##### ###### ### ########## ########## ########## #### ## ########## ########## ########## #### # #### ######## ##### ##### #### ## ##### #### #### #### #### ### #### #### #### #### ############# ######### #### #### ########### ######### #### #### #### #### #### ######### ######### ### #### #### ######### ######### ### ## #### ######## ######## ## # #### =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ## =-=-=-= H + O + T + L + I + N + E #1-900-325-IIWF =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4 May 1997 ----------------------------------------------- [click] --------------------------- OPTION #1: The Dross Report --------------------------- Howdy, folks, and welcome to the IIWF Hotline update for May 4, 1997. I'm Tim Dross, and you've reached the Dross Report. We're now just six days away from our next pay-per-view spectacular, Birthday Bash, and we're coming off the back of another tremendous night of action from the IIWF Coliseum. I'll be running down all the latest news -- including details of the condition of Creed, who was subjected to a brutal attack at the hands of the European Alliance last night -- and looking ahead to this Saturday's spectacular. First of all, though, I must apologise for the continued absence of Steve Roberts' "Soundbite Speaks" option from the Hotline. Steve hasn't been seen since walking out of last night's live IIWF broadcast, apparently in protest at Chris Quigley's appearance. As you will be aware, Steve has been skating on extremely thin ice over the past few weeks, particularly in this past week. Firstly, he no showed his Hotline taping, then on Tuesday, and perhaps most seriously, he launched a blistering -- some would say slanderous -- attack on Chris Quigley on the live "Inside the IIWF" show, the nature of which procludes me repeating any details here, which earned him a meeting with the IIWF President on Thursday. President Dan merely cautioned him, but Steve took off, thus missing the taping of the "IIWF Classics" show, which had to be covered at short notice by my broadcast colleague, Larry Morton. Steve then failed to appear at a production meeting regarding last night's show on Friday morning, and arrived at the IIWF Coliseum on Saturday only minutes before the live show was due to begin, which prompted another warning from the IIWF President, who was present at the Coliseum last night. All I can say is that Steve Roberts has a problem with authority -- and his inability to work as part of the IIWF's broadcast team, preferring instead to do his own thing, even at the expense of the image of the company and its associated talent, may cost him his job. I understand that the IIWF President has pulled Steve's "Bite Me - Ask the Soundbite" segment from this Tuesday's "Inside the IIWF" and is considering replacing him for Thursday's "Classics" show pending another discussion with him. Whether he will be at ringside for Saturday's Birthday Bash pay-per-view is entirely dependent on whether he is able to give the IIWF President sufficient assurances that he will not make any more untoward comments. I've worked with Steve for a year, and known him for a lot longer, and I will be the first to admit that there are occasions where his judgement could be a little better. This past week has been, it seems, one of those occasions -- and I would again like to offer my apologies for any harm that was caused to Chris Quigley and his family. As an interesting aside, I hear rumours that, should Steve not be in the booth this Saturday, negotiations are ongoing with an IIWF superstar -- past or present, I'm not sure -- to be at ringside for the event. More news as I get it. Last night's show was notable for another absence: that of Mad Dog Watkins. For the past several months, it seems that whenever we see Brody Thunder, Watkins is not far behind; but last night, when Thunder played such a pivotal part in both the success, and then the failure, of the Syndicate in that huge tag match against Quigley and the Subway Psycho, Watkins was nowhere to be found. In fact, the Mad Dog was at home in Detroit, looking after his sick daughter. Watkins plans to be in attendance at the Hall of Fame dinner this Wednesday night, and the Syndicate are sure to be there in force, too. That could be an extremely volatile situation -- Thunder and Watkins could brawl all the way to Birthday Bash. But one man may not even make it to Birthday Bash, and that man is Creed. The red-gloved rookie was the victim of a brutal attack from his Birthday Bash opponent, Intercontinental Champion Lord Byron, and his European Alliance stablemate, Otto "the Butcher" Verhoeven, at the climax of the hotly-contested tag match pitting Creed and Tony Starks against their respective Bash