##### ###### ### ########## ########## ########## #### ## ########## ########## ########## #### # #### ######## ##### ##### #### ## ##### #### #### #### #### ### #### #### #### #### ############# ######### #### #### ########### ######### #### #### #### #### #### ######### ######### ### #### #### ######### ######### ### ## #### ######## ######## ## # #### =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ## =-=-=-= H + O + T + L + I + N + E #1-900-325-IIWF =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3 August 1997 ----------------------------------------------- [click] --------------------------- OPTION #1: The Dross Report --------------------------- Howdy, folks, and welcome to the IIWF Hotline update for Sunday 3 August 1997. It's been a few weeks since we've been able to have an update due to a catalogue of technical errors, but you've finally reached the Dross Report. I'm Tim Dross, and I'm still reeling from the shocking events of last night's Saturday Night broadcast in the IIWF Coliseum. Right from the opening interview with Steve "the Fury" Kowalski, which soon turned into a violent brawl when Brody Thunder came down to ringside -- prompting observers to predict that this may be the defining moment in one of the most brutal and vicious feuds the IIWF is ever likely to see -- and the revelation that a masked man had attacked Ike Sampson -- about which more later -- it was clear that last night was going to be a wild, wild ride. As Timothy N. Turner and his invited guests partied the night away at ringside -- Turner himself only pausing to mock Kevin Christiansen and be defeated by fellow newcomer Sebastian Jericho by disqualification in one of the more competitive matches of the evening -- Genesis quickly made their power felt, putting one heck of a beating on young Derek Mota, who was rescued by Duncan Macbeth. My sources indicate that Mota and Macbeth developed something of a friendship in the locker rooms after their rivalry, which also involved Ike Sampson, culminated in the so-called "future bowl" match at Ring Wars III -- a match which, incidentally, Sampson won. Nonetheless, the two men are said to have gained a great deal of respect for each others' athletic abilities, and have been training together up in Canada. While the fans have not seen any evidence of anything but antagonism between Mota and Macbeth in the rings, it turns out that we may have a new alliance on our hands. Interestingly, Macbeth is also known to have links with Timothy N. Turner from other federations -- so watch this space, folks. As an aside, what a crop of newcomers to arrive in the IIWF since Coronation Clash -- I'm not sure I've seen a more promising injection of new talent into the IIWF since the arrival of figures such as Steve Kowalski, Brody Thunder and Creed last November and December -- figures who are now legitimately main event wrestlers on any card anywhere in the world. Of the newcomers to arrive, only tag team pairing the Equalizers have yet to debut, and this is said to be because the IIWF administration is interested in retooling them slightly before they are ready for television. Nonetheless, they wrestled an impressive match against the tag team of El Super Gecko and Jumpin' Jack in a house show bout not televised on War Room this past Wednesday, and officials are said to be more than happy with their performance. We should see them on television very shortly. But let's talk some more about the controversial happenings last night, surrounding the top contenders for the IIWF's premier titles. Not only did Steve Kowalski and Brody Thunder rekindle their bitter rivalry, but officially designated number one contender to the IIWF World Heavyweight Championship, Otto "the Butcher" Verhoeven, was involved in a knock-down, drag-out brawl with the Scottish powerhouse, Duncan Macbeth, after an interview turned sour -- and, believe me, folks, I was lucky to get out of that ring unscathed. The rivalry between Verhoeven and Macbeth shows no sign of dissipating -- and the Teutonic terror had better beware of allowing Macbeth to divert his focus from pursuit of the IIWF World title. The title itself very nearly fell into the hands of Mr. Damage in one of the most controversial championship matches in IIWF history. Unbeknown to everybody, Damage had hired head referee Earl Alfonso's twin brother, Dave -- apparently not cut from the same cloth as his incorruptible sibling -- to call the match very squarely in his favour. Had it not been for the appearance of the _real_ Earl Alfonso after the match, escaping from the closet in which he had been incarcerated, Requiem would have been dethroned -- but not in a manner which would make anybody feel as if the might of Genesis had been defused. As it is, Mr. Damage has been indefinitely suspended pending a full inquiry by the IIWF President, and Genesis reasserted their power, Requiem challenging anybody in the locker room to come out and take him on -- which brought out none other than Derek Mota, who had been so brutally pounded just two hours earlier. But while