C + O + U + N + T + D + O + W + N T + O ________ ______ __ ____ ___ __ . _ ___ | || |\ \ /\ / /| __| / /\ | | || \| \ /\ \ / |\ || / \| | | | || | \ v v / | __| \__ /__\ | | ||__/| |/__\ v | \||| __|-| | |_||_| \_/\_/ |_| \ \| v | \|__/ \| | || \_|| | | __________________________/..............\........|...|.......|....| with Larry Morton 27 February 1998 [Countdown opens this evening with Larry Morton sitting uncomfortably at the Countdown desk, hands folded, awaiting his cue. The chair next to him remains empty, as Morton must make his weekly introduction of his co-host] LM: Welcome to this week's edition of Countdown to Saturday Night. When Rusty approached me with the idea of having guest co-hosts, I jumped at the idea. I thought it would be interesting working with the various IIWF stars. I figured I'd have to work with some people I didn't want to work with, but this... ...this I'm not looking forward to. [Clip of a wrestling show. The show is in English, but has Japanese subtitles. In the upper right hand corner are the words "SJPW Metro -- 12/12/97, Courtesy: Super Japan Pro Wrestling". The individual on the left isn't familiar, but the man on the right is Awesome T. As T is talking, the other man is shaking his head, embarrassed:] LM: I guess it's my duty to introduce... [With this, Awesome T walks out into camera view. He wears his black "Role Model." t-shirt, baggy jeans, and drags his bat behind him. He carries a small brown bag with him, and plops down in the seat next to Morton] AT: Awesome T, hero to most, loved by smarks, hated by suits...manager of the next IIWF World Tag Team Champions, because YOU, the IIWF deserve champions that you can be proud of. LM: Are you done? AT: [opening bag] Here. I brought you something. [T tosses something wrapped in paper to Morton, which Morton attempts to catch, but fumbles and drops on the desk] AT: It's a bacon cheeseburger burrito. Enjoy in good health. LM: [unwrapping the burrito] Let's take a look at results from Wednesday night. ________ ______ | || |\ \ /\ / /| __|.................................................. | || | \ v v / | __| REWIND: IIWF Wednesday War Room - 25 Feb 1998 |_||_| \_/\_/ |_|.................................................... Eddy "Flap" Jacks d. the Masked Terror "Intrepid" Ryan Howard d. El Super Gecko "Sanguinary" Steve Manning d. Charles Scheffield by dq The Fabulous Ones d. the American Dragons "The Savior" Simon Lebec d. "Rocket Man" Timothy N. Turner by dq "To Excess" Rick Williams d. Richard "Moxy" Blue by dq Mad Dog Watkins d. "The Demon" Damien Lestat LM: [with his mouth full]: A card full of action... AT: Aw, geez, Larry. Swallow first! LM: Sorry. AT: That's better. LM: As I was saying...a card full of action though the show was marred by the inclusion in our cue cards of some outlandish actions by Timothy Turner. I can only guess as to who thought it would be funny to convice the viewers that Turner tore the dress off one of Lebec's choristers... AT: Ah, lighten up, Larry! So someone got one over on Turner. It's not like the guy couldn't use a little mellowing out! He was positively nuts on Wednesday! LM: He wasn't the only one as Team Sychosys made their presence felt this week and Mad Dog Watkins had his hands full with Damien Lestat. AT: But what's past is prologue and that's why this is Countdown! LM: It certainly is and we have a great card coming your way on Saturday! All the IIWF champions will be performing and at least one match will mean the end of a career for an IIWF superstar! ________ ______ | || |\ \ /\ / /| __|.................................................. | || | \ v v / | __| PREVIEW: IIWF Saturday Night - 28 Feb 1998 |_||_| \_/\_/ |_|.................................................... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Non-title Match Steve "The Fury" Kowalski vs. "Savage" Shadoe Rage ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: Shadoe Rage is using his last "booking rights" match to get another shot at the champ! AT: See, right here, we've got the IIWF World Champion facing the man with the golden push, Shadoe Rage. Mind you, those Prophets of Rage are a damn good tag team, probably the second-best tag team in the double-eye, but I can't see him taking out the master of the Skullpump, Steve Kowalski. Polish power, baby. LM: As you know, this match is non-title, and if Shadoe wins, he will face Steve Kowalski at Ring Wars V on March 21 for the IIWF World Heavyweight Championship with stipulations determined by the challenger. AT: So wait...if Shadoe Rage wins this NON-TITLE match, it sets up the main event at the next Pay-Per-View, coming up in three weeks? LM: It appears that way. AT: Oh. Kowalski will win anyway. He's from Jersey; the smell alone should knock Rage cold. LM: Both competitors had words to share about this encounter. [Darkness.] * Thwip! Thwip! Thwip! * [Focus: An old tattered dart board covered with pictures of numerous IIWF super stars. The important names being pierced with darts: Mad Dog Watkins, Gunnar Gaines, The Enigma, Shadoe Rage, Serge Annis, etc. Reigning IIWF World Champion Steve “The Fury” Kowalski walks over and pries the darts loose from there targets. Eyeing the board and squinting, the New Jersey Nightmare sizes up the next kill. Kicking the discarded pictures of Jimmy Steele and the Subway Psycho aside, the baddest man in wrestling backs up to the old jukebox. Stopping to throw in a quarter and pick a song, Kowalski waits for the music. ‘Renegade’ by Styx eases in and the Fury smiles.] SK: Yup. That’s what I wanna hear. * Thwip! * [The first dart sticks into where the 16 slot would be, now covered by a photo of Shadoe Rage.] SK: Rage...Yeah yer all right, far’s I’m concerned. Mean, nasty an’ ev...Oops! That’s Brody. But yer definitely an ego wit’a time bomb attached. So am I. The Rage an’ the Fury! I kinda like that. Yer Valentine’s Day Massacree wuz jus’ that. A Massacre fer ya. Junior, yer bad ass son of a bitch, but take one thing atta time. When ya lock up wit’ me, jus’ worry ‘bout me. Not the other champs, not yer brother, not yer harem that sucks up to ya...jus’ me. That wuz the mistake ya made last time. But somethin’ tells me ya won’t make that mistake this time. I expect ya to come at me harder than the president of the ‘U’ ‘S’ of ‘A’ does at an intern. Hah. Ya will be my biggest title defense so far. But don’t go pattin’ yerself on the back jus’ yet. Yer sure as hell gonna open this head up an’ yer sure as hell gonna get me to scream in pain, but ya gotta ‘nother thin’ comin’ if ya think ya can take the strap off me! This is the year of the Fury an’ the Age of Rage ain’t got no place in my history books. * Thwip! * [The second darts hits the outer edge of the bullseye, 3 slot side, hitting Mad Dog Watkins’ picture.] SK: Ol’ Dog. I don’t know how crispy Annis made ya, well done or jus’ [BLEEP]in’ toast. But Watkins, ya jus’ got the biggest shot o’ yer career. Damn straight ya do. After Shadoe gets to give it his all, ya gets to pound on what’s left. The bookers in the IIeW must be lickin’ their chops right ‘bout now! They smell a title change. I gotta defend on Saturday an’ fly to Toronto on Sunday an’ meet ya! Well if didn’t get [BLEEP]ed by my daily planner! But I’m a fightin’ champion an’ I don’t back out. I’m a’ready on pace to break any former champs record of defendin’ the belt. So what’s one more test? Could cost me the strap, could cost ya a few more vertebrae. Last time I wrestled such a big match at Toronto, I put a guy’s head thru a keg an’ had a party. His career is over, yers can be too. Can ya see a trend developin’? * Thwip! * [The third dart sinks into the 18 slot, now occupied by the Serge Annis pic.] SK: I didn’t ferget ‘bout everyone’s favorite maniac. Serge, I made a promise that ya’d get yer shot. God knows ya earned. I can see how bad ya wanted to be the Next Big Thing! That fame an’ respect ya gained everywhere else, ya wanted that hear too. I can feel yer pain. I know what its like to be held back. I also know what its like to push back. Well yer pushin’, Annis, an’ I feel the shove. After they drag my broken, IIWF champ ass out of Toronto...ya got six days. An’ I got six days. Ya got six to prepare, I got six to heal. Three defenses in two weeks on three differ’ent continents. I’m gonna be hurt, draggin’ an’ ripe fer a collapse. Can ya make the best o’ yer chance, punk! Can ya do what ya say yer were gonna do to me. Are ya... gonna burn me... _down_!?! [Kowalski collects his darts, pulling down the Watkins, Rage and