The LEGACY logo shows up on a black screen and it fades out as "Awake" by Godsmack starts to play, and clips from past shows fade in and out. We first see Diego de Cardenas hitting a high flying move, which is followed by one of the many high risk maneuvers by Loco Martinez hit during his match at ADVENT EMPIRE. We then see Stephen Rawlings taking down Katsuro Yoshida during one of their two matches, which is immediately followed by quick clips from the Marcus Marion / John Thomas match at the recent pay per view.

We then see a clip of Nicholas Creed hitting the REIGN OF SIN on someone, which is followed up immediately with a clip of Herb Moxley nailing Creed with the DRAGON SLAYER. From there we see a couple of fast paced clips involving Dan Stein hitting some flashy offensive maneuvers, ending with a clip of him nailing Greyson Blade with a steel chair.

Fast clips follow including some with DJ Cassidy, then the Old School Kings, followed by a couple with Gryffin Anselm. Next is a clip of the Bushido Buntai, then a shot of Matt Larcen leaping off the top rope for the GRAND LARCENY, followed by a clip of Tim Jones lunging in to go for the SNAFU. Finally we see a shot of Greyson Blade hitting the KILLSHOT, followed by a parting shot of him hoisting the LEGACY World Title over his head as he stands atop the entrance ramp.

The show opens on a shot of Mark Perletta, Landon Savage and Joey C sitting behind a desk that resembles what you would see anchors sit behind in the studio of a sports news program such as Sports Center. Behind them is an elaborate backdrop which includes several flatscreen monitors, each of them showing the same view we're seeing right now of the recap trio. As the camera zooms in, the screens fade into a shot of the yellow golden LEGACY logo.

Mark Perletta: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome once againt to another edition of STRIFE. I'm Mark Perletta, and as always, I'm joined for tonight's edition by Landon Savage and Joey C. This.. is the LEGACY Tour.

Landon Savage: On the show tonight, three first round matches in the Hawkins Memorial Tournament, and a Tao of Valor Championship match between the two members of the Revenge of the Nerds.

Joey C: Lots of speculation as to how those two would handle getting into the ring against one another as opponents with a championship on the line under Ultimate X rules.

Landon Savage: They're lucky that the match wasn't determined to be a Last Man Standing Match or a Submissions Only Match. Heck, even if it were a 30 Minute Iron Man Match, things can get fairly heated in those contests when frustration starts to build.

Mark Perletta: More on that later on in the show, but with lots of things going on, we're going to get right to the action and start things off with a first round match.

Mark Perletta: As soon as this match was booked, it was destined to be an exciting match, and it certainly did not disappoint.

Joey C: It was a good choice as the starting match of the night, getting the crowd excited right away. Both of these guys have the potential to use high risk, flashy maneuvers to put their opponent on the mat.

Landon Savage: Yeah and both of these guys have a lot to prove around here. They're both young, unproven guys in this business, so this tournament is a big deal for each of them.

Mark Perletta: Matt Larcen with a big opportunity at STRIFE 10 as he had a shot at the Tao of Valor Championship, but in the end of that one Herb Moxley was able to retain the belt.

Joey C: It definitely seemed like Matt Larcen was a bit anxious coming into this match, wanting to get back on track with a first round victory in the Hawkins Memorial.

Mark Perletta: Because Larcen seemed to be trying a bit too hard, he wasn't as focussed as he could be, and that lead to a couple of mistakes.

Joey C: One thing that I didn't expect to happen was the way Diego de Cardenas took advantage of the opportunity caused by the mistakes of Matt Larcen. Instead of trying to follow it up with the high flying offense you'd expect out of a luchador, Diego implemented more of a grounded attack.

Mark Perletta: He wasn't able to use that offense to inflict a lot of damage on Larcen, but what he was able to do was to use an attack that ultimately slowed Matt Larcen down a few steps.

Joey C: He was able to slow Larcen down, but he wasn't able to stop him, and despite having taken some damage to his leg, Matt Larcen kept fighting back, staying in the match.

Landon Savage: That made for an exciting ending to this match.

Start : Footage from the Match

Diego de Cardenas goes for an irish whip towards the corner but before he can let go of Matt Larcen's arm, Larcen reverses the move, sending Diego into the corner back first. Larcen follows it up by taking Diego by the arm and irish whipping him across the ring towards the other corner. Larcen follows him in, looking for the immediate contact but Diego hops onto the middle rope and springs backwards, twisting, heading right for Larcen. Trailing far enough behind, Matt sees this coming and catches Diego in mid-air, turns, and DRIVES him into the mat with a spinebuster!

Joey C: What a HUGE spinebuster there by Matt Larcen!

Mark Perletta: Now with the upper hand, Larcen encites the crowd for a moment, and as Diego de Cardenas works his way to his feet, let's see how things progress. Larcen runs towards the ropes for momentum.

Matt Larcen comes off the ropes, headed right towards the dazed Diego de Cardenas. Just before he gets there, Larcen jumps up off his feet and goes for the dropkick. Right at the last second, Diego de Cardenas sees the move coming and takes two quick steps backwards, causing Larcen to fall down onto his back. Cardenas quickly takes advantage of the opportunity, steps in, grabs Larcen's legs and grapevines them into the start of a Texas Cloverleaf. Instead of flipping the move over into a submission hold, Cardenas immediately does a foreward flip and lands with his feet on the mat and his back bridging up into the pinning position.

