[Fade up on a montage of famous moments from throughout the IIWF's history: the Alphabet Boys clobbering Stunt Team USA with their Elvis lamp; High Velocity unmasking to reveal themselves to be the Atomic Destroyers; Tony Starks trapped in the Outlaw J.W. Hardin's figure four leglock. With each clip, snippets of the original commentary and crowd noise is heard. Soon, however, the soundtrack is drowned out by the introductory music kicking in, and the opening graphics explode onto the screen:] ##### ###### ### ########## ########## ########## #### ## ########## ########## ########## #### # #### ######## ##### ##### #### ## ##### #### #### #### #### ### #### #### #### #### ############# ######### #### #### ########### ######### #### #### #### #### #### ######### ######### ### #### #### ######### ######### ### ## #### ######## ######## ## # #### =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ## =-=-=-= INTERNATIONAL INTERNET WRESTLING FEDERATION =============================================== C + L + A + S + S + I + C + S ----------------------------------------------- February 20, 1997 [Fade through to an IIWF studio. "Soundbite" Steve Roberts is seated at a desk in front of a bank of small video monitors, each of which is showing footage of various cataclysmic encounters from the IIWF's archives. The shot closes in on his face, and he speaks:] SR: Hello there, morons and inbreds nationwide! Welcome to another edition of IIWF Classics, the show that proves that the old ones are the good ones. Over four hundred matches have been broadcast live by the IIWF since last May, and now you've got the chance to be dazzled by my commentary skills all over again as we bring you a classic encounter from the IIWF's archives every week. This week, cast your minds back to the first Ring Wars spectacular, back on June 29, 1996. The Intercontinental Championship was up for grabs as Tiger Claw attempted to wrest it away from the "Angel of the Sun" Hakiro Matsuoko. As history records, it was Tiger Claw who was victorious in the steel cage in the Coliseum that Saturday night in June, so beginning the first of his three Intercontinental Championship reigns, and Matsuoko disappeared from the IIWF for a time to contemplate his future. He made a wise choice upon his return by hooking up with the Syndicate, shocking the entire IIWF, becoming the closest ally of his former nemesis, Tiger Claw. In any case, their cage match from Ring Wars was an absolute classic. Here, for your viewing pleasure, we present it one more time: [Cut to footage subtitled, "June 29, 1996." Tim Dross, "Soundbite" Steve Roberts and Becky LaRue are seated at the broadcast table in the IIWF Coliseum.] SR: Hey, I wonder whether Matsuoko's woken up yet. TD: Will you please stop?! Let's go to the ring for the introductions. [Spotlights illuminate the cage. The ring announcer steps into the cage through the open door.] RA: Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is a special cage match for the Intercontinental Championship! [Big pop] The rules are as follows: there will be no disqualification, no countout, and no escape! [Pop] The only way to win is by pinfall or submission. Introducing first, the challenger: accompanied to the ring by Brian Lau, hailing from Thailand, and weighing in at 220lbs, here is Tiger Claw! [Big heel pop as Claw appears at the head of the aisle. He walks straight down the aisle and enters the cage. Lau takes a seat at ringside.] RA: And his opponent, the IIWF Intercontinental Champion, hailing from Tokyo, Japan, and weighing in at 215lbs, here is the "Angel of the Sun" Hakiro Matsuoko! [The intense kodo music begins, and rockets shoot from the head of the aisle to the roof of the arena as Hakiro steps through the curtain. He too walks straight to the ring, totally focussed, apparently oblivious to the wild cheers of the crowd. As he steps into the cage, volleys of fireworks explode high above the ring.] TD: What an entrance! SR: Tiger Claw has no need for flashy fireworks - he's explosive in the ring, not outside of it. Matsuoko had better enjoy that entrance for one last time, because this is going to be the last time he steps into the ring as Intercontinental Champion - and probably the last time he ever steps in the ring, period. TD: Don't sell him short, Steve. Both of these combatants are phenomenal athletes. I think