dropkick! Hearford is put down to the canvas, his face contorted in pain as ED gets back up to his feet. His mostly concealed visage is graced with a confident, wicked smile as he begins to hit the Judge with hard kicks to the afflicted knee.

“Once again, when English Dragon can’t get the job done his lackey does it for him,” says Comet with obvious disgust, but Riley immediately counters.

“You know the Judge really should have seen all this coming. I mean, he is an announcer in the SJL. You’d expect him to know how to counter these things by now.”

Dragon tenaciously keeps up his attack on Hearford’s knee, kicking him over and over again while the old veteran tries to defend himself. Justice begins rolling away, the Englishman hot on his trail trying to stomp him down, but the old veteran is able to make it to the outside for a breather. He limps away for a moment, holding his throbbing joint as Kivell begins a countout. Meanwhile inside the ring Dragon takes the chance to insult the crowd with a few less-than-proper hand motions, enjoying it all the while. The boos heap upon him as the Judge begins to re-enter, slowly and shakily standing back up in the ring. Dragon swaggers towards him, an air of confidence exuding from him as he approaches. The Judge tries to get down in his normal stance, but Dragon quickly snaps off a kick right to his knee, putting Justice off balance. He quickly uses his speed and Hearford’s current lack thereof to good use, quickly locking on a front facelock and crushing his cranium with a DDT!

“The criminal is putting his ill gotten gains to good use with that DDT right there. But I wonder why he isn’t still concentrating on the leg more.”

“Most likely because if he just works the leg the Judge won’t tire out at all. He doesn’t want to have Hearford strong enough to reverse St. George’s Cross, which he could easily do by flipping it over.”

With his victim on the ground, Dragon quickly rolls back up to his feet. He gives the knee a few good stomps before pulling a dazed and confused Justice up off the mat. He stands him up on his vertical base before delivering a sharp kick to his side. The Judge stumbles and limps to the side as Dragon follows up with a sharp spin kick right to the gut! Hearford doubles over and ED moves in, grabbing Hearford’s head before spinning around and dropping to the ground with a Neckbreaker! The Judge holds his neck as he lies on his back, and Dragon quickly gets up to his feet. He grabs one of Hearford’s legs, and spins it around…

“This is it! St. George’s Cross!”

… But instead of going for the Figure Four he stops mid spin and drops and elbow right on the knee! The Judge grimaces while Dragon quickly holds onto the leg and pulls it into a legbar.

“Dragon is certainly the over-confident one,” notes Comet, “While I’m not a fan of his work, the Judge has shown some great resourcefulness on the mat. I wouldn’t be one to give him a chance right now…”

But English Dragon can’t hear the Superhero’s warning to heed it, though it’s doubtful he wouldn’t if he did. He continues to torque the one leg of Justice hard, and finally the wily old veteran gets a plan. He quickly brings his free foot right into the back of Dragon’s head, nailing him in his sore neck. The Rookie quickly brings his hands back to his neck, and the Judge tears away the nearest one while pulling back. His legs lock right around the arm and head of Dragon, and soon the unlucky Brit is caught in a sticky predicament!

“Triangle Choke!” says Comet, “Once again, Pride is the downfall of another devious man.”

“Wait, he can hit the bad leg!” says Riley, trying to think of a solution as Dragon flops around, trying to get to one of the ropes.

“Oh no he can’t! That arm is trapped in the scissors. There isn’t a way he’s gonna touch that thing. I think Dragon just shot himself in the foot with that little tease…”

Dragon continues to flop around as a small cheer comes from the crowd, glad to see the British bastard finally get what for, but once again the ropes aren’t too far off. Robertson begins dashing around the ring, but he might not be fast enough for his employer as he bangs his foot only an inch or so away from the ropes…

… And he gets it clean! Robertson breathes a sigh of relief, the crowd breathes a sigh of disappointment, and Hearford gives one of minor frustration. The butler claps furiously at his master’s good show as he holds his neck, breathing hard after being in the disabling hold a few seconds too long for comfort. But this time the Judge is in control, and he slowly pulls up the smaller man and blasts him with a stiff chop!

*SMACK*

WHOO!

He keeps…

*SMACK*

WHOO!

… going on…

*SMACK*

WHOO!

… until he…

*SMACK*

WHOO!

… pushes him right into the edge of the ropes. He grabs the still tired young Brit and whips him at the other side, where he rebounds and comes back as the Judge steps out towards the center of the ring. They meet up and the Judge pivots on his good leg as he wraps his arms around the neck of ED for a sleeper hold! The rookie tries to get towards the ropes, furiously pushing off, but even with his bad leg the Judge is able to stay his ground. Dragon begins to look hazy after having two sleeper holds put on him in quick succession. He tries to think… and finally he reaches up on Hearford’s head and sits out! The Judge’s jaw impacts right on his head, and the old man bounces backwards to the mat as ED lies on the canvas as well, panting like a dog.

“Great reversal! Even in situations where most people couldn’t even think straight Dragon is able to stay calm and get the job done.”

Kivell takes a look at both of them, asking them to get up before he starts the standard ten count.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

“Comet, what do you think happens if they both don’t get up?” asks Riley with a tint of worry discernable in his voice.

“I’d wager that they’d both be eliminated.”

FOUR!

“… GET UP YOU TWO! GET THE HELL UP!”

FIVE!

Suddenly the Judge begins to move, pushing up onto a knee…

SIX!

Followed by Dragon, who rolls over and pushes off the ground…

SEVEN!

The Judge gets one foot on the ground…

EIGHT!

Dragon gets to all fours and begins to climb back up to his feet…

NINE!

The Judge stands right back up, and he goes over to the rising Dragon, pulling him up from behind. He goes for a waistlock, but Dragon instinctively spins around before the Judge can lock it on. Now positioned behind the Judge, ED tries to lock in a full nelson as Hearford desperately fights back.

“Dragon Suplex Attempt!” calls Bobbie, “This late in the match something like this could end it!”

But he just can’t seem to lock it in, and the Judge whips his head back right into Dragon’s face! The already hazy man releases the full nelson after receiving the skull jarring blow, and the Judge himself spins around on his good leg and pulls one of ED’s arms backwards in a Hammerlock. The evil Englishman is too dazed to try and fight back as the Judge puts all his strength into a massive Hammerlock Suplex! The crowd gives a pop for the head-dropping maneuver as the Judge gets back up and stumbles into the ropes for a short break while Dragon holds bad neck, hoping the damage isn’t permanent. But Dragon keeps looking at the Judge through the pain, and suddenly…

“AHH! CHRIST AHHH!”

He begins spasming about, crying out as if his neck were broken. Kivell immediately goes over to check on him, and from behind the Judge gets tripped to the mat and pulled to the outside by the ever-present Robertson! The crowd boos, but Kivell is too fixated on English Dragon, trying to figure out if he’s injured and how badly.

“This… this…” stutters Comet, too angry to get the words out.

”Is BRILLIANT!” finishes Riley as the Judge is tossed to the ground while Robertson brings out the brass knuckles to a massive hail of boos. The camera closes in on Hearford, who is doubled over. Suddenly, for only a moment, something is visible. Something a few of the nearby fans recognize and actually cheer for.

Something metal.

“Uh-oh! Uh-oh!” says Bobbie, knowing what’s going on as Robertson pulls Hearford up, lines up a huge punch, only to have the Judge duck right under it! He quickly spins around…

*CRUNCH*

And right into the chain-link fist of the Judge! He falls like he was nailed with a shotgun as the crowd actually pops nice and loud for the cheat vs. cheat. He drops the chain on Robertson’s massive chest before turning his attention back to the ring.

“While I hate cheating, that cheating Cockney got right what he deserved.”

Meanwhile, English Dragon, despite the bad neck, has pretty much recovered. After watching the events unfold as they just did he isn’t at all happy. He suddenly shoots back up to his feet, much to the amazement of Matty Kivell, and goes over towards the entering Judge, giving him a few vengeful forearms before whipping him at the ropes!... But the Judge reverses, holding onto the rookie and bringing him right into a knee. A perfectly placed, perfectly hidden knee.

“Low blow! The Judge nailed Dragon with a… um…” says Comet, “Not so blatant low blow.”

Indeed, Kivell only thinks he got the stomach as ED threatens to crumble over and Hearford quickly spins around, grabbing Dragon’s head for a snapmare. He lands sitting up, and this time the Judge makes sure to lock in the Stretch Plum, even stepping over with his better leg. The pain in the Englishman’s neck is immense as it is twisted backwards, and he weighs his options: He can’t make it to the ropes, his loyal servant is out for a while, and his neck is weak enough…

*TAP TAP TAP*

Dragon taps like mad, and the Judge instantly breaks the hold. A small pop goes up from the crowd for beating the unfriendly foreigner, but it quickly dies away under the sound of “Testify”.

“The winner of the match via submission and moving on to the next round in the loser’s bracket… THE JUDGE, WILLIAM HEAAAAAARFOOOOORD!”

The Judge takes in a deep breath, still tired, and he leans over to the lying Dragon. He says something the ring mics barely pick up.

“Nice try, boy. You nearly had me going for a moment. But for future reference-“ a shit-eating grin comes across his face-“Don’t try to out-cheat the best.”

With that, Judge limps over to the ropes and out of the ring as the camera closes in on Dragon to show an angry scowl, most likely realizing he just got beaten by the Play by Play announcer of the JL. On the outside, a dazed and confused Robertson sits up, the chain on his chest rolling off and onto the ground, hitting with a metallic *clink”.

“Well, all I have to say about this match is that I’m glad that one of these criminals is finally out of this tournament.”

“But one of them is still in, and that’s definitely good news. Anyways, stay tuned because we have The Sinner facing off against some guy!-“

“-Aecas-“

“-Aecas next up on SWF Smarkdown!”

*FADE TO COMMERCIAL*

Edited August 26, 2003 by Edwin MacPhisto

August 26, 2003

The arena drops to darkness, and. Va'aiga's shadow appears in the entranceway.

Riley: What’s this? This wasn’t scheduled!

Dressed in his hooded training top with the hood down, Va’aiga steps out of the entrance gate. The bassline of "Bring The Pain" by Method Man starts up and red strobe lights pierce the darkness of the entrance ramp as Va'aiga begins his slow walk to the ring, throwing a few phantom jabs on the way. The Smarktron shows images of Va'aiga shadow boxing and posing, cut with some of his biggest in ring hits - Maori Dropping Jay Dawg onto a flaming section of canvas, flattening Ejiro with a Lariat, Camel Clutching Jay Dawg with a bent golf club, Maori Dropping CIA through the windshield of the Mag 7 limo, smashing Crow with a chair, staring off with Janus, holding up both the Tag and Hardcore Gamers belts after the tag title win, hitting the Decapitator on Ejiro with Dace Night... Inside the ring Va'aiga rolls down his hood and raises his fists to the crowd, then takes off his top and throws it to a ring assistant before firing off the Maori hand sign. Va’aiga beckons for a mic to be thrown up to him.

Va’aiga: Kia ora, my friends.

Va’aiga looks round the audience and soaks up the buzz of crowd noise.

Va’aiga: Now a lot of people been asking where Va’aiga has been the last couple of weeks. There’s been firings and hirings and tournaments and all manner of the good shit going down, and the Maori Badass hasn’t been part of the proceedings. Since the tag title loss there’s been no sign of this brother in a SWF Ring.

Riley: You haven’t seen him in action yet, have you Comet?

Cyclone Comet: Why no I haven’t.

Riley: You haven’t missed much…

Va’aiga: Now let me spill a little something that I’ve been doing, and what’s been keeping me out. Taking some big moves from the other tag teams, from both the International Incident

The crowd cheers

Va’aiga: And also from Double Jeopardy…

The crowd boos, and Va’aiga raises an eyebrow.

Va’aiga: That can take it out of even a double tough brother like myself. See learning to take the knocks, take the injuries, that’s all part of being Mongrel. So when my shoulder popped out in a match, I fought on, TRUE… WARRIOR… STYLE!

Va’aiga takes a breath in.

Va’aiga: Now see this shoulder… been dislocated and some doctor had to pop the thing back in, and I’ve been rehabbing it near solid for the past fortnight. That’s not all. I’ve got a couple of new moves I might show some fool messing with this brother. I got a bit extra panepane from the better half of my relationship.

Va’aiga grins and the crowd, taking a little while to get the reference give a collective chuckle

Va’aiga: But most important - I’ve been putting a little extra muscle on, while I’ve been in the gym too. So see this arm now at 110%

Va’aiga flexes a massive muscle bound and tattoo covered arm.

Va’aiga: 28” of finest New Zealand beef. Back and ready for ANYTHING this federation can throw at me. With my pakihiwi back at full fitness you got one solid Maori ready to turn up and kick the asses of anyone who wants a little whakarekereke in their miserable little lives. Va’aiga is back. Va’aiga wants blood, gold and someone to HURT. And Double Jeopardy, you got an appointment with the Decapitator you haven’t kept, but that can wait till we’re all done with this tournament. This challenge isn’t for you. This is for anyone, ANYONE who thinks they can hang with the Maori Badass. BOO-YAH!

August 26, 2003

Fade in to SWF Smarkdown from commercials.

Riley: "We're back on Smarkdown, as the loser's bracket marches on! The winner of this match will go on to face the loser of Dante Crane and Ejiro Fasaki, a match which will come along later on tonight and will certainly be an interesting match."

Comet: "There is a dilemma!"

Riley: "What is it this time, Comet?"

Comet: "I fear for Citizen Duran's safety in this match! Aecas is an unstable man! I cannot support Aecas in this bout!"

Riley: "Just root for puppies then, you wuss."

Comet: "So be it!"

This shot fades to a fixed shot in front of the ring, where Funyon is standing, ready to deliver the introductions. "Sinner" by Drowning Pool strikes up, and as the crowd begins to boo the SWF's newest heel, Funyon begins his statements.

Funyon: "Ladies and gentlemen...this next match is scheduled for one fall, and it is a match in the FIRST ROUND of the Loser's Bracket!"

John Duran steps through the curtain, still looking as angst-ridden as ever as he begins to move down the Smarkdown ramp.

Funyon: "Introducing first, hailing from Champaign, Illinois and weighing in at 265 pounds...THE SINNER...JOHN...DURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Riley: "Duran suffered a tough loss to Jamie 'Jay Dawg' Drazon in the first round on Lockdown, and after seeming so charged up for this tournament, it seems as if he's been set back a step. One has to think that Duran feels very, very threatened."

Comet: "Citizen Duran has certainly been backed into a corner by his opposition, and it's easy to say that he has NOWHERE to run!"

Duran decides not to exchange pleasantries with the fans, a rare thing for him as he hops up onto the apron before entering the ring and heading to the opposite side of the ring, waiting for his opponent to enter the ring, and opponent he is familiar with.

"Are you scared?"

...

"He's here..........."

"Curse All You Men" by Emperor blasts out from the speakers, the crowd cheering as smoke billows up from the entranceway, filling the air. Aecas steps through the smoke with his scythe held high, getting a very positive crowd reaction as he continues down to the ring.

Funyon: "And his opponent, weighing in at 315 pounds and hailing from Shrewsbury, England...THE BLACK ANGEL...AEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!"

Aecas looks as psychotic as ever as he continues down towards the ring, with the body length scythe at his side.

Riley: "Comet, these two have met in the past, you know. This includes a meeting in a triple threat match for the SJL World Title, which Duran proudly won."

Comet: "Citizen Riley, have you forgotten the #1 Contendership Match with special guest referee Charlie Matthews?"

Riley: "Charlie Matthews? Who?"

Aecas steps up on the apron and goes to enter the ring through the ropes, but Duran decides to give him grief right off the bat, attacking Aecas as he comes through the ropes. The ref quickly calls for the bell to get the match started.

*DING DING DING*

"The Sinner" brings Aecas back into the ring the rest of the way, tossing the big man down to the mat and beginning to stomp the 7-footer into the ground as the crowd lets out a round of boos to voice their opinion Duran's cowardly pre-match sneak attack.

Riley: "This is what I love about Duran! He has a take-charge attitude! I like it!"

Comet: "Citizen Duran is not fighting fair, as usually!"

Riley: "Citizen Comet, he's called 'The Sinner' for a reason."

Duran brings Aecas back up to his feet, but keeps the Englishman hunched over a little bit so that Duran--who is 4 inches shorter--is level with "The Black Angel." With such a level playing field established, John unleashes a solid headbutt that staggers Aecas. Duran holds onto Aecas and hits another headbutt, which puts Aecas up against the ropes, like an upstart young rookie about to go down to the thunderous blows of the grizzled veteran.

Riley: "Look at those nasty headbutts from Duran!"

Comet: "Surely he must be feeling the effects of the headbutt as well as his victim!"

Riley: "Of course he is. And don't call me Shirley. I don't swing that way."

Duran grabs the left arm of Aecas and sends Aecas hurdling across the ring to the opposite ropes nearest the announce table. Duran walks towards the middle of the ring, and as "The Black Angel" comes back towards "The Sinner," John gets a little bit of momentum, extending his arm and taking Aecas down right in the middle of the ring. As soon as Aecas hits the mat, John is right on top of him, hooking the leg as the ref quickly swings around to count the first pinfall of the match.

ONE...

KICKOUT!

The crowd is a little confused about why Duran had to go for the cover so soon, and Duran doesn't seem too pleased with what he just did, either.

Comet: "Citizen Riley, perhaps you could describe to me what just happened there?"

Riley: "Is it possible that Duran is just wanting to keep Aecas down for the three count? I mean, Aecas is a glutton for punishment, there's really no sense in trying to put him down and out. Let's face it, you only need that three count to win the match, so why try for anything else?"

Duran appears ready to go back to the drawing board as he grabs Aecas by his shoulder-length black hair and brings him slowly to his feet. Aecas is not willing to reach a vertical base without a fight, however, as he brings his clenched right fist across the jaw of "The Sinner," jarring Duran and sending him back a step or two. Aecas hits a couple more right hands, but in desperation, Duran keeps Aecas away from him by sending him into the ropes. With Aecas in the ropes, Duran gets a little bit longer to recuperate and gather his head after having it almost knocked right off his shoulders by Aecas, but what "The Sinner" most certainly does not see coming is Aecas. "The Black Angel" brings his right leg up, and with all the momentum in the world seemingly on his side, the boot collides with Duran's face and knocks John down to the mat as the crowd explodes with cheers.

Comet: "Yakuza kick! A very impressive move from a man who is seven feet tall."

Riley: "It's always impressive when it doesn't hit the good guys!"

Duran is now down on the mat, and it's Aecas' turn to have a little fun as he brings John up by his jet-black hair. Aecas then steps behind and to the left side of Duran, wrapping his arms around the waist of "The Sinner" and tilting Duran parallel to the mat. John stays in the mercy of Aecas for a moment longer before "The Black Angel" drops to one knee, bringing the other upstanding knee right into the back of Duran. However, Aecas is not quite done with John just yet, bringing him back to the stance that they were both in before Aecas landed the backbreaker, with Aecas behind and to the left of Duran, before quickly dropping back, planting Duran on his head and giving "The Sinner" something else to worry about after that vicious one-two combo move. Duran actually lands on his face from the very high angle degree from which he was dropped.

Riley: "I'll be honest, I haven't seen a whole lot of things like that!"

Comet: "You certainly don't see that often, but Citizen Aecas does have the talent that it takes, he just needs to get himself dedicated."

Riley: "The pressure must certainly be intense for Aecas. He can reasonably beat John Duran, but that doesn't change the fact that he is still currently in the SJL, and this win could be one of the biggest of his career."

Comet: "That makes me worry about what lengths Aecas is willing to do to win this match."

Riley: "If I know Aecas, he'll do everything legal in a straight match to pick up the W."

Aecas goes over to the face-down Duran and grabs his legs, turning his back to the SmarkTron and leaning back on Duran, locking in a Boston Crab as the crowd continues to cheer Aecas' domination. Aecas seems relatively quiet and gloomy, but yet determined at the same time to make Duran give up or stay down as soon as possible. The ref leans in to ask Duran if he gives up, and "The Sinner" answers with an emphatic response in the negative, but then quickly lets loose swearing for a moment, feeling the pressure of his legs being absolutely wrenched by the 7-foot, three hundred pound plus monster. Duran keeps on keeping on, however, and Aecas does not seem pleased one bit.

Riley: "Uh-oh. I think Duran just made Aecas a little bit frustrated, and even a little bit frustrated for a man like Aecas means that Duran could leave tonight without all of his limbs in top shape."

There is no rest for the wicked, even when Aecas releases the Boston Crab hold on Duran. "The Sinner" quickly finds himself in more trouble as Aecas lays down on the mat, trapping Duran's left arm and wrenching back, locking on a vicious reverse armbar that gets Duran squirming. Once again, the ref leans in to question whether or not Duran has had enough yet. Once again, John answers in the negative.

Comet: "This strategy by Citizen Aecas is most interesting!"

Riley: "I must admit, this full body assault by Aecas is very intriguing. It looks to me like Aecas wants to rip all the limbs off Duran. I'm definitely beginning to sense some hostility from Aecas."

Duran's arm is still sticking straight out, the elbow locked thanks to Aecas and his Fujiwara armbar, as the crowd begins to wonder how much longer Duran can hold on. "The Sinner" seems to be in a lot of pain, and rightfully so, as he once again finds himself caught under a large weight in Aecas. However, Aecas apparently is as much as a glutton for punishing others as he is a glutton for being punished, as the reverse armbar is released. The crowd seems displeased that Aecas decided to let the reverse armbar and give Duran another chance to cheat his way to victory, but most in the crowd seem optimistic that something very, very bad is about to happen to poor John Duran.

Riley: "Indeed, Aecas looks like one unsavory fellow right now, and I would not want to be in John Duran's shoes right now."

Comet: "Citizen Duran is going to have to think of something, and fast, if he doesn't want to end up getting smashed by 'The Black Angel.'"

Aecas brings Duran up once again by his hair, quickly locking his arms around "The Sinner" as if to go for a belly-to-belly suplex. Duran fights it, however, not letting Aecas throw him through the air without some proper "authorization," so to speak. Finally, John manages to plant a knee into the gut of Aecas--though it could be debated that that knee was actually a little bit more south of the border than originally seen--turning the tides and hitting a belly-to-belly suplex of his own, moving to his left and gruffly slamming the big man down.

Comet: "This is the rare size mismatch for Duran, I think it will be interesting to see how effective his injustices can be against someone who is about fifty pounds heavier than he."

Riley: "Wow. You just made an insightful comment. You guys in the control room did get that on tape, didn't you?"

It seems that a cover is inevitable from Duran, but Duran is simply too worn from being assaulted by 'The Black Angel," as he rolls to the outside to, in a manner of speaking, heal his wounds. Once Duran reaches the outside, he manages to get up on one knee as he gets himself together. What he does not see is Aecas rising to his feet, and looking as angry as ever, perhaps for "The Sinner" stealing a move from the playbook of Aecas. Aecas steps out of the ring to confront John, but Duran is quick to defend himself, quickly standing up and raking his hand across the eyes of Aecas, managing to avoid certain disaster on the outside as the ref begins his usual ten count.

ONE!

Comet: "Citizen Riley, I'm curious, do you have any clue as to why I have heard a popular nickname for John Duran is 'Big Cunt?'"

Riley: "Have you ever gone out on the town with him, Cyclone? He's just mooching off everyone that he possibly can! Even with the strippers, I had to put a twenty in Delilah's g-string! Cheap bastard."

TWO!

Aecas has to bend over to prevent further attacks to his eyes from "The Sinner," which allows Duran to focus on Aecas' back. Aecas gets a right forearm to his back that slightly staggers the big man who is already staggered enough from the self-defense cheap shot. The fact that it was indeed cheap is a moot point as Duran rolls Aecas back into the ring. Duran soon follows. Duran brings Aecas to his feet and moves him towards the nearest corner, keeping the big animal Aecas caged. "The Sinner" brings his right knee up into the gut of "The Black Angel," which doubles Aecas over from the force of the blow. Duran keeps Aecas upright, however, and then crouches down to deliver punches to the solarplexes and midsection of Aecas.

Comet: "Duran's injustices have earned him a chance to come back in this match instead of getting what he deserv--"

Riley: "Silence, this is too good! Yeehaw, look at John go!"

Duran begins to rain in left and rights to the body of Aecas, the crowd very displeased as their hero's midsection is slowly being reduced to hamburger meat from the brutal pounding of Duran's fists. Aecas tries to turn the tables with a few shots to Duran's head, but Duran will have none of that, as he keeps Aecas in the corner, stepping back slightly and using the leverage from the ropes to place his boot under Aecas' chin.

Comet: "Stop him, ref! Stop him now before he hurts the Englishman!"

Riley: "Oh shut up already. Aecas is going to be just fine!"

"The Black Angel" doesn't look fine, but more like a man who is being choked out by a very large boot. The crowd boos as the ref is right there to warn Duran to release the choke. Once Duran refuses this, the ref begins to count his disqualification five count.

ONE!

Duran continues, Aecas is struggling against Duran's boot as his windpipe is compressed...

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

Duran finally removes his boot from Aecas' gullet, waiting a moment before putting his boot right back under Aecas' chin, upsetting the fans and also the ref, who once again administers the five count.

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

"The Sinner" is no dumb cookie, and knows what his limits are as he releases the choke again, this time turning his back on Aecas to taunt the fans as Aecas attempts to rearrange his windpipe after it was almost crushed from the big black boot that belongs to Duran. Once Aecas gets his bearings, he gets more than that: He gets pissed. The fans cheer, knowing that Duran has a surprise waiting for him once he turns around. And when John finally does turn around, he gets a couple of big meaty hands around his throat, as he is tossed into the same corner that Aecas was once in, having been placed there by "The Black Angel" himself.

Riley: "No! Ref, do your job and get the match back in the middle of the ring!"

Comet: "That's what I've been trying to say all along, Citizen Riley!"

Riley: "Oh, shut up with that Citizen crap already. Crappy ass superhero."

Aecas begins to work Duran over in the corner, getting some revenge with some well-placed right hand shots, getting the crowd riled up before Aecas grabs Duran by his left arm to toss him into the ropes. However, as Aecas begins to throw Duran towards the ropes, "The Sinner" reverses it and tosses Aecas into the ropes, before staggering over to the opposite ropes, thrown off by how quickly he was beaten up by Aecas. As "The Black Angel" lumbers his way back over to Duran, Duran grabs on to the top rope with one hand and bends down, using the other arm and his back to take the three hundred pound plus man over the top rope and to the outside.

THUMP

Aecas' body makes a sickening thump as it lands on the outside, and Aecas immediately tends to his back in pain from the force of the big drop all the way to the outside.

Riley: "Oh my! I can't say I really blame Duran for using that top rope as assistance, it's a miracle he managed to lift Aecas up and over that top rope!"

Comet: "Perhaps Duran possesses superhero powers! This makes him my enemy."

Riley: "Do you even listen to yourself sometimes?"

ONE!

The ref begins his ten count with Aecas on the outside. Now having sorted things out in his noggin, Duran goes to the outside where Aecas is still stirring on the ground after being tossed over the top rope. Duran takes advantage of this, once again grabbing a handful of those dark black locks and slowly bringing Aecas back up to his feet. Almost instantly, Aecas finds himself in another tough spot: Between Duran and a set of ring steps. As Duran sends Aecas into the ring steps, Aecas obviously has to turn his back to avoid getting a ring step right into the rib cage.

CRASH

The ring steps are jolted off their position at the corner of the ring, and the crowd recoils in a little bit of shock and awe as Aecas just crashes right into the ring steps.

TWO!

Comet: "Ouch! I'm sure Aecas' back was already hurting from falling to the ground, and I doubt that helped much."

Riley: "For once we can agree on something. Now can we see a replay?"

************ACTION REPLAY*****************

A split screen forms, with live action in the upper right hand corner. Duran is shown once again tossing Aecas into the ring steps, and it's obvious that his back took the most of that blow.

************ACTION REPLAY*****************

Riley: "Ouch! Did you hear that clanking! I think Duran has a new gameplan now, Comet!"

THREE!

Comet: "What's that?"

Riley: "I think he wants to destroy Aecas now. Aecas has really been making this match a hell for Duran, and Duran must be aching all over, but if he can perservere, there's no telling what a mildly loose cannon like Duran can do when provoked to do some damage."

FOUR!

Duran does not continue destruction of any sort on Aecas on the outside, instead opting to roll into the ring so he is not counted out by the referee. While in the ring, however, he continues to taunt Aecas on the outside. Aecas is slowly beginning to recover, getting to his feet and sluggishly going over to the ring apron. Duran backs up towards the opposite ropes from where Aecas is standing, and as Aecas steps up onto the apron, "The Sinner" is quick to run over and knock Aecas right off the apron, sending "The Black Angel" flying through the air.

