##### ###### ### ########## ########## ########## #### ## ########## ########## ########## #### # #### ######## ##### ##### #### ## ##### #### #### #### #### ### #### #### #### #### ############# ######### #### #### ########### ######### #### #### #### #### #### ######### ######### ### #### #### ######### ######### ### ## #### ######## ######## ## # #### =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ## =-=-=-= INTERNATIONAL INTERNET WRESTLING FEDERATION =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "INSIDE THE IIWF" with Tim Dross Tuesday 6 May 1997 ----------------------------------------------- ["Freedom" by Richie Havens plays as the shot fades in on a nearly empty IIWF Coliseum.  Tim Dross and Steve Summer sit at the ringside announce table, each shuffling through a stack of papers while a member of the road crew quietly sweeps the canvas.  Summer is wearing his official IIWF blazer over an "Alliance" t-shirt.  The camera focuses on Dross, in his customary Hugo Boss sportscoat, as the music fades.] TD: Hello fans, and welcome to another edition of "Inside the IIWF", your weekly look at all the news, views, reviews and previews, highlights and sidelights, cheers and jeers -- a look behind at the week that was and up ahead at what will be here in the finest wrestling federation in the world today... the mighty IIWF! I'm Tim Dross, and this week we are broadcasting from what should be a very familiar location to all you great IIWF fans: ringside at the IIWF Coliseum in downtown Portland, Oregon.  You see, this is a very special week here in the IIWF, folks, as we commemmorate our one year anniversary.  Yes, it was a year ago that the IIWF athletes first walked through these doors and stepped into this ring and, we believe, changed the face of professional wrestling.  But tonight is not for reflection, not for resting on our laurels -- this show is about the event that will take place five days from now: Birthday Bash, a big ten match event that you can only see live on pay-per-view. And, with the help of my young friend, and colleague, [the shot cuts to Summer, who smiles broadly and waves] Steve Summer, we will break down all ten of the big matches coming to you at Birthday Bash.  So, settle in and settle back... it's going to be a fun thirty minutes. And it's all going to kick off, following this look back at what went down this past Saturday Night from the IIWF Coliseum. ["Hell" by Squirrel Nut Zippers kicks in over highlights of Chris Quigley and Subway Psycho defeating Casey James and Tiger Claw, while the complete match results roll:] Chris Quigley/Subway Psycho def. Casey James/Tiger Claw (DQ) Lord Byron/Otto Verhoeven draw Creed/Tony Starks IIWF Cruiserweight Championship Steve Kowalski def. The White Phoenix Deathbringer def. Highwayman Ronnie Paris def. The Enigma Cold Spell def. Harlequins (WO) Night Patrol def. Zodiac Connection (DQ) Nightwing def. Marty Warnett Luke Steele def. Chris Herforth [As Chris Quigley stands on a mid-buckle, the shot and the music fade.] ************************************************************************ ---------------------- TIM DROSS BREAKS IT DOWN ---------------------- ************************************************************************ [Tom Petty's "Breakdown" is sampled as the shot again focuses in on Dross.] ------------------------------------------ IIWF World Heavyweight Championship Match: Casey James vs. Chris Quigley ------------------------------------------ TD: Folks, I have stood before you many times and spoken about the historic import of an upcoming pay-per-view.  Now, I'm not going to do that this week -- this great card speaks for itself.  However, I can honestly say that I cannot recall a bigger, a more interesting Championship matchup than the one that will come to you live this Saturday Night. The war between Casey James and Chris Quigley is one that has been as much psychological as physical.  James has been taunting "Quickstrike" for weeks, for months, continually driving home his contention that a loss to James would strip Chris Quigley of his identity, would cause him to come face to face with the reality that he is not the best wrestler in the world... not the IIWF Champion. And, in fact, the war of words appreared to have been effective, cracks in Chris Quigley's armor becoming more and more evident. Contoversial losses in that tremendous battle royal and to the Subway Psycho surrounded a time limit draw with Dirt Dog Unique Allah -- all pushing the "Quickstrike" to places that his storied career had not yet been, leading to a startling makeover on IIWF Saturday Night, Chris Quigley shedding his previously hard earned image in favor of a more simplistic, stripped down look. An example of the pressure finally getting to Chris Quigley?  Or the correction needed to bring "Quickstrike" the only prize in wrestling that he has not won... the only one that really matters.  And then there is the Syndicate, the constant force throughout the past year in the IIWF.   Casey James' hold on the IIWF Title has now reached some four months, the intrusion of his stablemates becoming more and more pronounced with each successive title defense. But are there cracks in the champion's armor as well?  This past Saturday Night the Syndicate was defeated by Chris Quigley and the Subway Psycho following a botched attempt at a "save" by the "Lone Wolf" Brody Thunder.  Thunder has pulled the Champ's fat out of the fire time and time again over these past several weeks, but Saturday Night, he jumped the gun, laying Chris Quigley out while James' leg rested confidently over the bottom rope. Which is the more mentally tough, which the more psychologically equipped to lead the IIWF into its second year of existence: Chris Quigley or the Syndicate?  