4.19.2007
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We open in a darkened arena. In the middle a ring is bathed in bright white light. Standing inside that ring the Champions of LEGACY standing in a "V" shape. On the right, The Syndicate, belts on their shoulders Gryffin and James are highly animated, hyping each other up, slapping one another on the shoulder, yelling, and nodding. On the left side Dan Stein rubs his belt, which is wrapped around his waist and leans casually against the top rope oozing confidence. Diego de Cardenas belts around his waist hops with energy. Finally in the middle extending the LEGACY World Title over his head, looking up towards it an obsessed glint in his eye, Marcus Marion. We slow zoom on LEGACY's World Champion and the opening guitar of Skrape's "Rise" explodes, and the champions of LEGACY are replaced by the rest of the Legacy roster. Hunger in their eyes. An explosion and quick clips of brawls begin to play. "I'm defensive never questioned John Thomas and Crash brawling backstage. X-Calibur nailing a clothesline. Issac Entragian slamming an opponent to the mat with authority. "I won't break down into weakness quick flash of finishers: Rocky Stellar's "Stellar Drop". Jake Dominion's "Ice Breaker". Cronos Diamante's "Countdown to Extinction". and capping it off with Marcus Marion's "Revolutionary Thrill". "I won't give up until the blood soaks my fingers A bloodied Greyson Blade struggles to his feet. "Rise up in the fold -- I'm saved " A Legacy referee raises Gryffin and James Win's hands in victory. Turns into Rawlings celebrating his victory in the Hawkins Memorial Tournament, and finishes with Dan Stein hoisting his Tao of Valor Championship above his head. A brief pause. A circling shot of Diego on the top rope. One beat and Diego launches off the top rope nailing his corkscrew plancha on Katsuro Yoshida. "The reflection in the mirror Loco walking away from Legacy cameras after his "incident" at Brick by Brick. "Though it may seem that I'm angry Gigantus Awesomo slaps Tim Jones. Jones pauses a second then returns the favor slapping Awesomo. "I won't give up until the blood soaks my fingers Quick cut to Finishers: X-Calibur's "X-Terminator", Dan Stein's "Lights Out", Justin Moreno's "Extreme Measures", Chaos' "Chaos Theory", and Crash's "Aero Zeppelin Driver". "Rise up in the fold -- I'm saved" We flash to that same opening shot. The Champions of Legacy. We flash again... and this time the rest of the Legacy roster stands over the champions shoulders. Hungry. The camera then cuts to the recap position. Tao of Valor Match
Strong Style Dragon vs Dan Stein © Mark Perletta: Over the past couple of months, exciting matches to open episodes of STRIFE have become quite a trend, and tonight’s SuperCard was no different. Landon Savage: With a massive TWELVE matches on the card, there were more than enough options of matches to pick from. Obviously the show isn’t going to start with the World Title Match, so that wasn’t really a viable option. Mark Perletta: Out of the eleven remaining possible matches to open the SuperCard, the choice was made to go with one of the men who has been a main factor for the excitement in the opening matches on some of the recent episodes of STRIFE – the masked man known as the Strong Style Dragon. And yet again, he does not disappoint. Joey C: Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s not give Dragon all the credit. I’ve yet to see a title defense by Dan Stein that I didn’t find just as exciting as any of Dragon’s matches. Landon Savage: I’ll agree with you on that, which is the main reason why I have been really looking forward to this match ever since it was booked, just as much as I was looking forward to the match between Stellar and Stein two weeks ago, but I was looking forward to this match not just because I knew it was going to be a good match, but also because I’ve been getting a little tired of the hype surrounding Strong Style Dragon, because frankly who has he been in the ring against in getting those wins of his? Mark Perletta: Not to take anything away from Dragon’s first two opponents - Johnny Patriot or Crazyboy, but Dan Stein is a proven commodity here in LEGACY, a guy who has shown over the past few months that he’s one of the top competitors on the roster, and so you’re right, Landon, tonight’s match was more of a measuring stick to show everyone what Dragon was capable of. Joey C: As this one got started, it was like a wrestling clinic in there, with those guys doing some chain wrestling back and forth, a seemingly endless