Annis photos. Crumbling them in his hand, he drops them aside. The darts are tossed on a nearby table. The champ however turns back to the old dartboard, viewing the remaining pictures. He reaches up and pulls off the Gunnar Gaines and says...] SK: Gunnar, ya tryin’ to call me out? I if hadda dime fer every piss ant that called me out, then I’d have the extra nine dollars an’ fifty cents it cost to build yer former playground, the EWA. Ya ain’t even gotten by Mr. Meat an’ ya want a shot. If ya wanna climb the ladder, junior, lace’em up an’ prove yerself in the Double Eye. When ya beat one o’ the other champs, Cruiser or IC, then ya can call fer a shot. ‘Til then, prove somethin’. [All that’s left is the picture of Takezo Musashi, which Kowalski addresses...] SK: But this guy, he’s done it all. Well, almost all. He ain’t gone all the way to the top. Mushi, that stunt ya pulled in Mexico last week wuz pretty [BLEEP]in’ stupid. Chaos bringer my ass! Ya can rile up all the jabronies back stage, an’ ya can piss off all the wetbacks ya want, but, buddy, don’t pull yer ricksaw in my road. I’ll run it the [BLEEP] over! An’ ya wit’ it! Yer that kinda guy that’s dangerous to everybody in the Double Eye...everybody! An’ when it affects the IIWF, it affects me. Ya don’t want me steppin’ in, Mushi. Ya don’t want me makin’ my presence know to ya! I’ll bring yer rampage to an end. I jus’ might bring ya to an end! Is that what ya want? Ya want me to bring an end to yer stellar career? I can work it out. Jus’ ask me. [Fade.] [Fade in: In a plot of land that has long since lost contact with any human caregiver, a small cemetery lies forgotten in the mud and snow. Little tombstones have cracked and discoloured with age, the names inscribed in memorial almost gone. The wind blows through the skeletal arms of the bare, dead trees, howling and wailing at the cruelty of it all, the ignominity of the scene and the dead gathered here. The camera shifts to an old church, a rotten structure, it's stained glass windows mud-spattered, water-spotted. The face of Christ has been shattered by a stone and the cross has decayed and broken with disuse. In the basement there is a small broken window, flecks of dried blood on the window. Footsteps crunch through the snow and the frozen, stinking mud. The camera trains on the newcomer, the sole figure who seems to remember this place. The sole person who cares enough to return to this desolate, barren kingdom. Shadoe Rage is swaddled in a big black wool coat, a floppy hat pulled low over his eyes. He clutches a bouquet of roses in one hand, a stone in the other. Marissa follows slightly behind him, her hand on his back. She looks worried.] MM: Are you all right here, Shadoe. Is this necessary? SR: Necessary? It is necessary. There is one more week. One more challenge in the historic 'Run of the Rage' and to face Steve Kowalski, I have to be at the top of my game. I have to be emotionally raw. And I have to feel the Rage. I have to feel it burning inside my blood. I have to be prepared to destroy everything in my path. [Shadoe stares into the camera as he kneels by a gravesite, placing the bouquet of roses at the foot of the sole maintained tombstone on the site.] SR: I brought you here so you can all understand something. I brought you here so you know the truth. A lot of people don't understand. They don't understand how a man can face three IIWF champions in one night and take two Skullpumps. They don't understand how one man can outwill any other. The truth is. I am not just a man. [He touches the stone.] I am the sum total of all the aspirations ... all the dreams ... all the magnificence that was my family, that is my family. I am the Prophet of Rage, the Angel of Death and the Enemy of the World. Born into this world in anger, confusion and ugliness. An ugliness, Steve Kowalski, that you will never understand. [The camera focusses on Shadoe's eyes. The bright hazel irises are trembling, getting brighter and brighter as he turns up the intensity.] SR: This right here. [He throws out his arms and spins] This right here is where I was born. Right there in that church. This is where my mother died, alone, confused, afraid. This is where she is buried. Alone, forgotten by everyone who knew her ... ... except me. [Marissa embraces him from behind, laying her head on his shoulder. He reaches back and caresses her head.] SR: Kowalski, you talk about your fury. You talk about that need you have to beat people up. Like that matches the sheer violence of Rage? New Jersey don't know the pain of this quiet little church, Steve. You don't know that my life ... my life has already been forfeit. You can't stop a dead man, Steve. You can't hurt me. But I can hurt you. I can reach inside that fat chest of yours and rip out your heart. You think I'm challenging you? No, Steve. I'm challenging the entire status quo. I'm challenging the whole of the IIWF. You may think that I am just burgeoning onto the scene, but the truth is this, Kowalski! I've always been around. [His head twists sharply towards the church and left handed he hurtles the stone through the stained glass.] SR: Right there in the basement of that church the God that stands before you was born. Tied up to a cross by a madman for week, abused, defiled, tortured before they found me. I wasn't allowed to sleep. I had no food. And that killer priest creased my jaw with cold glasses of vinegar. The devils tried to break me. The devils ... [choking back tears] tried to destroy me before I could ever be born. MM: Shadoe, maybe we should go. SR: I fight on this battlefield everyday, Kowalski! Every last day! And I win or I survive. When a man is being killed from the inside, do you think he has anything to fear from the likes of you? Kowalski, bring your best stuff. You and I, we're like student and master. You're just dabbling in the realm of the Rage. I am its God and master. I created it. I focus it. I channel it. And I will manifest it in the ring with you this Saturday. There is nothing you can do to stop it. There is no way you can avoid it. I am coming to wipe you out. There will be no champion for me to face at Ring Wars V. There will be no Steve Kowalksi. And remember, when people ask 'Whatever happened to Steve 'the Fury?' You just tell them this. 'The Shadoe ... he killed me.' [Shadoe bows his head.] SR: Now all of you leave this ... my kingdom of despair, my empire of ash, my bastion of brimstone rifts. For some of us there is no peace, no rest. And nothing but the fight. Kowalski, IIWF, you understand that. [Fade out as Shadoe turns and walks away from the grave, head bowed, fists clenched. Marissa follows behind, trying to console him, but failing. There are men who find salvation. There are men who are condemned to hell. And there are men who never find the peace of finally finding one or the other.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Retirement Match: Tony Starks vs. Subway Psycho ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: This match will mean the end of a stellar IIWF career. Both Tony Starks and the Subway Psycho have known glory and it will be a loss, no matter which one loses. The Subway Psycho has a lot of history in this fed. AT: I'm a little stuck for background here. We only got here recently, and I know the Psycho guy is a former champion and all, but we all gotta know our time to move on. There's nothing worse than an old fossil trying to prove that he's still got it. LM: So, it's Tony Starks coming out on top then? AT: Hey, you can't go against the Wu. LM: As Shawn Colvin found out at the Grammies. Anyway, let's get on to comments from the Psycho and leave over-rated rap artists and thier egos to another day. [Scene: Inside the empty IIWF arena. Its completely dark except for a single spotlight shining on the ring. The IIWF logo shines brightly in the light. A figure emerges from the darkness and climbs into the ring] SP: Here's where it all began...all the countless victories, the unforgivable losses. All the blood, sweat, and tears that this mat has soaked up. It was here on June 29, 1996 I won the IIWF World Heavyweight Championship. I collapsed right on this spot from exhaustion and the weight of the gold. That was nearly two years ago...it seems like a lifetime. I took that title from The Outlaw...toughest and smartest man I've ever faced. The most unrelenting and devious had to be Tiger Claw. They brought out the fire in me back in the day. They're long gone now. I remain because I can still hear the roar of the crowd just like that June night two years ago...I can hear them right now...I can feel the echo of applause pound on my chest. Memories like that never fade...but my career and abilities will. So I have chosen to leave this sport, this federation, and these great fans behind while I can still hold my head high. This Saturday night, win, lose, or draw, will be my last professional wrestling match. I cannot think of a more appropriate opponent than Tony Starks. I remember Tony back in the days of the IHIW. We were all just kids then, but he's kept his fire. He's the only one left that is IIWF at heart. I look around the locker room these days and I can't relate to these new guys. They don't understand the epic wars that have taken place in the IIWF...and that's why it's so special. That's why it's so special to me. So before I bring the IIWF down as my abilities start to slip I will leave on my own accord. Now directly to you Starks...on Saturday night I'm using everything I have left in this body and I'm taking it right at you. I want to leave nothing in the tank on this one...so you better be ready for the Train to ride one last time! [The Psycho stands in the center of the ring as the spotlight slowly dims and the scene fades out.