Mota's spirit was willing, his battered body was weak, and he quickly succumbed to the gang warfare of Genesis -- as did the Deathbringer, who had fallen in a rare defeat at the hands of the self-proclaimed "franchise" of the IIWF, Joe Petrow, and as the broadcast went off air, it was another former champion, the powerful Casey James, who came out to face Genesis down -- but he too was subject to a beating at the hands of Requiem's men. One thing is certain: one man alone cannot dethrone Genesis from their seat at the top of the power mountain in the IIWF. By contrast, one man was all it took to shatter the dreams of the red-gloved rookie, Creed. In one of the most callous betrayals I have ever seen, Mad Dog Watkins turned on his protegé and friend in the culmination of a double-cross which began at Birthday Bash, and which has, since then, totally taken in not only Creed, but also Ike Sampson, and the fans of the IIWF. Back in May, it was Watkins who rescued Creed from the clutches of the European Alliance -- marking the start of a friendship between the two men, a partnership which grew to include young Ike Sampson, another rookie who stood to learn a great deal from the veteran Watkins. But it was all a front, a disguise for the wily Mad Dog, who, if he has taught Creed and Sampson anything in the past three months, has taught them never to trust anybody but themselves. Watkins trained with Creed and Sampson, learning not only their way of wrestling, but also their way of thinking, mastering the art of countering them both in the ring and in the mind -- and this was demonstrated last night in a match that was almost painful to watch. To see Creed, undeniably one of the greatest competitors that the IIWF has seen, absolutely bewildered, unable to believe that the man who, dare I say, he has come to look upon as the father that he never had, could turn on him in such a way -- using the knowledge he has gained through their extensive training programme against him, and making it clear that while Watkins may have learned everything there is to know about Creed, Creed was not given the opportunity to know everything about Watkins. The Mad Dog calculated precisely how to defeat Creed -- to give him something other than himself to believe in, to build a family unit -- and then systematically destroy it. First, it was Sampson, the man whom he had persuaded Creed to face, to exorcise the demon of the defeat at his hands in the first round of the Coronation Clash tournament in June. Last night, Watkins under a mask -- or possibly another hired gun -- attacked Sampson and put him in the hospital -- and, knowing that Creed's competitive spirit would demand another opponent, set up the perfect pay-off. Watkins came to the ring with Creed, and when the young champion made an open challenge, Watkins peeled off his sweater to reveal the same t-shirt worn by the man who had attacked Ike Sampson earlier in the evening. His family unit torn apart before his very eyes, Creed was knocked sideways. For much of the match, he looked as if he didn't even know where he was in the ring -- but he was still Creed, and he rallied in tremendous fashion, switching back to that cold persona, almost becoming an automaton in the ring, shutting off his emotions and simply fighting for his survival. But another masked man -- perhaps the same man who attacked Sampson, perhaps not -- ensured that Creed would fall in defeat to the Mad Dog. And the destruction was complete. For one brief moment, it appeared that even the determination to become the World Champion and atone for his father's sins against him and his mother had disappeared from his eyes. For one brief moment, it appeared that Creed had given up. Creed walked out of the IIWF Coliseum after that match, not returning to any of his familiar haunts -- and my sources indicate that the IIWF offices received a distraught telephone call from the "CEO" Jack Montgomery this morning, under any other circumstances the first person Creed would call, but Montgomery has neither seen nor heard from his charge since the same time as the worldwide television audience watched him disappear into the locker room area. But I have to believe that the fire that burns within this young man is far stronger than even Mad Dog Watkins may know. I believe that Creed will not stay away from the IIWF for long -- and when he returns, he will be hell bent on achieving his special brand of payback on one Mad Dog Watkins. And finally, just a quick word concerning the IIWF's online presence. The fans on the internet are some of the most knowledgeable and fanatical of them all, and the IIWF has a thriving online community -- in fact, this past weekend, one year to the day after the site opened, the IIWF had clocked more than ten thousand hits to its web site! A truly impressive tally, I'm sure you'll agree -- and if you haven't checked out the site, I can wholeheartedly recommend it to you all. Okay, folks, that's just about it for the Dross Report this week. I'll be back in a fortnight with another update -- I've got a couple of days off following next Saturday's card for a big ol' family reunion down in Oklahoma -- so until then, so long, and thanks for calling. ----------------------- OPTION #2: Can We Talk? ----------------------- WHO WAS YOUR GREATEST ROLE MODEL AS YOU GREW UP? "SYCHOSYS" JOE PETROW: "That would have to be Martha Stewart.  