opponents. Byron simply blasted Creed's knee with anything and everything he could lay his hands on -- his brass-topped cane, steel chairs, you name it -- and finally applying the Aristoclutch on the downed rookie until he was out cold. It was a simply heinous attack, and one that threatens to keep Creed from wrestling against Byron next Saturday night. The Intercontinental Champion was fined on the spot by the IIWF President for the attack, but that will come as little comfort to the "CEO" Jack Montgomery or Creed himself, who are faced with an agonising few days as they await the results of an exploratory examination at Portland General Hospital this morning. Indications are that there has been no cartilage damage, which is very fortunate, since such injuries rarely heal properly, but there may have been some tearing of the cruciate ligament, a very painful injury that could keep Creed out of the ring for a number of months if it is to be treated effectively. As of this time, I have had no word on the official prognosis of his condition, but I will have a further update on "Inside the IIWF" this coming Tuesday. Last night's match was also tough on Tony Starks. Starks, who had been jumped on Wednesday by Otto "the Butcher" Verhoeven, suffering minor damage to his back, has been under close observation from his personal physician over the past few days, and indications after his match last night, in which he was again subjected to a beating from Verhoeven, preventing him from going to the aid of Creed, are that his back will not be at full strength next Saturday night -- which could mean big trouble for the Staten Island Sensation, as he goes into that brutal three falls German Death Match. Folks, we have a new Cruiserweight champion -- in the rather bulky shape of one Steve "the Fury" Kowalski. He defeated the White Phoenix in controversial fashion, and not without the help of Joe Petrow and that studded gauntlet, and that means that next Saturday's "Birthday Bash" match between Kowalski and Petrow will now be for the Cruiserweight title! Rumour has it that the White Phoenix, who was patched up backstage by a medical crew after suffering another attack from that dangerous studded gauntlet, may not be in the IIWF for much longer. The Phoenix, who joined the federation last September, and quickly established himself as one of the top draws ever since, is said to be considering moving to Japan when his contract comes up after Birthday Bash. I'll try and bring you an update on that situation in the near future. Meanwhile, one of the Phoenix's long-time friends, the "Enigma" Takezo Musashi, has become something of a troubled soul lately. Last night, he appeared out of the crowd and made an abortive attack on Nightwing, before disappearing back into the stands. This latest incident comes following other aberrant acts since the "Enigma" lost the Cruiserweight title to the White Phoenix at Ring Wars III in March. Now it is being reported that Takezo Musashi is competing in illegal streetfighting contests outside of the IIWF, in which the object is to cause as much serious injury to your opponent as possible. An investigation into these reports has been launched, and it is my understanding that, should they prove to be true, Musashi could be fired from the IIWF. Well, folks, that's just about it for now. Don't forget to tune in to IIWF programming all this week to hear all the latest news concerning Birthday Bash -- at which, I am told, Marty Warnett will have something of a surprise for the fans of the IIWF. And remember that this Wednesday's War Room has been pre-empted by a special Hall of Fame ceremony to commemorate the IIWF's first glorious year. It's going to be a huge week here in the IIWF. For now, this is Tim Dross, saying: so long, and thanks for calling! ----------------------- OPTION #2: Can We Talk? ----------------------- Hi there, everybody. I'm Larry Morton, and as usual, I've been trailing the IIWF superstars over the past week to get their thoughts on a topical question. This week's poser: DID STEVE ROBERTS CROSS THE LINE WITH HIS COMMENTS ABOUT CHRIS QUIGLEY ON "INSIDE THE IIWF"? "QUICKSTRIKE" CHRIS QUIGLEY: "I guess someone had to speak in my defense, and I'm probably the only one who would anyway.  Yeah, Roberts crossed the line of what announcers are supposed to say about wrestlers, and I just may cross the line on what wrestlers are supposed to _do_ to announcers.  I'll drag his retired ass back into the ring and give him the [BLEEP] knockin' he's been needing if I have to." "REAL DEAL" LUKE STEELE: "Well yeah, but it's not like it's new territory for the ol' Biter. Later, Baby dolls." TONY STARKS: "Hell, no." THE AGE OF RAGE: Shadoe: Cross the line?  Nah, he said it straight up!  