THUMP

Aecas' back lands in an unsatisfying position once again, nailing the guardrail 100%. The crowd begins to boo Duran for not letting Aecas back in the ring so that the two can settle this battle toe-to-toe.

Comet: "Duran is just stalling for time now, there's no way that I can honestly say that is justified by a sinner!"

The ref is forced to restart his ten count since Aecas did make it to the apron.

ONE!

Duran leaves the ring once again, and the crowd gives him some shit as he goes over to Aecas, picking him up and finally rolling Aecas back into the ring.

Comet: "I'm concerned for Aecas, Bobby. This is very uncharacteristic of him to not be absolutely kicking someone like Duran squarely in the behind."

Riley: "He's just got a nice case of the nerves, which is a fortunate thing for John Duran."

Aecas' back is exposed to Duran as "The Sinner" re-enters the ring at the count of two, quickly getting to his feet and then dropping down a sharp elbow into Aecas' back, as Aecas squirms, falling further and further into a deep, drawn out pain in his back. John pops right back up, showing no mercy--as should be expected--and dropping another sharp, sharp elbow into the back of Aecas.

Comet: "Argh, I just want that justice violating punk Duran to get killed by Aecas!"

Riley: "I think Aecas will need some IcyHot before he can get his hands on 'The Sinner!'"

Aecas refuses to stay down, which seems to worry Duran. Frustrated, Duran steps up to Aecas and hits a snap spinebuster, mostly to avoid joining Aecas with a back injury. Aecas' back is slammed into the mat as Duran hooks the leg and goes for a cover.

ONE...

TWO...

KICKOUT!

Comet: "I'm glad Aecas kicked out, but this is just not fair! Aecas hasn't even had a pinfall opportunity yet!"

Riley: "He had Duran in two vicious submissions, though. So, deal with it, Cardboard Comet. Duran's plan is EXCELLENT! He's going to teach Aecas what the Ultimate Sin FEELS like when it hits. And trust me, Comet, that Ultimate Sin will most certainly hit its intended target. The crowd continues to have nothing to cheer for as Duran turns Aecas over and grabs his legs for what looks to be a Boston Crab.

Duran tries to lean back in the Boston Crab...

BUT AECAS POWERS OUT~!

The crowd explodes with cheers as Aecas' strong legs chuck Duran off of Aecas' body. A chant begins almost immediately as "The Black Angel" rises to his feet.

"AE - CAS!"

Comet: "Listen to this crowd! Aecas isn't even in the WF, and yet they want to see Duran go down so much!"

Riley: "Just stay DOWN, Aecas!"

Comet: "Never! The hate in him is awakening! The beast is about to be unleashed!"

Aecas looks on the brink of ripping Duran's head off, as Duran gets up, notices the big man is on his feet, and charges, trying to withhold his dominance in this match. However, Aecas will have none of it, as he lifts his boot--which is much bigger than the boot Duran used to choke out Aecas--and slams it right into the face of the charging Duran. Duran gets the taste knocked out of his mouth as he crashes to the mat in a heap, much to the delight of the South Dakota crowd.

Comet: "It's time for Duran to be torn limb from limb once again!"

Riley: "Never! This isn't over!"

Aecas goes to the opposite corner, a sick grin crossing his face as he taunts Duran from the other side of the ring. Duran slowly begins to get to his feet, readjusting his jaw to make sure that it's still there, before turning around.

BOOM!

Aecas charges across the ring and slams his shoulder into Duran's gut, knocking the wind out of Duran in a split second. Duran is slammed down to the mat and is out like it's the Blackout of 2003 all over again. The crowd, meanwhile, is going apeshit.

Comet: "GORE! AECAS HITS THE GORE! THIS IS IT! DURAN'S RUN IN THIS TOURNAMENT ENDS HERE!"

Riley: "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Aecas goes for the cover, as the crowd booms along in sync with the ref.

ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEE! HE GOT HIM!

...

NO, HE DIDN'T! DURAN KICKS OUT!

The crowd is beside themselves, and so is Riley as Duran somehow manages to kick out JUST in time.

Comet: "That's a minor setback for him, Bobby. Aecas will just NOT stop."

Aecas gets to his feet once again after the near fall, as the adrenaline rush he had begins to fade, and the pain in his back returns. However, though Aecas is favoring his back, he goes over to the top rope, climbing up to the top turnbuckle. Cameras flash all around him once he reaches the apex of the ring, and everyone in the arena seems to stand in unison.

Comet: "THAT'S A 300 POUND MAN ON THE TOP ROPE!"

Riley: "Duran will be killed! He has to move!"

Duran gets to his feet as Aecas perches on the top, the crowd holding their breath as Duran turns around with a vertical base, with Aecas flying towards him.

BAM!

Comet: "He hit it! MY GOD, A THREE HUNDRED POUND FLYING CROSSBODY! THIS HAS GOT TO BE IT!"

Riley: "Kickout, Duran! KICK! OUT!"

Both men crash to the mat...with Aecas on top of Duran! The crowd explodes once again, counting along as Duran's shoulders are down on the mat, along with the referee as he counts.

ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

THREE-NO! KICKOUT! HOW DID DURAN KICK OUT YET AGAIN?

The crowd is in shock as Duran kicks out once again, but it wasn't an emphatic kickout, as Duran was simply able to move his shoulder off the mat long enough to interrupt the cover. Duran looks winded and out of it, and Aecas does too.

Comet: "Aecas wants that victory! He wants the glory! He can taste it, now he must get it! He's been waiting for this chance! Millions are watching around the world as Aecas is taking John Duran to the distance, this is what he's been waiting for, and if he wants this win, he can take it!"

Riley: "Never!"

Aecas slowly gets to his feet, doozy from the flying crossbody, but then calls for the Executioner. Most of the crowd knows what's coming up next from having watched SJL programming, and those fans immediately rise up out of their seats once again as Aecas picks up the downed body of Duran, before putting him in a standing headscissors.

Comet: "Get a priest out here! We need last rites for John Duran!"

Riley: "Fool! He hasn't even hit the move yet!"

Comet: "Ah, but he will! Glory days!"

Aecas bends down, wrapping his arms around the waist of Duran and lifting...

...

Duran doesn't budge.

Aecas suddenly holds his back in pain, and the crowd is extremely disappointed.

Riley: "Hahahahahahah! He couldn't do it! I told you, Comet, I told you!"

Aecas is in pain and the ref is checking him, which doesn't allow him to see Duran hit a knee and hit "The Black Angel" with a low blow. The crowd explodes into boos as Aecas doubles over. The ref backs away as Duran gets his turn to put a standing headscissors on Aecas. Duran leans down and wraps his arms around Aecas' waist, lifting up. This time, the lifting works, but Duran still seems to be having lots of trouble getting Aecas up onto his shoulders.

Comet: "Duran is having some problems holding Aecas up there...could we see Duran's back give out as well?"

Riley: "Are you kidding? Duran's back is in tip top shape!"

Duran finally does get Aecas on his shoulders and locks in the crucifix. Duran holds Aecas in the air for a moment and then lifts Aecas up to slam him down to complete the Ultimate Sin.

BAM

"OHHHHHHHHHH!"

The Ultimate Sin does not land as planned, as Aecas ends up hitting shoulder first. An exhausted Duran doesn't even notice that he almost killed Aecas, draping his legs over Aecas' shoulders as the ref is forced to make the three count and not immediately attend to Aecas.

ONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

TWOOOOOOOOOOOO!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The crowd is in shock, wondering if Aecas is alright after almost being dropped on his skull, as Duran gets up to his feet, his hand raised in victory by the referee as "Sinner" plays.

Funyon: "Here is your winner...THE SINNER...JOHN DURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The referee goes over to check on Aecas as Duran leaves the ring, able to fight another day in the tournament, though Aecas took him to the edge.

Comet: "What a performance from Aecas. I really do hope that this man is OK."

Riley: "He took a very nasty bump, folks. That could've ended up a lot worse, but I'm sure everyone's glad he didn't. Duran picked up the victory, nonetheless."

Comet begins to talk, but as he does, Aecas shrugs off help from the ref and rises to his feet to the cheers of the crowd. Aecas has earned his respect as if he was a WF performer. The ref hands Aecas his scythe and Aecas thrusts it into the air to a great reaction from the crowd, a few scattered fans standing and applauding the efforts of the gutsy Aecas.

Comet: "It took a low blow and an almost broken neck to keep Aecas down. I can't wait until he gets in the WF so he can make Duran his little chew toy."

Riley: "Aecas is on his way back to the JL now, but there is still much more to come, ladies and gentleman! The main event is sure to be a great one, with Nathaniel Kibagami against The Sacred One, but next, it's Mak Francis, it's Dace Night, one of them will get a step closer to that dream of becoming the #1 contender, and one will leave the contendership scene. Two men will enter, one man will leave, it's all next on Smarkdown, LIVE from South Dakota!"

August 26, 2003

Smarkdown returns to the air and finds Danny Williams sitting alone in the Unholy Trinity, when there is a knock at the door.

(Danny) – Come in.

Danny looks up from tying his boots as Ben Hardy walks slowly into the room, checking the hall before closing the door behind him.

(Danny) – Hey Ben…you looking for an interview?

(Hardy) – No…you in here alone?

(Danny) – Yeah, why? You looking to jump me?

Danny laughs at the idea of Ben Hardy attacking anyone, but Hardy doesn’t seem to find it very funny.

(Hardy) – Here, take this…

Hardy thrusts a letter towards Danny, who stands up with only one boot on, and retrieves the letter from Hardy.

(Danny) – Who’s it from?

(Hardy) – I gotta go.

Hardy heads for the door without even acknowledging Danny’s question…

(Danny) – BEN! Who’s this from??

SLAM!

And just like that, Hardy is gone. Danny plops back down where he was sitting and opens the letter. He begins reading, and with each sentence, his face becomes more and more serious. With the letter completed, Danny looks around as if someone may be reading over his shoulder, despite the fact that he is in the room alone.

(Danny) – It’s about damn time.

Danny places the letter in his pocket and goes back to lacing up his boots as Smarkdown heads back down to ringside for the next match.

August 26, 2003

“Welcome back to our SWF World title, double elimination tournament! I’m Bobby Riley, along side CYCLOOOONE COMET, bringing you all the action! Aren’t we Comet?” Comet gets ready to respond but Riley cuts him off. “As I was saying, this next match is for the chance to stay alive in this double elimination tournament, so it should be great!”

“You mean you’re not even going to address what that criminal Suicide King did earlier in the show?”

“…I want to keep my job…”

“So do you wanna’ be a Franchise… And live large… A big house… five cars…”

“Making his way to ringside!” shouts Funyon, as the wispy sounds of a digital xylophone echo throughout the arena; a deep background beat, cleverly created by violins, and slightly overshadowing the original background rhythm. As the opening lyrics from Mak Francis’ Rock Superstar remix continue to blare over the PA system, the crowd bursts out of their seats, in recognition of the all too familiar music!

“The rent charge… Comin’ up in the world, don’t trust nobody… Gotta’ look over your shoulder constantly!”

The SmarkTron flares up with a blue and white photonegative image of Mak Francis, which is followed by ‘The Franchise’ in large green lettering, flashing on the screen in time with the beat, interspersed with signature spots and clips of Francis’ trademark smirking pose.

Funyon takes a breath, “From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” the crowd pops, “weighing in at TWO hundred and THIRTY-SIX POUNDS…” Funyon stutters for a moment almost calling him the ICTV champion. T—‘The Franchise’… MAAAAAAAAAK FRANCISsssssss!”

After taking a few steps out and down the ramp, Mak, head down, with a frown on his face, doesn’t even look left or right like he normally would during his entrance. The crowds’ reaction is huge, in support of the man that was disrespected so badly by the Suicide King…

“I remember the days, when I was a young kid grownin’ up… Lookin’ in the mirror dreamin’ about blowin’ up!”

*PWI-SHEW! PWI-SHEW! PWI-SHEW! PWI-SHEEEEEEW!!*

Mak continues down the ramp, trying not to show his anger, but the fans can’t help but notice his scowl, as he slides into the ring. The Franchise doesn’t even hit the turnbuckle pads, obviously fairly upset. Even Bobby Riley, who is an admitted out and out ass, can’t help but admit how much of a dictator the Suicide King has become, but even so, he’ll tow the company line. Comet stares a hole at him, so he finally submits. “Okay, okay,” mumbles Bobby, “we we’re all surprised by the opening of the show tonight, but—”

“Admit it Riley,” says Comet, with a disapproving gaze, “that—that JackHass, King, is completely mad with power.”

“Comet, I wouldn’t say all that. He’s just doing what’s best for buyrates…”

Suddenly, before Comet can get off another statement, the lights fade out and a burst of black smoke flows forth from the stage, covering the entrance way entirely. The opening rifts of "Justifiable Homicide" by Dying Fetus kicks in, as the ramp becomes lit by red and purple lights. Making his way through the billowing smoke and flowing lights, which follow him down the ramp is the High Priest of Horrorcore, Dace Night! As he walks out and to the ring, Funyon’s voice can be heard…

“And his OPPONENT!” says the ringside announce. The SmarksTron changes from a completely black screen and then suddenly shatters like glass, allowing the audience to see Dace, in a red filtered light, dropping his opponents’ with various moves interspersed with sickening clips of him slicing Spike Jenkins to little itty bits.

“Making his way to ringside, weighing in tonight at TWO hundred and FIFTY-TWO POUNDS… ‘The High Priest of Horrorcore… DAAAAAAAAACE NIGHT!”

Night climbs into the ring, and throws his signature taunt, the horns, to the crowd. While Mak just sits and stares, bracing himself in the corner, while Dace Night finishes up. The two men get checked for illegal object and then the ref asks for the bell.

*DING! DING! DING!*

The two wrestlers meet center ring, clashing in a collar and elbow tie-up. As they jockey for position, Dace, being something like twenty pounds heavier, imposes his weight on Francis, backing him up a step. Mak shifts and swats his larger opponents’ wrist to the left – successfully breaking the grapple. The Franchise ducks low and pops up high, latching on a side headlock. The strange thing is, Mak doesn’t seem to be trying all that hard to maintain control with his side headlock. “Mak Francis takes control with a pretty lackluster side headlock, which an accomplished amateur wrestler like Dace will counter out of, in a snap.”

Dace, true to Riley’s word is a very accomplished amateur wrestler in his own right, with a vast knowledge of counters, so he spins out of the side headlock and twists the Franchise’s wrist, gaining some leverage, allowing him to force Mak into an overhead wristlock. Dace slaps on the wristlock with one hand and pushes the self proclaimed Franchise towards the mat. Francis continues to fight, but applies more pressure by reaching through Mak’s bent arm with his other arm and then he latches onto his arm, re affirming the earlier wristlock, while pulling upwards to apply more pressure to the elbow.

“A keylock hooked in by Dace Night.” mentions Riley, surprising the viewer with some actual wrestling knowledge. “This move allows him to play to his strength, a huge power advantage, and push Mak down to the canvas.” As Mak goes lower and lower, he arches more and more, trying to keep himself off the mat. “Citizen Francis is just bending to the will of citizen Night, Bobby.” states Cyclone, as the Franchise continues to arch backwards, his body bending as Night asserts himself. “It’s like the Suicide King has actually crushed his wi—whoa, look at this!”

OOOOHHHHHHHHHH!

Dace looks at the face of his opponent with surprise, as he’s bridged out on his neck, effectively stopping the keylock. “Citizen Francis is doing the unthinkable—he’s pushing his way back to his feet…” Mak strains from his grounded position, slowly but surely, gaining back ground on the High Priest of Horrorcore.

LET’S GO MAAAK! *clap clap clapclapclap*

Night shakes his head in disgust at the chant and continues to constrict his grip, placing more and more pressure on the wrist of the self proclaimed Franchise! Now the entire crowd has joined in on the chant to rally the young grappler! “While Dace Night may be a crowd favorite Comet, as much as I hate to admit it how can they not get behind this kid, Francis… I mean, I’m not behind him—”

LET’S GO MAAAK! *clap clap clapclapclap*

“Though I’m sure you’d like to be, you queer quince.” says Cyclone, interrupting his announce partner. “Cover your ears younger viewers, and pardon my French older citizens’, because Cyclone Comet’s about to go OOC… I may get into trouble, but this is bullshit! Citizen Francis lost a match. But he practically kicked the kid while he was down and squashed him. Give me one good reason why that should have happen, Bobby!” Riley averts his eyes and tries to mumble out a response. “Just one.” adds Comet, getting even more heated. “It was complete and utter bullshit and he did it because he could. Retire the ICTV title—after he’s defended the belt with pride and a sense of honor. After the thing was beginning to mean something again—he defended it—he fought HARD, Bobby! For over a month and this is just a disgrace and somebody needs to do something.”

LET’S GO MAAAK! *clap clap clapclapclap*

Mak is now face to face with Dace, fighting over control, but the High Priest of Horrorcore turns the tables back in his favor with a straight headbutt to his opponents’ face. The blow allows Night to force Mak straight down to the canvas with little resistance. “A superhero like effort from the Franchise, but citizen Night will not lose this battle of wills.”

The Franchise keeps one shoulder up off the mat and slowly inches into a better position, before he counters out of the keylock, twisting into a hammerlock. Francis controls with a rather uninspiring hammerlock and Dace feels it out from his belly, looking and waiting for the right opportunity to counter.

Night inches his way up off the mat and to a knee, while Mak maintains the hold and Dace, after slowly standing up, runs around in a circle, gaining some speed, as he comes closer and closer to the ropes, with Francis behind him… and then he dives into the ropes, tossing Mak through the middle and top one, causing him to land with a dull…

*Thud!*

Mak lies face down on the outside as Dace, gets back up to his feet using the ropes. Meanwhile, Mak has gotten onto his hands and knees, shaking out the cobwebs. Dace throws up some horns and then takes of in a dash, bouncing off the far ropes and the Franchise finally gets to his feet and turns around… only to see Dace Night soaring through the air, elbow outstretched, to strike him in the face—

*Crack!*

—Which it does! “Elbow suicida by Dace Night and this match has officially spilled to the outside.” calls Riley, as Dace gets up off the crowd and soaks up the crowds cheers after such a death defying move. Both men are down, as the crowds chant gets louder.

DACE F’N NIGHT! DACE F’N NIGHT DACE F’ NIGHT!

Finally Night is able to get to his feet and Dace stumbles away, trying to regain himself, when the Franchise begins to stand. Night turns around and sees Mak—not giving the Franchise any chance to defend himself, Night charges forward and just out and out blasts Francis with a Yakuza kick, sending him to the canvas in a crumpled heap!! “He hit it! Dace hit the Yakuza kick!” shouts Riley in joy, as Comet speaks up. “But it’s on the outside, Riley. It doesn’t count unless he hits it inside the ring!” Dace stands tall on the outside, as Mak lies on the mat like he got hit with a, pardon the pun, Mack truck. The trinity member realizes that there is no way for him to win this match with them both on the outside, as the referee brings his count to three. Dace rolls in under the bottom rope, as the ref continues his count!

“Four…!

Mak begins to get up to his feet…

Five…!

Francis crawls over to the ring apron…

Six—”

At Six, the Franchise pulls himself up and Dace is there to greet him, locking him in a front facelock and lifting him up into the air… stalling as he walks out to the center of the ring, before dropping him a STIFF Brainbuster suplex!

ONE…!

TWO…!

T

H

R—No! The Franchise gets an apathetic shoulder up. Dace looks to the ref for a confirmation and gets it, so he picks the struggling Francis up to his feet and places him in a standing headscissors! “What could we see here from citizen Night, since he has such a wide array o’ moves…”

The High Priest of Horrorcore lifts Mak up into the air, in the set-up for a powerbomb, but the Franchise floats through at the top, like his name was Wildchild, the only man more un-powerbombable than Kidman and lands on his feet!!

Francis, rearing back, swing away with a scintillating knife-edge chop!!

*Smack!* WHOOOOOOOOOOO!

Dace takes the vicious chop to the chest with a little start and then he fires off a nasty elbow smash!!

*Crack!*

Mak is stunned by the power of the blow and stumbles back slightly, but not enough to stop him from rearing back once again and hitting a second blood vessel popping, knife-edge chop!!

*Smack!* WHOOOOOOOOOOO!

Dace is actually hurt by this one and takes a step back, only to plant his feet and blast the Franchise with his second elbow smash!!

*Crack!*

Francis falls backwards a step or two, but he regains his balance and moves back into Dace’s face. The two men just stand there, Mak looking up into Dace’s eyes, after they traded such brutal looking strikes

“…There just standing there… staring each other down…” mumbles Riley, as Mak, not to be outdone by the man who made Horrorcore, clenches his fist and peppers Night with a straight right hand!!

*Wham!*

Dace takes a step or two back, obviously stung a little by the blow, but he comes back with another elbow… this one really popping the Franchise!!

*Crack~!*

“It’s like something’s different.” say Bobby, as Mak stumbles back, definitely shook up by the super stiff attack, but he doesn’t back down… staring a hole into Dace from his position a few feet away. “I’ll tell you what’s different, Bobby. Look at that look of determination on the face of Citizen Francis!” Suddenly, Francis rushes back into the near ropes and gains some momentum before raising his leg for the high kick—

*CRACK!* LET’S GO MAK!

Dace stumbles back, for the first time in this contest and after a quick look at Mak, who yells ‘Bring it on!’, he rushes back into the ropes, getting the extra speed necessary for his Yakuza kick—

*CRACK!* DACE F’N NIGHT!

Mak takes the strike on the chin, and it sends him back, but he quickly regains his balance, stares at Night again, and runs back into the ropes to hit his second Yakuza kick—

*CRACK!* LET’S GO MAK!

Dace only takes one step back this time, yelling ‘Is that all you got!’, before repeating the process and absolutely blasting the Franchise with another kick!!

*CRACK!* DACE F’N NIGHT!

This time Francis stands his ground, only taking one step back and then he even has the gall to smirk! “Feel the testosterone,” says Riley, “it’s oozing, just like a cockhead, right, you fruity fool.” Riley nods his head absent mindedly, until…

LET’S GO MAK! DACE F’N NIGHT!

“…wait, what?” says Riley. “Uh… anyways, the crowd is starting up dueling chants, during the dueling kicks, oh the irony.” Mak backs up and darts forward hitting ANOTHER Yakuza kick!!

LET’S GO MAK! DACE F’N NIGHT!

*CRACK!*

LET’S GO MAK! DACE F’N NIGHT!

Dace stumbles back and stops, before backing up into the ropes once again, running forward for what he thinks will be the FINAL Yakuza kick—

LET’S GO MAK! DACE F’N NIGHT!

*CRACK!!*

LET’S GO MAK! DACE F’N NIGHT!

Mak flails backwards, stumbling like a punch drunk boxer, until he hits the ropes and rebounds back with added velocity, surprising Dace Night and himself by raising his leg for a high kick—

*CRACK~!!!*

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Mak falls into a cover after the straight boot to Dace’s head knocks him down, sitting atop the larger mans chest with the hope that the match is over…

“ONNNEEE…!”

“TWOOOOOOOOOO…!”

…

“THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHH”

…

“NOOOOOOOO!”

Dace shoots a shoulder up of the mat!! Francis stands and doesn’t even argue with the ref, like he’s prone to do as a rookie. “Here we go, Riley! Citizen Mak Attack is on a tear!” ‘The Franchise’ picks up and sends Dace across in a cross corner whip and Night hits the buckles, stumbling out, as Mak darts of the far ropes and takes him to the mat, from behind with a bulldog!! Most of the crowd knows what’s coming up next and prepare to be amused, as Francis slowly but surely pushes himself up to his feet. Mak stands, and to the surprise of the crowd, lunges towards the near ropes, bouncing off them with authority, before jumping and punching Night square in the nose with a fist drop!! “No showmanship there from ‘the Franchise’, but never the less the truth hurts and some things just need to be said! Cover him Supercitizen Francis!”

ONE…!

TWO…!

T

H

R—No! Mak just gets a two count! “When did he become a supercitizen?” questions Riley, as Mak picks Dace up and quickly Gut-wrenches the trinity member up overhead into a suplex!! “When he started doing that Bobby.” Says a pointing Cyclone Comet, as Francis scales the turnbuckle, the crowd rising to its feet in anticipation! He pauses for a moment, cradling his ribs, remembering the pain he felt after Quiz’s 450 splash, in his injured rib cage, but not caring in the least, as he lifts his hand in the air and shouting—

“I think it’s time to gimme’ that Brotherly Love!!!!!!!1!1”

YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

The crowd roars back Mak’s response and then Francis stands to his full height…

…

AND LEAPS OFF THE TOP ROPE, HITTING THE FROG SPLASH!!!!!1!

“Citizen Francis hit that a little low on the abdomen.” says Comet, as Mak falls off of Dace, clutching his ribs, as he crawls back over towards him hooking a leg. “And his ribs are still injured and he hasn’t had enough time to rest them after Quiz and Show picking that area apart.

“ONNNEEE…!”

“TWOOOOOOOOOO…!”

…

“THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHH”

…

“NOOOOOOOO!”

The Franchise doesn’t give him much time, yanking him to his feet and into a standing headscissors!! “We don’t see this very often! Citizen Francis is going for a powerbomb to put this match away!” Riley looks on, definitely worried. “If Mak hits his spiral bomb this match will have to be over! HAVE to be OVER!”

Mak attempts to lift Dace up, but Night falls down to one knee stalling the process, so Mak goes to lift him up again, but the High Priest of Horrorcore counters out of the headscissors, shooting at Mak’s leg, for a double leg takedown, but he keeps Night at bay, blocking with his hands and forearms, redirecting him towards the canvas. Dace, out of position, attempts to recover, but Mak is already driving through his own counter shoot, wrapping his arms around Night’s legs, pushing through into a takedown. While he’s falling Dace spins so that he lands on his stomach, preventing any pinning situations.

…

But Mak floats over top! Night looks to parry a front facelock, but Mak chickenwings both of Dace’s arms, before turning him onto his back and neck in a pin!!

ONE…!

TWO…!

T

H

R

E—No! Dace wiggles his way out of the pin, twisting his body from side to side like a pendulum to gain enough momentum! Dace lies on his stomach, as Mak ponder what he can do next. “The Franchise looks to be running out of ideas, as he’s gone through about half his move—wait…” says Riley, as the Franchise grasps Dace about the waist and his opponent, while still trying to shake off all the offense he’s taken in such a short time, fires off a back elbow that hits Francis directly in the mouth! Night connects with a second elbow, but Mak shakes off the pain, and spits out some blood, holding his grip like a pitbull, as he pops his hips in a—

*Thump!*

“German suplex by the Franchise, but he’s not letting go! Rolling Germans!!!” Dace gets pulled up to his feet with Francis, but doesn’t surrender to his suplex, and agilely runs into the ropes, attempting to throw Mak off like he did earlier in the night against his hammerlock, but Francis’ renewed spirit helps him hold on! Dace struggles to hold on, as Francis fights to pull him off! Night fires off back elbows again, just as Mak succeeds in pulling him away, allowing the Franchise to pops his hips in—

*Thump!*

—Another German suplex!! Francis rolls up to his feet again, with the crowd cheering both competitors, with dueling chants during this great contest!

LET’S GO MAK! DACE F’N NIGHT!

Dace trying to save himself from what he’s sure is a head drop fires off another back elbow! Mak finally gets dazed some, as Night shoots off about his sixth elbow… but Francis ducks, tucking his head under the trinity members arm pit and hoisting him overhead in a—

*Thump!*

--Northern Lights suplex!! “He won’t give up damnit! Just give it up Francis!” shouts Riley, as Comet has a heart attack at what’s starting to transpire… because Mak doesn’t hold the bridge – instead he falls to the canvas and uses momentum to pull him and Night back up for another Northern lights suplex!! “CHAINED NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEXES! This is—this is… UNBELIEVABLE, Bobby!! Have you ever seen anything like this? He rolls over again—and HITS THE TRIFECTA!”

“Only once, when he was fighting like his life depended on it against Silent—I mean, Kibagami…”

ONE…!

TWO…!

T

H

R

E— NO! Dace gets a shoulder firmly up into the air, causing the bridge to break!

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!

And then Night bridges out of the pin; causing the crowd to marvel at the action, cheering like crazy as they both rotate around, two times, each searching for an advantage…

…And as they end up face to face Dace scores a kick to the midsection that hunches Mak over. He steps over top, placing him in a standing headscissors… Night bends from the waist and keeping his hands hooked around Mak’s thighs, Night folds him in half, and slides down his legs for the pin!