ONE!

TWO!!

THREE!!

Josephina Colbert: And your winner by PINFALL - Diego de Cardenas!

Mark Perletta: Scoring the pinfall over Matt Larcen, Diego de Cardenas is the sixth man to make it to the second round of the Hawkins Memorial Tournament.

Joey C: I'll be the first to say that I'm glad he moves on to the second round, if for no other reason than the fact that this means we get to see more of Hannah Perez as early as the SuperCard.

Landon Savage: If Diego de Cardenas keeps this chip on his shoulder and is able to build some momentum, we'll probably be seeing a lot more of BOTH of them, possibly with Diego in the hunt for a championship of some sort.

One of the doors leading outside of the arena opens and Gryffin Anselm walks in, followed by James Win who walks in behind him. The two walk about fifteen feet before they get to a man holding a clipboard.

Gryffin Anselm: Locker room assignment?

The man looks down at his clipboard and then right back up at Gryffin.

Clipboard Guy: Number twenty-two. Down that hallway, halfway down on the left.

At that point Gryffin turns to James Win.

Gryffin Anselm: Go on ahead, I’ve got something else to attend to.

Win nods and walks off and Gryffin turns his attention back towards the man with the clipboard.

Gryffin Anselm: How about Smith Cartwright, where’s the control freak got his ‘control center’ tonight?

The clipboard guy doesn’t even have to look down at his clipboard this time.

Clipboard Guy: Down this hallway, all just past the gorilla position, right across the hall from the catering room.

Gryffin nods, then starts walking in that direction. He passes the gorilla position where a lot of people are scurrying around, working on producing certain parts of the show. Spotting a door that’s marked “Cartwright”, he knocks twice and then opens the door, but no one’s in there. Shaking his head in disbelief, Anselm decides to start looking for Smith. His search doesn’t take very long, however, as he spots Cartwright standing in the catering room making himself a sandwich. Gryffin turns and walks on in, and as soon as Cartwright sees him coming, he takes a drink from a soda and then puts it down on the table next to his plate.

Gryffin Anselm: Got enough mayo on that thing? Wow, talk about clogging your arteries. You could use a few tips about personal health and wellness.

Smith Cartwright: Aren’t you the same guy who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day?

Gryffin Anselm: Pack and a half, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about. Just figured I’d come by to check the particulars on my rematch for the No Limits Title at this upcoming SuperCard thing. I didn’t know if you were going to make it a triangle match or not, but I thought that either way, it might be fun to have it in a steel cage or something.

Smith Cartwright: Actually…

Gryffin Anselm: ‘Actually’ what?

Smith Cartwright: Actually the front office thought that you might want to have your big rematch at the pay per view, and to add a bit more interest to the No Limits division, they signed what they thought would be a fairly big match for the No Limits Title at the SuperCard.

Gryffin Anselm: Whoa, wait just a second. So you’re telling me they are making me wait until the pay per view to get a rematch for that belt?

Smith Cartwright: Well nothing’s set in stone yet. They just figured that if you wanted to take your rematch at the pay per view that you could, but they wanted to give someone else a shot at it for the SuperCard.

A voice echoes into the catering room from out in the hallway.

"BIIIIILLLLLYY BOOOOYYYYY"

The conversation stops and both Gryffin and Smith Cartwright turn to look to see who that was. Walking in through the double doors is Jake Dominion, who was standing out in the hallway listening on. Dressed in a sharp black Armani suit, black dress shirt with platinum stripes, no tie, and his signature shades and that arrogent smirk we're all use to seeing, Jake walks up to Gryffin as he begins to speak...

Gryffin Anselm: Now's not a good time, Jake.

Jake Dominion: Oh what's the matter Gryffin? You look like somebody stole your puppy or something. Lemme guess, Win's been complaining about the showers right? And we all thought he liked everything golden...

Gryffin Anselm: You and your silly golden shower jokes. Can't think of anything more original? Now if you don't mind, this situation... it doesn't concern you. You want me to throw you around these hallways? I'll come find you when I'm done here.

Jake laughs.

Gryffin Anselm: You think I'm joking? Seriously, give me five more minutes and I'll even let you get in the first shot. I'tll be the only shot you get in on me, though.

Jake Dominion: Ooooh, I'm so scared Gryffin, you and what army? You know you can't take me without Big Lou pulling the strings...and for your information it DOES concern me, haha...

Gryffin's eyes narrow.

Gryffin Anselm: What are you talking about?

Gryffin turns to Cartwright.

Gryffin Anselm: What is he talking about?

Gryffin turns back towards Dominion.

Jake Dominion: That No Limits Title shot you were hoping to get, your little rematch with Katsuro Yoshida... not going to happen. Eric Wolfson doesn't do three-ways unless the two other people are women. I guess that's where you and he differ, though.

Jake starts laughing his ass off. Gryffin looks over at Cartwright, but Smith just looks back at him with a blank look on his face, waiting for Gryffin's reaction. Nodding his head slowly, Anselm turns his gaze back in Dominion's direction, and then heads out of the catering room without saying another word, and the view changes back to a shot from the broadcast position.

Mark Perletta: Gryffin Anselm finding out that someone else is getting a shot at the No Limits Championship before him, and boy does he seem upset.

Landon Savage: You bet your ass he's upset. Gryffin Anselm was one HELL of a No Limits Champion, and he lost the belt in a fluky match. He deserves to get another shot, and he shouldn't have to wait any longer.