this is going to be a very close match. [Hakiro removes his ceremonial garb and hands it to an official outside the ring. The door is closed and the referee signals for the bell. Ding! Ding! Ding! Tiger Claw and Hakiro stare with intensity at one another. They lock up, and Hakiro gets the upper hand, getting a headlock on Claw and flipping him over with a snap mare. Claw is straight back up and pulls off the same move on Hakiro. They lock up a third time. Claw pushes Hakiro into the ropes, and ducks a clothesline attempt. He leapfrogs Hakiro on the second attempt, but is then caught by a spinning leg lariat from Hakiro. Claw is again quickly to his feet, but he's a little off-balance, and Hakiro capitalises with a flurry of kicks, which send Claw reeling against the ropes. Big pop!] TD: Hakiro's showing us that great speed, focus and martial arts expertise here early on. SR: He's going to have to do more to put Claw away. This match is hardly even started yet. [Hakiro bounces against the ropes on the other side of the ring, and launches himself at Claw with a cross-body block, hoping to use the cage as a weapon, but Claw ducks out of the way, and Hakiro hits the steel hard himself. Big heel pop. Claw drags Hakiro back under the bottom rope, and pulls him to his feet. He executes his deadly knee fury, and Hakiro is forced into the ropes. The referee breaks the hold, and Hakiro has to cling on to the ropes to stay standing.] BL: Those blows are totally relentless. It's not necessarily the pain that's inflicted that does the damage, although it sure must be excruciating, but it's the winding effect. Hakiro must be choking for breath right now. [Hakiro stumbles against a turnbuckle, and Claw charges. Hakiro levers himself on the top turnbuckle and kicks Claw in the face with both feet, then sits himself on the top buckle. As Claw staggers away, Hakiro flies from the buckles and executes a vicious bulldog. Big pop! He goes for the cover - 1 - 2 - Kick out!] TD: What a see-saw match this has been so far. Neither man seems able to establish a real advantage. [Hakiro whips the stunned Claw into the opposite corner, and attempts a handspring elbow, but Claw moves out of the way. Hakiro overshoots the buckle, and his shoulder hits the steel of the cage. He falls into the ring, clutching his right shoulder. Claw is quick to take advantage of the injury, dropping an elbow on the shoulder. The crowd begin to "boo" loudly as Claw really works over the shoulder.] SR: Good tactics from Tiger Claw here. If he can immobilise that shoulder, he'll take away any advantage Matsuoko has in upper body strength. TD: But surely Hakiro's feet are more dangerous than his arms? BL: If they smell as bad as yours do, they're deadly. [Claw grabs hold of Matsuoko's right arm with both hands and pulls, placing his feet either side of the injured shoulder, and really working into the muscles as much as he can. Hakiro screams with pain, but refuses to submit.] TD: This is a new side to Tiger Claw we're seeing tonight. Usually his offence revolves around those high-impact kicks, but it seems he's also able to adapt to mat wrestling. SR: That's the mark of a champion, Dross - adaptability and versatility. BL: Surely that's two marks, Steve. SR: Whatever. Go on, Claw - snap his arm like a twig! [Claw finally releases the hold, and Matsuoko still rolls on the canvas, clutching his damaged shoulder. Claw drags him to his feet and whips him into the ropes, hitting him with a back heel kick as he comes off the ropes. Cover - 1 - 2 - Kick out! He stands Matsuoko up once more, and sizes him up for a spinning round shin kick. Matsuoko goes down again. Claw goes to the top rope, and then climbs a few rungs higher on the cage. The crowd give a huge pop as he throws himself into the centre of the ring with an elbow smash, landing hard on Matsuoko. Cover - ] TD: That's it! It's over for Hakiro! [ - 1 - 2 - Kick out!] SR: I can't believe it! Is Matsuoko running on Energizer batteries or what?! [Claw seems as disbelieving as the popping fans. He lays into Matsuoko with his punching fury, until Matsuoko is apparently motionless on the mat. Claw again climbs to the top, and then a little further on the cage.] TD: What's he planning now? [Claw launches himself with his Golden Tiger Strike, but Hakiro rolls out of the way, and Claw crashes to the mat with incredible