“Oh my whatta’ POOOOOWERBOMB! This match is over Comet. You can drink some Pepsi Max to that one!”

ONE…!

TWO…!

T

H

R

E

E…!

NO! The Francis go crazy as Mak rolls a shoulder off the canvas and gets out from underneath Dace Night! “Mak kicked out, Riley!”

LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK!

“Mak kicked out?!”

“Supercitizen Francis showing true guts to kick out of that powerbomb!” Night guides Francis up just enough so that he can trap him in a standing head scissors, once again. The crowd not knowing what to do just, sits with baited breath, as Dace attempts to lift him again…

LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK!

“There’s no way he can take a second folding powerbomb!” says Riley, as Dace lifts him into the air… only for Francis to fall back down to the canvas still in the headscissors on his feet. “I think Mak knows that too, as he’s fighting with everything he’s got left to not get powerbombed here…” Finally, Dace rewraps his arms around the gut of Francis, letting out a Danny Williams like grunt before hoisting him up into position for a powerbomb… and sending him crashing down to the canvas!! Once again, Night slides down his legs for the pin!

ONE…!

TWO…!

T

H

R

E

E…!

NO! Dace looks down and sees that Mak has made it out of his clutches, and rolled out of the pin, from underneath his grasp!!! The crowd explodes in chants as Francis struggles to breath, reaching out with his hands and clutching at thin air…

LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK!

“He kicked out again! I don’t believe it!!!”

“This is the fighting spirit! Suicide King may have taken your belt, but he has not taken your pride Mak Francis! Keep on fighting!!!”

Dace looks to the referee, yelling for a three count, but only getting the words two in response. Dace takes a breath and then picks Francis up by his neck and violently yanks him into a standing headscissors! The crowd ‘ooohs’ as Night wraps his arms around Francis for a third powerbomb attempt!!

“Can Mak Francis kick out of a THIRD powerbomb?!?!”

“I just don’t know Comet… this has been… just crazy…”

But Mak falls to a knee stalling Dace’s plans. Night a little gassed from putting out all the energy he has, releases the waistlock and stops trying to lift Mak, instead pounding away on his back with thick meaty forearm shots!! Mak finally succumbs to Night’s will and stands up in the headscissors…

“A THIRD POOOOOWERBOMB!” shouts Comet. “NO!” he says quickly, as the self proclaimed Franchise drops back to the mat on his hands and knees still fighting the move!! Dace picks Francis up by his waist once again, letting out another Danny Williams like bellow, as he gets Mak up into position…

*THUD!*

And drives him back down, falling completely on top of him to hold the pin!!!!

“ONNNEEE…!”

“TWOOOOOOOOOO…!”

…

“THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHH”

…

“NOOOOOOOO!”

“Unbelievable, GOD DAMNIT! He—he kicked out AGAIN!”

“He will not be eliminated! Citizen Francis WILL NOT be eliminated! He’s going to win this match just to spite King and I say good for you kid!” says Comet as the crowd goes insane for that third kick out!

LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK! LET’S GO MAK!

Dace picks up Mak, unsure what to do with him, so he throws him into a neutral corner and blasts him with an elbow. “Night sends the Franchise off with a cross corner whip and charges in—NO, boot up!” Dace takes the size 14 foot to the face and spins around; wandering aimlessly, as Mak quickly climbs the turnbuckles and leaps off onto his back! “Justice Roll~!” shouts Comet, as Mak looks to try and pin the man who made Horrorcore. “It’s a VICTORY roll, you caped cretin!” counters Riley, just as Dace counters Mak’s roll of victory into a Sitout Electric Chair Slam, of defeat!!! Dace flips the Franchise over and covers hooking the leg…

ONE…!

TWO…!

T

H

R

E

E—NO! Mak rolls a shoulder up once again and the crowd just goes nuts! Francis sits on his stomach after rolling over onto it, out of the pin, and Dace just has a look of annoyance etched across his face. He stands up and back away, awaiting Mak getting up…

“…Words don’t describe this feeling inside…”

“It is surreal Riley.” says Comet, as Mak struggles to his feet. “Dace is preparing for something as Francis stumbles up to his feet—OH MY!”

*CRACK~!!!*

OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!

“WHATTA YAKUZA KICK COMET! IT’S T-H-E-E-N-D FOR MAK FRANCIS!” Dace falls into a cover after the straight boot to Mak’s head knocks him down, sitting atop the smaller mans chest with the hope that the match is over…

“ONNNEEE…!”

“TWOOOOOOOOOO…!”

…

“THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHH”

…

“NOOOOOOOO!”

Mak shoots a shoulder up of the mat!!!! Everyone in the arena is on their feet, as Dace puts a hand through his spiky hair, wondering just what it will take to put Francis away. He picks up the Franchise and double underhooks his arms in the set-up for…

“Defenestration!” yells Riley. “If this doesn’t do it, nothing will!”

Dace prepares to lift the Franchise up – but Mak Francis takes a step with his right foot, planting it, and then he lunges his chickenwinged arms to the right, before swinging his body to the left, twisting and spinning in the double armed hold, like a pendulum, breaking contact with Dace’s left arm. The surprised Night has little time to react, as the self proclaimed Franchise gracefully pirouettes, with his right arm still trapped in between Mak’s bicep and forearm, while Francis reaches over the top with his own right arm and securely pinning the limb to his own body, as he continues to rotate, like a whirling dervish… ending perpendicular to the Hardcore legend. Mak juts his free left arm in between the Night’s legs and rolls to his right…

…

…PINNING THE HIGH PRIEST OF HORROCORE’S BACK TO THE MAT!!!

Riley jumps out of his seat and calls the pin fall…”HO—HOLY SHIT! PETERSON ROLL! A PETERSON ROLL OUT OF THE DEFENESTRATION?!”

And Dace…

Well, Dace looks shocked, as Mak hooks his leg and releases his right arm, before cradling his head and clasps his two hands together completing the pin!!! Mak looks to the ref, who, looks like a deer caught in the headlights, before he realizes that he should count, which he does after diving across the mat into position! The crowd counts along, just knowing the match is over…

“ONNNEEE…!”

“TWOOOOOOOOOO…!”

…

“THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHH!”

…

“YEEEEESSSSS!” shouts Cyclone Comet, raising his hands in the air, as the crowd lets out a triumphant roar of approval.

YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAH

“The winner of this bout… and moving on in the SWF World Title tournament… “THE FRANCHISE” MAAAAK FRAAAANCISsssssss!”

“He’s done it! He’s done it! He was down and he was out, but darn it, he didn’t give up. Even after he fought back with everything he had and Dace Night took it. He had to dig down deeper than even he thought he could, but that’s the mark of a true champion. Belt be darned, He may not be a champion. He may not be the ICTV champion anymore, but that JackHass, the King of Hearts hasn’t broken him yet. Citizen Mak Francis will live on to fight another day and everyone left in this tournament had better watch out because he’s found his fighting spirit once again. He’s found his heart… the heart of a supercitizen. And this crowd, after what they just saw, has to believe that his Cinderella story can come true. That he could go from almost losing it all—EVERYTHING—every last bit, to a shot at the SWF World Heavyweight Title at Genesis IV.”

“You’re SO going to lose your job Comet…” mumbles Riley, as SWF Smarkdown goes to commercial break.

August 26, 2003

Riley: Our next match in the losers brackets pits Stryke, who fell short to Dante Crane last week, against JLer Viktor Tarakanov, who got his ass handed to him by Danny Williams.

Comet: WELL put, Robert! The forces of good prevailed over these two opponents last week and RIGHTFULLY so! Tonight, two of the most generally disliked men in both companies will COLIDE... to see which man is the bigger knave...

Riley: I think asshole would’ve worked better there. Anyways, for a match with very little hype and very little promise to be entertaining, the fans certainly seem excited about it.

The camera swoops past the cheering fans, on their feet, waving signs and such other rejoicing procedures. As the camera finishes it’s great swoop around, it comes to the source of their cheering: Funyon. He stands in the ring with his polyester leisure suit shining in the spotlight around him. With an undistinguishable grace, the King of the Mic raises his scepter to his face and begins to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen... the following contest is scheduled for ONE fall! Introducing first... he weighs in at two hundred and eighty pounds and is fighting out of Astrakhan, Russia... the SJL World Heavyweight Champion... ‘The Red Rage’ VIKTOR TARAKAAAANOOOOV!!”

*KABOOM!!*

*TAAAAAA!!*

A mighty burst of red pyro explodes on the entrance ramp, accompanied by the blaring opening chord of the Soviet National Anthem. Out from behind the Smarkdown curtain steps the JL World champ with the belt glistening on his shoulder. With unexpected swiftness, the Supreme Soviet Threat moves down the ramp, as the South Dakotan fans boo this most hated of the JL. The response of the crowd matters little to Viktor, as he glides down the aisle and slides in the ring, ignoring his usual routine of walking up the steps, wiping off his feet, and taunting the fans. Tarakanov doesn’t even take the time to taunt the crowd with his championship belt, he simply tosses it to the outside, anxious to start the match.

Riley: What’s wrong with him? He didn’t even make fun of the crowd!

Comet: It may be possible that Viktor Tarakanov is anxious to PROVE himself, having been so distinctly defeated by Danny Williams last week.

Riley: Maybe it’s because he feels he can actually beat Stryke.

Comet: As arrogant as the man is, do NOT count out Stryke! He’s a former JL champ as well, and a former ICTV champion at that! There will be no easy victory for EITHER man tonight!

Some fans start to chant “U.S.A!! U.S.A!!” but are abated as Viktor’s music fades and as does the darkness along with it. The lights in the arena remain at a hushed low as Funyon speaks up again. “And his opponent... he weighs in tonight at two hundred and twenty six pounds... hailing from Sydney, Australia... he... is... STRRRRYYYYKE!!”

“Fixation on Darkness” by Killswitch Engage hits the speakers and two identical blinky lights start up at the top of the SmarkTron, moving their way on either sides of the big screen. Very much like on an old time marquee, the lights move around the rectangular screen as the music swells until they meet at the bottom and...

*BOOOOOM!!*

A huge wall of pyro explodes across the stage in a magnificent display of pyrotechnic engineering. The overly elaborate entrance heralds the arrival of Stryke to the audience, waiting patiently with their apathy. As the sparks settle, from the back emerges Stryke to meet the boos of the crowd. He looks upon them with disgust as they boo their hearts out at him. With superb machismo, the Australian struts down the ramp and boldly taunts the crowd, confident that none of them could even touch him. As he continues his stride, he is bombarded by several near empty pop and popcorn containers. Keeping his dignity as best he can, Stryke continues his walk to the ring.

Riley: Stryke gets no respect. Why? He’s a WF superstar, he’s won titles, he’s beaten some of the greats. Yet he gets nothing in return. I don’t get it...

Comet: It is because he is EVIL!! He treats nobody with respect... how could he EVER expect to get any in return?

As the multi-colored lights swirl around the arena, Stryke gets into the ring and approaches the turnbuckle to the left of the entrance ramp and steps up to the second rope. He throws his arms up in the air for his legions of fans to adore him. Unfortunately, none of those in his legion of fans are present in the arena so all he gets in return are boos from those who despise him. He lingers just a hair too long on the turnbuckle and is caught off guard by his opponent, who grabs him from behind and fall backwards, sending Stryke flying backwards on his neck in a German suplex. The music still plays and the rainbow of lights still cascade around the dark arena as this occurs.

DING!! DING!! DING!!

Seeing the attack, the music halts abruptly and the lights return to normal, to find Tarakanov grinning wide and looking down at his fallen opponent. Looking to finish the match off quickly and leave a good impression, Tarakanov lifts up his opponent by his hair and quickly tucks his head in between his legs. With little effort, Viktor lifts up Stryke onto his shoulder and looks to hit the Bolshevik Revolution, but he hoisted up his opponent too fast! Stryke instantly shimmies down Tarakanov’s back and grabs him around his neck, standing back to back with him. With expert precision, Stryke instantly leaps forward and lands on his back, performing a variation of the neckbreaker on “The Red Rage.”

Riley: Lightning fast move by Stryke! That German suplex wasn’t near enough to put him down!

Comet: Indeed... Stryke is DEFINETLY one of the quickest men this side of Wildchild.

Riley: It’s gonna be interesting to see a strategy unfold from either man in this match.

Stryke gets up quickly from the move and holds out his arms for the fans, displaying the ease in which he took down the Leaguer. Unfortunately, he knows very little of his opponent and is cut off from his celebration upon seeing his opponent rise. Stryke then readies himself for a spot of brawling, confident that he will emerge the victor from a striking war. Stryke puts up his dukes and Viktor sees his willingness to exchange in fisticuffs and smiles, before raising his own hands in shoot-fighting stance. The two men circle each other slowly, sizing each other up, before they approach.

As they come together, Stryke tosses out several quick jabs to Viktor’s face, which Viktor takes as though he were the Rock of Gibraltar. Tarakanov grins quickly at his shocked opponent before throwing three very deliberate punches at his opponent. A right jab to the jaw, a left hit to the solar plexus, and an right uppercut to Stryke’s Australian face, sending him nearly flying backwards and to the mat. The unthinking Stryke paid the price for his lack of observational skills, failing to see the professional tape on Tarakanov’s hands and wrist, a telltale sign that he is skilled with his hands. Without hesitation, Viktor walks over to Stryke and places his boot on his chest in an arrogant pin.

~1~

.

~2~

~KICKOUT!!~

Riley: Stryke wasn’t too bright in challenging Tarakanov to a fist war.

Comet: A FOOLISH mistake indeed! Viktor Tarakanov has been a professional shoot-fighter for YEARS, he isn’t someone who you’d like to exchange punches with...

Riley: Stryke’ll come back, he always does!

After Stryke kicks out, Viktor gives a couple quick boots to his opponent’s midsection, taking advantage of his position. Tarakanov turns around quickly to rethink his strategy but is suddenly caught from behind by a roll-up from Stryke! The shifty Aussie managed to summon his strength together to sneak in a quick pin on his opponent.

~1~

.

~KICKOUT!!~

Not one for total humiliation, Viktor refuses to lose to a quick roll-up. Tarakanov instantly scrambles to his feet, avoiding leaving himself prone to a possible high flying attack by Stryke. Stryke does likewise and as he stands, he hits several quick and sharp kicks to Tarakanov’s midsection.

The kicks stun Vik long enough for Stryke to whip the Russian into the ropes. As Viktor comes back, he has his head down, expecting some sort of a leap frog from his opponent. He gets none of that, but does receive a big dropkick, square to his head, courtesy of Stryke. The dropkick was delivered with such force that it knocks Viktor to the mat, keeping him down for just long enough to allow Stryke some air time. The quicker opponent quickly charges the turnbuckles and climbs them with lightning fast speed. In the ring, Viktor is now to his feet but still groggy. The Aussie turns around and sees his opponent in near perfect position and leaps off.

Riley: STRYKE’S GONNA FLY!!

Comet: CYCLOOOOOOOOOOOOONE COMET!!

Riley: Do you take ANY opportunity to shill yourself?

In mid air, Stryke brings his knees together with his hands and then opens back up, ready to splatter Viktor all over the mat. Unfortunately, the Soviet is a bit too wise and grabs the nearby referee and yanks him in the line of fire and casually steps out himself. Stryke comes down hard on the ref and sends them both to the mat. Seeing his opponent temporarily downed, Viktor Tarakanov quickly escapes the confines of the ring and moves to the outside. Vik pushes anybody in his way until he gets to Funyon’s chair, which he promptly removes from beneath him. Viktor then dives back into the ring and sees Stryke hanging on the top rope, resting himself with his back to Viktor.

Riley: LOOK OUT STRYKE!!

Comet: WHERE’S YOUR HONOR, VIKTOR?!

His honor died long ago. With animal cunning, Viktor brings the steel chair right across the face of Stryke, who turned around just a second before he could possibly realize his potential danger. Not hitting much of the dull area on the forehead reserved for most chair shots, this steel chair smacks the Australian square in the weaker portions of his face. The stomach of the crowd turns as they see Stryke collapse like a wounded deer, holding his now bloody face. Seeing the referee beginning to rouse, Viktor quickly tosses the chair out of the ring and crouches down by his opponent and wipes his right hand on Stryke’s face, covering it with blood.

The referee now gets fully to his feet and looks at Stryke rolling around bleeding from the face, and then looks back up at Viktor, suspecting foul play. Tarakanov quickly defends himself, by holding up his fist and then motioning a reenactment of punching Stryke and him falling to the mat in pain. The referee still seems doubtful and motions as though he were swinging a steel chair, trying to get Vik to confess, but he is a man of iron. Tarakanov points to the outside of the ring where he threw the chair, showing the ref that he is innocent of all charges. The chair is gone. The ref scratches his head and then looks over to the ringside area, spying Funyon sitting peacefully on his chair.

Riley: Is he gonna get away with that? This might be the greatest victory ever!

Comet: He CANT!! The forces of good will ALWAYS triumph! That referee is SURELY bright enough to see that there is foul play afoot.

Unfortunately, he is not. Not seeing anything to prove Viktor wrong, he dismisses his accusation and even apologizes to the JL Champion. The crowd is now livid at Tarakanov for getting away with such a heinous act as they let loose a torrent of boos. Viktor calmly forgives the ref with a smile before dropping to the mat and pinning Stryke. The ref happily obliges and counts.

~1~

.

~2~

.

~3~

DING!! DING!! DING!!

The fans are as mad as they could possibly be at someone who just beat Stryke. They boo very loudly as he stands and gets his hand raised in victory. “Your winner... VIKTOR TARAKAAAANOOOOV!!” booms Funyon as the referee hands him his JL World Title belt and he happily exits the ring, leaving the fans feeling betrayed.

Riley: I’ll be damned... he did it.

Comet: CURSES!! It seems as though the dark forces have TRIUMPHED this evening... but rest assured, Evil... you will not be allowed to spread your pestilence of hate across the SWF any longer! For I, CYCLOOOOOOOOOONE COMET will hunt you down and drag you back to the depths from whence you came! HEAR MY WORDS!!

Riley: Don’t they make some sort of medication for guys like you?

Viktor walks up the ramp with his belt held high, as the anthem of his country booms around him, accompanied by the blind hatred of the masses. Stryke is now a bloody mess in the center of the ring, rolling around and making a scene and a mess on the mat. The fans boo and scream negative comments at Vik, but he is deaf to their cries of hatred. Too pleased at having advanced in the tournament, Tarakanov walks to the back with a big grin on his face, extremely pleased with the way the match turned out. The camera fades to a commercial break on a fan’s sign that has the yellow hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag with a large red slash through it, representing his dislike for the JL champ.

August 26, 2003

Smarkdown returns to the backstage entrance of the arena, where a limo screeches to a halt.

(Riley) – Who’s that?

(Comet) – I’m not entirely sure citizen Riley, but that’s one long limo.

The driver jumps out and runs to the back, but before he can open the door, the limo’s occupant throws the door open from the inside. Out steps the SWF World Champion, The Boston Strangler, and the South Dakota crowd loses it’s mind with cheers.

(Riley) – It’s Strangler!!!

(Comet) – The SWF World Champion, Boston Strangler is here in South Dakota good citizens! I bet he’s here to scout the tournament…

(Riley) – A little late isn’t he?

Strangler pauses, as if he can here the crowd cheering for him, and then turns to his driver…

(TBS) – Thanks for the ride Keith.

(Driver) – No problem sir.

(TBS) – And I told you, don’t all me sir…that’s my dad.

(Driver) – Ok.

Strangler pulls out a few bills and hands them to the driver…

(TBS) – So I’ll see you in about 2 hours.

The driver jumps back in the limo and drives off, and Strangler, with a huge grin on his championship face, turns to head into the main building…

…but he turns around and finds the SWF commissioner standing in the doorway.

(King) – Strangleman…how nice of you to join us.

Strangler shows a hint of anger in his face, but then smirks…

(TBS) – And, as usually…it’s nice to be here…in front of these great South Dakota fans!

The fans pop, but King is not amused…

(King) – Yes, that’s wonderful…but, the show started 40 minutes ago.

(TBS) – Yeah, I know…but I had to take care of some things…you know how it is…

King chuckles…

(King) – I bet you did…but the fact still remains that I had to start my show without my world champion…and that’s not good for buy rates. And YOU know how that is…

(TBS) – It’s not like I had a match or anything…

(King) – That’s the thing…I HAD you scheduled for a promo slot earlier, and you weren’t here. AND, I was going to book you in a unscheduled match to help build the unpredictability of the show, but again, you weren’t here! What am I supposed to do when my champion is late? How does that look to the rest of the roster when I let you arrive late?

(TBS) – Don’t know, and don’t care!

(King) – You don’t care, huh? I see…but what if I didn’t care, huh? What if I didn’t care enough to book your match for the SWF Title? What if I didn’t care enough to let you stay in the SWF, despite your poor wrestling skills? What if I didn’t care enough to hold this huge tournament to find you a suitable opponent for Genesis, huh? Then what? Where would you be then?

(TBS) – Hey look…don’t try to come out here and bust my chops. I’m the SWF World Champion…you need me, remember that. Besides, if things look bad with others on the roster, it’s because you’ve been walking around here like you’re hot shit…throwing around your power like you’re the most important thing in the SWF. Well, let me share something with you, BRIAN, I’m the world champion. I worked hard to get to this point in my career, and I work hard each and every week to make YOUR show the best show in sports entertainment. So don’t come out here and act all high and mighty with me because without people like me, your show is shit.

(King) – I assure you, “champ”, that is not the case. Cause you see, you are replaceable, and there are 25 other superstars who would jump at the chance to take your spot. And probably, at Genesis, one of them will…but if you’re late again, that day will come much sooner.

(TBS) – Is that so?

(King) – Oh, it most certainly is…because if you’re late again, I will strip you of that title, and suspend you for a period no shorter than 3 months. I already stripped Mak of the ICTV Title tonight because of his ineptness, so don’t think that you’re untouchable. Got it?

Strangler chuckles, but then stares hard into King like a dagger…

(TBS) – Yeah, I got it…

(King) – Good.

King, feeling confident with himself, turns and returns to the main portion of the building, leaving Strangler to stand there fuming. However, before he can even think long about the encounter, he is approached by Ben Hardy from behind.

(Hardy) – {whispering} Stangler…

(TBS) – What?

(Hardy) – Here…

Hardy hands Strangler a letter and quickly departs. Strangler looks over the letter, and once finished, he grins and heads into the arena.

(Riley) – Another letter Comet…

(Comet) – I see, but Strangler seems to be in hot water with our commissioner…

(Riley) – Yeah, well, he shouldn’t show up to work late.

(Comet) – That may be so, but King is overreacting, and he needs to be put in his place.

(Riley) – Whatever you say Comet…I’m not going to keep arguing with you on this.

(Comet) – Good…because being that I’m a superhero and you aren’t, it’s futile.

(Riley) – Listen man, I’m sick and tired…

(Comet) – NEXT UP! The winners bracket…Annie versus Michael Craven!!

(Riley) – Don’t interrupt me…

Fade to commercial.

August 26, 2003

It’s time!

It’s Smarkdown time!

The show is in full force as the fans in the sold-out Sioux Falls Arena spring to their feet, wildly cheering and waving their signs in the air, but before we get a good look at any single one of them, we cut to the SWF’s dynamic duo of announcing for the next match!

Riley: Welcome back to SWF Smarkdown! We’re live here in... wait, where are we again?

Riley shuffles through his notes, trying to remember in what loser town they are, but Comet reaches over, handing his CometNotes™ over to his partner while giving a thumbs-up and grin to the cameraman. Riley regretfully snatches the neatly-organized notes out of Comet’s hands and looks them over.

Riley: Now let’s see... aha! We’re live in ever-vigilant Sioux Falls, South Dakota! Thanks, Comet.

Comet: No problem, citizen Riley! It’s all in a days work for CYCLOOOOOOOOOOONE COMET!

Riley: Looks like someone got their Ritalin stolen from them...

Comet: Silly sidekick! This Ritalin you speak of is foreign to this defender of truth and justice!

Riley: You know what, I don’t care if it is or not, because we’ve got a match coming up next that’s more important than your medication.

Comet: Another epic struggle between the forces of good and evil? Continue on, Robert!

Riley: In the second round of our winner’s bracket, we’re gonna kick things off with Annie Eclectic versus Michael Craven, the ninth time these two have faced off against one another!

Comet: They have fought eight times before, you say?

Riley: Yes, and I’ve watched most of their encounters on tape, and all I can say is that if history holds up, Craven is screwed. He’s been able to come close, but has only been able to pull out a win once against Annie. Let’s see if he can make it two tonight!

The lights cut out, the crowd going silent for a second. Suddenly, strobe lights pulse to the beat of the guitar and drums in the background as Saliva’s “King of My World” kicks in, the crowd beginning to boo as they realize who it is. As the first words kick in, the strobes cut out, a pale blue light covering the arena, illuminating the figure of Michael Craven as he walks out onto the stage, no expression visible on his shadowed face. Continuing his walk down to the ring, he turns around at the top of the ramp, walking backwards as he stretches his arms out wide, soaking in the crowd’s jeers. Halfway down the ramp, though, he abruptly spins back around, swinging his right arm in a straight path across the top of the stage.

“BOOM!”

A huge blast of bright white pyro kicks up, the smoke lingering on stage for quite some time as Craven finishes the spin, continuing his walk to ringside without interruption.

Funyon: The following Genesis IV Tournament match is scheduled for one-fall! Introducing first, from Tampa, Florida, weighing in at 280 pounds... ladies and gentlemen, The King Of Nightmares... MICHAEL CRAVENNNNN!!!

Entering casually through the middle and top ropes, Craven quickly scales the turnbuckle closest to him, opening his arms wide and soaking in the crowd’s response, a chorus of heavy boos, as a white spotlight shines down upon him, casting shadows across his face.

Riley: This man has become something else as of late. He’s had momentum going in his favor, and hopefully he can keep it going in this match!

But suddenly, Craven’s moment in the sun is cut off as the synthetic trumpets of "I Get Wet" by Andrew W.K. blare throughout the arena. Craven whips his head over to the stage, sensing a presence... [b*]HER[/b*] presence. As the heavy guitar comes in, a pink and green explosion occurs at the top of the entrance ramp to a deafeaning roar! And then, Annie Eclectic, Frost Brand Cigar in hand, appears, smiling before she begins to play to the crowd. Craven hops down off the turnbuckle, using this time to warm-up while Annie, as Craven sees it, sucks up to the idiots like only a fellow idiot could.

Funyon: And from Indianapolis, Indiana, weighing in at 175 pounds, she is a member of INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT... ANN-IE EC-LEC-TICCCCCCC!!!

Annie once more takes her time to the ring, slapping hands and even posing for a picture with one of her many followers. Annie then hops off to the ring steps, climbing up them, then the corner ropes, standing on the second rope on the outside. Smiling, she tosses her cigar BUTT towards Craven, but Mike bats it out of the air and out of the ring. Annie then jumps into the ring, taking off her Japanese Flag trench and throwing it to the crowd.

Comet: And yet we are graced by the presence of another superhero, Robert! First, the young upholder of the law, Insane Luchador, and now, Miss Eclectic, who sheds her cape as she leaps into the ring to do battle with evil!

Riley: That’s a trenchcoat, you moron.

Comet: So? Superheros can have trenchcoats, too.

Annie runs to the opposite corner, bouncing off the ropes before she runs back across the ring, getting a feel for the ring before she backs off into her corner. Kivell checks to make sure the volatile combination of Craven and Eclectic is stable, then turns back to the timekeeper, signaling for the bell...

DING DING DING!

As the bell rings, Annie and Craven come out of their corners. The only thing running through Craven’s mind is to destroy Annie Eclectic, causing the King of Nightmares to take a large swing at Annie’s head. Miss Eclectic, though, ducks the blow, and grabbing his arm, whips him into the mat, quickly arm dragging Craven into the mat. Craven gets right back up... only to get arm dragged by Annie again! Sitting up quickly, he lets a quick explicative fly from his lips as he comes to his feet, Annie jumping up off the mat. The crowd cheers loudly while Annie moves towards Craven, nailing Mike with a hard right overhand punch. Craven, thrown off-balance, staggers back, allowing Annie to connect with a right hook-left jab combo before she grabs hold of Craven’s arm, whipping him to the ropes! Craven reverses, though, sending Annie to the ropes! Eclectic hits them, flying back at Craven, who begins to scoop her up, but Annie flows into the scoop, grabbing Craven around the neck with her legs, and spinning down to the mat, slams Craven down with a satellite headscissors takedown!