That's what we will find out on May 10. That's what we will learn at Birthday Bash. What we do know is that the heat will not abate; blistering charges leveled by, of all people, Steve "Soundbite" Roberts have helped to kick this Championship Match into hyperspace, it now being one of the more anticipated events in IIWF history. Chris Quigley... or Casey James and the Syndicate?  It's all gonna go down this Saturday Night. ------------------------- Master of Darkness Match: Deathbringer vs. Requiem ------------------------- TD: The other half of our double main event features two of the most imposing, the most awesome physical specimens in the sport today, Requiem and the former IIWF Heavyweight Champion, Deathbringer. I won't pretend to understand all the symbolism here, folks; what I do know is that we have two of the biggest, most athletic men in the IIWF, and they are going to meet in a scaffold type match, with the only way to win being the retrieval of each man's ultimate prize, Deathbringer's scythe and Requiem's guitar. This is also the kind of match that interests the gentleman to my right, young Steve Summer.  Steve, somehow it's not just the Soundbite who is playing a role in the action these days. SS: Here it is, Mr. Dross.  The new year means a new day for the IIWF, and what better place than Birthday Bash for the coming out party.  It's so cool, Mr Dross, I can't even tell you.  How long have I been talking about the New Generation?  How long? TD: Months, Stephen.  Months. SS: And now, some of the top new guys have gotten together -- and the Alliance is born.  Quality.  Sure, they gotta work on the name... but we are talking about the future of the IIWF banding together to take what's there.  Highwayman, Nightwing... and Requiem, all in one stable -- and they start taking over Saturday Night. TD: Well, Deathbringer isn't exactly the type of man to roll over. SS: Yeah, but he's all alone, Mr. Dross.  That's what makes the new guys so good to go.  They're a unit, they've got a plan, even Gabrielle's working for them. TD: I'm not sure that's a point in Requiem's favor, Steve.  I cannot imagine that Requiem will be altogether pleased with his sister following her escapade of last Saturday Night.  In fact, when speaking about cracks in a team's armor, at least the Deathbringer knows that everyone on his side will be rowing together. SS: Aw, Mr. Dross.  I know you have a soft spot for some of these old guys, but it's time for a change, even President Spreadbury said it himself Saturday -- and Requiem's gonna get the change started on Saturday.  ----------------------------------------- IIWF Intercontinental Championship Match: Lord Byron v. Creed ----------------------------------------- TD: Well, all the rules changed in this one when Lord Byron went on an all-out blistering assault on the right knee of Creed last Saturday Night. The latest word on the red-gloved rookie is that he has a small tear in the medial collateral ligament of his right knee, along with some sort of unspecified damage to his anterior cruciate ligament -- damage which, if exascerbated, could well be career threatening. I have been on the telephone personally with Jack Montgomery today, and he informs me that both he and medical specialists have advised Creed that he is risking permanent injury by entering the ring at Birthday Bash. However, the current word is that Creed, in fact, will wrestle, putting not just his career, but his historic fifteen-match unbeaten streak on the line to take on the IIWF Intercontinental Champion -- the brilliant Lord Byron. You hate to see the kind of assault that Byron perpetrated Saturday Night on Creed.  However, it is easy to understand his motives.  Creed is perhaps the most explosive superstar ever to step foot in the IIWF -- but his power is torque based, he relies on a combination of his massive strength and incredible speed to generate his ring-rocking power. Now, that ability will be largely neutralized, Lord Byron having effectively taken away the right leg of the red gloved rookie, the only man who has ever defeated Lord Byron cleanly during his IIWF career. Add in the always dangerous Lady DeWinter and the possibility of involvement from Byron's brutal European Alliance partner Otto Verhoeven -- and suddenly the deck looks very much stacked against a man in Creed who, thus far, has seemed virtually unstoppable. ---------------------------------------------------- IIWF Cruiserweight Championship Birthday Bash Match: Steve Kowalski vs. Joe Petrow ---------------------------------------------------- TD: Here's something you don't hear every day, folks:  Steve Kowalski might well be the smartest man in the IIWF. I mean, how else do you explain the fact that the Fury -- who probably hasn't weighed 239 pounds since the eleventh grade -- finds himself the Cruiserweight Champion? But the fact is that Steve Kowalski is, indeed, sporting his second career IIWF strap, having defeated Shinja Chow this past Saturday Night, in another particularly brutal affair which saw Chow's head split open for the second time in the past few weeks, with a blow from a metal gauntlet.  These types of gruesome images are becoming all too familiar here in the IIWF, as many a match is becoming little more than a version of the "streetfighting" for which IIWF administration is coming down on Takezo Musashi. This match will be no different, with the remarkable stipulation that all objects passed into the ring by the collections of ringside "fans" that support these two men... are in play. Now, I am all for the IIWF's continued policy of reaching out to you great fans.  