force, his knee taking the brunt of the blow. The crowd pops hugely as both men are down on the mat. The referee begins counting - 1 - 2 - 3 - Hakiro begins to stir - the crowd noise goes up another few notches - 4 - 5 - Claw begins to move - Hakiro makes it to his feet - 6 - 7 - Claw tries to put weight on his knee, but is unable to - Hakiro bounces off the ropes and kicks Claw in the head. Big pop] TD: Claw's knee is injured badly. He's effectively immobile now! [Hakiro stays on top of Claw, wrapping him up in his Octopus Hold. Claw screams with pain, but refuses to submit. Claw reaches out with one arm and just about manages to get a hold on the ropes. Hakiro refuses to break the hold - the referee counts - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - Hakiro lets go!] SR: What kind of a cheater is Matsuoko anyway?! He should have been disqualified right there! TD: In a match like this, you've got to fight fire with fire. BL: Too true, Timmy. I remember once when a particularly tough opponent had me in a figure four, and when I grabbed the ropes... TD: [interrupting] Sorry to interrupt, Becky. There'll be plenty of time for your reminiscing later on... but for now we'd better concentrate on the action in the ring. Matsuoko's firmly in control. [Hakiro picks up Claw and leans him in the corner. He clotheslines him a couple of times in the corner, and then bounds across the ring, and hits his handspring elbow. His shoulder seems to give him some problems, and the move's effectiveness is reduced somewhat. Matsuoko keeps Claw in the corner, and begins raining kicks on him, spinning round in what looks like one movement. Claw slumps to the mat. Hakiro pushes him into the centre of the ring, and drops a few more kicks and elbows on him. Then he looks out into the crowd and raises his arms. Big pop!] TD: What's Hakiro planning now? SR: No doubt some cheating tactic to try and rob Tiger Claw of his rightful victory. [Hakiro bounds to the top rope with a single bound, and then leaps again, in a single movement clinging to the cage, more than ten feet above the ring. Then he launches himself in a reverse moonsault from the top of the cage! Flashguns lend a strobe-light effect to Matsuoko's descent - but Tiger Claw just manages to roll out of the way, and Matsuoko hits the canvas with huge velocity! Big heel pop!] TD: Oh no! That's got to be it for Matsuoko! SR: Yes! Yes! Cover him, Claw! [The crowd are going crazy as Claw rolls over, and lays one arm over Hakiro Matsuoko. The referee makes the count - 1 -- 2 -- 3! Ding! Ding! Ding!] SR: Yes! Yes! Yes! I told you, Dross! I told you! Yes! RA: Here is your winner, and _NEW_ IIWF Intercontinental Champion: Tiger Claw! [The "boo"s are deafening as Lau celebrates outside the ring, grabbing the belt from the timekeeper's table and running up the steps to the ring. He throws wide the door, and leaps into the ring, placing the belt around Claw's waist, and raising his man's arm in victory. Lau taunts Matsuoko, who is still lying out cold on the canvas. Claw wipes the sweat from his brow and flicks it onto Matsuoko before leaving the ring. The fans begin throwing objects at the elated Lau, and the still apparently emotionless Tiger Claw. They disappear back into the locker-room area. The referee eventually revives Matsuoko and helps him from the ring to a standing ovation.] TD: Well, in the eyes of the people, Hakiro leaves this ring a true champion. He gave it his all, and in the end he was literally only a few inches from victory. SR: You just can't give Tiger Claw the credit he deserves, can you, Dross? That was a totally clean, fair victory that Claw battled for. Sure, Matsuoko was close to pulling off an upset victory, but we all knew that Tiger Claw is the better man, and we knew he was going to take that title from Matsuoko, and that's what he did. Simple as that. TD: I guess there are just some things we're going to disagree on. [Fade] +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= I * I * W * F =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+ | President: Daniel Spreadbury | Vice-President: Steve Owens | | univ0322@sable.ox.ac.uk | sowens@admin.presby.edu | | iiwf@sisko.demon.co.uk | IIWFadmin@aol.com | +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- http://www.sisko.demon.co.uk -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+