Riley: Whoa! An explosion of offense from Annie Eclectic to get this match started!

Comet: I must say, Miss Eclectic is using her superpowers to their extent! Evil cannot possibly defeat such a devastatingly dangerous, yet cute force!

Mike lands on his neck, rubbing it as he sits up, recovering from the takedown, but while he does, Annie gets up, charging to the ropes. She bounces off them, flying at Craven, and leaping into the air, grabs him around the neck, pulling him forward and snapping his neck back with a running neck snap! Craven lands with his back against the mat, allowing Annie the opportunity to cover him, Kivell dropping to count...

One!

Craven kicks out abruptly! The crowd boos loudly wanting more than just a one-count, but Craven wouldn’t allow it. Craven’s break knocks Annie off of him, and both competitors get back to their feet, wanting a piece of each other.

Riley: No, he can’t beat Annie, Comet. That’s why he just kicked out of the pin so quickly. Because he can’t win.

Comet: Silence, sarcastic one, for supercitizen Annie is rising to do battle with the evil Craven once more!

While Craven rises from the pin attempt, Eclectic connects with a hard kick to the right side of Craven’s chest, then a hard left roundhouse into his face! Craven staggers back a little, allowing Annie once again to attas as she leaps onto Craven’s shoulders. She wraps her legs around his neck, flipping him back into a hurracanrana as she works Craven’s neck. Annie, though, reaches back, grabbing one of Mike’s legs and pulling it forward, rolling into a pinning attempt!

Comet: What a mighty hurrcananrana from Miss Eclectic! Justice is prevailing, as citizen Annie has evil pinned down!

One!

Tw-Craven breaks out of the pin, silencing the crowd! Annie falls forward from the force of the break, but she is the first to get to her feet, turning aroudn to grab a rising Craven and pull him to his feet as well.

Riley: And Craven breaks the pin after a hurracanrana by Annie Eclectic!

Comet: Ah, it seems that evil gets lucky once again!

Riley: Luck? No, that’s talent, Comet. Eclectic may be the Hardcore Queen, but Craven is the King of Nightmares, and a king always beats a queen!

Comet: But they are no royal couple, for Miss Eclectic does not date the other gender. You can understand, can’t you, Robert?

Riley: One more gay joke and I’m pulling the plug on your mic, super zero.

Annie pulls Craven to his feet, bending him over before she promptly drills him with a knee to his face! Craven whips upright, only to take a hard kick to the right side of his ribs! Craven cries out, but he gets hit with another rib shot, this one on his left side. Craven staggers back just a little as Annie backs off, giving her the room neccessary to spin her left leg around, cracking Craven across the face with a spinning heel kick!

Comet: Annie’s speed is really coming into play as she nails Craven with several quick kicks of morality!

Craven staggers back, hitting the ropes and lightly bouncing off them, but as a result, he staggers forward towards Annie! Eclectic makes him pay for the mistake, nailing him in the gut with a boot. Craven doubles over, allowing Annie to grab her opponent by the back of the head, and jumping, pulls Craven down with her as she sits-out into a facebuster!

Riley: And Eclectic once again grounds Craven, this time with a facebuster!

Comet: A brilliant strategy from citizen Annie as she works over the head and neck of Craven!

Craven flips onto his back from the force of the impact, Annie quickly scurrying to cover the bigger Craven, the crowd cheering loudly as Kivell counts...

One!

Two!

Craven kicks out right after two! The crowd slowly grows quieter as Annie grabs hold of Craven by the hair, pulling him to his feet while she beats in his face with right-handed blows.

Comet: Amazing! Annie can only get a two-count on Craven!

Riley: Come on, caped freak, it’s not like she’s hitting him with a million Boilermakers or Joker’s Wilds. Do you really expect Craven to go down to a few weak moves?

Comet: Most likely not, Robert, because I can see that he is determined to prove he can defeat Miss Eclectic, though I dobut it, since good always defeats evil!

Riley: Well, you said that before, and he managed to win then, so shut it. And my name is Bobby, not Robert, you baffoon.

With Craven pulled up onto his feet, Annie reaches up to hit two more right-hand punches, then runs back for the ropes. She bounces off them at a fast speed, flying back at Craven. She begins to life her arm into clothesline position, but she suddenly spots Craven’s right arm dropping to the mat as he ducks down, quickly bring it back and up. Annie knows what’s coming, but she can’t put on the brakes fast enough, and she is helpless to watch as a diving Craven’s right forearm flies into her face. Upon impact, Annie is thrown into the air, flipping a full 270 degrees and coming to a landing on her chest while Craven lands on his knees. The crowd begins to boo loudly as Craven looks back at Annie, then to the camera, and shrugs his shoulders in sarcasm, trying to keep a smile of delight supressed.

Riley: Annie sure flew then, huh Comet?

Comet: No need to rub it in, commenting compadre, for Miss Eclectic will quickly regain control of this match!

Annie attempts to push herself up off the mat, still dazed from that sudden impact of the forearm smash, but as Craven rises to his feet, he looks back, spins around, and charges at Annie, knocking her back to the mat with a hard stomp to the back! Annie hits the mat, grabbing her back to try and block another stomp, but Craven instead drops an elbow into her neck, causing her to cry in pain, moving her hand up to her neck to shield it from an assault by Craven.

Riley: ...Or not.

Craven quickly gets to his feet, his neck still sore from the assault laid on it by Annie. All he can think about is Annie and the hell he wants to put her through, no happier to see her back in the ring than Judge was last show. Reaching down, he grabs hold of Annie, and as he pulls her to his feet, pelts her with knee strikes to her face and neck. Annie cries out with each successful blow Craven delivers, but Mike does not stop there. Grabbing hold of Annie by the arm, he whips her towards the ropes. Annie hits the ropes, flying back off them at Craven, who waistlocks her and lifts her into the air. Annie is taken fro a ride as Craven releases her, sending her flying across the ring until she lands on her neck and shoulders from a belly-to-belly suplex! The crowd gasps, in awe of what they just saw, while the King of Nightmares sits up, grinning from ear to ear as he hears Annie’s neck slam into the mat.

Riley: WHOA! What a belly-to-belly suplex! Annie just got flung across the ring!

Comet: But look a that sinister smile! How can anyone take pleasure in the pain of others?

Riley: Quite easily, Comet.

Slowly rising to his face, Craven feels like he is finally in control of this match, which is evident as he walks across the ring with a strut of confidence. Meanwhile, Annie clutches her neck, obviously in pain as Craven reaches his nemesis. Reaching down, he grabs her by her hair, and slowly, pulls up, dragging Eclectic to her feet by her dark red locks!

Comet: I don’t believe he’s allowed to do that-

Riley: Quiet, you, for “evil” is at work!

Craven smiles as he hears Annie’s cries of pain, trying to pull Craven’s hands from their grasp on her hair, Mathew Kivell warning Craven to release the hold, but Craven ignores him, looking into Annie’s eyes with a grin spread across his face. He slowly turns away, Kivell commanding Craven to break the hold, which he does, but Mike swings back around, bringing his right arm around-

“SLAP!”

Unleashing a hard bitchslap across Annie’s face, knocking her down to the mat! The crowd boos loudly, not too appreciative of the degrading slap.

Comet: What a disgraceful slap across Annie’s face by that nefarious mastermind, Michael Craven!

Riley: So brutal! I love it!

Craven smiles as Annie lies on the mat, quickly dropping to cover her, hoping that the belly-to-belly suplex still had some effect on Annie...

One!

Two!

Annie kicks out right after two! Craven doesn’t seem to surprised, especially since he put off pinning Annie right after the belly-to-belly suplex. But then again, this isn’t as much about trying to end the match quickly as it is for Craven to humiliate Annie and get a measure of revenge on her for the past...

Riley: And finally, a pinfall from Craven, but he only gets two! Doesn’t seem too surprised, though, Comet.

Comet: And he shouldn’t be. The Hardcore Queen earned her superific nickname for a reason, boy wonder!

Riley: ...”Boy Wonder”? How old do you think I am? Six?

Comet: ...Would you rather I call you Gay Wonder?

Riley shuts his mouth as Craven pulls Annie up, and grabbing her around the head and neck, locks in a sleeper hold!

Riley: And a sleeper hold from Craven on Annie!

Eclectic tries to fight out of the move, but her position isn’t the best for her to try and escape the hold. Craven clamps down, keeping Annie down on the mat. Annie looks for the ropes to help her, but she’s too far away from them. They can’t help her this time.

Comet: This cannot be! The villain has the decisive advantage over the hero! Tell me it’s not true!

Riley: Oh, it’s damn true, Comet.

The pain starts to fill The Hardcore Queen’s neck. Her eyelids shut, her teeth clenching as she tries to fight through the hold. Craven, though, gets to his feet, pulling Annie up along with him. He smiles as he clamps down on Eclectic, trying to wear her down, and he is successful at first. Annie, though, changes his success quickly, slowly bringing her arm forward before swinging it back, nailing him in the ribs with an elbow shot, causing Craven to lose his attention for a secod. As soon as she draws Mike’s attention from the hold, though, she flips herself forward, throwing Craven into a hip toss!

Comet: Huzzah! What a move! Annie uses her superpowers to break free of the binding shackles of evil and slams villainy into the mat with the hip toss of JUSTICE~!

Craven slams down onto his upper back, also landing hard on his neck! Craven is slow to get to his feet, where he is met with a quick barrage of hard kicks to his face, neck, and chest from Annie Eclectic. Taking several hits, Craven staggers back from the assault, only to have Annie leap into the air, thrusting her legs into Craven’s face as she connects with the Dropkiss! Both competitors go down after the dropkick, slowly rising to their feet, Craven looking a little dazed, but Annie once more goes on the offensive, hitting Craven’s face with a hard right elbow shot before she grabs him by the arm and whips him to the ropes! On the rebound, Annie ducks down for a back body drop, but instead of countering witha knee shot, Craven jumps OVER her, grabbing her around the waist and flipping onto his feet. However, he drags Annie with him, quickly whipping her over and slamming her down onto her neck with, as it can best be explained, a variation on a sunset flip powerbomb! The packed arena stands there, responding in the only way they know how to such a move.

Crowd: HO-LY SHIT! HO-LY SHIT!

Riley: What in the world was that?!?!

Comet: That, my friend, was a 6’6”, 280-pound incarnation of evil sunset powerbombing a 5’6”,175-pound defender of justice! The difference in size allowed Craven a bit more room to drag Annie around, because he hit the mat while Annie was just being pulled up, while...

Comet rambles on, completely ignoring the fact that Craven actually has pinned Annie down to the mat! Kivell is a little slow to drop down, but he still makes the count...

One!

Two!

TH-kickout from Annie Eclectic as she breaks the pin! Craven falls back on the mat, but he slams his fist into the mat and screams in anger, pointing at Kivell with a pissed-off look as he sits back up.

Comet: ...and that is how Craven managed to accomplish such a feat!

Riley: I don’t give a crap, Comet! I didn’t want an explanation! You made me miss Craven nearly getting a pinfall!

Grabbing Annie Eclectic by the head, Craven pulls her to her feet, now more angry than ever that he did not get the three-count last time. Kicking Annie in the gut, he grabs her around the head as she doubles over, and wasting little time, lifts her up into the air, dropping back quickly as he plants Eclectic’s head into the mat with an inverted DDT! Annie lands on the mat facing down, but Craven quickly rolls her over and covers her, looking for another chance at victory as Kivell drops to count...

One!

Two!

TH-kickout from Annie Eclectic again! The crowd pops loudly, but as they do, an irate Craven slowly pulls Annie to her feet, and grabbing her behind the head as they rise, Craven abruptly sits down, executing a sitdown jawbreaker!

Craven releases his grip on Annie, resulting in Eclectic bouncing onto her back, slowly getting up, a little stunned by the jawbreaker. She grabs her jaw as she stutter steps forward, only to be grabbed around the ankles by a still-down Craven, tripped forward into a drop toe hold! The crowd boos again as Annie lands face first into the mat, the hold not released as Craven rolls over onto his back, setting her up for his nect move as he crosses her legs. He then reaches back and grabs Eclectic around the head, locking in a painful and devastating sickle hold on the Hardcore Queen!!!

Comet: A sinister sickle hold on young citizen Eclectic!!!

Riley: Annie’s screwed now!!! Her neck is being cranked severely, and she can’t escape!

As he locks the sickle hold in on Annie, Craven takes time out to taunt Eclectic, trying to embarass her as much as possible while trying to win...

Craven: Come on, bitch! Give up! You can’t beat me anymore! Just give up and I promise I won’t break your neck!

Annie cries out in pain as she reaches out, trying to get to the ropes desperately as Craven continues the verbal lashing. Her arms are free, and using them, she pushes into the mat, slowly sliding herself along the canvas as she reaches out, each slide inching him closer and closer before she finally grabs hold of the ropes. The referee demands a rope break, but Craven holds on, trying to inflict as much pain as he can on Annie, prompting Kivell to start the mandatory five-count...

One!

Two!

Three!

Four!

Five-Craven reluctantly breaks the hold! You can feel the vibe of displeasure coming from Caven as he releases the hold and rolls off Annie, slowly rising to his feet.

Riley: Oh come on, Kivell! He almost had her!

Comet: Citizen Kivell is only doing what’s fair, Robert...

Riley: Yeah, well it’s not fair to Craven!

As Craven rises, he is forced back by referee Matthew Kivell, who blocks his every attempt to slip around and get back at Annie. Annie pulls herself off the ropes, rolling onto her back as she grabs her neck in obvious pain. Kivell finally backs off from Craven, but Craven mysteriously backs off, lifting a fist into the air as he does so. Then he stands as Annie lies on the mat. Quickly, he swings his arm down, adn at that moment, he runs at Annie at full stride, bringing his right leg up as he approaches her, and swinging it forward, he goes Adam Vinatieri on Annie, kicking her in the head as if it were a football on a tee!

“CRACK!”

Annie’s head whips back, a scream of pain coming from her lungs as she quickly rolls through onto her chest, covering her face with one hand, her neck with the other. The crowd hollers boos at Craven, who mocks Annie, making an “It’s good!” signal with his hands.

Comet: How heinous! Craven must no longer have any good in him!

Riley: *sniff* That was truly beautiful.

Craven brings his arms down, bending down to pick up Annie, but as he pulls Eclectic up, he now faces a hostile crowd that lashes out at him with a roaring chant of:

Crowd: CRA-VEN SUCKS! CRA-VEN SUCKS!

Craven’s response is quick, simple, and to the point.

Craven: Shut up!

The crowd boos loudly as he pulls Annie to her feet, now smiling with ill-earned pride. The crowd jeers as Craven pulls Annie to her feet, nailing her with the occasional right hand, and once she is pulled up, Mike steps behind her and hooks her arms, beginning to lift her up into the air.

Comet: He wouldn’t dare-

Riley: But he will! Annie’s about to get Nightfall Slammed on her face!

As Annie gets lifted, though, she leans just a tad forward, allowing her to tuck her legs up close to her body. Craven continues to lift Annie, but Eclectic throws her legs out, smashing them into Craven’s face! The impromptu dropkick breaks the hold and sends both competitors to the mat. Annie, however, flips forward, landing on her back, and rolling forward, rolls up onto her feet! She slowly runs for the ropes, gaining speed as she bounces off them, flying at a recovering Craven. Using her speed advantage, she leaps into the air, her arm collding with Craven’s head, taking both competitors down to the mat! The flying clothesline does it’s job once again, allowing Annie to turn the tide against Craven.

Comet: Behold! The Fair Maiden of Justice is fighting back!

Riley: What the hell are you talking about?

Both competitors slowly rise, sweat drippig off their faces as they both clutch their necks in pain. Neither seems to have the strength to rise in them, but they manage to do so. Now on their feets, Annie strikes first, swinging at Craven with a right hook, but Craven ducks to the side, grabbing Annie from behind and lifting her onto his shoulder. Eclectic, though, flips through, stopping the would-be backdrop, and grabbng Craven around the head, drops back, slamming Mike into the mat with a diving reverse DDT!

Comet: Diving reverse DDT from Fair Maiden of Justice Annie! This could be the end for the treacherous ways of citizen Craven!

Craven hits the mat hard, but Annie quickly crawls on top of him, pinning his shoulders to the mat. The crowd pops as Kivell drops to count...

One!

Two!

THR-No! Craven gets an arm up, but as he does so, he rolls over onto Annie, grabbing her around the face, and grapevining her arm locks in a-

Riley: CROSSFACE!!! CROSSFACE ON ANNIE!!! This has got to be it for her! She has to give up!

As Annie lies on the mat, pain surging through her neck, she notes the position of her arm, and slowly, she pushes against the mat, allowing her to roll over on to of Craven, Craven landing on his shoulders while Annie screams out in pain as she counters INTO A ROLL-UP PIN...

...WITH THE CROSSFACE STILL LOCKED ON!!! Kivell drops to count...

One!!!

Two!!!

THR-HOLD BROKEN BY CRAVEN, ALLOWING HIM TO ESCAPE!!! Both competitors fall to the mat, exhausted from the last exchange!

Comet: An ingenous counter by Annie, forcing Craven to break his hold of DOOM~!

Riley: It’s called a crossface, idiot. And it’s not ingenoius. Mak Francis pulled the same stunt on Craven before, so Annie must have known that she could do the same on him now, and it was only luck that allowed her to do it!

Both competitors slowly rise, sweat dripping down their faces as they reach the point of exhaustion. Neither makes a move as they rise up, but once there, Craven lunges forward at Annie, and that’s when Annie makes her move. The Queen counters the lunge by leaping up and grabbing Craven's head with her arms. Firmly planting his chin on her shoulder, Eclectic drops to the mat, slamming Craven’s neck on her shoulder! Craven bounces away, screaming in pain as Annie collapses to her side, trying to catch her breath.

Comet: SPLASHDOWN FROM ANNIE! GOOD PREVAILS OVER EVIL AGAIN!

Riley: Not so fast, you nutjob! Annie can’t win unless she pins Craven, and she’s down, too!

Riley is right for once, as Annie is still down, Craven still crying in pain as he clutches his neck, but slowly, she slides her way across the mat,

One!!!

Two!!

THREE!!!

NO!!!! CRAVEN BARELY KICKS OUT!!! The fans all go silent in disbelief. Annie is in the same state of shock as as the fans in the arena, who all stand with dropped jaws. Annie’s hands graps the sides of her face as she sits up in a dazed disbelief.

Comet: So close! Justice has almost been served-

Riley: But it hasn’t, and that’s what’s important! The delayed pin allowed Craven to kick out, and that’s the only reason why he did!

Breaking her daze, Annie reaches over, grabbing Michael Craven by the hair, and slowly, at the same speed she gets up, pulls up Craven. As she pulls Craven up, Annie nails Craven one-two-three times with knees to the chest before grabbing his hand, whipping him to the ropes! Craven, though, reverses the whip! Annie is intended to fly for the ropes, but Craven doesn’t let her, sliding her onto his shoulders out of the whip! Craven holds Annie for a second before he helicopter spins her, dropping her down into a stunner before he collapses back onto the mat!

Riley: GULF COAST CRUNCH!!! GULF COAST CRUNCH BY CRAVEN! BOTH COMPETITORS DOWN!!!

Annie and Craven lie on the mat near each other, neither moving, but slowly, Craven rolls over, struggling to throw an arm/shoulder on top of Annie’s chest, the best he can do to cover her as Kivell drops to make the count.

Riley: THIS MIGHT BE IT! HERE’S THE COVER!

Comet: For Justice’s sake, let this not be the end of the match!

One!!!

Two!!

THREE!!!

DING DING DING!!!!

“King Of My World” plays in the background as Craven tries to get up, but he collapses back to the mat. Kivell signals for help while the crowd begins to boo, and as we fade slowly to commercial, the last words we hear ring joyously in one man’s mind...

Funyon: The winner of the match and advancing in the tournament... MICHAEL CRAAAAAVEN!!!

August 26, 2003

“STAR SPLUTTERING EVENINGS ABOUND!” shouts a superhuman voice, as SWF Smarkdown BLASTS back onto the airwaves on this Monday, August 25, 2003, coming at you LIVE from some barren farm area in South Dakota! The camera pans the arena, showcasing beautiful signs from SD’s barely-literate.

“I CAME TO SEE THOTH”

“MARRY ME ANNIE. I AM A CROSSDRESSER.”

“THAT WHICH YOU CANNOT SEE SHALL NOT HURT YOU IN THE LONG RUN. IT IS ONLY BENEFICIAL TO YOUR DICTION.”

Finally the camera pans back around to the commentary table, as Bobby Riley and Cyclone Comet sit munching on cheese doodles.

“I AM CYCLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE COMET!!!!!” shouts the world renowned superhero, “AND THIS IS SWF SMARKDOWN! WHAT A SHOW IT’S BEEN, NO PUN INTENDED!”

“Yes, sitting in a god-forsaken farmland watching the LOSERS’ BRACKET of all things. Ho – freakin’ – hum.” Snaps Riley.

“Well, up next we’re going to witness one half of the Tag Team Champions do battle of justice and wit, against the Canadian Intelligence Agent! Show defeated Aecas last week, while CIA basically won by forfeit against Spike!”

“And that, Comet, is why CIA is going to CRUMPLE against Show. He hasn’t even WRESTLED yet in this tournament, and he doesn’t deserve his spot.”

SHOW!

COME ON DOWN!!!

Crystal Waters’ “Come on Down” belts out of the old-fashioned South Dakota sound system as the crowd begins their usual rousing jeers. Out from the curtain steps the big man, in his usual attire with the SWF Tag Team Championship belt around his waist, sporting a larger grin than usual. Before Funyon can even begin his introduction for Show, the former Grappler steps into the ring and snatches his microphone away as the music dies down.

“Now, I know all the lovely people in See-oohx would like to see Show lay a game-show style beating on one of the four men he defeated at Ground Zero…”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

“But, I’m afraid there’s been a slight change of plans. You see, CIA has been a little tied up as of late. Now, don’t worry, he *IS* in the building, so let’s see what happens. CIA………COME ON DOWN!”

“Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers begins as the crowd begins cheering wildly on their feet……to nothing. The music stops…and starts up again.

“See, Mr. Soapdish, I believe you should signal for the bell to begin this match, and give everyone’s favorite Intelligence Agent ten seconds to get out here.”

Reluctantly, Soapdish does as he’s told.

*DING DING DING*

ONE!

TWO!

“CIA! CIA! CIA! CIA! CIA!”

THREE!

Before Soapdish can get to the next number, an image appears on the SmarkTron…an up close shot of CIA’s mask! The crowd begins cheering wildly, until the camera pulls back…revealing CIA sprawled out, bound to a wheel. However, this isn’t any wheel…

“WHEEL!

OF!

MISFORTUNE!”

The voice of Quiz rings out from backstage, and the jeers intensify ten-fold.

FOUR!

FIVE!

“Ladies and cousins of Sioux Falls, let’s give CIA a spin and see where he’ll end up this evening!”

SIX!

Quiz spins CIA on the wheel, round and round…

SEVEN!

EIGHT!

Show continues to grin in the ring, easily amused.

NINE!

Finally CIA stops spinning…landing on the Bankrupt area!

TEN!

*DING DING DING*

“Come on Down” fires up again as Quiz gives Show a big, hokey thumbs up. Show returns the favor as trash begins to slowly enter the ring. Show commands Soapdish to raise his hand, and he does so. Funyon speaks up.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR WINNER, SHOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!!!!!!!!”

“This is a TRAVESTY!” shouts Comet, “it was a SET UP ALL ALONG!”

“And absolutely ingenious!” says Riley, laughing, “What a plan by Double Jeopardy!”

“Well, nevertheless, there’s more SWF Smarkdown to come after this break. Don’t miss it!”

Fade to commercials. Meanwhile, somewhere in the crowd, Matt Reischl sits, shaking his head.

“Wow, that was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

August 26, 2003

(Comet) – Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Sioux Falls Arena, and in case you’ve been in hiding and not watching, we’ve had some very interesting developments that continue to prove that this federation is in desperate need of a super hero like me. Earlier tonight, our evil commissioner stripped the historic ICTV belt, taking it right off the waist of the current champion, Mak Francis.

(Riley) – Mak was pissed, wasn’t he Comet?

(Comet) – Pardon my french, by darn straight he was. Wouldn’t you be? Having your title stripped from you for no apparent reason other than to help king get his rocks off.

(Riley) – Comet!

(Comet) – I’m sorry, but it just makes me mad as heck to see someone who was once righteous like me go so bad. Nevertheless, King has taken the title from Mak. But also, there have been some very mysterious notes being passed around…circulated by Ben Hardy.

(Riley) – But who put him up to it? Who was at that door?

(Comet) – That remains to be seen Bobby, but more importantly, is what might happen to Hardy if King were to find out about these notes.

(Riley) – Oh, he’ll most certainly be fired…no doubt about it. Hell, I’m thinking about telling King myself, perhaps to get on his good side. Lord knows I’m probably in the doghouse having been associated first with Mark and now you…always badmouthing King.

(Comet) – Good citizen Riley…you do right for standing next to great men like myself and Mark Stevens. Don’t ever forget that you have the power to rid the world of villains such as King by standing up for what you believe…WAIT! Good people of the world, I have just received word that we have video footage of another note being delivered…no…TWO notes being delivered during the last match. And…and…Oh, and apparently, a portion of the note has been revealed. Roll it.

(Riley) – Finally…some info.

*****************************************************************************

The footage begins with Dace Night, of the Unholy Trinity, standing in a hallway backstage sipping a beverage from a Styrofoam cup that he retrieved from a table nearby. Only moments later, his stablemate and tag partner, Va’aiga, walks and snatches a cup from the table as well.

(Va’aiga) – Hey

(Dace) – Hey man…

(Va’aiga) – That was a hell of a match with Mak tonight. You was having to deal with his being all…you know, pissed about what King done.

(Dace) – Yeah, he was really pissed out there tonight. He was really stiff, and it’s kind of annoying that I had to put up with a pissed off Mak Francis because King is being a dick.

(Va’aiga) – Yeah, that be bullshit really...I mean, the ICTV belt been given way to some of the greatest champions we’ve ever had…some of the greatest champions ever been in the business. And King just pissed all over it…

(Dace) – And for what, really? Cause he needs to feel powerful?

(Va’aiga) – Guess so..next thing you know, he be getting rid of the world title belt and firing Strangler.

(Dace) – Or, he could come after us.

(Va’aiga) – Don’t give him any ideas, ya know.

(Dace) – Someone really should do something. Why are we all just sitting back and taking this in the ass. I mean, he took our bonuses…he’s firing people left and right…he’s obviously favoring certain people over others, regardless of talent or ability. I mean, he can’t have a federation without us, right?

(Va’aiga) – That’s a good point…and a good idea. Or…heh heh…we could just be bargin’ into his office and beatin’ him senseless.

(Dace) – Hmmmm…yeah, there’s always that. We’ll probably get fired for it, but dammit, it would be worth it.

(Va’aiga) – What we waiting for then?

(Dace) – Not a damn thing.

(Va’aiga) – Boo-yah!

Va’aiga and Dace Night turn towards King’s office, which isn’t far from where they are standing now, but before they can even take a step, they are standing face to face with Ben Hardy, who is already holding out two letters.

(Hardy) – Take these…quickly.

(Va’aiga) – What?

(Dace) – Get outta here Hardy…we got stuff to do.

(Hardy) – Just take it…NOW!

Va’aiga and Dace snatch the letters from Hardy’s hand and the pipsqueak scurries away like a rodent in the light. Quickly, both Dace and Va’aiga rip open their letters, and begin reading. A few moments pass, and they both finish up nearly at the same time. In utter silence, they look at each other…

(Va’aiga) – Guess we ain’t be needin’ to pay King no visit now do we?

(Dace) – Guess not.

Va’aiga looks at his watch, and then back at the paper, and then he and Dace turn and head in the opposite direction as we are taken back to the commentary table.

*****************************************************************************

(Riley) – Parking lot?? What’s happening in the parking lot?

(Comet) – Once again, my powers of deduction tell me that the note told them to go out to the parking lot.

(Riley) – I know that much you caped freak…Why are they going out to the parking lot?

(Comet) – For a matter of grave importance.

(Riley) – Dammit Comet! Stop that. I’m trying to get some information here. Do you think all the letters said that, or just their’s.

(Comet) – Probably…but what we do know is that something’s happening in the parking lot, and no one wants King to find out. We’ll try to find out more information as soon as we can. But until then, we’ve got plenty more tournament matches coming up, and we’re all set to go with the next one. Dante Crane versus Ejiro Fasaki…and it’s coming up NEXT!

(Riley) – Get a camera crew out there!