Joey C: Well this makes for an interesting situation heading into the SuperCard, and the fact that Jake Dominion was rubbing it in... probably didn't help the situation.

The camera heads backstage and focuses in on a rather large individual making his way down a long hallway, and as it pans in we see that the figure is in fact the LEGACY Champion, The Outlaw Greyson Blade. The LEGACY Champion is headed down the hall, beverage in hand until he stops in his tracks in a few yards from his dressing room. Blade looks down the hall and the camera follows his gaze, and standing before him is Nicholas Creed, standing slightly behind and to the side of his mentor Eric Wolfson. The Outlaw’s eyes narrow and his muscles tense as he stalks towards the pair.

The Outlaw: What do you want?

Eric Wolfson: Now, now Greyson, you can just calm down. We aren’t the same as the Marcus Marion’s and Dan Stein’s of this world. We don’t have to take things out of the ring because as you’ve seen, Creed is more than capable of getting the job done in the ring.

Wolfson looks back at Creed who smirks at The Outlaw, and crosses his arms.

The Outlaw: You can think what you want to think. Last time when you and I stepped into that ring back in TTW I put you down for the three count, and there isn’t a damn thing that is going to keep me from doing the same the next time. History will repeat itself.

Eric Wolfson: Creed wasn’t as experienced as he is now Greyson. All of those, “rookie” types of mistakes he made before, he isn’t making now. Take a look at how dominant he was as the Tao of Valor Champion. Take a look at a man who can finally match everything you are and more … you want power? This man has power. You want speed? No one is faster for a man his size.

Wolfson beems with pride.

Eric Wolfson: You want killer instinct? Well … he’s left a hell of a lot of bodies motionless in that ring. The fact is “Outlaw” it’s time for you to face the fact that your time as LEGACY World Champion is drawing to a close.

The Outlaw: So you basically came here to my dressing room to talk some trash and annoy the hell of me before you take your ass-kicking like everyone else who is stupid enough to call me out?

With that Creed steps from behind Eric with a smile, and the LEGACY World Title is over his shoulder. The Outlaw clenches his fists, his anger rising.

Creed: Not at all Blade … we were just seeing … how it would fit the new and rightful owner. Actually, it fits … perfectly.

With that Creed takes the belt off from off his shoulder, and proceeds to hold it up for Greyson, only to drop it back over his shoulder, and start off down the hall with Eric Wolfson.

Landon Savage: A short but strong message sent there by Nicholas Creed and Eric Wolfson, going into Greyson Blade's locker room, taking the World Championship belt, and then sticking around to tell Blade they took it. That belt will make it to the SuperCard, and the winner of the match will go home with that belt, but between now and then, this sends a message to Greyson Blade. It says that if he's not lucky, he's going to end up without the belt, and this time it won't be because someone else took it out of his bag, it'll be because he's no longer the champion.

Joey C: Greyson Blade will sooner or later have his luck run out. He beat Marcus Marion, he lasted through singles matches against Dan Stein and then Stephen Rawlings, and was then able to outlast both of them in an elimination match with the World Championship belt on the line. Being extremely good doesn't guarantee that sort of success. Luck plays a huge role, especially in that elimination match.

Mark Perletta: Earlier this week, Smith Cartwright got the opportunity to sit down and speak for a couple of minutes with the last man eliminated from the World Title Match at ADVENT EMPIRE, Stephen Rawlings.

The camera opens in the middle of the wrestling ring, set up in an empty arena. Smith Cartwright is wearing a light gray suit, a small pad of paper in one hand, a pen in the other. Rawlings sits backwards in his chair, wearing a pair of sweatpants and his signature LEGACY tshirt. His hair is slightly damp, probably from sweat from a recent workout.

Smith Cartwright: You had a huge opportunity at ADVENT EMPIRE. Main event, World Title on the line... how did you feel about your performance, once it was all said and done?

Stephen Rawlings: I was dissapointed. I mean, I wasted the ONLY shot I had at the title, and I could come out here and easily say that it wasn't fair because it was a triple threat elimination match, but in reality the only reason I lost was because I beat myself.

Shaking his head in disgust and disappointment, Rawlings continues.

Rawlings: The wrestling ability I exhibited was of pure mediocrity. I wrestled better than that when I was 12. Had I wrestled to my full potential, you’d be talking to the champion right now. That's why I'm thankful for this tournament. I get to earn another shot, and this time wrestle to my full potential, and this time I will win the World Title.

Smith Cartwright: Speaking of the Hawkins Memorial Tournament, it seems to be the biggest news in the fed right now. Out of 14 men, two people - yourself and Jake Dominion - got first-round byes. How did you react to hearing the news that you were ranked as one of the top two in the tournament?

Rawlings: Well, what else would happen? With 14 people, two of them HAVE to have first round byes... Otherwise the brackets don’t work out correctly. What else would you expect though? I mean... You really expect DJ Cassidy to get a first round bye? A man who I’ve never even seen wrestle without Mox, would a guy like that get a bye while I have to go in and wrestle one of the new guys?

Rawlings shakes his head.

Rawlings: That would be completely unfair. It would be unfair to the new guys because they don’t have a chance against me. It would be unfair to me because that gives everyone else as good a shot as I get, despite the fact that I was one good reversal away from putting Greyson Blade’s shoulders on the mat.