That woman could make roles, pies, cakes, you name it!" LICENSED FOR DEVASTATION: Reggie Starr: Well, my greatest role model would have to have been the big man here. Jonathan Chaos: I'm touched, Reg. Reggie Starr: I know. "REAL DEAL" LUKE STEELE: "My role model growing up?  That's tough, because there are actually two.  One was Mohammed Ali, simply because he believed he was the greatest, and eventually blossomed into it.  Kinda like me, at least I hope.  And my other role model was none other than Bruno Sammartino.  The greatest world champion of all time, bar none.  Need I say more?" "QUICKSTRIKE" CHRIS QUIGLEY: "Without a doubt, it was Ken Dryden. Probably the greatest goalie of all time in the NHL.  Despite the fact that he played for Montreal, and I was a big Toronto fan, Dryden had a coolness and a quiet excellence that I worshipped and tried to match, as a goalie myself, and now as a wrestler." THE EQUALIZERS: Eric Sampson: Hmmm.  I'd have to say my greatest role model was the drunk guy at the back of the bar that always got into fights, but always ended up winning.  He was cool. Scott Paulson: My greatest role model was your pappy.  At least he would have sense enough to kick your stinkin' tail for asking such a ridiculous question.  Now get outta my sight before I _really_ get upset. THE SYNDICATE: Casey James: Charles Mans... Aw, hell, who believes this crap anyway? You want to know the truth? My greatest role model was my father. He worked hard just to make things better for his family, never thinking of himself. Thanks to him, I got an education, got to go to the gym, and I stayed off the streets because I could come home to a decent meal. What's the matter, didn't expect that from me? Too bad. Tiger Claw: The man that taught me Muay Thai. He was kind of old, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at him. The guy was in great shape. He looked a lot better than many people half his age. Anyone who could defy age like that and do what he wanted gets my respect, but it was his wisdom that made him my role model. "THE INTREPID" RYAN HOWARD: "Ya know, I don't think I ever had a role model. David Hasselhoff, Shaft, Ghandi... nope, I didn't have any direction whatsoever. No wonder I'm a professional wrestler now." MARTY WARNETT: "Well, the corny answer would be my father, but more realistically, Paul Stanley of KISS." DEXTER ST. CROIX: "I'd have to say dat me greatest role model was me old man, mon. Him work two, sometime t'ree job to keep da family goin', an' even dough we don' see eye-to-eye on me wrestlin' career, him still da man I most look up to." VIOLENCE UNLIMITED: Mutilator:  My role model growing up was Roberto Clemente.  He was a great baseball player, and died a tragic death.  I have to say, though, Cold Spell are going to be like Roberto Clemente in his absence.  They... are about to die a tragic death. Jaguar:  My role model would have to be myself.  I didn't have many people to look up to, and I still don't.  I worshipped myself because I was tough enough to survive on the streets, and because I was cold enough to ignore all the praise Dan Kauffman started to get as I neared entry in the business.  Now that he's gone... it's my turn to get praised, after we destroy Cold Spell... Mutilator: ...and take the belts. TIMOTHY N. TURNER: "Greatest role model? You might say my older brother Tom because he was always my goal. Everything I used to do was in an attempt to be better than him. Still he was, and is, a goody two-shoes loser so it is hard to call him a role model.  Maybe Pat Riley who always knows how to play hard and rough, how to win at all costs, while still keeping a single wrinkle from his suit or getting one hair out of place.  That's class. That's style." HARLEQUIN TRAGEDY: "My father. He was never afraid to do whatever it took to win a match. He was also the one who taught me all about ring psychology." IKE SAMPSON: "Hunh... Buttercup, Cleveland Scorpion... and the Mad Dog.  Why'd you do it, man?!" REQUIEM: "I needed no role model. The Requiem simply is." TONNAGE: "Role models?  My father and mother, obviously.  My uncles.  Haystacks Calhoun and Abdullah the Butcher.  There, is that enough for you, or would you like names of high school teachers or some other crap like that? Let me guess... you wanna hear Dan Kauffman, right?  Dream on, halfwit." SCOTT ROGERS: "I had a few role models when I was a little kid but by the time I reached the age of six, I realised there was _no-one_ out there who I could look up to and think I wanted to be like. Come on... I mean, can _you_ think of anyone I don't look better than... wrestle better than... walk better than... talk better than... scre..." 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