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IIWF World Tag Championship Match: Natural Predators vs. the Down Boys ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: Here we have a team of great honour taking on a team that has none. AT: You know, I'm offended that the fossil match gets put higher in the card than our tag team title match. You know how long we've been waiting for this? Too damn long. LM: I'm sure I need not ask for a prediction for this match. AT: Interesting situation, though. I mean, the Preds went running straight to Spreadbury like they said they did, signing the contract to face us in the ring as soon as possible. Here's the funny part. The match is taking place here, in Japan. The Down Boys spent half of their careers in Japan. They've won numerous titles in Japan, just recently losing one in order to concentrate more here. The Preds don't know what they're in for. LM: Do the Down Boys have any comments for us this evening, T? AT: Nope. Instead, I figured I'd put together a treat for the kids of Japan. I know they're big fans of the IIWF, and I figured I'd cater to them for a change, since no one else will. [Camera opens on Japanese lettering. Below the lettering is English subtitles. From this we can tell that we're about to see the "IIWF Super Happy Anime Fun Hour". The first scene opens up with a scene picturing trees and grass. Out comes a happy Teddy Bear-type creature and a happy bird-like creature. Both carry what look to be championship belts over their shoulders] Happy Bear: [translated] It is super happy excellent we are IIWF World Tag Team Champions, yes? Happy Bird: [translated] For these belts bring us much joy and not badness, for beating Fabulous Ones, greatest team of Japan, brings wonderful pleasure to our deepest loins! AWK! Happy Bear: [translated] Growl! If we were to lose these belts, much sorrow would come to the fur on my body! [In fly two incredibly muscular men, who seem to look like the Down Boys] Happy Stud: [translated] Happy Predators! It is I, Happy Stud, with my partner, Super Dazzle! We have come here to take your belts, yes? Happy Bird: [translated] AWK! You cannot have IIWF Tag Team Championship belts, for my feathers will become ruffled and my beak will cause great discomfort to my loins! We will have the team of those Giant Seamen attack you and keep you from the joy and beauty that is wonderful championship! Super Dazzle: [translated] We want nothing to do with your giant seamen, Happy Bird, or whatever super incredible droppings that come from you. We do not want to have to use wonderful delightful force in killing or even defeating you. Just give us the wonderful titles or else face the wrath of many tiny cells of great force coming down upon your fur and feathers. Happy Bear: [translated] Growl. Give it your best effort at being wonderful, our loins of greatness will prevent it. [Suddenly, a very familar sound is heard, then a very large green paw crashes down on top of Happy Bear and Happy Bird, crushing them both. The paw soon leaves offscreen] Happy Stud: [translated] Thank you, Gojira! Now we make take the super wonderful IIWF World Tag Team Belts and have much pleasure in our loins! [Delightful music plays as the screen flashes with numerous colors, and Super Dazzle and Happy Stud dance with the IIWF World Tag Team Championship. Fade] LM: I have no idea what that just was, but we do also have comments from the champions. [Fade in, Kuyler sitting behind a desk, signing papers. As he notices the camera, he looks up, holding one document up.] KG: Signed and deliverable, Team Sychosys. Ring Wars tag team match, pending approval, for team Sychosis and the Natural Predators. Look forward to it, Joe, Maurice. [sighs] KG: So why'd you do it, Down Boys? Jealousy doesn't suit you well. You even used our own words. You asked what we've done? Well, counting you, we've beaten every tag team in the Double I today, except for the Dragons and this "Mystery Team". Hell, boys, we beat you twice. First in the Chain gang match at Leavenworth, only losing to LFD...then in the championship match which you so adamantly forgot. Grey Phoenix pinned you, clean, middle of the ring. Then we beat the Lost Boyz. [lifts a full stack of papers] KG: Behold our challenge list. Every team in the Double I...as well as a few who aren't...have taken us up on our challenge of an open contract. Look here. Prophets of Rage, Fabulous Ones, High Plains Drifters. Here are four challenges made by the Rotundos, demanding a shot. TNT/MacBeth, Mota/Blue. We have a rematch challenge from the Lost Boyz. Team Sychosys deserved the first shot at us, since it should have been them, not us, in the ring at Snow Brawl against the Lost Boyz. Fabs made the first challenge. You just couldn't wait your turn, could you? [holds up a contract] KG: You were scheduled, in advance, to face us this week. So you broke our trust, our friendship, for nothing. Guess we know what sort of men you really are. [flipping through the contract sheetshe has to sign] KG: Seems like there's always going to be a demand for the belts....and if ever you end up holding them, Down Boys...there's going to be a demand for real champions again too. Let's see..."Year One?" "Celtic Pride?" "The Ultimates?" [shakes his head] KG: A lot of interfed action. And after Saturday Night, my boys will be able to look at all of them, and answer their challenges seriously. The Real Champions...the Natural Predators....will still be wearing those belts come Sunday morning. Best of the best, Down Syndrome. Don't ever forget that. [Camera fades as Kuyler's voiceover continues:] KG: "The Outsiders?" Who the hell are they? [Fade.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Champion vs. Champion Non-title Match: "Enigma" Takezo Musashi vs Duncan Macbeth ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: We get to see two men wearing the gold in the IIWF as the Cruiserweight Champion takes on the Intercontinental Champion. AT: Ooooh, I like this "Enigma" guy. I mean, don't get me wrong, Duncan Macbeth ain't no slouch. Hell, anyone that'll eat haggis has got more balls than a pool hall, but you got to go along with a guy who's technically sound in the Japanese style and completely friggin' insane. LM: This match is surrounded by a bit of an air of mystery because we have heard nothing from Macbeth since he was once again taken to the hospital. This all stems from an attach by Simon Lebec on this show last week which may have had lasting repercussions on the Intercontinental Champion. AT: It certainly had repercussions on Lebec... did you see Turner lay into that guy on Wednesday? LM: We only have one more night to wait and see if Duncan Macbeth is ready to face someone like the Enigma. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Rocket Man" Timothy N. Turner vs. "Intrepid" Ryan Howard ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: Here's a match that has been some time in the making. Howard has wanted a piece of Turner ever since he and Macbeth attacked Howard before Midsummer Madness in order to eliminate him from the event. He was put on the shelf for quite a while and has returned with a whole new atittude and hatred for Timothy Turner! AT: Timmy Turner...here's a man that you're pretty familiar with, Larry. Me, I know his brother, Tom. Nice guy, good name. Mediocre wrestler. His brother, on the other hand, has got more of a killer instinct...he's more suited to be a wrestler in the States. I know they don't get along much, Larry, but do you think Tom might drag his ass to Nagano to watch his brother wrestle? LM: I understand that they have in fact put thier animosities aside and Timothy has invited Tom to attend the show. He had other things on his mind when he spoke to IIWF cameras, however. [Fade in on the top of an office building in Nagano. Standing on the very edge, looking down at the street below, is "Rocket Man" Timothy N. Turner.] TNT: Someone served as a wake-up call to Timothy Turner. I have spoken about how the IIWF seems to be on a course for chaos. I spoke about the change in the way I see wrestling. I spoke about the future of Timothy N. Turner. All that has changed and that is because of one man. Ryan Howard. How can Howard change my views? Let me tell you. I didn't enjoy beatin up Simon Lebec. Sure, I got satisfaction out of watching him go through the same agony that he inflicted on Duncan, but it wasn't the same as enjoyment. However, Howard, I'm going to enjoy beating up. He is basically a no-talent hack who has coasted through on a lot of hot air and bravura. Well now it's time for this high-flying son of a gun to take you apart, Howard. Soon you are going to be crawling on your belly and wishing you had stayed on the disabled list. Then I will know that the good times are back! [Fade] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Sanguinary" Steve Manning vs. Deathbringer ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: Next we have a match that seems to be a mis-match on the surface but Steve Manning has shown a lot of people that he's not to be trifled with. AT: Steve Manning...I like Steve Manning. Like that Enigma guy, he ain't got all of his oars in the water. That boy's a case study waitin' to happen. Mind you, he's gotta face a monster in the name of Deathbringer. Did ya ever wonder why he wears that mask, Larry? LM: Not partic... AT: I think deep down inside, under the mask, he's actually Todd Bridges. I mean, let's be honest...have you ever seen the two of them together? Look, Todd's got a pretty dark side to him, robbin' liquor stores and everything. I think he hit this big ol' growth spurt late in life, like David Robinson did, but got embarrassed, and put on a mask and went to go wrestle to take out hostility he had deep inside for not being able to score with Dana Plato. LM: With that little bit of insight, let's go to the video clips. [SCENE: An eerie looking graveyard. Fog sweeps low over crumbling tombstones. A dark figure strides across the ghostly scene, shovel in his hand. Suddenly, a hand reaches from underneath the dirt on a fresh looking grave. The figure spins, smashing the shovel down onto the hapless hand, driving it back into the ground. The camera gets closer to the figure, who can now be heard cackling. It is, of course, Steve Manning. Manning is wearing shredded blue jeans and a grey t-shirt reading "CAUTION: HIGH VOLTAGE!" His shockstick is seen sticking dangerously out of his back pocket. Manning looks around at the night sky...] SM: It's a beautiful night for a burial. Unfortunately, the burial won't be occuring until _Saturday_ night. [Laughs.] SM: Deathbringer... the man, the myth, the legen.... wait.... there's only _one_ true legend, and we all know who that is. But nonetheless, Deathbringer, I went to a small town a little while ago, it seemed like the kinda town where the locals are superstitious and might actually know a thing or two about a man who claims to be dead wearing spandex and pretending... I mean... and _beating_ people up. So I go around the town, and everyone I see, I go up to them and whisper, "Deathbringer." And what do ya know? Those bastards turned tail and ran faster than a Narc at a bike rally. [Manning seems to ponder this for a few seconds...] SM: Of course, the knife I was wielding when I approached them could have had something to do with it. Ya never know. [Manning smirks, and then smiles wider, showing all his teeth.] SM: Ya know Deathbringer... you _are_ my kinda guy. All the death, destruction, violence... I don't have that much against ya really. But, is that what everyone wants in the IIWF? No. Of course not. They want me, the sickest little bastard ever to come down the pike, to beat the snot out of the invincible Deathbringer, and vice versa, until the fans are literally puking in the aisles. So, who I am to fight it? We could go back and forth about how we respect each other, how we think we're the two toughest bastards in the IIWF, and how we wanna move in together, but our parents don't like the whole idea of us leaving home... but when you get right down to it, if ya weren't dead _before_... you _will_ be. Trust me. You _will_ be. [In the background, an owl can be heard. Manning turns to find the hunting bird sitting on a branch a few inches from his head. Manning stealthfully removes the shockstick from his back pocket, and like a flash digs it into the owl. A sickening crackle is heard, as the bird falls from its perch and lands with a plop on the wet, grassy ground, still smoking and shuddering. Manning giggles with delight as he removes a cigarette from a plastic container in his pocket and lights it up, in need of some release after such a pleasurable experience. He shoves the shockstick back into his back pocket and turns to face the camera again.] SM: Deathbringer, very shortly we will meet, in the Land of the Rising Sun. And many, many giants have fallen there in these past weeks. The Canadian Hockey Team... you've got that skiing moron, Tomba. And the over-all favorites, the Jamaicain bobsled team didn't even _compete_. You'll be the next to fall, Deathbringer. I'll be "The Dominator". I'll be "Air" Meyer. I'll be the man who can finally say for once and for all, I beat the unliving [BLEEP] out of Deathbringer! [Manning laughs like a crazed man, and then stares down into the camera, a serious expression on his face.] SM: Be afraid. [He lets loose an evil smile.] SM: Be _very_ afraid. [Manning turns to walk away, but then looks back into the camera for a moment.] SM: Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in the mood for a midnight snack... [And to the utter disbelief of even the folks buried 6 feet under, Manning grabs the already cooked owl from it's resting place on the grass and walks out of sight. Fade.] [SCENE: The mortuary. Deathbringer is sitting behind the known, old, wooden table and seems to be awaiting the camera crew already, as he stands up as soon as he sees the camera and begins to slowly walk towards it, while he starts to speak in his low, growling voice] DB: There you are again. And I was waiting for you already... You know, there has been some confusion lately about what I am planning to do against these Harlequins. And I have been wondering myself how the plan would look like which I come up with... And then, just a few days ago, I had an idea, a cruel one, a devastating one... a fitting one. I can foresee a wrestling ring, filled with the dead and twisted remains of the mortals who called themselves the Harlequins. I can foresee me, standing upon their carcasses and I can foresee a huge common grave, prepared for a burial which will once and for all remove all the memories concerning that clown breed. Well, and some of you might remember what happened the last time, as I took a look into the future... [Flashes of scenes from the casket match between Otto Verhoeven and Deathbringer are shown, especially the last few minutes, as almost all of the IIWF wrestlers were fighting in and around the ring. Cut back to the mortuary] DB: I told all of you that it would happen this way, and none of you believed in me. What a mortal mistake. [Deathbringer pauses for a few seconds] DB: But it does not have to happen this way, Harlequins. And in your very own interest, I will make this proposal: Tomorrow night, after I have buried this guy called Steve Manning, I want you, Tragedy, to come down to the ring, and give me back what is rightfully mine... my mask... And as soon, as I got it back, I will forget about what happened in the last few weeks, and I will leave you on your own... [Pauses] Some of you might wonder why I make this proposal. Is the Dark Destroyer getting soft? No... I just have more important things on my mind... golden things... and... [Deathbringer removes the cowl and the blood stained goalie mask becomes visible] DB: ..._THIS_ thing certainly is not the most comfortable mask I ever wore... [Fade as Deathbringer begins to laugh in his diabolic way.