Rawlings pauses for a moment before continuing.

Rawlings: There are a couple guys in this tournament who aren’t completely new to this business, guys who aren’t completely unaccomplished. Loco? He's cool and all... but no one has seen him nearly win any BIG title shots recently. Heck, he couldn’t even come up with a win for some glorified hardcore title. No, I think the choice to give me the bye is the right choice. A brilliant choice, even.

An amused look starts to form on Rawlings’ face.

Rawlings: Jake Dominion getting a bye though... that I don't understand. I mean... I don’t even know what he's accomplished here. Has he even won a title yet? I know. Whatever. It doesn't matter who has byes or who even is in the tournament cuz I will be winning it, and I will be getting the title shot.

Smith Cartwright: Your first match of the tournament is going to be at the upcoming SuperCard against James Win. What are your thoughts on that match?

Rawlings: Does it matter? He's Griffyn Anselm's "Sidekick". What does that matter? What difference did Robin make for Batman? What HUGE contribution did Tito have to the success of Michael Jackson? It doesn't matter one lick if he was Griffin himself, though. I'm going to steam roll through my opponents and no one will stop me from getting my title shot back!

Smith Cartwright: If you had to predict what the finals of this tournament were going to come down to, based on the brackets, how do you see things playing out?

Rawlings: Do you have to ask? Obviously we know who’s coming out of my half of the brackets, that’s not even a real question on anyone’s mind. As far as the rest of it, I see Tim Jones cheating his way to meet me in the finals. Then I see me wiping his smug look off his face as I beat him for 13th time.

A grin starts to form on Stephen Rawlings' face and the scene switches back to a shot from the broadcast position.

Mark Perletta: Stephen Rawlings with some fairly interesting opinions on his chances on the tournament and his potential opposition.

Landon Savage: Some very STRONG words is what they were, and Stephen Rawlings might want to be carefull that he doesn't say something that angers the wrong person. Rawlings is a talented competitor, but he's by no means unbeatable. Last thing he needs is to give someone any kind of extra incentive to want to beat him.

Joey C: He did have some valid points, though. This is the kind of interview I like. I like it when an athlete, a competitor, steps out there and speaks his mind. I like it when guys who aren't paid to use their brains - ever - come out and speak off the cuff in and unprepared interview. This interview, mark my words, is going to make for some interesting situations in weeks to come, both during this tournament and elsewhere.

Mark Perletta: Speaking of the tournament, let's keep this show rolling along as we have our second first-round match of the night.

Mark Perletta: There were quite a few people who, when they heard about this match, speculated that it was going to be a relatively easy win for Loco Martinez for various reasons.

Joey C: Don't just gloss over it, Marky, let's put it out there. Justin Moreno, he's been out of the business for a while, so a lot of people figured he was going to have a decent amount of ring rust. Not only that, but like him or not, and I don't, Loco Martinez... he's a Hall of Famer in this business.

Landon Savage: He's a goofy son of a bitch, but he's got more than his share of championship belts and trophies. Most of them are tag team or cruiserweight related, but still...

Mark Perletta: Speaking of cruiserweight accolades, I believe that Loco Martinez and Justin Moreno squared off back during the first Sky High Cup, which Loco Martinez won. That said, it didn't appear that anything that happened in the past mattered to Justin Moreno.

Landon Savage: He definitely seemed to be wrestling with a considerable amount of purpose, more ready for this match than he appeared to be for the other matches I've seen him wrestle for in the tapes I watched to get ready for this match.

Mark Perletta: Both men appeared to be giving their all to win this match, though I'd have to say that out of the two of them, Justin Moreno appeared to be the more comfortable of the two.

Joey C: And why shouldn't he have been? He's got absolutely nothing to lose. No one is expecting him to make it out of the first round. Loco Martinez, on the other hand, realizes just how important an opportunity this tournament is to him.

Mark Perletta: When we saw him in a promotional video in the past couple weeks, the desperation was fairly obvious in not just what he said, but how he said it and the look on his face.

Joey C: Well either way, Loco Martinez might have let some of that desperation factor into how he performed in the match.

Start : Footage from the Match

As Justin Moreno starts to get up off the mat, Loco Martinez moves in behind him, grabbing him by the head and pulling him backwards into a reverse ddt position. From there, Loco picks Moreno up into a reverse suplex, spins around and drops backwards, slamming Moreno down on his stomach. Getting to his feet, Loco spots the nearest corner and slowly starts to climb.

Joey C: What's this crazy guy doing now?

Mark Perletta: It appears as though he's waiting for Justin Moreno to get up off the mat, and that means he's probably...

Landon Savage: I bet he's looking for the move he calls THAT WARM AND FUZZY FEELING, and up comes Moreno, this could be it...

Turning his head to measure Justin Moreno one last time, Loco dives backwards, but just before he gets to the point in the move where he grabs his opponent's head, Loco misses the opportunity as Justin Moreno ducks and takes a step forward. Loco realizes he's not going to hit the move and he lands on his feet, though one of his ankles rolls, and so Loco lifts that leg up off the mat and looks down at it. Justin Moreno spots a potential opportunity and runs towards the ropes, jumps up onto the second rope, propels himself backwards and grabs Loco by the head. Justin looks to go for a Tornado DDT, but instead he rolls Loco Martinez up into a small package, hooking his legs in over Loco's knees to wrap it in tight. The referee is right there and he makes the count...