supply of moves and reversals. Mark Perletta: Probably surprising to some, it was Strong Style Dragon who got the first advantage of the match, and he took the wise move of starting to wear down the champion and attacking his legs. Landon Savage: A guy like Stein, you’re not going to wear him down with the endurance he’s got, and so it was a smart move by Dragon to try to go after Dan’s legs. Joey C: Dan Stein being the competitor he is, he figured out that Dragon was going after his legs, he knew he had to do something, and so he made the move with the aid of a well placed eye gouge, and he took control of things. Mark Perletta: Strong Style Dragon didn’t give up, though, and he battled tooth-and-nail to get back in the match, trying and trying to put himself in a place to win the championship. Landon Savage: It’s the tallest order he’s had while on our roster, and how did the Strong Style Dragon fare? Let’s check the footage from the last half of the match. Start : Footage from the Match Dan Stein whips the Strong Style Dragon off the ropes, but the Strong Style Dragon ducks under the arm to reverse the whip! The Strong Style Dragon quickly brings his right leg up and down across Stein's wrist before flipping forward and driving his right heel into Stein's face! Dan Stein spills through the ropes to the arena floor as the Strong Style Dragon gets to his feet and points outside. Mark Perletta: The Strong Style Dragon is looking to take the fight to Dan Stein, on the outside! Stein picks himself up off the floor just as the Strong Style Dragon rushes to the opposite side of the ring and rebounds off the ropes. Dan Stein turns just as the Strong Style Dragon comes running off at full speed and throws himself over the top rope, twisting in mid-air to connect with a spiraling moonsault over the ropes onto the Tao of Valor Champion! Joey C: Did you see that?! Landon Savage: We sure did! Wow! Dragon gets to his feet and throws his arms out wide, soaking in the appreciation from the sold out crowd. Dragon pulls Stein to his feet and rolls him into the ring before sliding in behind him and hooking a leg!. 1... 2... No! Stein kicks out, and Dragon grabs his wrist and pulls him to his feet. Dragon sends Stein to the corner and rushes in! Stein avoids Dragon as he throws two knees up, and Dragon lands on the second rope with his feet instead. Stein quickly shoves Dragon by his lower back, crotching Dragon on the second rope, before grabbing Dragon by the neck! Mark Perletta: This doesn't look good for the Strong Style Dragon! Stein runs out of the corner and brings Dragon with him, with a dangerous running neckbreaker! Stein quickly floats over onto the Strong Style Dragon's chest for the cover! 1... 2... No! Joey C: Strong Style Dragon barely kicked out! Landon Savage: That doesn't seem to please Dan Stein any! Dan Stein is up and in the referee's face, arguing about the count, as the Strong Style Dragon slowly turns over onto his belly. Stein turns around and leaps up high, dropping his knee across the back of the Strong Style Dragon's head and neck! Mark Perletta: The attack of Dan Stein on that neck has been relentless since the early goings of this match! Stein keeps his neck on the back of Dragon's neck, while he grabs Dragon by the forehead and pulls his head backward. Dragon pushes his elbows under himself to create space between his body and the canvas. Stein pulls back harder and Dragon starts to worm his knees under himself! Stein pulls back on Dragon's head harder as he fights to push the masked challenger back to the canvas! Dragon kicks his legs hard through his arms, sitting on his back, as the Jacksonville fans start clapping in support of Strong Style Dragon. Joey C: Amazing muscle control from the Strong Style Dragon to get in a better position like he did! Strong Style Dragon digs his left elbow into Dan Stein's knee and pushes off of it, turning his body to get a foot under himself! Stein quickly releases control of Dragon's head and clubs him in the back of the head with his forearm! Stein yanks Dragon up to his feet in a front facelock and snaps him up, dropping him high on his neck and head with a snapping brainbuster! Landon Savage: This'll be it for the challenger! 1... 