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The American Dragons vs. MYSTERY TEAM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: Here we have the toughest amtch to call, since we don't even know who both of the teams are! AT: Ah, the beauty of the mystery opponent. I mean, you never know who to train against, like it matters. I mean hey, it could be the High Plains Drifters, it could be the new and improved Machines... LM: It could be the Lost Boyz... AT: Nah, they ain't comin' back anytime soon. It could be some team we ain't never seen before! Hell, it might even be the Down Boys. But before we go to the next match, I'd like to make a warning to the ANY TEAM, ANY TIME boys. Stay the hell away from our matches. It's getting quite annoying. Look, if you want to make a name for yourselves, go after one of the crappy teams in the fed, like the Fabulous Ones. Wrestle them a bunch of times, get good enough, then worry about sticking your nose into matches where you don't belong. Work your way up the ladder, like every team in the IIWF, except the Natural Predators, had to do. Then give the Down Boys a call...we'll fight ya. LM: We had comments from both...yes I said _both_ teams in this match. [The camera opens on a shot of a nightclub in Rapugni, the International District of Tokyo, Japan. It's the Gas Panic 88, considered on of the best...and most dangerous clubs in the city.' Is it any wonder that's where we find Becky LaRue? As usual, she's wearing something two sizes two small...in this case, a skin-tight white blouse and black jeans, accenting her still athletic frame and....well, you get the general idea. Becky is dancing up a storm on the dance floor, surrounding by hundreds of young Japanese, American, British, Australian, and French people, all dancing to the latest in hard techno. She's all smiles, flirting as only she can with as many men as possible. Meanwhile, a figure slowly approaches her. Like someone out of a John Woo flick, he makes his way across the dance floor, slowly...it seems as if the crowd parts unknowingly to make way for him. Becky is oblivious as the man approaches...we seem to know him...black hair...leather jacket... "Soundbite" Steve Roberts? "The Intrepid" Ryan Howard? The figure taps Miss LaRue on the shoulder, and she turns to see...] JS: Buy a lovely lady a drink? [Joe Scalercio, half of the American Dragons] BL: WHAT? JS: I SAID, BUY A LOVELY LADY A DRINK? BL: OH, SURE! [We switch now to a table high above the dance floor. Becky and Joe sit up their, both drinking Vodka Collinses. Joe is wearing his black leather jacket with a white button-down shirt underneath and blue jeans] BL: Just to let you know, I make it a matter never to date wrestlers. JS: Well, I can understand that. But what's your policy towards legends in the making? BL: I'll have to get back to you on that...so why the niceness? JS: My mother always tells me, Becky, that you should treat those you work with with respect. BL: Whew! I almost reached over and slapped you there! JS: Why? BL: I thought you were going to say something about being nice to your elders? JS: What? You're only, what, 29? 30? [Becky's eyes widen...then she smiles] BL: Oh, you're SO cute! [Joe nods as he drinks] JS: Actually, I do have an ulterior motive for asking you up here... BL: Okay, before we do this, never on a first date. JS: Miss LaRue, you misread my intentions! I look only for advice. BL: Oh. All right. JS: You see, me and my partner have only been in the game for a short while, and you've been in the biz for...about 10 years? BL: We'll say that's right. JS: And you can possibly help us with something... [Joe unbuttons his shirt, showing Becky a bruise that dominates his chest] JS: Now, that's from Joe Petrow. Him and 4M ambushed us on War Room... as you well know. We'd been looking forward to that match with the Fabulous Ones...and even though we'd been attacked backstage, we went out and wrestled, and did a damn good job, even though we were hurt. And after the match, Sychosys decides to come out. Hey, fine by us! But he could have simply said "Hey, guys, Team Sychosys has a few words for the AbFabs...could you let us be alone?" Bob and I would have understood. We would have left the ring and let him verbally abuse the Fabulous Ones...no prob! Instead, he decides "Let's beat them up with curling stones!" Let me say, Miss LaRue, those things are HEAVY! BL: So, where do I come in? JS: Bob wants to go out and tear the holy hell out of them Saturday night. Now, I'm leaning towards his side a little bit, but at the same time, we've got this match with the BIG BAD MASKED MYSTERY TEAM.... ...and I'm afraid forces in the IIWF Towers are conspiring to make us lose that match, so these guys look good. BL: Okay, lose the conspiracy act. Billy Sexton did it, and look where he is. JS: Where? BL: Who the heck knows! There is no conspiracy! Remember Battalion? He came out and LOST on national TV in his first big match. Just because they're new, doesn't mean they're going to win, okay? JS: I see... BL: Unless, of course, Team Psychosys or the Fabulous Ones decide to interfere. JS: I still want a pice of Sho and Nakajami. Nothing was settled last Wednesday... BL: Now, THAT is the kind of attitude you should have, Joe. You can't just let people beat you like that and walk away. There's nothing wrong with waiting until one of you actually wins clean. But...you also have to be willing to let the AbFabs go if THEY beat you fairly. I can't believe I'm saying this, but a feud does have to end at some point. Keep that in mind. [Joe nods] JS: That does make sense... BL: Hey, I'm Becky LaRue! I always make sense! JS: Okay. Well, thanks for the advice, Miss LaRue, I have to get going now. [Joe gets up to leave, and Becky gets up with him] BL: Where are you going? JS: Back to get some sleep. Me and Bob got a lot of planning to do tomorrow with these mystery guys... BL: Well...do you want some company? [Becky blinks her eyes, and Joe chuckles] JS: Miss LaRue, NEVER on a first date. [Joe turns and walks way, leaving Becky standing there, a small smile on her face. Joe leaves, the green dragon on the back of his jacket staring at the camera:] JS: As always... any team, any time... [Fade out on the lights flashing off the yellow eyes of the dragon] [A black-and-white shot of a wrecker lot, overrun by older, rundown cars and newer, cleaner ones...all of which appear to be capable of running.] VOICE [An African-American voice, like the one heard on Monday Musings 11 days ago]: We've had to do the job before...[shot cuts with a flash to license plates on the vehicles]I guess it's just time to start it up again. [Shot scrolls as the plates begin to read like IIWF teams of the past: GWR, COLDSPL, KNIGHTS, PAININC, WWXPRS, HANGMEN, etc.] VOICE 2: [The Hispanic accent heard on the same show] We've got some work to do on Saturday. Do you Dragon punks think you're ready? [Shot reaches end of row to an empty space which is abruptly filled by a newer car crashing down with another vanity plate: DRAGONS] VOICE: Prepare to get Jacked! [Fade] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Team Sychosys Funky Like A Monkey World Tour '98" Match: Team Sychosys vs. the Fabulous Ones ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LM: Team Sychosys continues on its trail to legitimacy as they try to prove that they belong in the tag ranks. They were impressive in the draw against Macbeth and Turner last week but this week they face an established team in the Fabulous Ones. AT: Speaking of completely overrated teams, welcome the Fabulous Ones. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Fabs are a disgrace to Japan. Here's a country that for years has put out the best wrestlers in the world today. The dojos produce strong men, who care not about appearance or winning, but doing what they do the best they can possibly do it. Petrow knows this, he lives in Japan. I honestly do not look forward to watching the Fab Ones get dismantled by Team Sychosys. I mean, not only are they gonna lose, and lose bad, but the Japanese guys aren't going to be cheered in their own homeland. You almost have to feel sorry for them... almost. LM: Joe and Murice stayed out of the limelight as they trained for this match but their opponents, of course, did not. [Standing under the now unlit Olympic torch are “The Universal Heartthrob” Agito Nakajima and “Sweet” Sho Satsuma. Both are leaning against the tower structure. Agito is wearing black slacks, a blue shirt and a black sports coat. Sho is wearing black jeans and a white tank top with a leather jacket.] AN: [Pointing at the arena where tomorrow’s show will be held.] Over there, tomorrow night, the Fabulous Ones and Team Sychosys will get it on. They wanted this match and they got it! [Sho continues to lean against the tower looking out over the city of Nagano with a bored look on his face. He seems to be whistling.] AN: Petrow-san, Wednesday night after we beat the American Drag-ons, you asked us if we wanted to save face, or rather our honor, by stepping down and avoiding an embarrassing defeat. Well, I don’t think so. I told you then that an honorable person wouldn’t ask another to avoid a confrontation to save face. Sho-kun and I aren’t running from nobody, not you, not McArthur, not the Down Boys, who can’t seem to figure out that they’ve never beaten us like real men, nobody. [Sho stops whistling, yells something and turns around.] SS: I was trying not to be original, so whatcha think? [As he turns around the back of his leather jacket has words on it. “Any team, Any time, and that’s the bottom line, because “Sweet” Sho said so!” He starts laughing.] SS: Aaaaah! That’s no good. [He walks around the tower and out of sight.] AN: Now, as I was saying. Tomorrow night, Sho-kun and I are going to give you, Team Sychosys, the match of your tag team careers. We’re going to show you what tag team excellence is all about. And, we’re going to do it the honorable way. No extra tactics allowed. This one’s going to be straight up. We practiced this style on Wednesday and were victorious. Now we’ll do it again. Besides that, I believe that only the Fabulous Ones and Team Sychosys can give the fans of Japan the match they real want to see, a no nonsense, wrestling clinic of technical and aerial expertise. [Agito takes off his jacket. He has on a short sleeve shirt.] AN: This match is going to have the “Wrestle Clean” stamp of approval all over it. And, Ike Sampson-kun, I hope you choke on it. [Agito poses, showing off his amazing bodybuilder physique arms. His chest nearing ripping out of his shirt.] AN: And, Petrow-san, as for your comments about Ms. Miki....No honorable man, or any man for that manner would say to her what you said. You crossed the line and you’re going down. Saturday night, Nagano, Japan, we get this thing settled, face to face, man to man. May the best team win, or rather the Fabulous Ones win. Voice: Hey, up here. [The camera pans up to the top of the tower. Sho is holding the leather jacket over the center of the tower.] SS: This is what I think of the American Drag-ons. [He drops the jacket in, it disappears from sight. He pulls something out of his pocket, it’s a match. He lights it and drops it in.] SS: Gaijin trash! [The torch for the Olympic games burns bright once more as it engulfs the jacket. Sho nearly gets a face full of flames because it lit faster than he thought it would. The camera zooms in on the flames then fades out.] ________ ______ | || |\ \ /\ / /| __|.................................................. | || | \ v v / | __| Trash Talk |_||_| \_/\_/ |_|.................................................... LM: As usual there were a number of IIWF competitors who had their own thoughts as to the happenings around the league, starting with the new standard-bearer for "Wrestle Clean". [SCENE: Ike Sampson stands alone in his wrestling tights in a nearly darkened locker room.] IKE: For three weeks in December, the people of Japan treated me as one of their own... and Saturday night... I'm going home. My first trip back to the land of the rising sun... and the land of the best wrestling fans in the world. But not to wrestle. I got some things to say. Some things to get off my chest... [Ike flexes for the camera, showing off his massive pectoral region.] And I got a _big_ chest... Keep it clean. [Fade.] [Montage of monochromed photos: A portly boy of 8 holds hand of a weathered farmer. A pheasant egg stand by a dirt road. Same boy, older, covered in mud during a football game. Newspaper clippings of boy boxing and wrestling as a teenager.] Voice over of Jim Steele [The Meatman]: I have always been big. I have always been tough. I was tough when I was poor and I’m tough now. I have guts. I can throw my weight around and hurt people. I can also not throw my weight around and not hurt people. That takes guts, too. To be strong in character. Some men fight because it gives them a feeling of power. Those men are losers. I fight to win. [Montage of Steele Family Farms, Meatman Industries, and a country manor.] I won my battle and I succeeded, but I still needed an edge. I had some meat to grind, so I came to the IIWF. [Montage of IIWF logos, PPV promos, and superstars.] I look for men bigger than me. Men who want to fight. Men who are strong. What do I find? [Montage of children in crowd. Children waving IIWF dolls, children in line for autographs.] You kids. You look up to them. They swagger and they boast, but they are not “big” men. What do they do? What have they done? [Live video of Meatman walking in IIWF hallway, past photos and trophies of past champions.] They are the schoolyard bully. Big and dumb. All of you, what has become of your schoolyard bully? Nothin’. No, wait. Some are here in the IIWF. They don’t have jobs. They don’t have skills. They don’t know what it’s like to work hard for a meal. To be a man. Just the schoolyard bully grown old. Look at Kowalski. What does he do? Ride on his moto-cycle. Get drunk in a bar. Boast about how tough he is. He ain’t nothin’. [Unflattering series of Kowalski pics.] He don’t do nothin’. He don’t know nothin’. He’s a clown. A little boy pretendin’ to be a man. [Back to Jim.] I look for big men and I find little bitty pieces of meat. Last few weeks I showed how dumb these men are. I distracted the Polish Sausage with a light show, then hit him with a side of venison. Kicked his butt a second time! Gaines-burger, I lured him into a bear trap! [Laughs] Stuck his freakin foot in a bear trap, what an idiot! See kids. They’re big and they like to fight, but they aint nothin’. [Camera closes on the Meatman] You can make somethin’ and you can break somethin’. You can build a sandcastle, and you can knock it down, or- if you’re like Bearmeat and Kowalski and you aint got the heart or brains to build one of your own, you can knock down somebody elses. [Fade] [The view opens up on Christopher Stonebreaker seated on the hood of his blazer and in his hand is a piece of long rope. Tied to the end of the rope is none other than the water bucket, which Steele used to nail him with prior to their opening match last weekend. Chris is swinging the bucket back and forth just staring at it as it goes.] CS: You know. I've been accused of many things in my time in this sport. Some of them true, some of them not. But you see Steele, every label that I painted on you. The "excuse maker", the "avoider", the "liar". Last weekend they were proven true. Steele, you knew that you couldn't outwrestle me. You probably knew that since day one. But I wanted to see what kind of man you were in the ring. I wanted to know what kind of "athlete" you really were. So I watched. For weeks, I've been watching great "athletes" around here come out with ladders, shocksticks... [Chris stops talking and looks directly up into the camera.] Metal buckets. Hell, I've carried my own little trademark item to ringside more than once, and I've put it to use one time...Count it.. ONCE! I didn't sign up into this sport to prove that I could hit someone with some object. My ol' Papa could come out and knock someone out with one of these. [Chris resumes his stare down at the swinging bucket once again.] I came into the IIWF to prove that I was the type of athlete that was going to go to the top of this federation, just like so many places in the past. But now....well, now that goal has changed. Steele, and whether it starts with you or ends with you, I will use you for the example. But very soon gentlemen, it will start with someone. And this.... [Stonebreaker nods at the bucket, but never looks up] This is just going to be a small reminder. This is going to be the last reminder of the beast that you've woken up. The beast that is going to through the IIWF. [Chris raises his arm to bring the bucket up to the same level as the hood of his