ONE!

TWO!!

THREE!!!

Josephina Colbert: And here is your winner by PINFALL - Justin Moreno!

Mark Perletta: And with what a lot of people will consider a HUGE upset, Justin Moreno scores the victory over Loco Martinez, and now he finds himself in the second round.

Joey C: This guy absolutely doesn't deserve to be in the second round, and him being there demeans the entire tournament. Dave Hawkins is probably rolling over in his grave.

Landon Savage: First of all, Dave Hawkins isn't dead, and secondly, you're right, this was a horrible loss for Loco Martinez to take, and I don't know what's going wrong with this guy as of late, but he's certainly not wrestling as well as he used to.

Mark Perletta: I haven't had the chance to contact Dave Hawkins for his thoughts on the tournament thus far, but knowing what I know about him and having heard the stories that Rob Belote has told about "The Designated Hitter", I think Dave Hawkins would enjoy this tournament and the opportunity it is giving people to step up and make a name for themselves like he did so many times in his career.

The camera cuts to a shot of the ringside area, and then it switches over and shows the front row of fans. Sitting ringside is a man wearing nice slacks, a tight black tshirt, and a Motorhead jean jacket. Sitting on both sides of him are two men (four in total), all of them wearing dark gray suits with black shirts underneath. As this footage is shown live on the LEGACY Vision jumbo screen above the entranceway, there's a mild reaction from a portion of the fans in the arena.

Joey C: You know, I read something on the internet, but I thought it was just speculation. Looks like there might be a bit of credibility to the rumors that Jake Blaine has signed with LEGACY afterall.

Mark Perletta: Blaine and his entourage with front row seats, and I believe there's a good chance that the former boxing champion will sign a contract to compete here in LEGACY.

Landon Savage: This should be interesting. The guy has a decent win-loss record slugging it out in the U.K., but he's more of a brawler than he is a boxer. Should translate fairly well if he ends up on the roster.

The camera remains on Jake Blaine for a couple moments more before cutting to the next segment.

A dejected Loco Martinez limps along through the back hallway after his match, nursing the ankle he just reinjured. As he nears his locker room, a man walks past him. Doing a double-take, Loco realizes who the person was, and he calls out down the hall.

Loco Martinez: John!?

The man slows down, turns around and drops the hood from his sweatshirt down off of his head, and sure enough, it’s John Thomas. John slowly starts walking back towards Loco.

John Thomas: Hey Loc’, sorry about that, didn’t mean to ignore you or anything like that. Just got a lot on my mind lately…

Loco nods.

Loco Martinez: Yeah, sorry to hear about…

John cuts him off.

John Thomas: It’s whatever. Not the kind of thing I want to think about right now, ya know?

Martinez nods with a sympathetic look on his face.

Loco Martinez: Yeah. I called up the production crew to ask them if there were any other parts to your video journal of the trip up to see… up to Calgary, and they told me what had happened.

John nods, looking fairly upset.

John Thomas: Not the kind of thing I want aired. But anyway, I’ve got this match I’m headed to, so I’ve gotta run. Production guy had to remind me I was up next. Wouldn’t have looked good if I had missed the match because of something stupid, right? Your first round match, is it after mine?

Loco lets out a quick chuckle.

Loco Martinez: Already had it, I’m afraid. Moreno pulled off the win.

John cringes in embarrassment.

John Thomas: Sorry about that. With everything going on, I’ve not been able to pay attention to much lately. I certainly didn’t mean to rub it in or anything like that…

Loco Martinez: Hey, no worries, alright? It was a decent match though. Get a tape of it and see what you think. Who knows, Justin and you might end up meeting somewhere within the brackets if he makes it past the second round.

John Thomas: Will do.

Loco Martinez: Good luck out there. Give “Big Jimmy” hell, alright?

John nods and then heads off down the hall, and then Loco continues limping off in the other direction. About five seconds later, Justin Moreno comes up from behind patting Loco on the shoulder. A confused Martinez stops and turns around to see who’s there.

Justin Moreno: Hey man, you alright?

Loco turns, and looks down at his ankle.

Loco Martinez: Uh... yeah, think I just aggravated it.

Justin Moreno: Listen, I didn't mean to take advantage of your ankle. I hate winning like that but I'm in a position where I can't afford to lose… all because of that dumb-ass Marcus Marion.

Loco shakes his head.

Loco Martinez: Hey man, no worries. You didn't tweak my ankle. You fought a helluva match, and I came up short... *sighs* again.

Loco pauses and chuckles to himself.

Loco: J-Mo, I can understand where you're coming from. Nobody here likes Marcus, and speaking for everybody in the back, we all hope you kick his ass.

Justin Moreno: Thanks man, good to know that. Hey, you wanna go grab a bite to eat?

Loco Martinez: Sure. But, before we head out? I want the trainer to take a look at this, and I want to see JT's match.

Moreno nods, and the two exchange a pound.

Justin Moreno: Alright. I'll catch you later, then.

Loco limps down the hallway and as he approaches the trainer’s office, Smith Cartwright walks into the hallway, and as soon as he notices Loco, he walks towards him.

Smith Cartwright: Hey, just the man I was looking for! Glad I caught you before you left for the evening, though I sort of figured you’d be sticking around to see how John does in his first round match, and since that hasn’t happened yet, well, it was a safe bet you didn’t jet out of here right after your match. Sorry about that, by the way.