August 26, 2003

“Welcome back citizens,” smiles The Cyclone Comet, “We are only moments away from yet another stunning contest in the Road to Genesis Title Tournament. Both of these two combatants had to overcome some major odds in the first round but came through injury free thus far.”

“You know it Comet,” replies Riley, “in any tournament of this magnitude where you have to fight night in and night out for your survival, an injury can ruin any chances you might have. Even in a failing effort, you need to hold something back since you cans still advance through the losers’ bracket. Quite frankly that’s probably why we have seen so many submissions thus far. It’s simply not worth getting your arm dislocated when you are going to wrestle the next week regardless.”

“So that is something to look forward to citizens as we continue on with the winners’ bracket of this very tournament. This next match will see Dante Crane with his power to communicate with birds taking on Ejiro Fasaki with his incredible power to create a ruler made of pure MOLTAN PLASMA!”

“Neither one of them have any powers!” shouts out Riley. “You’re just trying to cover up that neither one of these guys have any sort of history with each other at all. As a matter of fact, this whole opening is just a bunch of filler.”

“And it is tasty just like bread crumbs, Citizen Riley!”

“Funyon? Please get us started.”

Stepping toward the center of the ring comes the dapper man with the microphone known only as Funyon, which is really odd considering he most likely has a first name. Bringing the stick to his mouth, the ring announcer begins, oddly enough, ring announcing. “Ladies and Gentlemen, this next contest is scheduled for one fall and is another contest in the historic Genesis IV World Championship Tournament! Introducing first…”

OHHHHHH SAYYYYYYYYYY CANNNNNNNNNN YOUUUUUUUUU SEEEEEEEE!

Immediately groaning from the sound of the National Anthem being played twice in one night, the people of the Sioux Falls Arena drop down to their seats instantly in order to show the SWF’s resident ‘patriot’ that they have no respect for his version of national pride. Yet still this does nothing to dampen the happy nature of the United States champion as he comes through the curtain and greets the South Dakota populace with a jaunty salute. Almost completely ignoring the anger of the crowd, Ejiro makes room on the stage for his protégé to make his less than enthusiastic appearance. Carrying the United States flag over his shoulder and wearing his hand-me-down Justice and Rule jersey, Wildchild looks as though he is going to the library rather than the ring as he wanders right behind Ejiro. Sliding into the ring, Rule wanders right up to Funyon and pulls away the microphone from the dapper ring announcer.

“Good evening to the people of South Dakota! I am your contiguous United States Champion, Ejiro Fasaki. I also happen to be the champion of Guam and, less importantly, Canada. But some of you people have been wondering why exactly I am not the champion of Hawaii or Alaska. Well quite frankly, its because those states suck. Now I don’t think I need to explain the problems with the Hawaii but lets just say that tofu is actually made from people. And Alaska is just too cold. So with that, bring out that Dante Crane fellow and lets do this thing. Because I am better than you… and you get the idea.”

Ejiro passes the microphone back to the ring announcer who continues with his announcing, “Weighing in tonight at 188 pounds and hails from Sarasota, Florida. He is the current reigning SWF United States Champion. He is EEEEEEEJIROOOOOO FASAKIIIIIIIIIII!”

The crowd continues to groan as Fasaki once more salutes away at some people that might actually be veterans. But thankfully, his little tirade is now over and it is now time for the next participant to make his appearance.

“And his opponent…”

The lights dim and the Sioux Falls crowd rises to their feet to welcome the ‘Sick Boy’ into their hearts and minds. With the sounds of Marilyn Manson’s ‘Great Big White World’ playing away in the background, Dante Crane pops through the curtain and stalks down to ringside as the sounds of his music plays away.

“I'm not attached to your world, nothing heals, nothing grows...

I’m not attached to your world, nothing heals... nothing grows!”

BOOOOOOOOOM~!

Fireworks blast into the air as the crowd cheers their hearts out for the unresponsive Crane as he peels out of his trench coat and tosses it aside just before he crawls into the ring. Focused on his opponent solely, Dante focuses his eyes right on the United States champion.

“All my stitches itch, my prescription is low, I wish you were queen...

Just for today. In a world so white, what else could I say?”

With the sounds of the song dialing down, Crane continues to focus his attention solely on Fasaki as Funyon calls out the final announcement to the crowd.

“He weighs in at two hundred and forty two pounds and hails from Quebec, Canada. This is ‘The Sick Boy’ known as DANNNNNNTTTTEEEE CRAAAAANNNNNEEEE!”

Leaning into the corner, Dante allows the cheers of the crowd simply to wash over him, as he does nothing but continue to stare at Fasaki. And quite frankly, all the attention seems to be making Ejiro a bit uncomfortable as he seems to wither under the glare of the gothic warrior. But as the bell rings, Fasaki still comes into the center of the ring to meet Sick Boy in a collar-and-elbow tie up. Immediately slapping on a headlock, Ejiro holds onto Dante for just a moment before Crane shrugs the United States champion off and into the ropes. Lowering a shoulder as he comes back at Dante, Ejiro manages to knock the heavier competitor to the mat with solid block. Hitting the ropes immediately, Ejiro looks to continue his momentary advantage with more momentum for another shoulder block. But as Ejiro nears the rising Crane, Sick Boy hops into the air and leapfrogs right over the charging United States champion. Shifting as Ejiro bounces off the ropes, Crane lowers a shoulder and sends Ejiro over with a deep arm drag takeover. Rising immediately Ejiro soon finds the feet of Dante Crane placed right in his mouth with an outstanding standing dropkick. Rolling as he hits the canvas, Ejiro looks to get some distance between him and the high flyer by moving to a corner.

“Opening flurry by Citizen Crane…” remarks Comet as he pauses for a moment.

Riley replies, “Yes, note the very close approximation between that and a classic movie names Citizen Cane. I now think we are contractually obligated to say something involving Rosebud.”

“Rosebuds are pretty.”

“There you have it.”

Moving in on Ejiro, Dante lowers a shoulder and drives into Fasaki’s rib with all of his weight. Twisting Ejiro into a wristlock for a moment, Dante uses the hold to whip Fasaki across the ring with an Irish whip. Crashing into the corner, Ejiro takes a moment to catch his breath before lifting a boot into the charging Crane. Stumbling into the center of the ring, Dante tries to shake the cobwebs loose before Fasaki can press his advantage off his momentary defensive maneuver. So as Ejiro comes forward once again, Dante takes to the air once again and takes the United States Champion down with a spinning leg lariat across the chest. With both men quickly getting up to their feet, Crane presses his advantage first by pressing into Fasaki and wrapping his legs around Ejiro’s head before whipping him to the mat with a flying head scissors. But the snap of the hold is enough to send Fasaki rolling all the way out underneath the bottom ropes and to the relative safety of the floor. But then again it is all relative…

“Ejiro is not safe out of the ring fans,” calls out The Cyclone Comet. “Crane is about as daunting a high flyer as we have in the SWF.”

Stepping out to the apron, Crane turns his back to Fasaki as he looks to lay in some more serious hurt on Rule. Springing right up to the middle rope, Crane leaps backward into the air with a sense staggering Asai moonsault…

CRASH!

That hits nothing but air as Fasaki steps away in time!

Riley shouts out as Crane crashes right into the arena floor, “But if there is one person who is a more prolific aerialist than Dante, it would have to be Wildchild and no one has had as much success countering Wildchild than Ejiro Fasaki.”

Recovering from the barrage that sent him to the outside of the ring, Fasaki is still able to get the advantage over the now splattered Dante Crane. Pulling the stunned Sick Boy off the hard concrete, Fasaki rolls Crane back inside the ring where Ejiro can win this contest. Rolling in after the battered Crane, Ejiro goes on the attack with a hard elbow to the back of the head. Pressing Crane back into a corner, Fasaki continues his offensive barrage with a series of harsh elbows that strike Crane right across the face time and again. Weakened from all the shots, Crane drops down to his seat as Fasaki walks back out to the center to the ring. Looking out tot he people in attendance, Fasaki does something that no one could have ever expected.

“HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“Oh good lord,” mutters Cyclone Comet.

Dropping down into a three point stance, Ejiro awaits Crane getting to his feet before the United States Champion rushes ahead and smashes Dante down tot he canvas with a running clothesline. Popping into the ropes for momentum, Fasaki hops into the ropes and crashes down with a hard knee drop right to the sternum.

“Old Glory knee drop!” calls out Bobby Riley with way too much enthusiasm. “This match is over!”

ONE!

TWOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOAREYOUKIDDING!

Looking way too shocked over a kick out that was about as sure as sure could be, Fasaki threatens to give the referee a slap across he face for the cadence not being fast enough. But still, Ejiro goes right back to work on Crane by dragging Sick Boy off the canvas before darting behind the gothic high flyer and hooking him in position for a belly-to-back suplex. Jerking Dante into the air, Ejiro crushes Crane into the mat with a savage backdrop suplex. Folding over his own body, Dante comes to rest on his chest as Ejiro looks out to the people with a happy little smile. Which of course only leads to one thing from the people…

FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI!

Shaking his head at the anger of the crowd, Fasaki rises to his feet without a seeming care in the world. Collecting Crane off the mat once again, Ejiro snaps Sick Boy right back down to the canvas with a ripping suplex that causes Dante to shout out in pain as he reaches out to keep from being pressed to the canvas for the count of three. But Ejiro does not seem all that interested in making an attempt at victory at this time. Instead Ejiro Fasaki makes his way to the apron and begins his long ascent to the top turnbuckle. Taking the time to point down at Wildchild and laugh at his own protégé, Fasaki readjusts his sights at the rising Dante Crane. Who seems to be doing some sight seeing of his own as he stumbles over to Fasaki and strikes out with a right hand right into the breadbasket of the United States Champion to cut him off at the pass. Knocked loose from his precocious perch by the shock of getting punched in the stomach, Fasaki drops strait down and lands right on his crotch across the turnbuckle.

“It looks as though Citizen Fasaki is going to be singing a little high in the shower tomorrow morning,” calls out the Cyclone Comet.

“Funny, I only sing higher in the shower when I’m getting… uh… I have said too much again.”

Climbing right up the turnbuckle after Fasaki, Dante Crane stands tall on the top rope as Ejiro tries to fight his way free. Trying to perhaps shove Crane backward off the top, Ejiro himself moves up to the top rope as well where he pops a short elbow into Crane’s face. But Dante is not just about to just let Fasaki fight him off so he quickly responds with a number of hard right hands to the top of the head. With Ejiro wobbling on the top, Crane finally has the opening he needs to propel his body upward before snapping Fasaki into the center of the ring with a super frankensteiner!

“Good god what a move!” roars out The Cyclone Comet, “Crane might have this match won right here! Cover!”

ONE!

TWO!

THREEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOKICKOUT!

“Not enough,” calls out Riley, “It is going to take a whole lot more than that to keep Ejiro Fasaki down.”

“But how much more is it going to take.”

Grabbing Fasaki by the head, Dante slams him into a turnbuckle once and begins to reign down some round kicks to the chest. Snapping into the United States Champion with as much venom as he can muster before trying to send him across the ring with an Irish whip. But pivoting in place, Fasaki manages to reverse the whip and send Crane into the turnbuckles instead. But before he hits the corner, Crane leaps up to the middle ropes and springs backward and catches Ejiro across the chest with a stunning body press. Hooking Fasaki up as tightly as possible, Crane tries to hold him down for the three.

ONE!

TWO!

THREEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Frustrated by the kick out, Crane slaps against the canvas in mild anger before he gets back to work on The United States Champion. Pulling Fasaki off the mat once again, Crane sends Fasaki into the ropes and catches him with a hard powerslam that smashes Ejiro flat against the canvas. Quickly moving to try and finish Fasaki off, Crane moves to the apron and uses the top rope to sling himself onto Ejiro with a devastating slingshot senton splash! Rolling right over Fasaki’s chest, Crane rolls up to his feet and springs right up tot he middle rope before throwing his body backward with a lionsault…

CRACK!

THAT HITS THE KNEES!

“What a counter by Fasaki,” gushes Bobby Riley. “He knew that the Fell Swoop and planned accordingly. And now he’s made Crane pay for taking such a high risk yet again.”

“But Crane has to keep taking those kinds of risks if he is going to win this thing,” calls out The Comet. “He simply can not work with Ejiro on the canvas, he is going to have to keep using high risk offense to get ahead in this match.”

Grasping onto his ribs as he bounces to the canvas, Dante tries to hold in his guts as referee checks in to make sure that Crane did not puncture a lung against Ejiro’s shins. Seeing that Crane is relatively healthy considering, Matthew Kivell allows the match to continue as Ejiro gets up to his feet in order to press the advantage. Snagging Sick Boy by the hair, Ejiro pulls Crane up strait and begins to deliver a number of hard elbows across the face.

KRACK!

SPINNNNNKRACK!

“SCREAMMMMING ELBOWAAAAAAAAA~!” shouts out Comet as Ejiro turns on his inside foot and jams the point of his elbow right into Crane’s eye.

Falling strait back to the mat, Sick Boy lays flat as Fasaki clambers on top in a completely heterosexual way for…

ONE!

TWO!

THRNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKICKOUT!

Shooting a shoulder off the canvas, Crane gets the opening he needs to break the referee’s count and to have the match continue. Unfortunately for him, that still means that Fasaki is going to continue to punish him. And so the United States Champion does as he jerks Crane right off the mat and delivers a shattering side backbreaker that causes Dante to once again shout out in pain and spasm to the mat. But still Ejiro is not about to give up right there on that as he drags Dante over to ropes and presses him down throat-first on the middle rope. Choking away with the ropes, Ejiro weakens Crane long enough to run into the ropes and come crashing right back onto Dante with all of his weight. Quickly slinking in between the middle rope to the apron, Ejiro Fasaki loads up and chucks a punting kick right into Crane’s face and sends him fall strait back into the center of the ring. Moving back into the ring, Ejiro drops down his kneepad and delivers a shocking knee drop right onto Dante’s head with all of his weight. Hooking a leg, Ejiro cinches in for what he hopes will be the last count of the match.

ONE!

TWO!

THRENNNNNOOOOOOOTHATNEVERWOOOOOORKS!

Rising up immediately after the kick out, Ejiro presses back on the referee Matthew Kivell until he is backed all the way into a corner. But just one warning finger from the referee is enough to back Fasaki off as he goes back to work on the downed Dante Crane with a harsh kick across the face. Collecting Crane off the mat once again, Ejiro slams down on the back of Sick Boy’s head with a hard forearm and slinks behind the stunned Dante and grabs him around the waist. Pulling up with all his might, Fasaki looks to dump Crane backward with a German suplex. But Crane manages to sneak a leg in between Fasaki’s to block the throw. Dragging Fasaki forward, Dante places his feet on the turnbuckles and uses them to flip right over the United States Champion. Grappling Ejiro in return, Dante heaves Fasaki backward with a huge German release suplex of his own!

“What a counter by Dante Crane,” remarks The Cyclone Comet. “That was just the move that he needed to get himself a little breathing room. Now is the time for him to break out any hidden superpowers he might have!”

“What exact mental illness do you have?” asks Bobby Riley in his new role as the sane one.

Rolling over his own body, Fasaki falls backward into the ropes as Dante struggles to get his own wits about him. Rushing ahead to try and press his advantage, Dante soon finds the world turning upside down as he goes flying right over the top rope and to the floor as Ejiro drops out of sight in a brilliant counter maneuver! Crashing into the hard concrete for the second time in this contest, Dante rolls into a fetal position as Ejiro manages to get himself up to his feet. Looking out at Wildchild with a blur in his eyes, Ejiro nudges his head towards Dante in an obvious signal that the Human Hurricane should do something a little more than hold a flag at ringside.

“Wait a minute,” calls out The Cyclone Comet, “Ejiro Fasaki cannot be seriously expecting Wildchild to actually cheap shot Dante Crane!”

“Why not?” replies Bobby Riley, “Ejiro has total command over Wildchild! There is no question about that fact.”

“Which totally explains why Wildchild stood up to Ejiro just last week,” answers The Comet.

“Shut it Superboy!”

Grabbing the referee away from paying attention to the other men at the side of the ring, Fasaki grins right at Wildchild. Nudging his head towards Crane continually, Rule nods frantically as Wildchild raises his flagpole high into the air.

“He’s going to do it!” calls out Comet. “I can’t believe it. Wildchild is actually going to cream Dante Crane!”

“Finally!”

With Ejiro carefully controlling the view of the referee, Wildchild leans back with the flagpole as Dante continues to try and gather his wits about him. But as Wildchild keeps an eye on Ejiro Fasaki in the ring, he looks very carefully as Rule’s attention is diverted to the referee for a moment. And that is the precise moment where Wildchild lets loose a terrifying swing aimed right at…

CRACK!

The guard rail? Snapping the pole in twain with the furious swing at the steel, Wildchild makes sure to toss the flagpole out of the sight of the referee so as not to draw a disqualification for any reason.

“Wait a minute… what is Wildchild playing at here?” remarks Bobby Riley in his most indignant manner.

“Why it’s the old, can’t beat them, then join them, and then beat them ploy! It’s a classic!” adds The Cyclone Comet.

Winking at Dante as Ejiro continues to bait the referee, Wildchild leans down and picks the still totally conscious Crane up to push him back inside the ring. Getting Ejiro’s gaze, Wildchild races around to the side of the ring where Ejiro is standing to show him the now shattered staff that still holds the United States flag around its width. Smiling broadly at his ‘student’ Ejiro looks to put Crane away, which proves to be a whole lot harder than he originally thought. Picking Sick Boy off the canvas, Ejiro immediately looks to drive Crane into the canvas with his ‘Ejirocation’ double arm piledriver. But the moment Ejiro has Crane positioned correctly, Sick Boy explodes out of the United States Champion’s grip and pulls him down to the canvas with a surprise small package!

ONE!

“This is bull!” calls out Riley.

TWO!

“Kick out! Kick out! Kick out!”

THREEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Still somewhat weakened by the fall to the arena floor, Dante does not have the strength to keep the shocked as all hell Ejiro Fasaki. Rolling right up to his feet immediately, Ejiro runs strait through Sick Boy with a harsh clothesline that sends Crane down to the mat once again. Shaking out his arm for a moment, Ejiro brings his glare to rest on Wildchild once more. Shouting at his charge with language not suitable for young viewers, Fasaki howls in rage, as Wildchild merely laughs right in the face of his teacher. Walking away from the ring still almost doubled over in laughter; Wildchild draws the crowd’s joy as he wanders towards the back. But Ejiro Fasaki is not about to just let The Bahamas Bomber walk away without a good tongue lashing as he tries to order Wildchild to get his ass back into the ring. So furious is Rule that he climbs up to the middle ropes while continuing to berate the living hell out of a person that has already basically left ringside.

“Citizen Fasaki needs to get his head back into the game,” says The Comet. “Because Dante Crane is not about to allow this debate to last all that much longer.”

Rolling up to his feet and shaking off basically all the beating that Fasaki has delivered thus far, Crane comes up right behind Ejiro and plucks him right off the middle ropes and across his back in a modified torture rack. Surprised once again beyond all comprehension, Fasaki writhes helplessly in the grip of the deceptively powerful Dante Crane for just a moment before Sick Boy elevates the pain involved in this contest. Turning into a corner, Dante rushes forward with Ejiro in hand before rolling forward and crushing Fasaki into the canvas with Kingdom Gone! Immediately rolling Fasaki back over, Crane tries to hold on as Kivell counts away towards victory.

ONE!

TWO!

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

With every thought of Wildchild suddenly jarred out of his mind, Rule focuses all his attention back onto the man currently beating the hell out of him. Pushing Ejiro back into a corner again, Dante begins to figuratively stomp a mud hole into the annoying United States Champion with just about enough ire to make The Pope spit. Continuing to kick away as Ejiro struggles to rise, Dante is only stopped in his path of rage when referee Matthew Kivell physically pulls Sick Boy out of the corner.

Riley says, “This is outrageous! Fasaki has gotten totally screwed here as he has to face two people instead of just one."

“That is his fault,” calls out The Cyclone Comet! “If he had not tried to force Wildchild into that position, it would have just been him against Crane. He created his own weakness like The Green Lantern had the color yellow or Daredevil had for color coordination. Daredevil’s blind you know!”

Diving back into the corner, Crane lowers a shoulder and pushes Ejiro up to the middle rope. Opening up a rising uppercut into the face of the United States Champion, Dante has Ejiro good and stunned and rocking back so far that he is moments away from topping over to the floor. But instead, Crane immediately turns his back on Fasaki and places his hands underneath Fasaki’s armpits.

“He’s going for the Iconoclasm!” shouts out The Comet, as Dante calls out in rage to the shouting populous.

Using all of his strength, Dante flings Ejiro right over his head and drives him down right on his shoulders! Immediately hooking the far leg, Sick Boy tries to keep Ejiro down once again for the three as Kivell counts away.

ONE!

TWO!

THRENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Looking at the referee like Kivell just sprouted a third eye, Dante none the less goes about his business as he steps into position behind Ejiro Fasaki and lifts both arms as though he is setting up something. Stammering up to his feet, Ejiro shows about as little control over his faculties as Jay Dawg does after about twenty minutes of waking up in the morning. But he is jolted wide-awake as Dante clutches down on him with a full nelson in preparation for the Ethereal dragon suplex!

“Crane is going for it right here and now!”

CRACK!

“Ejiro with an elbow!”

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Fighting out of the nelson with all he has, Ejiro slams a series of incredibly hard elbows right into Crane’s mouth with cruel intent in order to break free of the possible dragon suplex. Reaching back behind him, Fasaki snags a hold of Dante’s neck with a cravat being running forward with Crane in tow. Running up the turnbuckle, Ejiro flips all the way over his opponent before jamming him into the canvas with a stunning variation of the Sliced Bread #2.

“EJIROCUTIOOOOOOOOOOON!” brays Bobby Riley as Ejiro reaches around to hook Dante into a pinning combination.

ONE!

TWO!

THREEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKICKOUT!

“HE KICKED OUT! HE KICKED OUT!”

Pushing a shoulder off the canvas with about a quarter of an inch to spare, Dante throws an arm strait into the air. But with his arm away from his body like it is it serves as an excellent target for Fasaki who immediately snags the arm and turns it into a leg scissors.

“Here it comes!”

“COBRA CROSSFACE~!”

Cinching in, Ejiro pries Dante back with all of his might as Crane basically shudders under the pain of the crossface. Bending Crane into a position that nature did not intend, Ejiro Fasaki screams out in rage in concert with Sick Boy’s own pained cries of anguish. But will he stand strong and risk injury or tap out and save his strength for a future contest? That is the question Crane has to ask himself as Fasaki continues to simple mindedly tear away at his head with all the anger he has in reserve for occasions just like this one. With one last effort, Ejiro finally seals the deal.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

“Dante could not take anymore,” calls out The Cyclone Comet. “He’ll be back another day but today belongs to Ejiro Fasaki.”

“Yeah, yeah,” taunts Bobby Riley. “I think we all knew that Dante was a huge wuss.”

Funyon wanders into the ring as Fasaki releases Crane and rolls out of the ring to retrieve his United States title belt. But all the pain and frustration proves to be worth it as he hears the words out of Funyon’s mouth.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match… and advancing in the Genesis IV Tournament. EEEEEEEEEEJIROOOOOOOOOO FASAKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~!”

Lifting his belt high in the air, Fasaki happily enjoys the sounds of the crowd’s displeasure as he retreats to the backstage area. But perhaps the greatest feeling is the sound of the crowd chanting…

“FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI! FU FASAKI!”

August 26, 2003

Comet: Were back, and coming up right now we’ve got good doer, Danny Williams battling that dastardly fiend..........Quiz!

Riley: And people say I’m biased.

Out of nowhere, Rod Roddy blares over the PA system...

“Quiz! Come on doooooooooown!”

The fans cringe and hold their ears as Crystal Waters’ “Come on Down!” starts booming out of the loud speakers! For some reason two sliding doors have mysteriously replaced the locker room entrance, and with out warning they bust open, revealing America’s least favorite game show host!

Funyon: The following second round match up is scheduled for one fall, and is set at a 15 minute time limit. Introducing first, weighing in at 189 pounds, hailing from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.......................QUIZzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Now in the ring, Quiz flashes his pearly whites with a creepy unnatural smile. Speaking into his custom mic, Quiz spews his usual catch phrase.

“Welcome to tonight’s very special show! We have one contestant, and his name is Danny Williams! This is what will happen to Danny Williams....

“YOU SUCK!”, “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” is just some of the tasteful phrases the impatient crowd responds with.

With a suave smile, Quiz retorts, “Is that your final answer?”

Becoming hostile, the fans shower the ring with crumpled up beer cups, balled up programs, used condoms, you name it.

Riley: Damn these hillbillies, don’t they realize that this man pulled off one of the biggest upsets of all time, last week!

Comet: Yes, indeed. Quiz’s diabolical scheme to snatch the World Title from the forces of good was set into motion last week. Thanks in large part to the villainy of Charlie Mathews, Quiz was able to vanquish the Franchise, and move on to the second round.

Riley: This couldn’t have worked out any better for Quiz, because tonight, not only does he get one step closer to the World Title, but he also get’s to avenge his first singles loss in the SWF.

Comet: That’s right, Williams defeated Quiz in the evil genius’ debut match. In that match, Quiz chose the path of evil, but despite pulling every dirty trick in the book, he still lost. Hopefully, he will take another path tonight, the path of righteousness...

Riley: Blahahahaahahahahahahaha!

Quiz’s bizzare theme song fades out, only to be replaced by the hypnotic melodies of In Flames. The crowd blows the roof off the place as Danny Williams steps out of the locker room, and out on to the platform.

Funyon: And his opponent, weighing in at 243 pounds, he hails from Louisville, Kentucky...................DANNY WILLIAMSsssssssssssssssss!!!

Moving with confidence, Williams methodically makes his way down to the entrance ramp as if he has all the time in the world.

Comet: Last week, for the first time ever, I had the pleasure of seeing Danny Williams perform live, and I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. Heroically over coming a potential injury, Williams out smarted the crafty SJL World Champion, Viktor Tara..(cough), and defeated him with his newest weapon, a Buffalo Sleeperhold.

Riley: Sure Williams can outsmart a Jler, but let’s see him try to match wits with Quiz, who I’m sure has picked up a few more tricks since their last outing.

Comet: You never know what to expect when your in the ring with Quiz, but I got a feeling that Williams is ready for anything he can throw at him.

Williams cautiously climbs up the ring steps, keeping a close eye on Quiz. Without taking his eyes off his sneaky opponent, Williams slowly steps into the ring. Miraculously, Quiz doesn’t leave his side of the ring, allowing Williams to enter with no trouble. Despite the absence of Charlie Matthews, Quiz appears to be very confident. Confused, Williams stares at Quiz with a puzzled look on his face, trying to figure out what it’s going on in that little bastard’s head.

Riley: It looks to me like Quiz has already gotten into Williams’ head.

Comet: Williams has every right to be suspicious. If I recall correctly, Quiz jumped Williams before the bell in their previous outing, leading to a disgraceful double team attack on the outside. But tonight, there doesn’t appear to be any trap set, very strange if you ask me.

Riley: I imagine that Quiz figured that Williams would be expecting it this time, which he obviously does.

With both men in their corners, Soapdish doesn’t hesitate to call for the bell!

DING! DING! DING!

The crowd makes some noise as Williams and Quiz dance out of their corners, finding there way to the center of the ring. The two grapplers turn a few circles around each other, before clashing together in a collar elbow tie up! Being the stronger of the two, Williams has no trouble in muscling Quiz down into a side headlock. Not wanting to get his head torn off, Quiz runs Williams into the ropes, and shoots him off!

Comet: Williams, going for the ride!

Williams hits the ropes, and comes rumbling back!

BOOM!

The next thing Quiz knows, he’s staring at the ceiling, courtesy of a Danny Williams’ shoulder block!

Riley: Come on Quiz, you can’t just stand there like a deer caught in head lights, you gotta stick and move!

Williams peels his flattened opponent off the mat, and whips him into the ropes! As Quiz comes flying back, Williams dips his head, and launches him into the air!

Boom!

Quiz crash lands on the mat with a thud, while the crowd pops like crazy!

Comet: Biiiiiiiig Back Body Drop from Williams!

Stiffly climbing to his feet, Quiz walks right into a thunderous scoop slam!

Boom!

Showing zero emotion, Williams viciously punts Quiz’s in the back as he rolls on his side!

SMACK!

Seeking refuge, Quiz rolls out of the ring in a blur! Williams doesn’t even bother to celebrate, he simply adjusts his tights, and waits. On the outside, Quiz aimlessly paces around, holding his back and wincing as if it’s the worst pain ever experienced.