blazer.] Gentlemen, my eyes have been opened to what I have to do. And soon your eyes will be opened to what you have wrought upon yourselves. [Fade] [The camera fades in from blackness, to a shot of Tim Dross sitting in the IIWF interview area, in a collapsable chair. He is wearing the standard IIWF sports jacket and khaki pants. Across from him is the "Epitome of Evil" Serge Annis. Annis' facial expression does not look happy, but that is nothing new. Annis is wearing his brand new IIWF t-shirt, which features the words 'Napalm Enema' in blood red lettering on the front. He wears black jeans and boots. The scars on Annis' face and arms all seem to have been healing nicely over the past few weeks, and the burnmark on his face from Mad Dog Watkins' attack is nearly healed as well. Tim begins the interview.] TD: Okay Serge, this is going to be a simple, ten question interview. Everything is off the record, and feel free to say what you want to say. SA: That's fine by me, but just why are we doing this anyway? TD: Because our VP Greg said that as part of "Wrestle Clean", you have to be rehabbed back to... well, I don't quite know what you are to be rehabbed to, but it's supposed to make you stop setting the ring on fire. SA: Hmphh... [Annis does not look impressed.] TD: Okay, let's begin. Question One. Who is Serge Annis? SA: Serge Annis is pain. Fear. When people hear the name Serge Annis, I want them to shrivel up in fear. TD: Why? SA: Because Dross... I am evil. Serge Annis isn't all about inflicting pain on others. That's not exactly what it is all about. When I say pain, I mean the hellacious years that I grew up as a kid. I could have been taken away from the life I lived. Someone could have saved me from the strap every damn day that I grew up. They could have called someone. There are organizations out there that are supposed to help kids get away from what I went through every day for fifteen years. It took them fifteen years to get me out of there Dross... and it isn't even because they discovered the fact that Serge Annis was an abused child. No. It was because the last person that was taking care of me died. Then they had to do something with me. That's why I hate society Dross. It could have been stopped... but it wasn't. That's why I take so much offense to guys like Bishop, who try to help people through the eyes of religion. I like to say God turned his back on me a long time ago... and somehow, I survived. Charles Scheffield is another guy that really irks me. He comes out calling me out, because I choose to break the barriers set down on me. He tells me that my life hasn't nearly been as bad as his, and that I should stop being so... "mean." Well Scheffield has no damn right to tell me what to do. If I offend him in any way, that doesn't quite give him the right to call me out and say what a "bad" person I am. That's just the why society works, Dross. A bunch of [bleep]'ing hypocrites. TD: All right. Question two. Why are you so 'evil'? SA: Simple. It's the role society, and God has given me to play. TD: Question three. After your attack on Mad Dog Watkins, in which you could have killed him by setting the steel cage and ring on fire, do you feel any remorse? SA: 'Course not. Why should I? Does anyone care that Mad Dog Watkins lifted the 'fire ban' and attacked me? No. Some would say it's payback, but it's still breaking the rules. I'm pretty sure Watkins wasn't fined or punished in any way. What I did to Mad Dog Watkins is nothing new. I'd hate to break it to you Dross, but that's the way I am. I've been pulling stunts like that for over two years in the 'big leagues' and it got me two world title reigns. TD: But I don't see any IIWF championships around your waist. SA: All in due time Dross. But you're lucky. My time is soon. Very soon. Steve Kowalski couldn't beat me in December. And he can't beat me now. I've progressed to newer levels since then. Kowalski hasn't managed to ammount to much since he's won the title. Of course, nothing he can do will impress me because I hate that man so much... But as I said, all in due time. The IIWF can't avoid the phenom Serge Annis forever. One day, I guarantee it... you will see Serge Annis step out of Requiem's shadow, and be the World Champion. I promised it, and Serge Annis always make good on his word. TD: Funny you should bring up Requiem's name. Requiem is gone. Highwayman is gone. Scott Rogers is gone. Icehawk is practicaly gone. And Edmund Fitzgerald was defeated by you last week. Question four... What are your feelings on Genesis now? SA: Hmm.... when I joined Genesis, I was on my way out of IIWF. I was all ready to fly to Portland and break it off. Then I got a call from Highwayman. Don't ask how he even got my number. But he did... and I can't thank him enough. When I joined Genesis, I knew that I wasn't a main event. I rode Genesis with everyone else on board. But during that time, I became friends with Requiem. My only true friend in the world. He understood me. He took care of me. No matter what you think, Requiem was a good guy. He had a problem, but he was a real person. I think I might be the only guy that realized that. But when I look back at Genesis, I have no regrets. I mean... Serge Annis went from leaving the federation, to main eventing Saturday Night against legends like Otto "The Butcher" Verhoeven, and even a pay per view against Syndicate and others. Genesis pushed Serge Annis to new limits. People question the fact that I was just another one of Requiem's body gaurds. I wasn't out there because I was told to. I was out there because I didn't want anyone roughing up my friend. If I can help him out and win the match, then yeah, sure. I'd be glad to do it. But now Genesis is dead. I buried the last fragment of Genesis when I chokeslammed Edmund Fitzgerald twice on Saturday. It gave me a sense of closure... I'm the last one left... and I'm not leaving any time soon. I have promises to keep. TD: Question five. What do you want to be remembered for in the IIWF? SA: Being one of the most feared, dominant and respected wrestlers ever. It will take a lot of work to do it... but I can only do my best to make it happen. Look back at my match against Creed and the Subway Psycho. It's matches like that, that go down in history. And I want to be a part of each and every one of 'em. You can only judge a good 'hardcore' match by the ammount of blood you spill. Heh heh... I've spilt enough to secure my claim to fame. TD: Question six. You always refer to a 'promise' that you made to win the world championship, and respect. Whom did you make this promise to? SA: I promised it to my mother. TD: It was to my understanding that your mother is deceased. SA: She is. In December... when I was so close to winning that world championship... that was when I promised her the gold. In her memory, I guess you can say. I loved my Mom. And she left me when I was six years old. Killed by a drunk driver. I don't think any peer presure is worse than that. I made a promise to her... and I have always made good on my word. I brought hell to Mad Dog Watkins, because I told him I was going to do it. Is it my faulght he didn't listen to me? TD: Question seven. You've explained your dislike for Charles Sheffield and Steve Kowalski. But what about Mad Dog Watkins? SA: Mad Dog Watkins is a great competitor. No question about it. I'd almost respect him, and there ain't many guys that I respect. But when he came back in December, he chose to do so by costing me the IIWF World Championship. He chose to mess with my affairs. And he paid the price for it. I told him I;d get even with him. And that is exactly what I did. But no one seems to understand that... and I get made out to be the bad guy. TD: Some people consider themselves to be simple people. And other people consider themselves to be intellects... deep thinkers. Question eight, what is Serge Annis? SA: A simple person. I don't come out and analyze things to death. I'm not filled with great intellectual thoughts and quotes. I come out, and I do what I have to do. Whether it is to break someone's neck, or snap someone's spine Serge Annis gets the job done. I'm not into the artsy-fartsy crap. I am my own man, and no one can contain me. Plain and simple. You make the rules, and I'll ignore 'em. TD: Question nine. Where do you see Serge Annis' future in the IIWF going? SA: Hmm.... Serge Annis won't be winning any world titles in the future if I continue losing to the likes of Charles Sheffield. I'd be lying if I said that had no effect on