Before Loco can say anything, an eager Cartwright continues.

Smith Cartwright: So here’s the thing: the front office is disappointed that you didn’t make it to the second round like they had predicted, partially because the next show – the SuperCard – is taking place in Philly. Since you’re FROM Philly, we figured that the fans there would riot if you weren’t on the show, not to mention the fact that you’d probably riot if you weren’t booked on the show…

Loco interjects.

Loco Martinez: Actually with my ankle like this… I think they’d understand, and to be honest, as much as I’d love to get into the ring in front of my hometown crowd, it might be nice to not have a match, get a chance to heal this thing up properly.

Smith Cartwright: If you’re worried about not being able to perform at your best because of your ankle, don’t worry about it. I remember an AWA show back in the late 90’s where you went out there with a sore knee, a sprained ankle, and swimmers ear and you still put on a four star match and defended your Cruiserweight title. I’m sure that, especially with those Philly Fanatics cheering you on, that you’ll do great against Gryffin Anselm!

Loco looks confused.

Loco Martinez: Gryffin, huh?

Smith Cartwright: Yeah, we figured that a heated match between the two of you would be a good Christmas gift to your hometown crowd, and since he doesn’t have a match, it works out perfectly!

Loco Martinez: I’d really rather…

Smith cuts him off, a friendly look still on his face, thinking that Loco’s being nervous or coy.

Smith Cartwright: It’s not like the show’s next week, so go see the trainer, get some ice or heat or icy hot or whatever on that ankle, and if you absolutely CAN’T perform at the SuperCard, you have him let us know, but anything short of an X-Ray showing a broken bone… you’ll wrestle, and you’ll do great. Now I’ve gotta run, some more things to attend to before I leave tonight.

A grin still on his face, Smith pats Loco on the shoulder and then heads off down the hall.

Mark Perletta: The first two matches of the night were competitive bouts that could've gone either way all the way up to the ending of the matches, but this match was virtually all John Thomas, just like last week's match between DJ Cassidy and Cian Randall.

Joey C: Jimmy Smith is not exactly one of the top competitors here in LEGACY, so I didn't exactly expect that he was going to defeat John Thomas in this match.

Landon Savage: I remember back in SWA, Jimmy Smith was one of the least consistant guys on the roster. A lot of guys, you could expect a certain level of competition from them. You knoew what they were basically capable of. "Big Jimmy" had a decent amount of success, but there was never any indication of whether he was going to show up the next week able to fight his way out of a paper bag.

Mark Perletta: This match was definitely not one of Jimmy Smith's best outings thus far in LEGACY, though I think you have to attribute a considerable part of that to the fact that John Thomas was completely relentless in this match.

Joey C: I'm sure it had a lot to do with the results of his trip up to Calgary to see that "Diane" girl.

Mark Perletta: That's not something we should be getting into at this time. There were a few video diaries from John Thomas over the past few weeks, but let's not even allude to any of the video diaries which were decidedly not aired.

Landon Savage: What, like how his trip up there didn't turn out like he expected and how he should've saved his money? We all have to deal with tough situations, and John is hopefully going to learn from this one. In the meantime, he used whatever anger he got from the past few weeks, probably most of which was from that trip, and he put it to good use as he methodically attacked the shoulder of Jimmy Smith.

Joey C: I would not have traded places with Jimmy Smith tonight for ANY amount of money... though there are definitely other nights where I'd be glad to, especially if he's rehersing scenes with any of my favorite actresses in the adult film industry.

Landon Savage: I imagine that after tonight's match, Jimmy might have to go get his shoulder checked out to make sure everything is in good order. At least if he needs to take some time off he's got something to fall back on.

Mark Perletta: Let's not even get into all of that...

Landon Savage: Why not, Perletta? I hear you've done a good amount of research on Jimmy Smith's body of work outside the ring.

Joey C: In Marky's defense, with the women that Jimmy Smith has worked with, a LOT of guys have done an extensive amount of viewing of some of Jimmy's finer work.

Mark Perletta: How about we just get to the match footage, shall we?

Start : Footage from the Match

Lifting Jimmy Smith up off the mat, John immediately kicks him in the gut, doubling him over. After twisting Jimmy's arm around into a hammerlock, John then grabs the locked-up wrist with one arm, uses the other to lock him in a front headlock, and from there Thomas hits a swinging neckbreaker.

Mark Perletta: That modified swinging neckbreaker putting an extra bit of impact on the shoulder of Jimmy Smith as John Thomas drives his shoulder right down into the mat.

Landon Savage: One of the things I'm starting to like about John Thomas, which he's always been decent at, is that he's calculating. All match long he has been going right after that shoulder.

Unrelenting, John grabs Jimmy Smith by the same arm he has been working on all match and he lifts his opponent up off the mat. Looking for an opening, Jimmy steps in and goes for a hooking punch with his free arm, but John blocks it, then yanks down as hard as he can on the arm he's holding. From there John twists into a standing armbar, and getting behind Jimmy, leaps into the air and lands a dropkick right to the shoulder joint of Big Jimmy.

Not letting his opponent fall to the mat or escape, John gets right back in and grabs Jimmy's arm and locks him into the standing armbar again, this time stepping backwards and moving towards the corner. As Thomas starts ascending to the top rope, the excitement amongst the crowd starts to build. After John walks halfway across the length of the ring apron balancing on the top rope, he stops, and the crowd all yells "NEW SCHOOL", after which John hops off the top rope, driving his knee into the back of the shoulder of Jimmy Smith, riding it all the way down to the mat, finishing the move off with a foreward roll.