Everybody knows Chris quigley is a pure 100 per cent bitch! Derek: Gotta agree with my bruh, bruh.  He ain't nothin' but a bitch playin' in a man's game.  The day that whinin' punk gets a title is the day the IIWF is done. Unique: Whut'd Roberts say that was so bad?  I mean I know he insulted bitches and whatnot by calling them Chris Quigley, but hey, I think everything he said was more or less true.  When I negotiated with this promotion they said I could either be nice to the fans or nasty, but this guy think he can get over just by whining and stealing other wrestlers' schtick?  I don't know.  I think he needs to get his muhfuhing ass kicked like a bitch! MR. MIC, manager of PAIN INC.: "Actually yes, he did cross the line... the line from hopeful rumor to believable truth. Steve Roberts told the truth about Quicksand and that's all." MARTY WARNETT: "Hell, no.  Something I've learnt in my time in wrestling is that there are too many fevered egos flying around.  Quigley's a grown man, so grow up." VIOLENCE UNLIMITED:     Mutilator: Who really cares?  Chris Quigley deserves ANYTHING that happens to him, because the child is downright dumb.  Steve Roberts, for once, did something right.  The IIWF hasn't seen anyone cross the line until we start being what we're supposed to be, anyway. Jaguar: Quigley is cool.  Yes, Roberts did go too far.  He insulted my personal hero, Chris Quigley. Mutilator: WHAT? Jaguar: He retired Dan Kauffman, didn't he? STEVE "THE FURY" KOWALSKI: "Nah! Q-ball is a piece of worthless trash that don't know when to shut his piehole. The day Roberts crosses the line is when he badmouths yers truly. An' he knows better." SUBWAY PSYCHO: "Normally I don't agree with Steve too often, but on this occasion I see eye to eye with the "Soundbite."  Hardin has to be one of the top two or three wrestlers this sport has ever seen and for Quigley to mention himself in the same breath is really arrogant.  I'm glad Steve took a stand." "OUTLAW" JOSEY WALES: "Roberts makes me smile wider than a tomcat in a whore house.  Hey Roberts, next time Hardin drops by the ranch, you're invited.  And if Quigley wants to come, he's welcome to show up and get the dirt beat out of him by everyone." NIGHTWING: "Steve Roberts is obviously a man who lets his habits rule him.  My people have a saying: Un bokooto tu nachocto bokooto.  It means "the best discipline is self-discipline".  Perhaps Mr. Roberts would do well to examine his own shortcomings before verbally assaulting Chris Quigley again." SCOTT ROGERS: "Simple answer, yes he did. As far as I'm concerned, Chris has got every right to try and get Roberts fired. He's a disgrace to the broadcasting booth, and a disgrace to the IIWF." CREED: "Don't really watch "Inside" much anymore.  Tuesdays sort of a busy day 'round here over the last couple of months.  Heard 'bout what Roberts said, though.  Got no comment about Chris Quigley.  Y'all oughta know that by now.  He a big boy.  Figure he can handle himself allright.  He gonna take on James - he damn well better be able to handle a broadcaster." OTTO "THE BUTCHER" VERHOEVEN: "I don't understand this. Nobody cares if Quigley calls me a Nazi time and time again, an insult which would not be tolerated in Europe and would have dire consequences. It seems Roberts is the only one of the broadcast team with enough guts to say the truth about Pigley and his ridiculous and annoying rants." THE SYNDICATE: Tiger Claw: What line? Brian Lau: What, did he say something wrong? Casey James: What, are we going to start giving people hell for speaking the truth? A better question would be "Is Tim Dross crossing the line by spreading vicious false rumors about certain stars?" The answer to _that_ question would be "YES!" STEVE SUMMER: "One word:  Whooooooooo!  Mr. Roberts is the man!  He is the Icon!  You see that t-shirt?   With the Coliseum rook falling down?  Wild, absolutely wild. I was markin' out like crazy in the back... and then Ms. LaRue on "Countdown"... with the wheelchair... classic.  My buddies taped it for me and they said when she started to take off the shirt that if you hit the pause button just right you could see..." "SYCHOSYS" JOE PETROW: "Well, understand that in a free society such as yours, one has to allow the broadcast journalists some liberties to tell their stories.  But still, Chris Quigley's sexual fantasies, no matter how perverse and disgusting they happen to be, have nothing to do with how he handles himself in the ring.  There are plenty of other reasons why Quigley will never win the IIWF World's Championship, and Soundbite would do better to focus on those." STEVE "SOUNDBITE" ROBERTS: "I'm sorry, what was the question again?" [click] +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+