Many a weekend I myself will appear at a local Waffle House, signing autographs for hours on end in between bites of my hash browns. However, this rivalry is already out of hand... and permitting these men free reign to use whatever objects they so desire sounds to me like a prescription for destruction.  And now it is for the Cruiserweight Championship.  This might not be the best match at Birthday Bash... it might not contain a single maneuver... but it should certainly be a match to remember. Incidentally, I have it on good authority that none other than Dirt Dog Unique Allah is mighty irritated that Joe Petrow, with whom he fought a series of memorable brawls in what is my nominee for feud of the year, has received a Cruiserweight Title shot instead of he.  Look for the emergence of... well, of a new Dirt Dog, perhaps during this match. --------------------------------------- IIWF World Tag Team Championship Match: Pain Inc vs. Night Patrol --------------------------------------- TD: Well, another "New Generation" entry, against a longtime IIWF tag team, this time to hook up for the big belts. SS: Damn, it's exciting.  Isn't it, Mr. Dross?  And this is a great matchup, here, when Team Brutality explodes all over the Coliseum! TD: Certainly is vivid, Steve. SS: Gonna be a vivid, match, Mr. Dross.  This was a heckuva group for a little while, Team Brutality.  A combination [Summer starts moving his hands together, trying to find the proper word] a... meshing... synthesis, yeah, a synthesis [Summer smiles] of the old and the new generation -- perfect! TD: Well, but it was Night Patrol who left Pain Inc., Steve.  In a move that, frankly I thought was ill-advised.  Not that Night Patrol hasn't been consistently above board since leaving Team Brutality. SS: And you thought it was a big swerve, Mr. Dross. TD: Yes, well, perhaps I shouldn't have questioned the legitimacy of the change of demeanor, but the fact is that it is Morningstar and Hellraiser who go into this match as the hotter team.  They not only have the belts, but the muscle of the Syndicate to back them up. SS: Well, I don't know how much longer the Dark Disciples are gonna allow that... but tell the fans about the new ruling, tell them about the ruling, Mr. Dross. TD: Steve Summer is correct, folks. There has been a very interesting decision reached by IIWF administration just today: at Birthday Bash, both tag titles can change hands as a result, not only of a pinfall or a submission... but of a disqualification as well. Now, this is clearly an attempt to reinforce what has been IIWF policy of the past few weeks, banning all ringside personnel during tag matches.  The effect of which will be, however, to take away what is traditionally a Champion's advantage -- that of the disqualification loss not relieving them of their belts. SS: So, good for Night Patrol! TD: Well, perhaps, although Night Patrol has yet to prove whatsoever that they are the same tag team without the ringside guidance of Brenda Hawkings. As long as the "no managers" ruling is in effect, I have to question Night Patrol's ability to take the tag titles. ------------------------------ German Death Match: Otto Verhoeven vs. Tony Starks ------------------------------ TD: What drives a man, fans?  What makes a man, a man not altogether unlike you or I, risk permanent injury by stepping into something called a German Death Match with a man whose nickname, the Butcher, was not given to him because of his handiness with the knockwurst. But, despite the back injury -- which has apparently been aggravated as a result of the brutal beating handed himself and Creed by the European Alliance this past Saturday -- Tony Starks not only has signed for this death match, but apparently relishes its coming. For several weeks, even while Verhoeven was administering attack after attack on Starks, the "Staten Island Sensation" has been seemingly winning the battle of the mind games with Verhoeven -- the ringside signs, an appearance by an attorney.  Otto, in fact, appeared to be distracted to such an extent that he was shockingly defeated just two weeks ago by the newcomer Duncan Macbeth. The key to this match might well be the inherent strategy.  This match is two out of three falls, with the winner of the fall having the task of deciding the stipulations for the subsequent fall. Similar to a backyard game of h-o-r-s-e but with much more devastating consequences, the German Death Match stacks up as an intriguing mix of strategy and brutality. ---------------------------- Bangkok Death Pit Match: Subway Psycho vs. Tiger Claw ---------------------------- TD: The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Has it really been a full year that the rivalry between these two former champions has been ongoing? It really is a never-ending struggle between these two men, between the "People's Champion" and the man who has been the constant member of the Syndicate, the dark force of the IIWF. Will this be the final chapter, this Bangkok death match, when both men are locked in a cage... with only the conscious man leaving? Difficult to tell -- but given the emotional pitch to which this rivalry has been brought, what we can be sure of is that these two proud men will battle within an inch of their lives in what is certain to be an entertaining matchup. ----------------------------------------------- IIWF United States Tag Team Championship Match: Prophets of Rage vs. Cold Spell ----------------------------------------------- TD: Another one of your matches, Steve. SS: Now, this is the one that has me excited, Mr. Dross.  