Mark Perletta: There's the move John Thomas calls the NEW SCHOOL, and that about does it, all that's left now is one of John's two favorite "finisher" moves, though after the NEW SCHOOL, we typically see the Crossface Chickenwing.

Joey C: And it looks like John's not going to wait for Jimmy Smith to get up...

As Jimmy Smith starts to work to his feet, John Thomas comes in behind him, grabs one of his arms, chickenwing's it back and yanks Smith up to his feet. John then immediately works his arms in and locks in the Crossface Chickenwing, and the fans pop with the swiftness that John gets the move locked in. Jimmy Smith tries to fight it, but John has him leaning back, so Jimmy has no chance. After John drops down to the mat, keeping the hold locked in and bringing his opponent down to the mat with him, Jimmy has no alternative but to tap out, and the referee calls for the bell.

Josephina Colbert: And here is your winner by SUBMISSION - John Thomas!

Mark Perletta: John Thomas with the decisive first round victory, not quite a surprise to just about anyone, and so he puts himself into the second round.

Landon Savage: This was the sixth and final match of the first round, the matches for the second round have been set, and I tell ya, John Thomas' match looks fairly promising for him, facing Diego de Cardenas, who basically lucked his way into the second round. After that we'll probably be seeing him get into the ring with Stephen Rawlings.

Mark Perletta: Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We do know the second round matches, so we can mention our thoughts on those four matches, but anything other than that - like trying to predict who's going to make it to the finals - is pointless, because just about anything can happen.

Joey C: So we've got Stephen Rawlings going up against James Win - a guy Rawlings called a "sidekick". Then there's John Thomas taking on Diego de Cardenas, as we mentioned a minute ago. As we learned last week, Tim Jones will meet Jake Dominion, and in a surprising turn of events earlier tonight, Justin Moreno defeated Loco Martinez to earn himself a second round match, where he'll face DJ Cassidy, who after tonight's main event just might be the Tao of Valor Champion.

Mark Perletta: Speaking of DJ Cassidy, Andrew Kelley got a chance to sit down with the challenger in tonight's main event for an interview.

The camera opens on a two-shot of backstage reporter Andrew Kelley seated in a chair in an empty locker room, facing DJ Cassidy, who is seated about seven feet away. Andrew has a notebook in hand and is wearing a pair of khaki pants and a black LEGACY polo shirt. DJ Cassidy is wearing a pair of jeans and a “Revenge of the Nerds” tshirt.

Andrew Kelley: On the latest edition of STRIFE, we found out that you were the next person against whom your tag team partner, Herb Moxley, would have to defend his Tao of Valor Championship against. How do you feel about getting this opportunity?

DJ Cassidy: I felt honored to even get the opportunity to go after a singles title here in LEGACY. I look at the ToV Title as a stepping stone toward bigger and better things in my future.

Andrew jots something down in his notebook as DJ responds, and then asks his next question, starting it before he even fully looks up from his pad of paper.

Andrew Kelley: Are you disappointed that winning the Tao of Valor Title would mean taking it from Herb, and does that impact the preparation you've done for this match or the intensity with which you are going to step into the ring?

DJ Cassidy: Yes and No. I mean, I'll be glad when I win the title, hypothetically speaking, of course, but I don't wanna kill this friendship with Mox. It has effected my preparation somewhat, but all I can do is treat it like any other match and do whatever I can to win this title.

Andrew Kelley: We recently found out that this was going to be an Ultimate X token match. Which of you do you feel that benefits more, and why?

Cassidy shrugs his shoulders as he begins to answer.

DJ Cassidy: To be honest, I've never been in an Ultimate X style match so I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge that this represents. I think I can give Mox a run for his money.

After nodding, Andrew Kelley continues on with his questions.

Andrew Kelley: Many people speculated that when Herb Moxley decided to fight Nicholas Creed at ADVENT EMPIRE for the Tao of Valor Championship, that your chance of holding on to the World Tag Team Titles diminished significantly. Did you go into the match against the Old School Kings knowing you weren't walking out with the belts?

It’s obvious that this question is a little harder for Cassidy to answer, though he keeps his cool.

DJ Cassidy: Well, I definitely didn't give up any hope of retaining, although the odds were pretty much stacked against us. We almost won and kept the titles... but you know the saying, "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We definitely had an uphill climb against a couple veterans like Jake Dominion and Eric Wolfson though.

Leaning in towards Cassidy as he asks, Andrew Kelley looks very interested in the answer to his next question.

Andrew Kelley: Do you resent the fact that Herb wanted to have two matches at ADVENT EMPIRE? Did it put a strain on your friendship at all?

Pausing for a moment, DJ Cassidy takes a few seconds to consider how to answer.

DJ Cassidy: I really don't know how to answer that because at least short-term, I didn't exactly understand why he would do something like that but I know I would have done the same so long-term, I can't blame him for going after the gold.

Andrew Kelley: Some people are speculating that tensions may boil over between you and Moxley during your title match on STRIFE 11. More than a few predictions are guessing that you might be the one who ends up snapping and resorting to some... shall we say "unsportsman-like" tactics. What are the odds that
happens?