Riley: Quiz, smartly taking a time out to regroup.

Comet: It would seem that citizen Danny Williams is still holding a grudge against Quiz for the lack of respect he showed in their previous match.

His “nine” second break over, Quiz slides back into the ring. Williams lets Quiz enter unmolested, which earns him a brief ovation. The crowd quiets down as Quiz and Williams resume their circling. After turning a couple of circles, Williams and Quiz pause and start inching towards each other. Finally, Williams lunges in for a grapple, but catches a boot to the mid section instead!

Comet: Quiz, doubling Williams over with a dastardly cheap shot!

Riley: Cheap shot my ass, he out smarted Danny plain and simple.

Taking advantage of the opening, Quiz quickly latches on to Williams with a tight side headlock! Showing off his superior power, Williams effortlessly shoves Quiz off! The slimly game show hosts sling shots off the ropes, and comes speeding back at Williams, running right into a hiptoss!

Boom!

Quiz staggers to his feet, only to be taking back to the mat with a deep arm drag! Trying to keep Quiz grounded, Williams seamlessly locks on an arm bar! But in flash, Quiz pulls Williams off with a head scissors! Not staying put, Williams astounds the crowd by escaping with a picture perfect kip up!

Comet: Much like a super hero, that escape defied the laws of gravity!

Dropping back into the ropes, Williams launches himself at Quiz as he gets up! But Quiz drops down in front of Williams, who hurdles over him, and bounces off the ropes a second time! Springing to his feet, Quiz leap frogs over Williams as he passes by, letting him hit the ropes yet again! Moving faster than he’d like to, Williams speeds back at Quiz,...

CRACK!

who catches him in the side of the head with a high acrobatic Dropkick! Grabbing his head, Williams collapses to the mat in anguish!

Riley: Haha, it looks like Quiz is gonna pick up right where Viktor left off.

Comet: Last week, Viktor worked Williams’ head over to no end, and it would appear that he still hasn’t fully recovered from it.

With a snug smile, Quiz patiently waits for Williams to stagger to his feet, before charging at him! Quiz leaps up on to Williams, hooking his head with his legs! Rolling back to the mat, Quiz pulls Williams down with him, keeping his head secured tightly between his legs!

Comet: Excellent head scissors takedown!

Williams starts kicking his legs around for the kip up, but this time Quiz has him secured too good for it to work. Aiming to crush Danny’s skull, Quiz squeezes his legs together as tightly as possible, putting an extreme amount of pressure on Williams’ head. Soapdish gets face to face with Williams, asking him if he can continue the match. With the ref’s blind side to him, Quiz reaches up and grabs the bottom rope for some much needed extra leverage!

“Booooooooooooooooooooo!”

Williams feels the added leverage, and starts violently thrashing his legs about as the blood supply to his brain get’s totally cut off!

Comet: You can’t do that, grabbing the ropes is WRONG!

Riley: It’s only wrong if you get caught.

Soapdish turns his attention back to Quiz, who immediately releases the rope, and puts an innocent face on. Soapdish isn’t stupid though, he notices that the bottom rope is shaking, and scolds Quiz, ordering him to release the head scissors. Quiz protests, but Soapdish starts to count, so he has no choice, but to release him.

Comet: Let it be written that on this day, Nick Soapdish greatly contributed to good’s never ending battle against evil.

Riley: My ass, Soapdish didn’t see a damn thing, you can’t pass judgement on assumptions.

Giving Soapdish an evil look, Quiz pulls Williams up by his hair, and pushes him into the ropes. Taking Danny by the wrist, Quiz whips him off the ropes, but Williams hangs on, and reverses! Quiz bullets off the ropes, and catches the unprepared Danny Williams with an athletic flying head scissors! Stunningly, Quiz manages to keep his legs grapevined around Williams’ head, placing him in a second head scissors!

Comet: And Quiz smartly goes right back to that head scissors, continuing his assault on Williams’ cranium.

Knowing that he can’t escape with a kip up anymore, Williams comes up with another plan. Williams wiggles his head around, creating just enough space that he can roll over on his stomach. Next, Williams crawls in front of Quiz, and performs a nifty hand stand.

Riley: What in the hell does he think he’s doing?

Williams than jumps back, landing on his feet in front of the still seated Quiz!

Comet: I’ve never seen that before, what a dazzling counter from Danny Williams!

Quiz scrambles to his feet, only to get taking back to the mat with a side headlock takedown! Reaching behind Williams’ head, Quiz grabs a handful of hair, and pulls him off into another head scissors!

“Booooooooooooo!”

Williams brings the hair pulling to Soapdish’s attention, but the confused official failed to see it.

Riley: I can’t believe it, Quiz is actually out wrestling Danny Williams!

Comet: Out wrestling him? Quiz couldn’t escape the headlock honestly, he had to resort to illegal hair pulling to get out of it!

Just as before, Williams crawls in front of Quiz, and performs a head stand, but Quiz is not about to let him hop out again! Grabbing Williams by the waist, Quiz spikes the top of his head into the mat! The sharp pain shooting through his spine is enough to force Williams to abort the hand stand, and drop back on his knees.

Riley: See, I told you Quiz was out wrestling him. He’s not gonna let Williams get out of the head scissors this time.

After waiting for the throbbing in the top of head to stop, Williams makes his next move. In a raw display of power, Williams begins pushing Quiz’s legs forward, forcing them to bend at the knees. Quiz desperately tries to keep his knees together, but it’s no use as Williams pops his head up and looks him dead in the face!

Comet: Rather it be power, speed, or skill, Williams has an answer for anything Quiz can throw at him!

Keeping his cool, Quiz shamelessly rakes his hands across Williams’ eyes!

Riley: Power, speed, and skill don’t mean nothing if the other can cheat like a champion!

Ignoring Soapdish’s warning, Quiz crawls out from underneath Williams, and climbs back to his feet. Temporarily blind, Williams makes an attempt at standing up,...

Smack!

only to get his chest blistered by a Roundhouse Kick! Sucking up the pain, Williams stands up anyway,..

Smack!

once more, Quiz tatoos him with a stiff ass kick! Though his chest is red and purple, Williams approaches his attacker! Quiz dances back, changes his pivot foot, and....

CRACK!

slams his shin into the back of Williams’ head! Shaking their heads in disbelief, the shocked on lookers let out a collective “Oooooooh.” With his eyes shut tightly from pain, Williams doubles over on knee with both his hands clutching the back of his head.

Comet: Williams’ body may be strong, but his head is weak, and his nemesis knows it.

Snatching a front facelock, Quiz pulls Williams upright, and drops back,...

CRUNCH!

spiking his head into the mat with a DDT! Squeezing his head between his hands, Williams spasms around the mat as if he’s having seizure! Grinning from ear to ear with a fake t.v. smile, Quiz dusts himself off, and takes a bow. The jeers of the repulsed crowd gradually shape into a “Quiz is an asshole!” chant. Paying no mind to the hateful crowd, Quiz backs into a corner, where he keeps a close eye on Williams.

Riley: He’s eying Danny up for something big.

Once Williams staggers to his feet, Quiz lunges out of the corner, and thrusts out his leg!

CRACK!

Quiz drops Williams with a jaw shattering Super kick, and promptly falls on him for the cover!

Riley: I THINK HE’S GOT HIM!

ONE!

TWO!

Williams strongly kicks out to a nice pop!

Comet: Despite absorbing a lot of punishment, Williams still has a lot of fight left in him!

Not to be discouraged by the 2 count, Quiz struts out on to the ring apron, and ascends the turnbuckles. Getting their cameras ready, man of the fans climb out of their chairs in anticipation for the high spot. Balancing himself on the top rope, Quiz carefully stands at his full height, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Comet: Quiz is preparing to take flight!

Riley: Now this is Quiz’s element right here, Williams may be able to hold his own on the ground, but the sky belongs to Quiz.

As Williams staggers to his feet, Quiz takes the plunge, throwing out his legs for a...

Comet: MISSILE DROPKICK!

At the last possible second, Williams dives out of the way, letting Quiz splatter across the mat like plane wreckage! Still holding his head, Williams rests in a corner, trying to get his wits about him.

Riley: In their last meeting, Quiz obliterated Williams with Missile Dropkicks in the early going, but I don’t think it’s gonna work anymore.

Picking up a head full of steam, Williams charges Quiz as he gets up! Springing off one foot, Williams takes off like Michael Jordan at the free throw line, swinging up his leg for the High Kick!

CRAAAAAACK!

Williams boot disappears into Quiz’s face, sending a sweat cloud flying into the air! Still not all together, Williams lands on the side of his boot, and flops on his ass.

Comet: DYNAMIC KICK!

While the crowd cheers him on, Williams crawls on top of Quiz, and hooks a leg for the pin!

ONE!

TWO!

Quiz kicks out, and the crowd sighs! Knocked silly, Quiz rolls out of the ring an attempt to buy himself some recovery time.

Riley: Good thinking Quiz, get the hell out of there!

Still shaking his head ever so slightly, Williams jogs backwards to the far side of the ring, prompting the fans to once again rise out of their chairs, and ready the flash photography. As Quiz reaches a vertical base on the outside, Williams rockets across the ring, picking up a tremendous amount of speed! Quiz sees Williams’ coming, and jumps out of the way! Catching himself with the ropes, Williams dazzles the crowd by flipping out on to the ring apron!

Comet: ELBOW SUICIIIII-NO IT’S A FAKE OUT!

But to Williams’ surprise, Quiz suddenly lunges at him, grabbing him by the boots! Quiz jerks Williams off the ring apron, letting him hit the floor with a thud!

SPLAT!

Sliding back into the ring, Quiz taps his temple with a cocky smile. The fans respond by resuming their “Quiz is an asshole” chant from earlier.

Riley: Unlike Comet, Quiz saw that one coming. Williams used that same fake out to cowardly cheap shot Charlie Matthews, but this time, Quiz was ready for it. So now who’s smarter?

Williams is in complete agony, grimacing on the floor, while tightly cupping the back of his head with his hands.

Comet: Williams may be seriously injured, I couldn’t see it from my angle, but I think he may have hit the back of his head.

Left with no other option, Soapdish starts to count Williams out, when Quiz starts untying one of the turnbuckle pads for some reason. Spotting this out of the corner eye, Soapdish attempts to stop Quiz, but the evil game show hosts refuses.

Comet: That maniac is trying expose the steel turnbuckle!

Riley: I don’t understand, why doesn’t he just let Williams get counted out?

While Soapdish is busy with Quiz, a mysterious figure jumps over the guardrail. The shifty eyed man tosses off a hat and a fake beard, to reveal himself to be none other than Charlie Matthews!

Comet: HOLY CHRISTIANA APPLEGATE, WHAT IS HE DOING HERE!

Riley: I thought that guy looked familiar.

The Show drags Williams to his feet, hooks him around the head, and drives him down into the mat with a crushing STO! His job done, a satisfied Charlie Matthews jumps over the guardrail, and disappears into the crowd!

Comet: Blast it, those villains did the same thing to super citizen Mak Francis!

Riley: Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Charlie Matthews has been waiting three long weeks to get some pay back on Danny Williams! I bet that had to be one of the most satisfying moves of his young career.

The frustrated crowd is irate, cussing and screaming at Soapdish, who is totally ignorant of the incident that just occurred on the outside. Not ignorant of the incident, a smiling Quiz gives up on the turnbuckle, and climbs out of the ring. Striking while the iron is hot, Quiz drags Williams’ up, and rolls him back into the ring. Making haste, Quiz swiftly slides into the ring, and tightly pulls back on Williams’ leg for the pin!

Riley: WHAT A BRILLIANT VICTORY!

Comet: NO NOT LIKE THIS!

The disgusted crowd jeers at Quiz as Soapdish starts the count!

ONE!

TWO!

........

NO, Williams finds the strength to kick out! Warming up, the crowd celebrates the near fall with a rather large pop!

Comet: The forces of evil may be strong, but Williams’ will to win is stronger!

Not expecting a two count, a puzzled Quiz climbs to his feet with a sigh. Grabbing Williams by the hair, Quiz pulls him to his feet. Suddenly, Williams swipes off Quiz’s hands, and takes a swings his arm around the back of his head for an...

Comet: ENZUI LARIAT!

that is blocked!

Riley: Ha, Williams’ momentum shifter isn’t gonna work tonight!

Quick to counter, Quiz stabs his boot into Williams’ gut, and ties him up with a front facelock! Quiz drops back for the DDT, but Williams keeps his boots cemented in the mat!

Boom!

Quiz hits the mat all by his lonesome! Confused, Quiz scampers to his feet, only to find himself trapped in the dreaded Sleeperhold! The well conditioned crowd goes ballistic for the powerful wear down hold!

Comet: THIS COULD LEAD TO THE BUFFALO SLEEPER!

Dropping to one knee, Quiz slings Williams off his back with a slick arm drag!

Riley: That an’t happening!

Quiz waits for Williams to sit up, before drilling the back of the cranium with a well placed drop kick!

CRACK!

The crowd “ohs”in horror at the sickening sound of boot against bone!

Comet: WHAT A NECK BREAKING ENZUI DROP KICK!

His eyes rolling up in his head, Williams drops back to the mat, seemingly out cold. Returning to his feet, Quiz yells to the crowd...

“I’LL TAKE POTPOURRI FOR 450!”

The fans are on their feet and at attention as Quiz leaps up on the top turnbuckle, and turns to face the ring!

Riley: THIS IS THE MOVE THAT FINISHED MAK FRANCIS LAST WEEK, AND IT’S GONNA FINISH DANNY WILLIAMS TONIGHT!

Quiz prepares to make the leap, when Williams goes rolling out of range! Williams doesn’t stop rolling until he goes under the bottom rope, and free falls down to the floor. Annoyed, Quiz jumps down on the ring apron, and runs over to where Williams is. Williams wearily stands up, when Quiz spring boards up on the second rope, and back flips into the air,....

CLANK!

using his body to pancake Williams into the guardrail!

Comet: ASAI MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONSAULT!

Riley: Which Quiz dubs the “Monty Hall” Moonsault!

Hopping back over the guardrail before the blood thristy fans can tear him apart, Quiz grabs Williams by his tights, and slings him back into the ring for more abuse! Jumping up on the ring apron, Quiz grabs the top rope, where he waits for Williams to find a vertical base. Williams stumbles to his feet, signaling for Quiz to spring board on to the top rope, and launch himself at him! Quiz collides into his target with a body press, but Williams catches him, spins around, and plants him into the mat with ring shaking force!

KA-BOOM!

The crowd goes nuts as Williams stays on top of Quiz for the pin!

Comet: QUIZ WAS LOOKING FOR THE SPRINGBOARD BODY PRESS, BUT WILLIAMS CAUGHT HIM WITH A POWERSLAM!

“ONE!”

“TWO!”

.........

“THR-Ooooooooooh!” sighs the crowd as Quiz kicks out of the pinning predicament! His head still killing him, Williams rests on the mat for a couple seconds, before dragging Quiz up by his tights. The fans jump out of their chairs with excitement as Williams stuff Quiz’s head between his legs in a standing head scissors!

Comet: Williams is looking for the POWERBOMB!

Riley: This is what finished Quiz last time!

Williams takes a couple of breaths, dips his knees, and lifts! With relative ease, Williams flips the junior heavyweight up on his shoulders, while camera flashes illuminate the ring like strobe lights! But in a flash, Quiz shifts his momentum back to the mat, taking Williams over with a Hurricanrana!

Comet: NO, FRANKENSTEINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Riley: I TOLD YOU HE WAS TOO SMART FOR WILLIAMS!

The stunned crowd watches in silence, as Quiz sits on top of Williams, hooking both of his legs for the pin!

ONE!

TWO!

TWO1/2....

THREE!

NO, Williams kicks out at the last possible mirco second, sending the crowd into a riot! Too busted up from the hellish powerslam to do much of anything, Quiz flies off Williams, flopping face down on the mat.

Riley: After a close call like that, I doubt Williams will be attempting a Powerbomb any time soon. What a brilliant strategy by Quiz in making Danny Williams’ most reliable weapon into a high risk move that could cost him the match in the blink of an eye.

Still disorientated, Quiz blindly stumbles to his feet, when he feels the strong arms of Danny Williams’ clamp around his waist! Quiz fights to free himself, but before he knows it, he’s being tosses into the air!

CRUNCH!

The crowd madly pops as Quiz lands gruesomely bounces off his neck, and rolls onto his knees!

Comet: HOLY FUTON , HE LANDED RIGHT ON HIS HEAD!

In comedic fashion, Quiz goofily staggers to his feet and wobbles around! Wanting to put Quiz down once and for all, Williams bounces off the ropes and explodes at his drunken victim! Williams throws out his left arm for the Lariat, but Quiz instinctively hooks it for a Hiptoss! Using Williams’ momentum, Quiz flips him into the air, and drives him head first into the mat!

CRUNCH!

The crowd gasps in horror at the frightening bump that leaves Danny Williams a motionless corpse!

Comet: SURVIVOR DRIVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Riley: That can’t be good for Danny Williams’ head ache.

Still woozy from the German, Quiz lies on the mat wincing as the shocked crowd watches on in stony silence! Moving ever so slowly, Quiz crawls his way over to Danny Williams’, and drapes an arm over his chest!

Comet: IS THIS THE END OF DANNY WILLIAMS?

Riley: YOU BET YOUR ASS IT IS , NOBODIES KICKING OUT OF THAT!

All eyes are on Soapdish as the official starts the count!

ONE!

TWO!

TWO1/2....

THREE!

NO! Not even strong enough to lift his leg, Williams simply slides his boot beneath the bottom rope to halt the count! Coming back to life, the crowd erupts with a thunderous ovation!

Comet: DANNY WILLIAMS WILL NOT PERISH!

Riley: Lucky for him the ropes were there, other wise this match would have been over.

Gloomy eyed and disappointed, Quiz struggles to grab the leg in question, and hook it for another pin attempt! Taking Williams by the wrists, Quiz drags him off the ropes, and lays him to rest in the nearest corner. Quiz turns his back to Williams, and than leaps high into the air, squashing him with a standing Moonsault! Instead of holding for the pin, Quiz climbs back to his feet, and steps out on to the ring apron! As Quiz makes his way to the top rope, the fans go berserk with excitement!

Comet: QUIZ, GOING UP STAIRS!

Without hesitation, Quiz bounces high into the air, getting insane hang time,...

Riley: HE’S GONNA HIT IT!

but Williams sluggishly rolls out from underneath Quiz’s growing shadow!

Comet: NO, WILLIAMS MOVED!

Making the adjustment in mid air, Quiz only performs one somersault, before landing safely on his feet! The surprised crowd “ahs” in amazement!

Riley: Quiz isn’t stupid enough to make the same mistake twice!

Comet: Yes, if my super hero research powers are correct, the turning point in the last Quiz/Williams match was when he missed the 450 splash!

Sizing Williams up, Quiz gets in his super kick stance, waiting for his victim to gradually stagger to his feet. The tension builds, and the crowd gets noisier and noisier as Williams sluggishly stumbles to his feet in a trance like state. Aiming to take Williams’ head off, Quiz steps forward, and fires the Superkick! But Williams catches Quiz’s boot, spins clock wise, and stabs him in the temple with a reverse elbow!

CRAAACK!

Knocked in a stupor, Quiz turns his back to Williams, and starts to wander away! Not letting Quiz get away, Williams dives forward...

SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

dropping him with an Enzui Lariat! Both men are down, and the crowd goes wild!

Comet: DOUBLE K.O.!

Soapdish half heartedly administers the ten count, while the fired up crowd starts to chant...

“LET’S GO, DANNY, LET’S GO!” clap!clap! clap!clap!clap!

At the count of eight, Williams painfully climbs to his feet where he is greeted with a ear shattering ovation. Off balance from his migraine, Williams awkwardly stumbles his way over to Quiz, leans down, and grabs him by the hair.

Crack!

Still on his back, Quiz nails Williams in the temple with a flexible kick! Crying out in pain, Williams stumbles back into the ropes, giving Quiz the opportunity to get back on his feet. Flashing his trademark smile, Quiz pops his neck a few times, and moves in for the kill.

Riley: With just one kick, Quiz has snatched the match away from Danny Williams’ control.

Comet: I don’t think Williams can take another hit to the head, he is hanging on by a thread.

In that instant, Williams bullets off the ropes, and ducks behind Quiz, grabbing a Sleeperhold! Caught off guard by the sudden blockage of blood to his brain, Quiz wildly flings his arms about, trying to reach the ropes. Quiz attempts to walk to the ropes, but his legs keep getting heavier and heavier, until he finally collapses on his BUTT! To a deafening pop, Williams bends Quiz’s left arm back, and tucks it under his arm pit, before linking his hands back together for the chinlock!

Comet: BUFFALO SLEEPAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Riley: Come on Quiz, you’ve found a counter for every single one of that moves tonight, you can think your way out of this, I know you can!

Quiz desperately tries to scoot his way to the ropes, but it’s no use as he starts to black out. Drifting in and out of consciousness, and depraved of oxygen, Quiz begins to frantically tap the mat! Soapdish immediately calls for the bell, and the arena transforms into a mad house!

DING! DING! DING!

Williams releases Quiz, and flops back on the mat from a combination of exhaustion and pain. Purple faced and delirious, Quiz leans forward, gasping and choking for air.

Funyon: The winner of the match in 12 minutes and 35 seconds........DANNY WILLIAMSssssssssssssssss!!!

Soapdish lifts Williams’ arm off the mat to make the win official, while the crowd explodes into jubilation and celebration.

Comet: You were right, citizen Riley. Quiz did learn a lot more tricks since their last encounter, but unfortunately for him, so did Danny Williams. So evil doers everywhere better beware, because Danny Williams is not only motivated, he’s smarter than ever!

Riley: Bah, isn’t time for a commercial break yet?

August 26, 2003

(Comet) – And we’re back good people in TV-Land! Live from Sioux Falls Arena in South Dakota! And what a night it’s been! The evil Suicide King has already threatened the world champion Boston Strangler and STRIPPED Mak FRancis of the ICTV Title!! What more can this man do? What else will…

…wait a second! We’re getting a feed!!

The Smarktron fires up and takes those in attendance and those watching on television to the parking lot.

(Riley) – It’s the parking lot meeting!! It’s the secret meeting from the letter! Who’s out there? Who got letters?

(Comet) – Let’s see…Annie’s there…Strangler’s there…I see Mak Francis, and there’s Va’aiga and Dace Night…

(Riley) – The whole crew is here!

(Comet) – Sure are…let’s see if we can’t get some audio.

The camera zooms in on the group, and starts to pick on a conversation…

(TBS) – Yeah, and how he just stripped the ICTV title…I mean…Mak worked hard for that didn’t ya?

(Mak) – Damn right I did…that son of a bitch!

(Annie) – And what about Spike? Just suspended him…just like that…because of some past grudges. I mean, if he’s not in total control of every situation, it’s like he feels less than a man.

(Dace) – Va’aiga and I’d like to TAKE some of that power away from him…we were seconds away from storming his office before we got this letter.

(TBS) – Speaking of which, anyone know who sent this?

(Va’aiga) – No clue, but I hope this be for real…

(Mak) – You telling me? He took my damn title…I’d give anything to take away that power he holds dear.

(Annie) – And whoever’s willing to help us do that is surely a friend of mine.

(Dace) – Let’s see who it is first…

(TBS) – Whoever it is, is late…

A scruffy voice speaks, but comes from no one in the group…

(Voice) – And so were you Strangler…ain’t nobody hatin’ on you for that…

Strangler turns around and finds the origin of the voice, but immediately leaps back in shock…

(TBS) – Holy shit!!

All the others make a line straight across, just blocking the camera’s view of the man behind the letters, and just like Strangler, they all jump back aghast.

(Mak) – Are you kidding me?? I can’t believe it…

(Annie) – It’s like seeing a ghost.

(Voice) – Well, believe it y’all…cause I’m back. And, for real, together, we’re gonna do something I couldn’t do on the first go round…and that’s take King down!

(TBS) – Now that’s what I’m talking about! It’s great to have you back! But, how are we gonna take King out…he’s got part ownership now. A lot’s changed since you were last here.

(Voice) – Let’s just say, I got an ace up my sleeve, ya feel me?

Just then, the door into the arena bursts open and out runs Danny Williams, still sweating from his match only moments ago. He runs towards the pack talking loudly…

(Danny) – Sorry I’m late guys…I had a match and…HOLY SHIT!

Danny screeches to a halt right in front of the group and is taken by the man before them, who, by the looks of things, is shorter than everyone in the group.

(Voice) – Glad you could make it Danny.

(Danny) – Now you’re the last person I expected to see. Are you back.

(Voice) – You could say that…yeah.

(Danny) – Alright then…so, what are we all doing out here?

(Voice) – No doubt…we’re gonna start a revolution up in this bitch…and we’re gonna make King see the importance of his talent and staff, and we’re gonna run his ass on up outta here, or beat his ass until he falls.

A resounding noise comes from the crowd as the man delivers his message…

(Voice) – But…before I start with the plan, can someone get rid of that camera. It’s right over there behind that car…been there the whole time.

(Mak) – With pleasure…

Francis strolls over towards the camera, and when he reaches there, he pulls the camera man out from behind the car, gives him a good jolt, and sends him on his way back towards the arena with a forceful thrust. The shot shows Mak returning to the group, but no more audio can be heard as the camera man returns to the arena and the feed is cut.

(Riley) – That voice! I know it…but from where?

(Comet) – I’ve never heard it before, but whoever it is, he’s a brave man, and he’s gonna do something that should have been done long ago. It’s time for a revolution…but not the bad kind I used to stop back in my crime fighting days overseas.

(Riley) – I need to find out who that is…I just know I’ve heard that voice before…

(Comet) – Well, don’t hurt yourself…and when we come back folks, we’ve got Jay Dawg versus Apostle!!

Fade to commercial!

August 26, 2003

Coming back from the break, cameras are placed outside of the picturesque Sioux Falls Areana for tonight’s edition of Smarkdown. The giant electronic sign is sure to point out that the event is SOLD OUT as the SWF is on the Road to Genesis IV.

Back inside the arena, fans return to their seats in what seems to be a mass exodus from the bathrooms, snack bars, and souvenir stands as Cyclone Comet and Bobby Riley seem poised for the next match-up, as SJL wrestler Apostle takes on “The Hardcore Maniac” Jamie Drazon in what will surely be a brutal match for the two superstars.

“Welcome back all of you cynical citizens out there…it seems to this superhero that Apostle SHOCKED THE WORLD on Lockdown and became the ONLY SJL wrestler to come out as the victor, defeating the catastrophic Crow…” Comet looks over at Riley and signals for him to continue.

“Ahem…that’s right, Comet…and Jay Dawg got into this match by taking John Duran to the limit. Now we can see if Apostle has what it takes to keep moving on up in the eyes of the SWF crowd and even some of the guys in the back…especially if he can manage to steal a win from Drazon here...which does not seem likely…” Riley smiles politely as the scene switches to the far steady cam and the lights begin to dim down slowly…

It’s….

FATE~!

Those two words signal the arrival of the Apostle, as he pushes his way through the curtain and out onto the stage, heavenly lights raining down upon him, but as a hard metal guitar riff explodes through the arena, flames fire up down the entranceway and a close-up sees Apostle smiling as he makes his way down to the ring, his robe trailing behind him as he walks, a look of determination slowly appearing on his face, causing the smile to fade into the darkness from which it came.

“ Ladies and Gentlemen…the following contest is scheduled for ONE FALL and is a second round match-up in the Genesis Four Tournament…

…making his way to the ring at this time…from Las Vegas, Nevada…

…he is…the APPPPPPOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSTTTTTTLLLLLLLLEEEEEEE~!”

The crowd boos as Funyon introduces Apostle as he walks up the ring steps and climbs into the ring, removing his robe and pointing to the sky and out over the arena as the flames shoot higher and higher before finally flickering out and the lights return to their normal radiance.

As Apostle stretches a bit in the corner…

THIS…

…IS…

…MAH…

…HOUSE~!

*BOOM…BOOM…BOOM*

Explosions rock the arena as “Du Haste” by Rammstien burns a hole through the souls of the crowd and Jamie Drazon makes his way out from behind the curtain with his head down.

Funyon: And his opponent…he hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada… he is… JAMIE “JAY DAWG” DRAAAAAAZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOOON~!

He stands at the top of the ramp and looks up, his eyes glued to the Apostle momentarily before his head drops back down and he walks through the music and down toward the ring, climbing the steps and through the ropes…

…and Apostle attacks before the bell!