Not only are the Prophets a new gen team, but they're going against Cold Spell, and they have Icehawk, who's the best thing going in the tag ranks today. TD: Indeed, it was a bizarre scene this past Saturday, with the Harlequins no-showing their scheduled contest with Cold Spell, allowing Edmund Fitzgerald and Icehawk the chance to become, amazingly enough, the fourth different US tag championship team in the two months since Ring Wars 3.  SS: Yeah, but Cold Spell still got the hell kicked out of them by this new group, Violence Unlimited. TD: This new team certainly put on an awesome physical display -- although you have to question how men of that remarkable size can possibly move around the ring with any sort of athletic ability. SS: I don't know, Mr. Dross, they have a pretty good background -- and I think they might be here to shake up the tag ranks... but I'm still all about the Spell.  And this is gonna be a great match. TD: I would have to agree with you there, Steve.  The Prophets are a remarkably athletic duo, and Cold Spell has perhaps the greatest style contrast between partners of any team in the IIWF, which I have always said presents a tremendous matchup problem for any team which they might face. SS: And remember the new policy, Mr. Dross: a DQ loss takes the belts -- and that has to hurt the Prophets, especially since they are already gonna be missing their managers.  Looks like the deck's stacked against 'em. TD: Steve, you did a fine job in your commentating debut on Saturday.  SS: Aw, I was okay.  I called my mom after the show and she said she was proud of me, but I hope Mr. Roberts comes back this week. TD: Well, that's not really in our hands anymore, Steve.  As many of you fans know, it has been a particularly difficult period for Steve Roberts over the past couple of weeks, his "Ask the Soundbite" segment on this program will not air tonight -- and it is still questionable whether he will be permitted to broadcast this Saturday.  I certainly hope that this matter will be settled amicably this week. I believe that the Soundbite has seen the error of his ways, and will be back this Saturday.  Birthday Bash just wouldn't be the same without him. --------------------------------------------- Triangle Match: Derek Mota vs. Duncan Macbeth vs. Ike Sampson --------------------------------------------- TD: Go get 'em, Steve. SS: Best match of the card.  Book it.  These three guys have been ripping each other apart for a month and a half.  Claymores, automobiles, countless brawls -- these guys are killer.  And even though they've been beating the heck out of each other, they still each have an impressive victory over one of the old-timers.  Mota beat Tiger Claw, Sampson beat Starks, and, of course, Macbeth took Otto to school. Yeah! TD: There doesn't appear to be any love lost between these three men, Steve. SS: And that's what makes this so much fun, Mr. Dross.  It's a triangle match, so you have to assume that the way to win is to gang up on one of the other guys, and then work for the win.  But now... but with these guys, who will work together?  See, that's how competitive the new gen guys are -- they know that only one of them can be the top guy, only one can go to the head of the class... and each one of them wants, heck, needs to be that guy.  What a great match! --------------------------------- No Countout, No Disqualification: Brody Thunder vs. Mad Dog Watkins --------------------------------- TD: And we are going to start it all off with what promises to be a wild brawl.  No disqualification, no count out, just two of the finest wrestlers in the world today, going at it tooth and nail until one of them is victorious. These are perhaps the two most competitive athletes I have ever seen, neither man wanting to give even an inch during any of their several in and out of the ring meetings.  What might tell the tale here are the outside pressures on each man; Mad Dog Watkins is going through some personal difficulties... and Brody Thunder is wrapped up in the big event of the night, that title match between James and Quigley.  It may be that the winner of this match will be the man who is least distracted, the man who is most able to put all outside forces aside, and focus simply on the task at hand. It is a truly impressive card... ten great matches, coming to you live only on pay-per-view this week from the IIWF Coliseum. It could only be Birthday Bash... call your local cable company today! ************************************************************************ ---------------- UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: Casey James ------------------ ************************************************************************ TD: In just five days, Casey "Blackheart" James, lynchpin of the Syndicate, and the man who has held the IIWF World Heavyweight Championship for longer than any other, will face Chris Quigley in one of the most anticipated title matches for as long as I can remember. I had the privilege of speaking with the IIWF Champion at the Dojo... I'm sure you'll find the following interview very illuminating: [SCENE: Tim Dross stands in the lobby of the Dojo. Two large wooden double doors loom behind him.] TD: For the second time in my career, I find myself in the entrance to the Dojo, training center for the most feared stable in the IIWF, the Syndicate. The last time I was here, I had the unexpected pleasure of interviewing Tiger Claw. This time, I'll be interviewing none