With a confident look on his face, Cassidy responds.

DJ Cassidy: I can tell you right now that WON'T happen. We're still friends, regardless of the situation, and I will shake his hand win, lose, or draw. You can count on that.

Andrew Kelley: On STRIFE 11 from the Hammerstein Ballroom, we saw you win your first round match in the Hawkins Memorial Tournament. How does it feel to have made it to the second round?

DJ Cassidy: Well, I saw some old tapes Rob Belote has in his archive from CEWF, and I think I'm very similar to Dave Hawkins, except I'm not Canadian. We're both similar on technical ability and I hope I win this tournament and one day hopefully meet him in person.

Mark Perletta: In the pre-show meeting that the front office allowed us to attend earlier tonight, they all agreed that tonights show should be edited to show as much of this main event match as possible.

Landon Savage: There was every intention of trying to include as much of the action as possible, and as it turns out, we're going to be able to show you EVERYTHING that happened.

Joey C: It's not quite what you're probably expecting to see, but it sure was exciting. Let's get to the footage.

Start : Footage

With Herb Moxley already in the ring, D.J. Cassidy's music plays, and the fans all turn their attention to the top of the entrance ramp and wait his presence. However… the music starts to break. Static overtakes the music, and Cassidy's video cuts. Then… total black. Everyone in the arena stands around confused. Suddenly, a single flame shoots off of the stage, and a solitary pyro shoots from the ceiling, back down to the stage.

BOOOOOM!

A huge explosion. The opening drum rift of 'My Hero' by the Foo Fighters begins to play. The big screen shows… Dan Stein's video! As the fans quickly realize what's going on, and as Stein walks out from the backstage area, he's showered with boos. The camera pans to a poster someone brought in, "Stein = Cry Baby". Stein carries something in his right hand, and a microphone in the left. His pace is quick, but not determined. He looks pretty blank.

As he walks up the steps and ducks under the ring, his music fades away.

Dan Stein: "Sorry, Herb. DJ can't make it, he's a little… tied up at the moment."

Stein points at the screen. A shot of DJ Cassidy, knocked out cold, tied up to a chair.

Dan Stein: "I wanted this to be just you… and me."

The fans begin to boo harder as Stein unveils where DJ really is.

Dan Stein: "See, Moxley, when people talk about other people behind said person's back, said person doesn't exactly feel too 'buddy buddy' with the one who is talking… you dig?"

Moxley looks at Stein, obviously not backing down.

Herbert J. Moxley: "No… in fact that made absolutely no sense."

Dan Stein: "You talked about my situation behind my back, and I'm pissed at you about it. Once again, Moxley, you think that you know who I, Dan Stein, am."

Stein looks around.

Herbert J. Moxley: Wishful thinking, I guess.

Dan Stein: *mockingly* Wishful thinking, I guess. H-yuck!

Stein shook his head, and as his head snapped back, he quickly closed the two to three foot space between him and Moxley.

Dan Stein: "I don't give a shit, Moxley. I don't talk to other people about your shit, I ask… no, I fucking DEMAND the same respect from you."

Herbert J. Moxley: "Why should I give you one once of respect? What have you done to deserve it?"

Stein looked at Moxley, chuckling. He stepped back, and took a drink out of whatever it was in his hand.

Herbert J. Moxley: "Oh, Jesus, Dan. You're drinking in the middle of the ring? Who do you think you are, Conor McLellan?"

Stein looked at Moxley, laughing.

Dan Stein: "HAHAHAHAHAHA FUNNY MAN!"

Stein walked over to Moxley, putting his arm around Moxley.

Dan Stein: "See, that's what I liked about you, Moxley. You always make a joke out of everything that ever happened to you. You always just… laugh it off."

Stein's grip on Moxley's head tightens.

Dan Stein: "But I don't care for that anymore, Moxley. No… in fact, I hate that."

Stein's eyes pierced deep into Moxley's eyes, now turning blood shot. Moxley tried to slide out of Stein's headlock, but couldn't manage to do so. Stein chuckled, until Moxley elbowed him in the stomach. Stein released the hold, but before Moxley could get too far, Stein cracked him over the back of the head with whatever it was in his hand. Glass broke, brown shards fell to the ground. Moxley, too, fell faster than a bag of bricks. Stein looked down at Moxley, as the fans begin to throw things into the ring.

Dan Stein: "You insensitive little prick. You pathetic fucking RETARD. You don't go around flapping your jaws about my shit. MY LIFE. You don't FUCKING KNOW ME. NONE OF YOU FUCKING KNOW ME. But you do know something, Moxley, and that's that I. MADE. YOU. I made you, I made your fucking friend, I saved your asses left and right in TTW, and you can't even THANK ME FOR THAT. Because you're insensitive. You treat ME like you're so much better than me…

Stein pauses and intensifies his gaze towards Moxley.

Dan Stein: But you're not, Moxley. You're far from better than me. And just like the last time we fought, I'll show you, once and for all, that I am the better wrestler… and the better friend."

Stein kicked Moxley repeatedly in the stomach. As he stopped, he ran his hands through his hair.

Dan Stein: "I couldn't take Jen-X from you… I guess I'll just take that fucking title. When you wake up, Moxley, remember what you're looking at. It'll be the same damn thing you do next STRIFE."

Stein smirks, raising his arms in the air. He drops the microphone to the mat, and mouths his final words.

Dan Stein: "The Lights."