“What is going on? Ref…REF!” Riley screams as Nick Soapdish simply looks on and calls for the bell to be rung…

*DING DING DING*

…just as Drazon shoves Apostle off of him, barely receiving an ounce of pain from the wannabe-cheater Apostle.

Both men face each other, getting inches away once more, staring each other down as the crowd cheers in anticipation of the fight. Apostle with a smile on his face and Drazon with an even bigger one, both men not making any move toward each other, only their eyes burning through one another.

“What is going through both of their heads right now…what thoughts could they be totally thinking of at this moment?” Comet asks to no one, but Riley is there to provide the not-so-needed answer.

“Apostle has got to be wondering what he got himself into…otherwise there is no way he would have tried to take Jay Dawg out before the bell… and I’m sure Jay himself is probably wondering why he has to take out the SJL garbage in this tournament…

Riley continues.

…Both men are known for their hardcore antics around their respective feds, and if this was indeed a hardcore match I know we wouldn’t be disappointed in the amount of suffering these two will go through…but that’s not the case tonight…” Comet tries to cover all the bases, “…tonight these two guys are one-on-one and only one of them gets to advance in the winner’s bracket…and you know they have to have game plans.”

Comet is impressed, asking Riley for a high five, but Riley of course declines.

Nick Soapdish tries to get the two men to fight, but the stare is unbreaking…one hardcore wrestler to another.

“Apostle’s probably involves a lot of running anywhere that Jay Dawg is not” Riley tries to interrupt, but Comet simply smacks him.

“You saw his match with Crow, Apostle worked on the shoulder to neutralize the power of Crow and to set up for that finisher. Jay Dawg is a similar beast in the power moves, so if Apostle gets the chance you know he may go back to working the shoulder…but I’m sure Jay watched the match as well, scouting his possible opponents, and hopefully he knows what kind of monster is hidden behind the smiling visage of the Apostle”

“Monster?” Comet cuts in, “That guy is no monster…He’s a Maniacal Maniac! I fought that master of villiany once…a tough fight, but I pulled out my supershoes and walked all over him!” Comet does a little jig, explaining to the world that it just may be “his birthday” and that he should “get down”.

In the ring, Drazon takes a few steps back from the staredown, but Apostle does not move a muscle…

…and Drazon attacks, rushing in quickly and landing stiff shots to Apostle’s chest, pushing him back and down onto the canvas, but Drazon does not let up, dropping to his knees to the left of Apostle and continuing with strikes, holding Apostle’s head up as each stiff shot connects.

“Drazon just doesn’t care about who feels the pain! He wants that title and I know he doesn’t want some Junior League wrestler to get in his way!”

“If Drazon can keep this up, we may have to haul Apostle to the loser’s bracket in an ambulance…” Comet quips…

“Or a dumpster…” Riley tries to be funny, but a long sigh from Comet shows that he failed miserably.

Apostle is slowly moving backwards toward the corner, trying to get away from Drazon, after a final hard shot to the collarbone, Apostle flails backwards and underneath the bottom rope, forcing Soapdish to almost pull Drazon off of the Apostle and let him have a bit of breathing room. Drazon shrugs it off a first, sending another hard shot to Apostle’s collarbone before standing up and stepping away, letting Apostle get to his feet.

A close-up by Apostle shows him to seemingly be in a bit of pain, but a small also seemingly is forming as he uses the ropes to climb back up to his feet while Soapdish tries to keep Drazon at bay, but just as Apostle is back up to a vertical base Drazon pushes past Soapdish and comes in with a hard knee strike that almost dumps Apostle to the outside, but Drazon catches him and pulls him down, hooking in a waistlock and dumping Apostle over his head in a belly-to-back suplex before floating over and continuing with hard strikes to the face, seemingly trying to dismantle Apostle body party by body part.

“We may have to start referring to Jay Dawg as The Human Chop Shop if this goes on any more” Riley laughs at his own joke and even Comet seems impressed at the lengths Riley will go to just to try to be funny.

As Apostle tries to escape from the wrath of Drazon, he slowly works his way toward the ropes, but Drazon simply pulls him back to the center of the ring and straddles him once again, continuing with hard strikes to the face, including the final vicious shot that busts the forehead of Apostle open, but not as bad as the normal blood flow that eminates from Apostle’s forehead. Drazon goes for a quick pin…

1….

2….

Kickout!

Drazon lifts the dazed Apostle up once more and whips him into the ropes, catching him in another waistlock as he comes back and lifts him up and over in a belly-to-belly suplex and this time going for a quick cover…

1….

2….

Kickout!

“Jamie is starting to realize it’s going to take a lot more than just some strikes to take down Apostle.” Comet notices as Drazon lifts Apostle up once more, holding him by the hair before hooking in a front facelock and lifting him up high into the air. He holds him in the air for a few seconds before dropping him down to the canvas with a suplex. Drazon keeps his hands locked, however, rolling both of them over and getting back to his feet, still keeping the facelock in place and going for another suplex…again Apostle’s body bounces off the canvas as Drazon lets go and goes for another cover…

1…

2…

Kickout!

“This man has more suplexes than he knows what to do with…” exclaims Comet, “…and if he gets a chance, Apostle is going to feel every single one of them…you know he would do it…he would go until his strength runs out. You know my strength never runs out…” Riley can be heard letting out a sigh.

Drazon pops off the mat and looks down at the Apostle, seeing a look of calmness come across his face after kicking out of the rolling suplexes, but it seems Drazon is not even close to be done yet.

As Apostle tries to get to his feet, Drazon catches him and spins him around, pulling his head back into an inverted facelock and lifts him up, holding him high in the air before dropping him down into a variation of a neckbreaker, causing Apostle’s body to hit the mat and flop to the side, giving Drazon another chance to go for a cover…

1….

2….

Kickout!

Apostle, dazed, rolls onto his stomach and tries to get to his feet, but Drazon is quick to lift him up and go for another belly-to-belly, but Apostle blocks with his foot in between Drazon’s legs and tries to reverse it, but Drazon simply releases his right hand from the waistlock, bringing it up with a stiff forearm to Apostle’s temple before rehooking the waistlock and taking Apostle over his head and to the mat, drilling him down once more. Drazon could go for a cover but instead stands and drops an elbow on Apostle, then going for the pin…Soapdish is there for the count…

1…

2…

Kickout again!

“Drazon tried to be like me and show off his superior skills…but because he isn’t me…the CYCLONE COMET~…he failed”

“…but any pain inflicted to Apostle is good with me” Riley tries to finish Comet’s thought, and was probably horribly wrong.

Drazon’s demeanor seems to be getting the best of him, as he pulls Apostle off the mat and whips him into the corner, going for a splash…but Apostle moves just in time and Drazon hits the corner, spinning around and right into Apostle’s arms, as he tries an overhead toss, but Drazon counters by pulling backwards and spinning around with Apostle trapped, and he is sandwiched into the corner. Drazon backs off as Apostle stumbles forward and spins around, allowing Drazon to hook another waistlock and hit a beautiful german suplex…Drazon bridges into the pin…

1…

2…

Another Kickout!

“Apostle needs to find a way to get that dastardly Drazon off his feet…” Comet says and if almost by magic Apostle catches Drazon’s arm as he was going to lift Apostle up, flipping him down and over his head onto the canvas into an armbar submission, almost pulling the left arm out of it’s socket.

Riley watches Drazon squirm and try to break the hold a bit. “It seems Apostle is going to go back to his game plan from Lockdown and work over the shoulder of Drazon and possibly set up a submission…but Drazon isn’t one to tap out to anything…”

Drazon continues his squirming as Apostle wrenches back on the arm, shoving his foot into Drazon’s face, seemingly pissing off the Hardcore Maniac, but Apostle does not want to relent on the hold. Soapdish watches to make sure everything is legal and to make sure that Apostle does not try anything funny.

Apostle finally releases the armbar and Drazon instinctively pops off the mat, holding the arm for a moment, allowing Apostle to tackle Drazon down and roll him onto his stomach, putting all of his own weight onto Drazon’s back before hooking his arms around the upper arm of Drazon and pulling it up and back toward himself.

“The more Apostle pulls on that arm and stretches Drazon like salt-water tafft, the more damage is being inflicted on that shoulder, and that could spell disaster for those stingingly stunning suplexes.” Comet watches the match with great intent as Riley sits beside him and cheers on Jay Dawg with all the energy he has.

Apostle continues pulling the arm, wrenching it back as hard and he can, occasionally jumping up a bit and dropping his weight back down across Drazon’s shoulder, causing him to elicit a bit of a yelp in pain. The more Apostle pulls, the more pressure is tearing at the tendons in Drazon’s shoulder, giving the Apostle a bit of an advantage.

Nick Soapdish is down on his knees, sitting right in Drazon’s face, asking him repeatedly if he quits, but Drazon continues to decline any help from the referee or anyone else, choosing instead to try and use his free arm to get Apostle off of him, but as Drazon swings his arm up, Apostle catches it and moves his hands up to both of Drazon’s wrists, pulling them toward each other and straight up into the air, almost pulling Drazon’s upperbody off the mat, but the weight of Apostle’s body keeps him pinned down and in considerable pain.

Apostle begins pulling himself up and gets his body into a standing position right on Drazon’s lower back, pulling both of his arms up as he takes small steps backwards, stopping occasionally to pull back a bit harder, causing more pain to course through the veins of the Hardcore Maniac. Apostle takes a few more steps before he is standing on the back of Drazon’s ankles and leaning backwards, popping Drazon off the mat to almost a kneeling position, with his arms pulled straight back almost as hard as Apostle can manage.

“Come on…give up!” Apostle screams audibly and Drazon can be seen shaking his head, a close-up shows a half-smile, half-grimace across his face.

“Give up!” Apostle screams again, the camera still trained on Drazon’s face as he answers in pain.

“No!”

“Quit you piece of shit!” Apostle cares not about the viewing audience at this juncture, letting all his emotions out.

“Apostle needs to calm down here…his crazy emotions may lead to a mistake and that could very well spell his downfall against Jay Dawg” Comet watches as the Apostle finally steps off Drazon’s ankles, but continues pulling the arms back for a moment before letting go and leaping up, hitting right between Drazon’s shoulders with a dropkick, sending him back down on his face.

Drazon rolls onto his back, holding his arms together and showing a bit more pain on his face. Apostle lifts Drazon up and gets him to his feet before going for an irish whip and catching him as he bounces off the ropes in a waistlock, spinning him upside down and dropping his right shoulder down across his knee hard. Drazon falls onto his back on the mat and Apostle falls as well going for his first pin attempt…

1…

2…

Kickout!

“That shoulder has to be hurting…and if Apostle keeps that up it might neutralize any offense that Jay Dawg might want to pull out as this match goes on…” Comet speaks just as Apostle pulls Drazon toward the corner, sliding outside and dragging his upperbody with him, putting his arm up against the ring post. Soapdish scolds Apostle for a moment before starting a count as Apostle pulls Drazon’s right arm back and slams it into the ring post hard, causing a wince of pain to show on the face of Drazon once more…

…2…

Another pull back from Apostle and he slams the arm into the post again…

…3…

…and again…

“Each time he does this,” Comet starts, “that is just making that shoulder feel worse and worse…and that could be exactly what Apostle needs to pull out a VICTOOOOORY!”

Soapdish’s count is up to 5 before Apostle decides to head back in the ring, but as he slides back in he pulls Drazon’s arm up and around the outside of the bottom rope and then back into the ring, gripping it by the wrist and pulling on it hard as he once again stands on the shoulder of Drazon.

Soapdish quickly breaks the hold, but not before trying to intimidate Apostle with the five count before he finally drops Drazon’s arm and lifts him up to his feet, trying to a whip into the corner, but a reversal sends Apostle toward the corner, but Drazon can not capitalize…as the whip puts pressure on his shoulder, and Apostle is able to leap to the top rope and leap backwards, flipping in the air and heading straight for Drazon.

“Drazon ducks!” screams Riley.

“And the airborne Apostle just took out Soapdish!” Comet follows in his energetic style as Soapdish and Apostle go down in a heap, but Apostle seems mostly unhurt as he rolls out of the far side of the ring and actually crawls underneath the ring apron, leaving Drazon confused in the ring, looking down at the ref and then out of the ring, trying to spot Apostle.

“Where is he going now?” Riley questions the actions of Apostle as Drazon follows, and as he pulls up the apron he is met by a huge blast of high-pressure mist, blinding Drazon and sending him stumbling backwards. Apostle rolls out from under the apron holding a fire extinguisher, and fires it up into Drazon’s face once more before discarding it and getting to his feet, heading toward the timekeeper’s table.

“Drazon has been blinded by that fuming fire extinguisher shot…and with Soapdish out in the ring it seems Apostle is going to try and turn the tide to his side!” Comet rhymes as Apostle shoves the timekeeper off his chair and picks it up, folding it and turning to face the still stunned Drazon.

“Who’s the Manaic now?!” Apostle yells as he rushes Drazon and swings the chair over his head, connecting onto Drazon’s upper back and shoulder, dropping Drazon down to one knee.

“You want to beat me…you’re going to have to go through some serious fucking punishment!” Apostle strikes again, and Drazon tries to fight off the pain and stand up, but another shot puts him back down on his knees.

“Get up!” Apostle screams as he backs off, begging Drazon to get to his feet, holding the chair between his hands in a mock prayer as he watches Drazon struggle. Slowly and still slightly blinded, Drazon finally makes it to his feet…

Apostle laughs to himself a bit and drops the chair down to the floor before hooking Drazon in a front facelock and driving him down into the chair in a murderous looking DDT. Drazon bounces off the chair and rolls to his back, showing a bit of blood on his forehead. Apostle laughs as he lifts Drazon back up and shoves him into the ring, following close behind.

Apostle notices that Soapdish is still down, as he again begins to attack the shoulder, driving his knee into it repeatedly, while Drazon slowly tries to regain consciousness.

“Come on…show me how strong you are! I’m begging you!” Apostle yells again as he backs up and stands in the corner, watching the SWF star slowly try to get back to his feet.

“He’s just mocking his pain now…look at him” Riley says as he watches Apostle in the corner, clapping his hands and repeatedly coaching Drazon to get back up, holding is back in false pain and stopping to moan every so often.

As Drazon makes it back to his feet, Apostle is ready and rushes him, jumping up and aiming for a hurricanrana, but Drazon’s blindness is almost gone, and he is able to block the rana and instead drive Apostle down to the mat with a hard powerbomb.

“What a counter!” Riley screams.

“There’s no ref, Riley!” Comet adds in, complete with accidental alliteration.

Drazon instinctively goes for a cover…

1….

2….

3….

4….

5….

Drazon finally pops up and looks toward Soapdish, who is just now regaining his bearings and starts to count…

1…

2…

KICKOUT BY APOSTLE!

“Drazon had him! This is unfair!” Riley screams into his headset, smacking the desk as Soapdish makes his way back to his feet and shakes out the rest of the cobwebs. Drazon pops up and gets in Soapdish’s face, screaming at him about the count, but Soapdish just shoves him back away, warning him about getting in his face…

Drazon turns around and…

…Apostle kips up!

“Oh my god! How did he do that?!” Riley almost loses his mind…and Comet almost loses his super-hearing.

The fans erupt in a chorus of boos as Apostle shakes his head and he rushes toward Drazon, but he is able to move out of the way and dodge the rush by Apostle, coming up from behind him and hooking his arms behind his back…looking for a dragon suplex.

“If he hits this it could be over…but hopefully his knee isn’t hurting too bad” Comet mentions as Drazon lifts Apostle up, but before he can put him over his head, Apostle swings his right leg back and his foot connects on Drazon right below his hurting right knee, causing Drazon to drop Apostle and fall forward, his hands going to his knee by instinct, and Apostle takes this chance to hook Drazon’s head in a standing leglock, pulling his arms up behind his back and hooking them as well…

“Apostle’s looking for The Answer…and he just might find it…” Comet yells just as Apostle pulls Drazon into the air and drops him down hard, driving his whole body hard into the mat.

“The Answer!” Riley yells again, and Comet can be heard smacking him in the head as Apostle rolls Drazon over and goes for the pin…

1….

2….

3!!!

NO!!! Drazon kicked out of the Answer!

“My God!” both Riley and Comet scream at once as the fans actually CHEER and Apostle looks completely shocked, his eyes looking down at Drazon as he cannot believe that he kicked out. Apostle drives his forearm into Drazon’s face and looks up and toward the corner…toward the top rope. Drazon again starts to get up, as Apostle heads toward the corner, but when he looks back and sees Drazon almost to his feet, he rushes back and leaps into the air, hooking Drazon’s slightly bloody head and driving it into the mat in a bulldog before popping up again and throwing his hand in the air before signaling once more to go upstairs, much to the distain of the crowd.

“Apostle looks like he is going to fly now!” Comet can be heard as Apostle climbs up to the top rope, taking a moment to look out into the crowd, but as he spins back to face Drazon…he too pops off the mat and rushes toward the corner, shooting up to the top rope and hooking a waistlock on Apostle!

“Drazon might finish off Apostle here…if he hits this…” and as Riley comments Apostle uses his free right hand to palm strike Drazon’s shoulder again, and Drazon let’s go of Apostle, leaving him to put another strike into Drazon before pushing his head down and pulling his body into position, bringing an elbow across the back of his neck again before hooking Drazon’s arms….

“The Answer off the top? Is that what he wants to do! I don’t believe it!” both Riley and Comet trade comments as Apostle pulls up as hard as he can, lifting Drazon into the air as he jumps from the second rope and drives Drazon’s body into the canvas.

“Unbelievable! Jay Dawg could be knocked out!” Comet yells into his headset as Apostle uses any energy he has left to roll Drazon onto his back…draping his body over top of Drazon’s for a pin…

1…

2….

3!!!!

Jamie Drazon does not move an inch this time.

“Apostle wins…My God…Apostle wins again!!” Comet exclaims as Soapdish pops to his feet and calls for the bell to be rung to end the match.

*DING DING DING*

Soapdish slowly pulls Apostle up to his feet and raises his arm high as Funyon makes the announcement of the winner.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…the winner of this match….and advancing to the Third Round of the Genesis Four Tournament…

He is the…..

APPPPPPPOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEE~!”

Drazon is still out cold in the ring as Apostle rolls to the outside and walks up the ramp, Soapdish stays in the ring and tries to wake him up as Comet and Riley go over what exactly just happened.

“It seems Apostle’s game plan was to neutralize the powerful offense of Jay Dawg…and it seems that he did just that, as Dawg was left laying in the ring and out cold…I guess we can say that he got the Answer… …unbelievable…” Comet speaks, but Riley cuts in…

“He cheated…he took out the ref and sprayed that fire extinguisher in his eyes! He cheated!” Just as Riley finishes his rant, Apostle’s fire explodes as he spins and raises his hand in victory once more…Riley almost jumps out of his seat.

“That fire again! Get him out of here!” Riley screams and Comet tries to maintain professionalism…as hard as that may seem.

“Now now, partner…had Drazon done any of those things you would have applauded him…you are no worse than that Apostle…”

As Smarkdown goes to commercial, Riley can be heard arguing Comet’s point as the scene fades to black.

August 26, 2003

Smarkdown returns to the airwaves, and it takes its viewers straight into King’s office where the SWF commissioner sits with his feet up on his desk staring at a cigar.

(King) – Frost Brand Cigars, huh? Well let’s see how she burns…

King cuts the head off the cigar and tosses it in the wastebasket next to his desk. He first pats his pockets in search of a lighter, but finds none. Next are the desk drawers, but again, no lighter can be found.

(King) – Damn…

But before King can get up to continue his search for a lighter, he hears a hard, frantic knock at his door. He doesn’t even have a chance to usher the visitor into the room before his door is flung open and his office intruded by none other than…

…Ben Hardy!

(King) – Hardy! Glad you’re here…you got a lighter…

(Hardy) – I…I…I’m so sorry sir…please don’t fire me.

(King) – Damn Hardy…it’s ok if you don’t have one. I’m not gonna fire you for not having a lighter…but it definitely could have been beneficial to your career if you did.

(Hardy) – N…no…no sir. Not that…Ummm…

(King) – What’s got you so shook up Hardy…you’re shaking.

(Hardy) – P…p…please forgive me sir…I didn’t mean to…I mean…I wasn’t trying to…I…I…I didn’t mean to go behind your back or anything. He was there, and he begged me to do it. I really had no choice…I mean…I don’t know what he would do if I didn’t do what he said…

(King) – WAIT!! Did someone threaten you Ben? Who was it? You know I won’t tolerate that in my federation! They’ll be fired before I can even file the paperwork. Who was it? Who threatened you?

(Hardy) – W…w…well, it’s not that…I mean, it wasn’t exactly a threat…it was…well, I…I…

(King) – Ok, ok…calm down Ben. Just tell me what happened…what did you do?

(Hardy) – I…I…I don’t want to tell you. Your’e gonna fire me.

(King) – Come now Ben…you’re the best reporter we have…why would I fire you. I mean, everyone makes mistakes, right? Now, just calm down and tell me what happened?

(Hardy) – They’re all in the parking lot now…I was tricked…yes! Tricked…into delivering these notes.

(King) – Slow down! What notes? Who’s in the parking lot?

(Hardy) – Everybody sir…they’re all out there. Danny…Strangler…Annnie…all of them. They’re out there talking with him about how to get rid of you. I’m sorry sir…please…I didn’t mean to…I just…I just couldn’t say no. I’m so…

(King) – WHAT?!?

King’s face becomes red with rage…

(King) – BEN, YOU’RE FUCKING FIRED! GET OUT!

(Hardy) – But sir…you said…

But his pleas fall on deaf ears because King is already up from his desk and out his door, running top speed down the hall. Hardy stands there with his head hung low, and a resounding “awww” can be heard from the crowd.

(Riley) – OH! They’re in trouble now! King’s got ‘em! And Ben Hardy just lost his job…

(Comet) – Yeah, I don’t get that. I mean, he really was doing the right thing.

(Riley) – No, he deceived his boss and was part of an intricate plot to remove him from power…he deserves to lose his job.

(Comet) – That’s absurd! I mean…all he did was deliver messages. He didn’t make them go out there.

(Riley) – That’s not who King sees it.

(Comet) – Well…excuse my french…but King is a butthole!

(Riley) – COMET!

(Comet) – I’m sorry good citizens…up next is our main event…Andrew Blackwell versus Nathaniel Kibagami!

Fade to commercial.

August 26, 2003

The Sioux Falls Arena lights up after returning from a commercial break, and the fans are on their feet! The crowd is peppered with signs saying “Kibagami > Thor,” “Sacred > Superior,” and “TBS > Spike.” The camera pans through the crowd, finally settling on the SmarksTron, where photos of Nathaniel Kibagami and Andrew Blackwell are shown side-by side, and the words “SILENT ONE vs. SACRED ONE” scroll across the bottom of the screen. The camera moves once more, this time to the announcers’ table, where Cyclone Comet and Bobby Riley sit together.

“Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen! I’m Bobby Riley, and to my left is –“

”CYCLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE COMET!”

Riley sighs. “Right. Anyway, folks, it’s time for tonight’s main event. Two of the biggest stars in the SWF collide tonight in the second round of the Genesis IV tournament – in one corner of the ring, Andrew Blackwell, a former World champion. In the other, Nathaniel Kibagami, a man who has appeared as driven as we have ever seen him in recent weeks. Tonight’s contest should be quite interesting, Comet.”

”Indeed it shall, Bobby. Citizen Nathaniel has been on a crusade of sorts these past few weeks – I would dare call it a crusade…of JUSTICE!” Comet puffs his chest out slightly for effect, oblivious to his fellow announcer, who simply rolls his eyes at the camera. “He seeks recognition for his long years in this industry, and what better way to attain it than by participating in the main event of the largest pay-per-view event of the year? Without taking anything away from Blackwell’s wrestling ability, I think Kibagami is easily the favorite in this match.”

“I’d have to disagree with you there, Comet. Kibagami’s neck is a point I bring up time and time again – somebody as experienced as Sacred isn’t going to ignore such an obvious weakness. Silent wants to win this match; I’m not saying he doesn’t. But he’s getting old, he’s getting slower, and he’s just one more injury away from retirement. Blackwell should have this match in the bag.”

”Time will tell, Bobby. This is the first time these two men have met in the SWF – we have nothing to go on but our opinions. And, of course, the fact that citizen Nathaniel has purchased one of my t-shirts. Let us go to Funyon!”

Funyon stands in the ring and announces, “The following contest is scheduled for one fall.” The television pictures begin to flutter, becoming fuzzy, and this continues while Andrew Blackwell’s voice is heard…

“There is nothing wrong with your television set… Do not attempt to adjust the picture…”

“I will control the horizontal. I will control the vertical.”

“I am controlling transmission…”

The picture returns to normal shortly after. Before Andrew Blackwell walks out, the lights recede, not into complete darkness, but very near to it. At the same time, Lycia’s “Tainted” begins to play softly over the speakers. Spotlights situated to the side of the ramp way, all along the side turn on Blackwell and follow him as he walks slowly before getting to ringside.

“Currently making his way to the ring, from Adelaide, Australia, and weighing in at 228 pounds, he is ‘The Sacred One’….ANDREWWWWWWWWW BLACKWELL!”

Blackwell climbs into the ring slowly, steps through the ropes and silently acknowledges the hostile crowd as he cracks his neck from side to side.

“The South Dakota crowd showing nothing but disapproval for the Sacred One and his criminal record!”

”Blackwell doesn’t have a criminal record. You just don’t like his tactics, that’s all. Try and watch your mouth, man – people in this backwater think everything on television is real.”

“Tainted” fades off the speakers. The lights dim as Funyon announces, “and his opponent…”

*BAM*!

Every light in the arena – the house lights, the spotlights near the entrance ramp, even the picture on the SmarksTron – suddenly flares, blinding white, as the distortion kicks in and the music begins to pound through the speakers. The picture on the SmarksTron is replaced with the familiar burning ankh…

Today, the warning came in the flood…

Riley, who is squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as he can, finally opens them. “Is it over? I hate that part. It’s worse than flash photography.”

”You must concede, Bobby, that it is certainly a memorable entrance.”

”Memorable? I don’t remember anything about it – I had to close my eyes to keep from going blind.”

Kibagami comes through the curtains and the fog as the vocals begin, and the lights are finally reduced to their usual level. The Silent One briskly makes his way to the ring, ignoring the fans’ cheers completely as the music surges forward.

“Introducing second…hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, and weighing in at two hundred and sixty-eight pounds…NATHANIEL KIBAAAAAAGAMI!”

Kibagami slides into the ring, rolls to his feet, and walks to the nearest turnbuckle, ignoring Funyon, Kivell, and his opponent completely. Kibagami climbs to the top rope and poses in the crucifix position briefly before hopping back off the top rope and turning back towards the center of the ring.

Referee Ced Ordonez briefly explains the rules to both men – neither wrestler takes his eyes off the other. Both are totally focused on the match at hand. Seeing that he’ll get no real acknowledgement, Ordonez shrugs and signals for the bell.

DING DING DING!

The two men circle each other cautiously – each is aware of the other’s abilities, and both understand the importance of every match in this tournament. Each man considers the other for a long moment…Kibagami lurches towards Blackwell, looking for a collar-and-elbow tieup, but the Sacred One ducks under his opponent’s outstretched arms. Nathaniel turns to meet the former World champion, but Sacred is a step ahead, driving Kibagami towards the ropes with a hard forearm shot – and another – and another! The former Clansmen stumbles into the ropes, and Blackwell whips him across the ring, catching Kibagami with a leg lariat as he comes barreling back! Sacred hooks the leg, looking for a quick cover –

O

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T – but Nathaniel easily kicks out! Not wanting to lose his early advantage, Blackwell pulls Kibagami to his feet and whips him towards the ropes again. Andrew looks for a shotei, but Silent rolls underneath Blackwell’s outstretched arm and gracefully moves to his feet –

CRACK!

“Zounds! What a blow to the villainous Blackwell’s ribs!”

The crowd roars its approval as Sacred backs away, one hand on his ribs. Kibagami stands tall in the center of the ring, flexing his leg slightly – the smirk on his face betrays his confidence.

“I wouldn’t get too worked up over that, Comet,” mutters Riley. “It’s just one kick to the ribs, that’s all.”

”Too true, Bobby, but look below the surface of the match! Blackwell goes for the early pin – taking the easy way out, like all criminals – and citizen Nathaniel makes him pay with a vicious kick to the chest! It’s justice in action, my friend.”

Bobby rolls his eyes as the two men begin to circle each other once more. “I still think you’re reading too much into the early going.”

”And I think you’re just upset that Justice in Action makes more sense than Flesher per Minute. Now hush!”