other than IIWF world champion, Casey James. Now I've been told by Lau over the phone that we are to wait here until an escort guides us to the interview area, so I guess we'll have to do just that. [Dross looks around a bit at his surroundings, occasionally filling the dead air with comments like "nice vase." Finally, and escort comes in and motions for Dross and the camera man to follow, which they do. The escort leads them past the training ring, where Tiger Claw stops pounding on his sparring partner long enough to scowl into the camera. The group enters a lounge near the back of the building, where Dross is told to sit in a chair opposite another empty chair.] TD: This is nice and all, but where is Casey James? CJ: Keep your pants on, buddy boy. I'm right here. [James walks into to the room, carrying his title belt over his shoulder. He lays the belt on a table between the two chairs and sits in the empty seat.] TD: You carry that around with you all the time? CJ: Hell yeah... Why not? I deserved it. TD: Some might have different opinions... CJ: Well those "some" can kiss my ass. Mind if I smoke one of these? [Casey holds up a big fat cigar.] TD: Actually, I'd rather you didn't. Cigar smoke kind of makes me queasy. CJ: You don't say... [he lights up the cigar and makes a point of blowing a lot of smoke at Dross.] TD: New habit? CJ: Nope. Been smoking these for a while. I think they're great. They're pretentious and offensive. Just like me. TD: Well, let's get down to this interview. My first question for you is this: What is Casey James about? CJ: Jeez, Dross, why not start out with something easier? Like "Why are we here?" Let me try and put it in a nutshell. I'm about whatever I feel like from day to day. You might notice that I'm a hard person to nail down. One week I might get a little crazy. The next I might be the coldest, most calculated man you've ever seen. One week I might be laughing and good humored. The next I might be bitter and vicious. It all depends on what I feel like that week, you know? This ain't no character you're seein' here. It's real life. You can't expect me to act the same way all the time, no matter how I feel. If I'm in a bad mood, then you'll know it. If I'm in a good mood, I might crack a smile. It also depends on the person who's knocking at my door. Some guys I might take a relentless approach to. Others I might get a little more cerebral. Some guys I might even stalk. Who knows? TD: When you stalked Dan Kauffman, many people thought you had lost touch. Did you? CJ: Nah... That was part of the game. TD: The game? CJ: Yeah. See, I wanted that belt, right? So I had to figure out a way to get Dan to accept my challenge. I had to make him want a piece of me, so what did I do? I figured out how to get him going. I invaded his privacy. I watched him, and then made that fact public. I roughed up his old friends, and I took his dog. That upset him. That got him mad enough to want a piece of me, which is what I wanted all along. I won the opportunity to meet him on Saturday Night, but that didn't go the way I planned. He was angry enough to want some more of me, so I got him. TD: What would you say was the one main thing that brought you that belt? CJ: Dan Kauffman underestimated me. You see, it's a common thing in the wrestling community to think that a technical genius is going to beat a power wrestler all the time. That's not true. You know, for a guy called "the thinking man's wrestler," Dan made a stupid mistake. He looked past me and onward to Quigley. That's how I took his belt. TD: And you think Quigley is making the same mistake? CJ: Of course he is. He's just like Kauffman. All these tech-heads are the same. They think they're the best. They think their style is unbeatable, but they're wrong. You can't lock on a scorpion deathlock when you've been knocked into next week. That's what _my_ style is based on. TD: Care to elaborate on that? How would you define your style? CJ: A lot like my personality... Adaptive. See, most of the time, I stick to what I like, and that's power wrestling. I like hurting guys. But when the need arises, I can go technical, just like I showed the world a few weeks back. Hakiro Matsuoko taught me that. I've also displayed my ability to assume a martial arts style, which was taught to me by Tiger Claw. Maybe one day, when I need to, I'll go aerial. TD: At 340 pounds!? CJ: Why not? I've seen guys bigger than me do moonsaults. My point is that you can never be sure that you've seen everything I've got, and I use that to my advantage. Quigley comes on television week after week and goes on about how he's better than me, and about how I'm just a stupid musclehead. That's typical of a closed-minded boob like Quigley. To him, all Germans are Nazis, and all well-muscled men are stupid. I wonder if he's ever read Sun Tzu? I have. TD: So it's obvious that you have a little more against guys like Kauffman and Quigley than just the fact that you have to face them. Why is that? CJ: It insults me to see a guy come in here and say that he's the best when there's obviously someone better than him. I hate these tech- heads that think that they're God's gift to pro-wrestling. Every style has its strengths, and every style has its weakness. Tech-heads don't understand that. They can't belive for a minute that they might get overcome by anything less than a cross-face chickenwing figure four armbar or whatever. I love coming along, smacking them around a little with a closed fist, and making them bleed. Then I use a high impact move to put them away, and that's the Black Death. TD: That's a move we rarely