the momentum I was building. But if I play my cards right... and people see that, and give me the right opportunity, Serge Annis shall strike down from the heavens and swoop up that bit of gold before my time's up. I'm like a vulture... I can wait out the kill. And when the opposition get as weak as it is now... it's the prefect time for Serge Annis to do what he has always done best... heh heh, raise a little hell, win a world title and be on my way. Heh heh... TD: Serge, final question. Who do you respect most in this world? SA: No one. If you're good enough to gain my respect, it still makes you no better than the man next to you. If I were to set someone up on a pedestal and say, "I respect you more than anyone else," then I wouldn't have a life of my own, and I'd be trying to fill someone else's boots. So in that aspect, I don't respect anyone more than I respect myself. Because any hero of mine isn't going to win the world championship for me... I have to do it myself. And soon... very soon, that is exactly what is going to happen. TD: Thank you for your time, and thank you for being so calm and candid Mr. Annis. I'm sure it is greatly appeciated and counts as one step closer to your rehabilitation. SA: Rehab? [Annis snickers] I'm really a changed man now, Dross. I can feel it. Heh heh... you're welcome for the time, but don't expect to be all buddy buddy with the Epitome of Evil. I'm here because they made me, not because I wanted to talk to you. TD: That's good enough for me. This is Tim Dross, signing off and throwing it back to the studio. [The camera pans back and we see Dross extend his hand for Serge to shake it. Serge gives Dross a cold look, then walks off, out of sight. Fade to black.] [The scene fades in to ... a white markerboard. Written in green ink are the names THE HARLEQUINS, TEAM SYCHOSIS, DOWN BOYS, PROHPETS OF RAGE, NATURAL PREDATORS, TURNER & MACBETH. At the bottom, the name FABULOUS ONES is written in ink and circled. Simon O'Neal's voice is heard.] SO: You remember this, don't you? [The camera pulls back, and Simon O'Neal and Paul Wong are standing on each side of the board. Paul is carrying Binky the Chainsaw in his hands. Binky now has a PROPERTY OF THE MACHINES sticker on the blade.] SO: This used to be a list of teams we wanted to beat. We wanted the prestige and respect and glory that comes from being the best tag team in the toughest league of them all... the IIWF. And we were willing to climb the ladder to do it. Not anymore. Now all we want are the wins. And the whys and the hows are irrelevant. Consider this a hitlist. PW: It dawned on me Sunday what happened. That I probably put Casey C. in the hospital. That we stole this chainsaw from the Harlequins. That if Turner & MacBeth hadn't stuck their noses in, we would have beaten Team Sychosis in the ground. The consequences all hit me at once. And you know something? [Paul breaks out in a wide grin.] I haven't felt this good in AGES. I never knew revenge could be so satisfying. SO: I tried to tell you, but you never listened. PW: Well, I should have. And a lot of teams took advantage of when Simon and I had our problems to win matches against us. Well, that's all in the past. Now... it's OUR turn. We're collecting, and we're charging interest. SO: The first two teams are the Harlequins and Team Syschosis. But, rest assured, there is a lot of payback to be delivered, and when combine this man's [points to Paul] strength and [points to himself] my utter lack of morals, that adds up to a payback delivering Machine. PW: You know who else I want to pay back? Besides all of the tag teams? The announcers. I've heard Roberts calling me gay for months, and Dross nodding in agreement with him, every day for months. I say you and I go to the booth, and take ove... SO: [Shaking his head] No, Paul. PW: Why not? SO: Several reasons. First of all, I'm a big Soundbite fan. I own his books CHEATING TO WIN volumes 1,2 and 4. PW: What about 3? SO: Three's no good- definitely not worth the $23.95. The point is, I've always rooted for Soundbite. Second of all, going after announcers... it's cheap, it's been done, it's the sign of a hack. I like your spirit, Paul. But instead of attacking the announcers, I say we try to get them on our side. I suggest outright bribery. PW: Bribery, huh? SO: Trust me.. It's worked before. But we'll discuss it later. Right now, we have a simple message to the teams of the IIWF. We're back... and we're not happy. [Fade.] [SCENE: Eddy Jacks stands outside Ottawa’s MegaTon Gym, a wet towel draped around his neck, his mammoth bulk contained by ill-fitting spandex workout shorts and a grey “House of Pancakes” muscle shirt. An immense stogie droops out of the corner of his mouth, its size mirroring the size of the man smoking it.] EJ: In case ya don’t know it, I’m _Eddy_ Jacks. I’m an American by birth an’ a Canadian by association. I’m a wrestler an’ I know how my career’s gonna end. [He tosses the cigar onto the ground, crushing it with his foot.] It’s gonna end with a whimper, just like every_other_damn_thing I ever did. It’s gonna end with me on the wrong end of a three-count. It’s gonna end with me sayin’ I beat the best...that I never backed down...that I went toe_ta_fricking_toe with the toughest bastards in the sport. [Pause.] ‘Course, that end ain’t comin’ be ‘til I’m ready ta go out on my own terms. I’ve got enough gas left in the tank ta complete some unfinished business. [Pause.] Maybe yer bringin’ me in as a whippin’ boy, Spreadbury. Maybe ya think this toy champ from another league’s gonna be fodder fer yer over-hyped wonders. [Jacks gives an emotionless smile, pausing in his monologue to draw the viewer’s attention to his bicep.] I ain’t somethin’ ta be takin’ lightly. I been punked by Ken Curtis, wrestled wit’ Derek Mota, double-crossed and pounded by Jay-Dub Hardin. Hell, I been absorbin’ beatin’s since I stepped through the squared circle damn near eight years ago. An’ I worked. Worked like a demon, refinin’ my repertoire, tryin’ not ta become another statistic...not another wrestlin’ fatman who just sits in the ring an’ goads the other guy on before hittin’ some dull-ass finisher. [The camera zooms in, illuminating the various scars present on Jacks’ frame. He shrugs, continuing.] An’ now I’m called a hack....called a hack like all da other newcomers by a man who used ta pride himself on never takin’ a handout...Steve Kowalski. What the hell kind o’ greetin’ is that fer a man who’s done everythin’ but kill himself tryin’ ta get here? I ain’t no “triple-G” Gaines, ain’t no has-been who built his rep by dominatin’ little feds an’ pushin’ people around. I ain’t no pretty boy like Lord Byron, ain’t a ‘hardocre king’ like Serge Annis an’ sure as hell ain’t as weird as“Psychosys” Joe Petrow. I got me a little bit o’ a wrestlin’ repertoire, got a bit of a rep as a SOB an’ I paid_my_dues. [Pause.] An’ I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s a long road that takes ya from bein’ a dead-end punk kid ta becomin’ a pro wrestler. It’s a road that teaches ya ta respect yerself, a road that lets ya know that it ain’t bells and whistles that run machines..... [Jacks rams a meaty finger into his chest.] It’s heart. I ain’t no brain scientist, ain’t no playboy an’ sure as hell ain’t a wrestlin’ natural. I’m where I am ‘cuz I clawed myself there. There ain’t nearly enough time left ta let what little I got o’ my career be wasted. No gimmicks, no mind games, no long-winded goddamn interviews.... [Jacks turns away from the camera and begins to walk away.] ...just hard work. I can’t promise nothin’ else. [Fade back to the Countdown set.] LM: That's all we have for this edition of Countdown. While I do not approve of the actions of my guest last week I do have to thank Awesome T for co-hosting. AT: Just be glad that you didn't hospitalize another guest! LM: Speaking of which, our producer has asked Duncan Macbeth to make another appearance as co-host, since his first was cut short, so that's who you will see beside me next week. Until then, for Awesome T, I'm Larry Morton and this has been Countdown to IIWF Saturday Night! +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= I * I * W * F =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+ | President: Daniel Spreadbury | Vice-President: Gregg Osterhout | | univ0322@sable.ox.ac.uk | ghost@frii.com | | iiwf@sisko.demon.co.uk | | +=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- http://www.sisko.demon.co.uk -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+