##### ###### ### ########## ########## ########## #### ## ########## ########## ########## #### # #### ######## ##### ##### #### ## ##### #### #### #### #### ### #### #### #### #### ############# ######### #### #### ########### ######### #### #### #### #### #### ######### ######### ### #### #### ######### ######### ### ## #### ######## ######## ## # #### =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ## =-=-=-= H + O + T + L + I + N + E #1-900-325-IIWF =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 22 June 1997 ----------------------------------------------- [click] --------------------------- OPTION #1: The Dross Report --------------------------- Howdy, folks, and welcome to the IIWF Hotline. You've reached the Dross Report, updated on Sunday 22 June. The world is still in shock after one of the most incredible nights of wrestling action ever seen, culminating in the end of an era in the IIWF, the end of the record-breaking World Heavyweight Championship reign of Casey James. And just as one era was ending, so another has begun. In twenty days' time, on July 12, in the Fleet Centre, Boston, Massachusetts, we will see a new IIWF World Heavyweight Champion crowned. The new champion will have triumphed over no less than four men in a single night in order to climb the mountain, to stand atop the IIWF as the new sheriff in town. Last night, the game began. Last night, as twenty-seven lumberjacks filled the ring, each disputing the finish of that incredible bout between James and "Lone Wolf" Brody Thunder -- in many people's eyes, including those of this reporter, the "uncrowned champion", and surely a favourite in the upcoming tournament -- it was almost possible to feel those alliances, those bonds of trust, the cameraderie and the friendship, that have been built up between the various, and increasingly numerous, factions of the IIWF over the past months, decay before our very eyes. Fitful glances were cast between allies, each man immediately aware that the tournament, already a rare opportunity for IIWF superstars to rise above their peers and earn a shot at the biggest title in all of professional wrestling, was an opportunity that could not be passed up, even at the cost of friendship. In that ring last night stood the men who will meet, over the next two editions of IIWF Saturday Night, on June 28 set to originate from the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and on July 5 from the Manhattan Centre in New York, in the opening round of the Coronation Clash tournament. In the space of two weeks, the thirty-two man field, set to include four superstars from the IIWF's associated promotions, NLWP and ESWP, about whom more later, will be slashed in half, and only sixteen men will progress to that huge pay-per-view event on July 12. Already, there are favourites. Men like Lord Byron, currently the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, with the most impressive winning streak in IIWF history, must surely stand at the front of the pack; men like his European Alliance partner, former IIWF World Heavyweight Champion, Otto "the Butcher" Verhoeven, keenly aware that he has taken a back seat to Byron in the past couple of months; men like "Quickstrike" Chris Quigley, whose entire career seems now to be geared towards realising the dream of capturing the biggest title in all of professional wrestling; men like Requiem, tacitly acknowledged as the leader of Genesis; men like the Highwayman, in many respects the athletic equal of his partner in crime; men like Duncan Macbeth, the powerful Scotsman with so many titles around the world to his name; men like former Intercontinental and Cruiserweight Champion, "Spotlight" Billy Shakespeare, aiming to be the IIWF's first triple crown winner; men like "Sychosys" Joe Petrow, who played such a decisive role in last night's main event fiasco; men like the Deathbringer, another former IIWF World Heavyweight Champion who wants to rule the roost in the IIWF once more and reassert his dominance; men like the opportunistic Derek Mota, the unpredictable Scott Rogers, the new blood of the IIWF... ...and the wild cards, the men about whom neither the IIWF's athletes nor fans know a great deal. One new IIWF superstar has completed the signing of a contract to join the singles ranks in time to throw his hat into the ring, and Kevin "the Cavalier" Christiansen will make his first appearance this coming Wednesday in a tune-up match before being catapulted into action against truly world-class competition, either this coming Saturday Night, or the next. Then there are the four "outsiders," the superstars sent by affiliated organisations, eager for their chance at the big time. The NLWP has sent "Cowboy" Ken Curtis, who played an important role in Brody Thunder's victory over Casey James on June 16, in which Thunder won the NLWP World Heavyweight Championship, and Kid Ego, a high-flying former NLWP World and Television Champion. The ESWP is sending Firestarter, the young British sensation who recently tasted gold for the first time, and the enigmatic Black Flagg. We'll also get our first chance to see these four individuals in action this coming Wednesday in the War Room. The truth of the matter is, folks, that any one of the thirty-two men entered into this tournament could conceivably overcome the odds and walk away with the IIWF World Heavyweight Championship come July 12. The Coronation Clash tournament is steeped in history. The IIWF's very first event, way back in May 1996, was, of course, the first Coronation Clash tournament, out of which triumphed the "Outlaw" J.W. Hardin, rising above the rest of the twenty-four man field, and defeating both Tony Starks and Dan "Flash" Kauffman in the triangle match final. Starks is now one of only six athletes set to compete in this year's tournament who also competed in last year's tournament -- he stands alongside Tiger Claw, Casey James, Deathbringer, Billy Shakespeare, and Simon Lebec as a true veteran of the ring wars; and of that elite group, only Starks and Lebec have yet to taste IIWF gold. In last year's tournament, Tiger Claw went out in the second round to the Subway Psycho, who has been sidelined from this year's event with injury inflicted at the hands of Requiem. Casey James, back in his days as a fan favourite, also fell in the second round at the hands of Brad "Bodybag" Kinder, Horsemen member and later Intercontinental Champion. Deathbringer was eliminated controversially in the second round by Dan Kauffman, triggering one of the most memorable feuds in IIWF history. Billy Shakespeare progressed as far as the semi-finals, eliminating Simon Lebec in the first round, and a mystery competitor, the androgynous Moondust, in the second, but fell to Tony Starks, who was later humiliated by the hated Masked Outlaw. There's no telling what the brackets for this year's tournament will bring. Friendships are sure to be put under immense pressure, partnerships may crack under the strain, and new enemies will certainly be made. Just as last year's Coronation Clash heralded the beginning of the IIWF, this year's event promises to herald a _new_ beginning for the world's finest wrestling organisation. So let's run down that timeline one more time. In just a few hours, myself and the production crew will be flying back to the studios in the IIWF Tower back in Portland, Oregon, for the special "Inside the IIWF" broadcast, in which I will have the privilege of announcing to the world the complete brackets for the tournament. On Wednesday, we will get our first chance to see the "wild card" tournament entrants in action. And on Saturday, we're launched straight into the first round of the Coronation Clash tournament itself, with eight matches scheduled to take place on June 28 in the Gund Arena, and a further eight the following week, July 5, from the Manhattan Center in downtown New York. And one week later, on Saturday 12 July, the "Coronation Clash Crusade Tour" will make its final stop, exploding into Boston's magnificent Fleet Center, with the 1997 incarnation of the Coronation Clash pay-per-view spectacular. We have three weeks of the most unpredictable, exciting action you've ever seen coming your way, folks. There are bound to be twists and turns on the final stages of the journey to Coronation Clash, and you can count on the IIWF Hotline, along with all the other IIWF programming, to keep you apprised of all the details over the next twenty days. Hold on tight, folks -- it's sure to be a white-knuckle, roller-coaster ride. Until next Sunday night, this is Tim Dross for the IIWF Hotline, saying: so long, everybody, and thanks for calling! 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