see these days. CJ: Yeah, I know. A lot of interference breaks up my matches these days. I'd rather win cleanly, but you know how it is. TD: But the Syndicate does most of that interference! Specifically one Brody Thunder. CJ: Yeah... So? TD: This past Saturday, you seemed to get annoyed with him. Any comments on that? CJ: You just don't quit, do you? Hey, we were just having a little disagreement. I'm not happy with how my record's looking lately, so I was a bit annoyed. No big deal. TD: What about the rumors that Thunder wants a shot at you? CJ: You mean the rumors that _you_ started? Not true. Brody's happy here, and I'm happy to have him. I'm going to help him grab that Intercontinental title. Hell, he's helped me this whole time, so I'm going to pay him back. TD: Well, let's get back on topic. This shouldn't be about current events, it should be about you. So let me ask you about your life before wrestling. CJ: Nothing big. Got born to two middle-class American parents, grew up, went to school... TD: How much of a scholar were you? CJ: Honor student. I was a good kid. I studied hard. I was one of those types that when they put their mind to something, they do it the best they can. Thing is that being an honor student doesn't wash well with the kids, so sometimes I got beat up. That's why I started working out. I wanted to be big. Now I am. I wanted to get to be the way I am, so I did it. Worked out all through college. TD: What school? CJ: Nothing major. Just some community college up in D.C. My parents weren't rich, so they couldn't afford to send me off to some fancy school for some fancy degree. TD: What about a sports scholarship? CJ: I wasn't a jock back then. I was just starting to work out a year or two before I graduated, so I didn't have what it took to be on the football team. TD: Did you graduate from college? CJ: Kind of... I got a Diploma in Arts, and I was about to apply that to get into some other place, but that's when I got into this wrestling thing, so I never got back to my studies. TD: Where did the "Whitebread" persona come from? CJ: It was my nickname in high school. See, D.C. isn't exactly the nicest place unless you're rich. In my high school, very few of the kids actually cared about classes, and already had a criminal record before they even got there. I didn't. I stayed within the law. I didn't steal, I didn't do drugs, I didn't start fights. I was squeaky clean. I was a whitebread. That's where that whole stupid gimmick came from. I thought that I was the embodiment of all the the U.S. stood for. I was healthy, strong, and had morals. It's kind of funny, actually, because I seem to be more about what the States are about now than I ever was back then. TD: Ever think of moving up to Canada? CJ: Hell no. Bunch of second rate losers up there. They try so hard to be Americans and then turn around and hate us because we're the real deal. I've got friends that live up there, and they tell me about the crap that goes on up there. It's a joke. They don't even know how to get a democracy right. TD: So you still prefer the States? CJ: Sure, but that doesn't mean much. I still think the country is full of a bunch of fat lazy bastards that like to whine and cry that they need a hero. But when one comes along and tries to rally them up, they do nothing. I came here and tried to be the shining light, and when I asked for some help in driving out the bad seeds, what did I get? I got people laughing at me behind my back, calling me cheesy. I got people sitting there saying "well what can I do?" They could have shown their support, but they chose not to. So now they've got someone to fear instead of someone to look up to. They got me pissed off, and that's no picnic, I assure you. TD: You've got a temper. We know that. Where does it stem from? CJ: Getting picked at by the insects. I put up with a lot as a kid. A lot of guys beating me up, calling me "browner." Every kick I took, every punch I felt, every rib broken, every cast I had to wear, I've remembered them all. I went through high school wanting revenge. I thought making something of myself would help at first, but that was too long term. I then thought that getting big and kicking their asses would help, but I never got to do that. So now the IIWF has to suffer, and every so often, when the insects begin to swarm, I get edgy. Ask Larry Morton. He knows how it can feel. TD: But you did make something of yourself. You're the IIWF heavyweight champion. One of the highest accolades in the world. What else do you think you can accomplish? CJ: Winning the title is only the beginning. There's a lot more I can do. For one I can try my best to hold this belt longer than Kauffman did, breaking his record. I also wouldn't mind being the first person to ever hold this title twice. It's one thing to hold this title. It's another to leave your mark on it forever. Like Tiger Claw and the IC belt. People still think of him when they talk about that title because he's the only guy to hold it three times. I want to be the same for this one. TD: People say you're a beatable champion. What do you think about that? CJ: Not much. Any champion is beatable. Otherwise they'd still have the belt. Verhoeven was beatable, Deathbringer was beatable, even Hardin was beatable. There's nothing wrong with that. TD: Speaking of Hardin, what's your connection with him? CJ: He's inspired me, plain and simple. When I hold this belt, I try and hold it with the same intensity as he did. Hardin competed in a tournament to decide who was the greatest in the IIWF to become the champion. I did something similar at Snow