The two wrestlers approach each other in the center of the ring once again – Blackwell slightly more cautious, and Kibagami slightly more confident. This time, Sacred lunges forward for a lockup, but Nathaniel deftly steps behind his opponent and hooks a waistlock before taking him unceremoniously to the mat! The former Clansman transitions smoothly into a front facelock, but Blackwell easily spins out and into a hammerlock to counter. Kibagami powers to his feet using his massive legs and manages to hook Sacred’s left leg out from under him, dropping him to the mat and putting Nathaniel in the mount position. Blackwell, being unfamiliar with mixed martial arts, rolls onto his back to avoid any punches – and suddenly finds himself on the wrong end of a doushime sleeper! Thinking quickly, Sacred rolls into the ropes, and Ordonez forces Kibagami to break the hold.

“Blackwell almost put himself in a poor predicament, Bobby! That sleeper has put many a fine man down for the count – he’s lucky he was so close to the ropes.”

Nathaniel pulls Blackwell to his feet…and the Sacred One doubles him over with a sharp kick to the gut! Blackwell slaps on a side headlock and quickly pulls Kibagami to the mat, eliciting a chorus of boos from the South Dakota fans.

“The crowd here is obviously unhappy with such criminal stalling tactics, Bobby.”

”The crowd here is thoroughly uncultured and doesn’t understand the finer points of a wrestling match, if that’s the case. That headlock serves two purposes – one, it puts pressure on Kibagami’s neck, and two, it buys Andrew Blackwell valuable time to think.”

Blackwell cranks back on the headlock, ignoring the fans as they begin to coordinate a large “boring” chant to pass the time. Kibagami tries to kick his way free of the hold, but Sacred’s positioning is excellent – his back is too far away from Kibagami’s legs for Nathaniel to do any damage…so instead, the Silent One hooks Blackwell’s leg and rolls sharply to the left, pinning Sacred’s shoulders to the mat!

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W – Blackwell kicks his legs and returns to his previous position on the mat, squeezing a little tighter on the headlock to ensure that such a momentary lapse doesn’t happen again. Silent tries to hook his legs around Blackwell’s neck to counter, but again the former World champion manages to position himself far enough from Kibagami’s body that the gesture is futile. Seeing that he has no other option, Nathaniel uses his strength advantage and slowly powers to his feet, and the fans begin to clap in unison to spur him on. The former Clansman backs his opponent into the ropes, then uses them to propel Sacred across the ring! Free of the constraining headlock, Nathaniel drops to his stomach as Blackwell comes hurtling back towards him. He climbs to his feet, ready to meet Andrew’s next charge – but he’s just the slightest bit too slow, and Sacred catches him with a leg lariat! The Sacred One quickly pulls a stunned Silent to his feet, slaps on another side headlock, and pulls the larger man back down to the mat! Kibagami’s shoulders are pinned flat against the canvas this time, and Ced Ordonez drops to make the count!

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W

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Nathaniel’s arm shoots up from the canvas as he hears the referee’s hand strike the mat. Blackwell calmly centers his weight on the headlock, trying to force his opponent’s arm back down, but Kibagami counters by wrapping his arms around the Sacred One’s head and applying a modified crossface to counter! Sacred tightens up on the headlock momentarily, however, and the added pressure forces Nathaniel to release his hold.

“You know, the side headlock used to be considered a match winner. Kids today, they don’t appreciate the value of the side headlock like they should. It’s a difficult move to break if you really know what you’re doing, and if you have the necessary tenacity, you can bring an opponent to his knees.”

“That’s all well and good, Bobby, but the fans didn’t pay to see headlocks. They paid to see JUSTICE dispensed in the most fantastic fashion possible!”

”Gymnastics don’t win matches, Comet. Nor do they sell movies in East Asia –“ Riley stops and sputters as Comet douses him with what remains of the masked man’s Pepsi Max©. Despite it, Riley grins impishly. “Oh, touched a nerve there, did I?”

“Concentrate on the match at hand, villain, and keep your personal attacks to yourself.”

Back in the ring, the Silent One is growing just as frustrated as the South Dakota fans at Blackwell’s refusal to release the headlock. Without any other recourse, Kibagami powers to his feet again – noticeably slower than last time. Blackwell cranks harder on the headlock, trying to maintain his positional advantage, but a hard knee to the gut loosens his grip just enough for Nathaniel to push him into the far right turnbuckle! Kibagami charges after his opponent…but Sacred grabs hold of the top rope, leaps into the air, and pushes himself backwards, vaulting cleanly over his onrushing opponent. Blackwell lands on his feet, and as Nathaniel turns around, he clamps the headlock on again and pulls the larger man back to the mat!

Silent lies motionless on the mat for a moment, unsure how best to proceed. Sacred pulls back a little on the headlock, trying to add a little extra torque to his opponent’s neck…but he pulls his own head back a little too far as he does so, and Kibagami is quick to wrap his legs around Blackwell’s neck and apply a headscissors! Sacred scrambles to a vertical base as best he can, putting Nathaniel in a sitting position.

“Good counter by Blackwell, doing his best to relieve the pressure on his neck.”

”And providing you with quite the visual, eh, chum?”

Bobby’s cheeks redden. “What happened to refraining from personal attacks? Still a little touchy over the failure of Comet Strikes IV, are we?”

”That was the highest-grossing martial arts picture Canada’s seen in five years, I’ll have you know.”

”Right. How much is their money worth, again?”

Sacred rolls sharply to the right, extracting his head from between Kibagami’s legs (and drawing a wistful sigh from Bobby Riley) before scrambling back to the side headlock. Frustrated, Nathaniel powers to his feet, using his legs to stabilize himself and doing his best not to pit his neck against his opponent’s body weight. A trio of elbows to Sacred’s ribs forces the former World champion to loosen his grip, and Kibagami shoves him towards the ropes…but Blackwell holds on, drawing an even louder “boring” chant.

Switching his tactics slightly, Nathaniel wraps his arms around Sacred’s waist and lifts, looking to catch his opponent off guard with a backdrop, but Blackwell sees it coming and jumps with it, using the extra momentum to flip over his opponent’s shoulders and land on his feet! Sacred quickly hooks a waistlock, looking to transition it back into the side headlock, but Kibagami runs towards the ropes and grabs hold of them, forcing the Sacred One to release the hold. Blackwell rolls backwards and comes to his feet in the center of the ring…

CRACK!

…only to be met by a hard gamengiri from Silent! The crowd pops like a cherry on prom night for the sound of Kibagami’s boot striking Sacred’s skull, and the former World champion drops to the mat like a stone!

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”Sacred kicks out, but what a shot to the head! Whatever else you might say about him, you have to respect the sheer striking prowess of Kibagami.”

“Indeed, Bobby. He hits like the proverbial butterfly, and stings like a bee. If you give him an inch, he’ll take the proverbial mile!”

“Comet, those are clichés, not proverbs.”

”…don’t mince words with me, Bobby.”

Sacred rises to his knees, doing his best to clear the cobwebs from his head, but Kibagami is already on his feet, and he angrily begins teeing off on the Sacred One’s head, chest, and shoulders with vicious kicks!

CRACK!

Blackwell half-stumbles back into the ropes, looking for some respite from Kibagami’s onslaught, but the Silent One will have none of it! Nathaniel grabs a handful of Blackwell’s hair and pulls him into the center of the ring before rocking his jaw with an arm wrench/hook kick combination!

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Blackwell kicks out halfheartedly, rolling onto his stomach as he does so. The crowd is firmly behind Kibagami as he pulls Sacred to his feet and slaps on a side headlock of his own…but, acting on instinct, Sacred grabs hold of the Silent One’s waist and heaves him backwards with a sloppy backdrop suplex, spiking the former Clansman directly on his neck! A collective gasp goes up from the audience as Kibagami sprawls limp on the mat, totally motionless. Blackwell shakily climbs to his feet, his head still ringing from Nathaniel’s kicks, as Ced Ordonez worriedly checks on the fallen Kibagami.

“Good gracious! Fans, I think Kibagami may have sustained serious injury after that malicious maneuver!”

“You might be right, Comet. Nathan can’t take a move like that and get right back up…if he can get up at all.”

Ordonez raises one fist high in the air, signaling that Kibagami is both alive and able to continue. The crowd pops big for this, relieved that Nathaniel is all right, but their joy is short-lived – Blackwell pushes past the referee and begins stomping away on the Silent One’s head and neck, drawing the considerable ire of the Sioux Falls Arena as he does so.

“Come now, referee! Kibagami may be injured!”

”Blackwell’s not doing anything wrong, Comet. Besides, rules are made to be broken, and injuries happen so people can exploit them. It’s one of the risks of the profession.”

”Now who’s overusing clichés?”

Sacred pulls the half-unconscious Nathaniel to his feet and applies a 3/4ths facelock, going right back to work on his opponent’s neck. Kibagami struggles in vain to break the hold – he’s still too stunned from the Dangerous Backdrop to mount any sort of counteroffensive. Not wanting to chance it, however, Blackwell snapmares the former Clansman over into a sitting position and quickly applies a reverse chinlock. Sacred braces Kibagami’s back against his bent knee, increasing the pressure on Nathaniel’s neck and making it that much more difficult for the larger man to reverse the hold.

Nathaniel tries in vain to pry Blackwell’s hands from underneath his chin, but the stabbing pain in his neck is too great for him to truly focus on bettering his position. With a final pull on his opponent’s neck, Sacred releases the hold and lets Kibagami fall to the mat…then smashes his face with a knee drop before making the cover!

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!

Kibagami kicks out…Blackwell, not satisfied with this, covers again, this time grinding his forearm across the bridge of Nathaniel’s nose as he hooks his leg!

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“Kibagami kicks out once again, despite the villainous Blackwell’s underhanded tactics!”

”Comet, trying to gain an advantage in the match doesn’t always translate into ‘underhanded tactics’. How many times do I have to tell you this?”

”How many times must I remind you to purchase my new Cyclone Comet Kung-Fu Grip action figure?”

”I’m not a child, Comet.”

”And I’m not seeing any royalty checks yet! They’re only $14.95, you know.”

After a short dialogue with the referee over the speed of his counting, Blackwell pulls Kibagami to his feet and drags him towards the turnbuckles by his hair, slamming him face-first into the top turnbuckle and delivering a hard knife-edged chop as the former Clansman turns around.

SLAP! (WHOO!)

Nathaniel stumbles out of the corner, gritting his teeth against the sting of the chop…then fires back with one of his own!

SLAP! (WHOO!)

Sacred fires back, and as Kibagami tenses up to weather the sting, Sacred shoves him back into the corner and delivers two more chops!

SLAP! (WHOO!)

Kibagami grabs Blackwell’s outstretched arm and swings him around, putting Blackwell in the corner!

SLAP! (WHOO!)

Nathaniel rears his arm back for another hard chop, but the Sacred One lashes out with his boot, catching Kibagami’s arm! The Silent One stumbles away and turns his back to his opponent, which proves to be a costly mistake – Sacred comes charging out of the corner with a flying forearm to the back of his opponent’s neck, sending the former Clansman crashing to the mat!

“Kibagami’s old injuries are coming back to haunt him in this match – Sacred is firmly in control here.”

“The situation does seem grim, Bobby. Citizen Nathaniel is very nearly incapacitated. It would seem that Blackwell’s villainous stalling tactics served some nefarious purpose after all!”

After taking a short breather, Sacred pulls Kibagami to his feet and applies another ¾ facelock. The former World champion pulls forward hard briefly, making sure his opponent can’t reverse the move, before running to the center of the ring, Kibagami in tow, and dropping the Silent One to the mat with the R.K.O.! Blackwell flips Nathaniel onto his back and drags him a little closer to the corner before turning and making his way towards the turnbuckles…

“This doesn’t look good for the Silent One, Comet. Sacred’s breaking out the heavy weaponry to put this match away!”

Moving with an uncanny grace, Blackwell hops onto the second rope, bounces onto the top rope, and flips backward, landing dead in the center of Kibagami’s chest with a beautiful triple-jump moonsault! The former World champion hooks Nathaniel’s leg for the cover, a slight smirk on his face betraying his self-satisfaction as Ced Ordonez drops to make the cover!

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”Superman 3! That’s it!”

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NO!

The crowd explodes in a frenzy of cheers as Ordonez throws two fingers high in the air, and Blackwell looks absolutely stunned!

“Kibagami kicks out at two! How the hell did he DO that, Comet?” sputters Riley.

Comet thinks for a moment, a solemn look on his face. “Clearly, Bobby…this is some sort of karmic punishment being visited upon Blackwell. The audacity of a villain naming a move after a superhero! It serves him right, truly.”

Sacred simply shakes his head at the referee…and reaches into Kibagami’s boot, apparently looking for something! “What the hell is Blackwell doing?” wonders Bobby Riley – perhaps a little enviously. His question is answered as Blackwell removes a small black marker from his opponent’s boot.

“He has some scheme in mind, Bobby. Some sort of salacious, slanderous scheme!”

”…you don’t even know what you just said, do you?”

Comet bows his head. “You are right, Bobby. I am ashamed.”

“Well, good.”

“As well as abashed.”

“…goddamn it, Comet.”

“And apprehensive, too…ahoy! Blackwell is scrawling something!”

On the SmarksTron, an overhead view of the ring can be seen as Blackwell finishes writing. He tucks the marker neatly back into Kibagami’s boot and pulls Kibagami towards the words he’s scrawled on the mat…

Bobby squints at his monitor. “It says…’Join the Experiment’. What’s this experiment he keeps babbling about? You know anything about this, Comet?”

”I think we’re about to find out, chum.”

Blackwell grabs hold of Kibagami’s legs and pulls them up to his shoulders. He has a little trouble maintaining his grip, though, and releases Nathaniel’s right leg briefly to improve his grip.

CRACK!

But that proves to be a fatal mistake, as a snap kick from Kibagami impacts the temple of the Sacred One and sends him careening into the ropes! The crowd comes to life, hoping to inspire some life in the former Clansman, as he slowly rises to his feet.

KI-BA-GAM-I! *clap, clap, clapclapclap*

The Silent One slowly rotates his neck in one direction, then the other…and sees “Join the Experiment” written at his feet as he does so. Frowning, he turns to face Blackwell, who is still steadying himself on the ropes…

CRACK!

Three sharp kicks to the ribs draw Sacred, staggering, into the center of the ring!

CRACK!

Blackwell’s right leg gives out, leaving him at waist level with his opponent…

CRACK!

A sharp roundhouse to the side of the head rocks Blackwell backwards…

CRACK!

…and a spinning heel kick with the same leg sends him crashing to the mat! The South Dakota fans are ecstatic as Kibagami stands, still a little shaky, and removes the marker from his boot. The Silent One bends over carefully and enlarges the ‘X’ in ‘Experiment’, leaving no doubt as to his intentions. A sound behind him draws his attention – Sacred begins to lift his head from the canvas.

CRACK!

Nathaniel brings the heel of his boot down hard on the back of his opponent’s head, driving his face into the mat and nearly knocking him unconscious!

“Blackwell’s dastardly designs seem to have backfired, Bobby!” notes Comet as Silent pulls Blackwell to his feet.

“What…what the hell’s gotten into Nathan? He just demolished Sacred!”

He hoists Blackwell up onto his shoulders, in position for a powerbomb. Andrew, who is nearly unconscious, can barely support his own weight, and he slouches backwards – his knees hooked around Kibagami’s shoulders are the only things keeping him from falling. Satisfied with his opponent’s position, Nathaniel hooks both of his arms underneath Blackwell’s elbows and walks towards the center of the ring, stopping just above the small black “X”.

“Kibagami is prepped for the Demonstar Driver!”

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

“This is the end of the line for Blackwell, Bobby!”

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

BAM!

There is a long moment of silence after the impact – there always is. The crowd holds their breath, waiting to see what will happen. There’s never any guarantee someone will walk away from the Demonstar.

Kibagami rises to his knees, looks over at the crumpled form of Andrew Blackwell…and very calmly folds Blackwell’s hands on his chest for the cover.

ONE!

TWO!

Three.

DING DING DING!!

”Your winner by pinfall…NATHANIEL KIBAGAMI!”

“The River Dragon Has Come” hits the speakers, and the crowd erupts! South Dakota is on their feet for Nathaniel Kibagami, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he makes his way out of the ring and back up the ramp. Ced Ordonez stays in the ring, checking to see if Blackwell is still able to move…after a few moments, he raises a tentative fist in the air – it seems that the Sacred One is lucky enough to simply be knocked unconscious.

“What a match!” breathes Comet, always ready to shill at a moment’s notice. “Citizen Nathaniel snatches victory from the jaws of defeat with the devastating Demonstar Driver and advances to the third round!”

”I don’t know how he does it, Comet. He just pops up like that…it doesn’t make any damn sense.”

”One can call on heroic reserves in the pursuit of justice, Bobby. ‘Tis the best explanation I can give you. Tune in later this week for SWF Storm and the third round of the Genesis tournament, ladies and gentlemen! To my right is Bobby Riley, and until I see you next, I am….CYCLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE COMET!”

The camera captures Kibagami, back to the fans, at the top of the ramp.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

He puts a hand to his neck, absently considering how close he came to defeat.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

The man once known as The Slaughterer makes his way to the back, seemingly oblivious to the name the fans chant whenever the Demonstar is used.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

It seems like he’s ignoring them, like he always does.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-LENT…

But maybe he’s not.

August 26, 2003

“ALL ABOARD!!”

“AH HAH HAH HAH!!”

Skip the pyro…skip the normal cockiness of the SWF commissioner, because as Smarkdown returns after the main event, the Suicide King just bursts from behind the curtain and marches towards the ring with out a single thought of his surroundings. While the crowd rains boos upon him, King slides into the ring and demands a microphone from the attendant, who just can’t seem to get one quick enough.

(Comet) – It’s our commissioner and I bet he’s out here to…

(King) COMET! RILEY! QUIET! I don’t want you speaking! In fact, cut their mics…

(Riley) – What the…BUZZZZZ!

With Comet and Riley relegated to just spectators, King turns his attention to the stage.

(King) – STRANGLER!! ANNIE!! DANNY!! AND WHOEVER ELSE IS OUT THERE IN THE PARKING LOT…GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!!

The crowd merely waits a few moments before kind of laughing because no one has come from behind the curtain.

(King) – GODDAMMIT! YOU WANNA CONSPIRE AGAINST ME?? YOU WANNA HAVE SECRET MEETINGS OF MUTINY?? GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! WE’RE GONNA FIX THIS RIGHT HERE AND NOW!!

Still nothing…

…except for those at home. While King is still staring at an empty stage fuming, the viewers at home are taken to the parking lot, catching the group in mid converstation…

(Voice) – Now, we know King will throw everything he can at us, but we gotta be strong…we gotta take it and give it back a hundred times over. No bullshit…and if anyone’s afraid…they need to leave right now.

No one moves…

(Voice) – Good, good…I’m glad we’re all…

The man is cut off by the opening of the parking lot door and a man in a SWF Staff shirt comes running out…

(Staffer) – King’s calling all of you! He’s in the ring and he’s calling you out there!

(Voice) – Good…this is it y’all…you walk out there to that stage, and you put it all on the line. No backing down…no turning back…

They all nod…

(Voice) – When you go out there, remember, no matter what that bitch says, I got your back…and you can bank on that all day. I got your back…aight…now go.

Strangler, Annie, Mak, Danny, Va’aiga, and Dace Night all turn and head back into the ring…to meet their destiny.

The viewers at home are taking back to ringside where King paces the ring, still ranting and raving…

(King) – Oh, you think you’re too good…too important…you think you can have secret meetings behind my back…in my fed! I MADE THIS FED! Now get your asses out here!!

After a few more moments of pacing, the coalition slowly steps out from behind the curtain, receiving an enormous cheer from the fans on hand. They file out one by one…

The Boston Strangler..

Annie Eclectic…

Danny Williams…

Dace Night…

Mak Francis…

And Va’aiga!!

(TBS) – Heya King…something bother you?

(King) – Don’t even try that with me? I know what you’ve been doing…Hardy told me the whole thing! Who do you think you are??

(TBS) – Guess that’s the last time we rely on Ben Hardy to keep a secret…

(King) – You don’t have to worry about that anymore…he’s been fired…and as you can imagine, the news he brought me didn’t put me in a very good mood.

(TBS) – We’re shaking King…

(King) – Oh, not worried are you? Let me tell you something Strangler…that title belt you hold belongs to me! This ring belongs to me! That stage belongs to me! This whole arena is mine! So, if I were you, I’d be very worried about your job security right now. The way I see it, you’re in a whole heap of trouble, starting with conspiring against the boss.

(Annie) – Maybe if you weren’t such a jackass, we wouldn’t have to try to take you out!

(King) – So, you admit to having a meeting to try and remove me from power?

Strangler gives Annie a look for blurting that out, but quickly digresses.

(TBS) – That’s right King…but can you blame us? You’ve been a total asshole from day one, and we are sick of it. You can’t just treat your talent like shit and expect us to bend over and take it.

(King) – Talent? Is that what you’re calling yourselves these days? Hahahaha…ok, sure. But tell me, Strangler, since you seem to be the little ring leader in all of this…what exactly did I do? Tell me how I’ve wronged the talent here in the SWF. Tell me what I did that wasn’t in the best interest of the SWF.

(Mak) – You stripped me of my ICTV title you son of a bitch!!

(King) – Whoa…the Franchise chimes in. Come on now Mak…you know that was for the betterment of the SWF…you suck. I mean, losing in the first round of that tournament like that…what does that say about the quality of the wrestlers competing at that level when the champion loses like that.

(Mak) – Kiss my ass King…I earned it and you know it! I got half a mind to come down there and kick your ass, job or no job…

Mak takes a step, but Strangler is there to keep him from charging King…

(TBS) – Settle down Mak…see what I’m talking about King? You’ve got the whole roster screaming for your blood…and we’re done taking your shit.

(King) – The whole roster you say? Hmmmm…interesting…I don’t see everyone there. Let’s see…nope…no Ejiro Fasaki…nope…no William Hearford…and…no…I don’t see Tom Flesher either. That’s funny because you just said all, and I just named three people not among your little group. Oh…wait…is that……nope, sorry…no Stryke, Michael Craven, or Jay Dawg. I’m confused Strangler…you said everybody…?

(TBS) – Oh please King. Of course your little cronies, ass kissers, and brown nosers wouldn’t come. They’re too scared about losing they’re jobs.

(King) – Is that so? Or maybe it’s because they’re grateful for everything I’ve done to make this federation achieve greatness. We’re the best because I’ve made us the best. And they appreciate that, unlike you ungrateful traitors!

(TBS) – Everyone knows you’re abusing your power…we’re just the only ones to say something…we’re the only ones willing to risk it all to save everyone from your power mongering.

(King) – You know what…forget it. I don’t have time to deal with people who don’t see things my way…the SWF way. Either fall in line, or pack your shit. What’s it gonna be? Either come down to this ring and stand with your commissioner who has brought you all from ankle grabbing JLers to SWF greatness, or walk out the door for the last time.

No one on the stage moves…and in fact, those who have microphones, to show they’re undying support of the cause, drop their mics with a thud.

(King) – I see…ok then. If there’s one thing I know, is when I’ve been beat…

…but I also know how easy it is to replace you!

The crowd gasps and the wrestlers on stage start to look uneasy, looking back and forth at one another…

(King) – Let’s see…how to make this official? Ok…on the grounds of both insubordination and conspiring to mutiny…Dace Night…Va’aiga…Annie Eclectic…Danny Williams…and Boston Strangler…you are all FIRE…

…FIRED?? I THINK NOT!!

The crowd cheers as the voice booms through the arena PA system, interrupting King’s public firing. But who is it? King looks at the stage but sees no one different…he looks at the Smarktron but only sees his own face in return…he looks around the arena for someone…anyone suspicious…

“What’s wrong King? You don’t recognize my voice? You forgotten that quickly?”

King continues to look…

“Here…I’ll give you a hand yo…!”

With that final word, many in the crowd have figured it out, and leap to their feet in celebration. The rest follow quickly as the man behind the voice appears on the Smarktron. King nearly jumps back out of his shoes as he stares into the eyes of his old nemesis…

…Damien McKinney…

…also known as THE HVILLE THUGG!!!

The crowd loses its mind, and everyone on the stage smiles as King is just taken back from seeing Thugg’s big black mug engulf his Smarktron.

(Thugg) – Yo King…it’s been a long time brah…

(King) – W…w…what the hell are you doing here Thugg?

(Thugg) – Oh, yeah…well, that’s simple. I’m here to stop you. I was watchin’ in DC for a while, and I seen how you fired Mark…I seen how you been walkin’ round here like you all hot shit. I wasn’t gonna just sit by and watch you fuck up the federation I gave my legs to build…

And with that, Thugg rolls out to the stage to face the world…

…in a wheelchair!

(Thugg) – Don’t feel bad for me though…cause I will still wreck your shit King, and you know dat!

All King can do is stand there, frozen in space from the development of Thugg into the equation.

(Thugg) – You always were a cocky bitch…thinkin’ you knew everything and everybody. But, for real yo…you ain’t think ‘bout everything this time bitch. For starters, you ain’t think about who else owns stock in the SWF!

The crowd cheers at the implication of that statement, and the arena is rocking.

(Thugg) – Yeah…that’s right yo. The angry black man…me…the Hville mutha fuckin’ Thugg’s got ownership too! How ‘bout that bitch!?!

King can’t even speak at this point. He’s been outsmarted…out-witted…and out maneuvered by someone he least expected.

(Thugg) – Yeah, that’s what I thought. You always were a pussy…but you know what…some things is gonna change up in this bitch…starting tonight! And that’s on the real Brian…cause you ain’t got the power no more…dis nigga right here got the power. And the first thing I’m gonna do is give Mak dat ICTV Title back! Dat nigga’s worked hard for it, and you ain’t just gonna take that from him like that.

The crowd explodes again!

(Thugg) – Secondly…even though he’s a straight up puss who can’t keep his mouth shut…I’m gonna give Ben Hardy his job back. That lil bitch takes all kinds of shit everyday…too hard to find somebody else that dedicated…And thirdly…ain’t nobody on this stage fired! For real…I’m gonna do you one better cuz…I’m restoring ALL benefits and bonuses! The SWF is gonna be a fun and fair place to work, for real…cause I’m back bitch, and ain’t shit you can do about it! Now hold dat beeatch!

With a resounding air of confidence around the arena, the wrestlers on stage begin to march towards the ring towards the utterly shocked King. King, very calmly, places his microphone down and exits the ring on the far side. He walks with his head low, but doesn’t look back even to see if his persuers are running after him. He hops the guardrail and exits via the crowd…

“NA NA NA NA!”

“HEY HEY HEY!

“GOODBYE!”

The crowd sings King his good riddance as he disappears in the crowd and the coalition returns to the stage.

(Thugg) – Things is ‘bout to change up in dis bitch! It’s the SWF y’all…we the best there is out there…and now, we gonna stay that way! It’s time to party…it’s time to have fun…it’s time to entertain…YO! Turn back on Comet and Riley and hit my mutha fuckin’ music!

The electric guitar hits the speakers and the fans cheer louder than they have in weeks, and Thugg pumps his fist in the air!

(Thugg) – It’s a new and improved SWF!! The time is now baby!! Represent!!

(Riley) – HOLY COW!! WHAT A DEVELOPMENT! IT’S THE HVILLE THUGG!!!

(Comet) – I can’t believe it either Riley…I mean, the two time world champion…former ICTV champion…hall of famer, and one of the greatest ever to enter the ring is BACK! He’s back to take down the villainous, evil Suicide King…and he beat him at his own game!

(Riley) – Just listen to this crowd! They love Thugg…they love this coalition! This is huge!

(Comet) – But you have to know that King will be back…he always comes back…he won’t take this lying down! Storm is gonna be huge! More tournament matches…and possibly King’s retaliation! But for now, it’s party time in the SWF as the workers have taken back their fed, even if for just one day…thanks to the return of the Hville Thugg! We’re outta time here folks…for Bobby Riley, I’m Cyclone Comet…we’ll see you on Storm!

As the final credits fade into focus, confetti begins to fall from the roof as the coalition walks towards the ring, with Annie pushing Thugg’s wheelchair! The party is on, and Thugg is back…

…Holla!

August 26, 2003

RESULTS!

First of all, some big storyline stuff goes down in a series of show spanning promos. Check them out.

Xcalibur, Judge, John Duran, Mak Francis, and Tarakanov all advance in the loser's bracket, and are accompanied by Michael Craven, Show, Ejiro Fasaki, Danny, Apostle, and Kibagami from the winner's bracket.

Yowza.

Smarkdown! The tourney continues!

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