Brawl. There's parallels between our two careers, and several intersections. I probably wouldn't be the man I am today if it weren't for him. TD: Your career in the IIWF has been a long one, which brings me to one final question. What do you think of the New Generation vs. Old Generation argument going on right now? CJ: It's a crock. I've been here for a year. That doesn't make me old. I'm 29. Am I supposed to be looked down upon because I helped form the federation that all these newcomers enjoy today? It's stupid. I paid my dues, and I expect the respect I deserve for it. Now that little moron Steve Summer gets this whole movement going. It makes me laugh to hear about someone like the Highwayman say he's the New Generation and then turn around and claim that he's hundreds of years old. Make up your mind, fruitcake. What it comes down to is who's got the talent. It doesn't matter if you just got here or if you've been here from the beginning. If you've got the talent, you get the push. I've seen guys come and go, and this wave of new guys is no different. Three, maybe four of them will still be around in a few months, and then they'll have the same feeling I get when I see a huge wave of newcomers. That feeling is "Great, more guys I have to check out." Pretty soon this will all fade away. The guys claiming to be New Generation won't have a leg to stand on when they've been here for a while. To say that guys like Tiger Claw and I are "has-beens" is ludicrous. We're both under 30 and still in our primes. Summer can go pound sand up his ass. He knows nothing. TD: Well, thanks, Casey. It's been a pleasure. CJ: I'm glad _you_ thought so. [Fade.] ************************************************************************ ----------------------- IIWF SINGLES RANKINGS ------------------------ ************************************************************************ as at 3/5/97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name F/H Fought W L D Win% Ranking (old) new ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Casey James H 39 22 15 2 59% (WC) WC Lord Byron H 22 17 5 0 77% (IC) IC Steve "Fury" Kowalski H 20 15 5 0 75% (3) CW ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Deathbringer H 32 23 6 3 77% (2) 1 Creed N 15 11 3 1 77% (1) 2 Requiem F 7 4 1 2 72% (5) 3 Subway Psycho F 34 23 9 2 71% (7) 4 "Enigma" Takezo Musashi F 31 22 9 0 71% (4) 5 Mad Dog Watkins H 14 10 4 0 71% (6) 6 The White Phoenix F 24 16 7 1 69% (CW) 7 Chris Quigley F 28 18 8 2 68% (11) 8 Billy Shakespeare F 38 25 12 1 67% (9) 9 Otto Verhoeven H 32 21 10 1 67% (10) 10 Nightwing F 12 8 4 0 67% (13) 11 "Sychosys" Joe Petrow N 13 8 4 1 65% (12) 12 Highwayman F 11 7 4 0 64% (8) 13 Brody Thunder H 21 13 8 0 62% (14) 14 Mr. Damage H 31 19 12 0 61% (16) 15 Tony Starks F 5 3 2 0 60% (17) 16 Marty Warnett F 39 23 16 0 59% (15) 17 Derek Mota H 6 3 2 1 58% (18) 18 Dirt Dog Unique Allah N 18 9 7 2 56% (20) 19 "Real Deal" Luke Steele F 11 6 5 0 55% (25) 20 Tiger Claw H 46 24 20 2 54% (19) 21 Ronnie Paris F 15 8 7 0 53% (23) 22 Chris Herforth N 16 8 8 0 50% (21) 23 Serge Annis N 13 6 6 1 50% (24) 24 The Hangman H 17 6 7 4 47% (26) 25 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Duncan Macbeth N 2 2 0 0 100% (27) 26 Ike Sampson F 3 2 1 0 67% (28) 27 Scott Rogers F 1 1 0 0 100% (29) 28 Danny Dynamite F - - - - - (-) - ----------------------------- on leave --------------------------------- The Sandman F 32 16 16 0 50% (-) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ************************************************************************ ----------------------- IIWF TAG TEAM RANKINGS ----------------------- ************************************************************************ as at 3/5/97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Name of team F/H Fought W L D Win% Ranking (old) new ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pain Inc. H 22 13 8 1 61% (WT) WT Prophets of Rage H 9 8 1 0 89% (US) US ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Night Patrol H 9 7 2 0 78% (1=) 1= Cold Spell F 9 7 2 0 78% (1=) 1= Domination F 11 7 2 2 73% (3) 3 The Armed Forces H 30 19 10 1 65% (4) 4 Rising Sun Revolution F 17 11 6 0 65% (5) 5 High Plains Drifters H 32 19 12 1 61% (6) 6 W & W Express H 10 6 4 0 60% (8) 7 The Hangmen H 20 10 8 2 55% (9) 8 The Harlequins N 11 6 5 0 55% (7) 9 Dark Disciples H 16 8 7 1 53% (10) 10 The Zodiac Connection F 25 12 13 0 48% (11) 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Last Resort F 4 3 1 0 75% (12) 12 Violence Unlimited N - - - - - (-) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ************************************************************************ -------------- COMING FRIDAY: Countdown to Birthday Bash ------------- ************************************************************************ TD: Well, folks, that's all the time we have this week. We have just a few announcements of interest to many of you great fans.  Just last night, the "Enigma" Takezo Musashi won the ESWP Junior Heavyweight Tournament and Otto "The Butcher" Verhoeven won a battle royal, giving him a shot at the ESWP heavyweight Title. We here at "Inside the IIWF" congratulate both of these fine IIWF superstars. So, folks, be sure to tune in tomorrow night for what is sure to be a very special, a very special IIWF Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, when two of your favorites from the past will have the great honor of becoming the initial two inductees into the IIWF Hall of Fame.  Then, remember Thursday is IIWF Classics -- and of course, the best pre-game show in the business, "Countodwn to Birthday Bash", hosted by Ms. Becky LaRue and that noted environmentalist, my good friend Larry Morton. And finally, the big one.  Saturday Night is Birthday Bash -- call your local cable company immediately, you cannot miss, absolutely cannot miss that titanic World Championship match between Casey James and Chris Quigley. So, for all of us here at... [There is an offscreen crash -- and the unmistakable voice of Steve "Soundbite" Roberts is heard.] SR: Dross, hey Dross.  What, have you forgotten about your old buddy the Soundbite already?  Has it slipped your mind? I have a segment to do!  Come on - play me on, young Summer. [Summer takes a small tape player from Roberts, hitting play. Van Halen's "Running with the Devil" begins, and the taped voice of Sparkplug Lee is heard.] SL: Ladies and gentlemen... Steve "Soundbite" Roberts! [Dross slowly shakes his head at Summer as Roberts stands in front of the announce table.] SR: Did you miss me, Dross?  Hey, how did that big tag match turn out? They weren't watching the IIWF at the strip club.  TD: Steve, please.  The show is over, let's go talk about this somewhere else... hey, Waffle House is open -- I'm buyin'! SR: Sad, sad little Dross.  Timmy, you apparently are under the belief that I'm out here to cause trouble, that the Soundbite is out here to stir things up, that the Soundbite is out here to make waves. TD: They have pecan waffles, Steve... you like pecans. SR: Oh, kid, heard you filled in for me last Saturday. SS: Yessir, Mr. Soundbite.  You da man! SR: There you go. See, Dross? That's what I like to see, a little respect from the kids.  Haven't I earned that, Dross?  Haven't I earned a little respect? TD: Raisin toast.  Mmmmm.  Raisin toast. SR: So, anyway, there have been a lot of people talking about how I slandered Chris Quigley last week, a lot of people saying that I "crossed the line".  Although you know what I love, Dross... you know what I just love... I listened to the Hotline a couple of days ago -- I just don't know what I would do without late breaking news on Creed's knee.  Ooooohhhh.  That's worth twelve bucks a minute.   And damn near every wrestler in the IIWF sided with me.  With me, Dross.  Even the ones like the Psycho and Warnett who couldn't find their ass with a flashlight and both hands... even those guys could tell that I was right about Chris Quigley.  So what does that tell you?  TD: Steve, I really wish you would just take a moment and think about this.  Maybe over some hash browns.... SR: Nah, look, Dross, when are you gonna realize that when they start telling me what I can't say, that eventually they'll start telling you what _you_ can't say... [Dross gives a brief look toward the camera.] SR: ...even though the last time you said anything interesting was 1974 during a Lynard Skynard concert you went to with Penelope Ann before she dropped you for your brother Hoss.  All I want a chance to do is prove that I'm right about Quigley, prove that the Soundbite knows the score. TD: I don't see how you can prove a thing like this, Steve Roberts. SR: Well, I brought a friend of Quigley's... a man who can clear all this up.  Sports fans, let's have a warm IIWF welcome, for Troy! [Roberts briefly runs off camera, and returns carrying a plastic blow up doll wearing a blond wig and an "I'm with Quickstrike" t-shirt.] TD: Oh no. SS: Shoot, Soundbite!  Shoot! SR: Troy, tell me, what's Chris Quigley really like? [Roberts holds "Troy" in front of his face, adopting a falsetto to answer for him.] "Troy": Oh, he's dreamy... those chiseled abdominals... and sometimes he'll put on his Diana Ross outift and we'll sing "Endless Love" until our bodies are drenched with... [There is another offscreen burst of noise -- and entering the shot are two members of IIWF security along with IIWF President Dan Spreadbury.] "Troy": Oh, Mr. Dan... please let Quickstrike win the Heavyweight Title. He gets a little rough when he loses.  But I like it rough too... DS: Mr. Roberts, I would prefer not to do this on camera. You have been a valued member of the IIWF broadcast team during the past year.  But given your actions, I am forced to suspend you indefinitely from all IIWF programming.  You are out, Mr. Roberts.  Pack up your desk. TD: President Dan, Steve's under a lot of pressure these days, I'm sure he'll apologize for all of this, if we could just have a western omelette and cool down. SS: Wow, it's President Spreadbury!  I thought they were making you up! SR: Are you serious?  Are you really getting rid of the only reason people watch this show?  Maybe you don't understand how the wrestling business works -- Dan -- but I'm the hottest thing going today... I'm the reason the IIWF is the number one fed in the world... I'm the man! Tell 'em, kid. SS: You da man, Mr. Roberts!  DS: Well, you may be "the man", Mr. Roberts.  But right now you no longer have "the job."  You aren't worth the trouble.  Goodbye. [The two members of IIWF security begin to lead Roberts away, Dross sadly shaking his head while Summer resumes his chant of "Shoot, Soundbite!  Shoot!"  Roberts yells back toward the IIWF President:] SR: I'll be back, Danny!  Sure as Chris Quigley's never gonna be IIWF Champion -- you'll see the Soundbite again!  Oh yeah!  The Soundbite will return! [Summer again hits the play button on the tape player.] SL: The Soundbite has left the building!  The Soundbite has left the building! [Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" begins over the closing credits as President Spreadbury begins to speak sternly with Dross. 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 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+