2... NO! Dragon barely gets his right shoulder off the canvas! Stein swings into a mounted position and starts hammering Dragon's face with his fists! Stein pulls Dragon to his feet and sends him off the ropes in a hurry! Dragon ducks the back elbow attempt, and grabs Stein's left wrist as he passes! Dragon uses Stein's left arm to turn himself and he runs up Stein's body to sit on his shoulders before snapping backward with a reverse hurricanrana, dumping Stein on top of his head! Both men are down on their bellies. Mark Perletta: Dan Stein just got sent over backwards onto his own head! Joey C: But I think that move took as much out of Dragon as it did Stein! Dragon pushes to his feet first and turns, catching Stein with a stiff forearm to the face! Stein responds with a blistering chop across Dragon's chest! Loco Martinez runs down the ramp toward the ring! Landon Savage: What is he doing down here?! The Strong Style Dragon responds with a headbutt into Stein's chin! Dan Stein responds with a right cross to the side of Dragon's face! Dragon is right back at him with a hard kick to the hip! Stein rushes Dragon unexpectedly and grabs him by the throat, taking him down with an STO and keeps his hand on Dragon's throat, choking the life out of him! Mark Perletta: Stein needs to control his temper, or he'll get himself disqualified! Joey C: What does he care? He'll keep his title then! The official reaches the count of four and then grabs Stein by the arm, pulling him off. Stein looks at him and the referee immediately goes to check on Dragon. Loco Martinez quickly slides under the bottom rope and grabs Stein by the left wrist, whipping him around into the Locapitator short-arm superkick! Stein hits the canvas hard, and Loco slides out of the ring and ducks his head as the referee turns to check, having heard the sound while checking on Dragon! Landon Savage: Loco just kicked Dan Stein into next month! Mark Perletta: I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, but the referee doesn’t either, as he was checking on Dragon and didn’t even see the kick! Joey C: You gotta be kidding me?! Someone needs to clue the ref in to what just happened! Someone get a clip of it up on the LEGACY Vision jumbotron or something!! Mark Perletta: There’s no “replay rule” here in LEGACY, so I don’t think that’s going to happen. Dragon gets to his feet, still visibly coughing from the choke, and looks down at Stein with perceived uncertainty. Dragon walks to a corner and quickly springs up to the top rope before leaping off and spiraling 360 degrees as he flips, with a Dragon Attack, right across Stein's chest with his back! Dragon quickly turns over and hooks the leg! 1... 2... 3! Mark Perletta: We have a new Tao of Valor Champion! The official signals for the bell, as the Strong Style Dragon rises to his feet! The referee hands the Tao of Valor championship over to the Strong Style Dragon, and he holds it high above his head, still unsure of how Dan Stein ended up on his back to begin with. Josephina Colbert: Here is your winner by pinfall, and NEW Tao of Valor Champion... Strrrrong... Style... Drrrragon! Dragon slowly rolls out of the ring, soaking in a few more cheers,
as Loco Martinez slinks back into the ring, staring down at Dan Stein.
Loco begins stomping furiously as the crowd's boos shake Jacksonville. Loco mounts Dan and begins delivering fierce forearms to the bridge
of Stein's nose, busting him open. Loco pauses admiring his handy work.
He notices the blood and wipes it off on his jeans, before getting right
into Stein's face. Squeezing his cheeks violently, a crazed look in
Loco's eyes. He grabs a mic and talks angrily through gritted teeth.
He pauses for a brief moment. Loco slaps Stein, the crowd growing more furious by the moment. Rob Belote: When you showed up tonight, one of the LEGACY road agents backstage saw you show up, and that individual contacted me to let me know you were here. I figured you’d do something like this, so I had a contingency plan all set up. I let various members of the roster know that their services might be needed more than once tonight… and I was right. From the back various Legacy superstars begin to walk and flank Belote.
On his right: Rocky Stellar, X-Calibur, Crash, and Fast Times. On his
left: Long Island Hardcore, Ron Bailey, Matt Towers, Hendrickson Tyler,
and John Thomas. Rob Belote: Fellas. Take your positions. The Lumberjacks head to the ring, Stein rolls out, continuing to wipe the blood from the bridge of his nose. Rob Belote: Loco? Your match? It’s.... NOW!!! Loco shrugs trying to play it "tough", but looking nervous
as the lumberjacks take their positions. He turns to Rob with venom
in his eyes. Loco Martinez vs Crazy Boy
Jospehina Colbert: The following contest is scheduled for one fall
and will be contested under Lumberjack Match Rules. Making his way to
the ring from Biloxi Mississippi, weighing 225 pounds.... TYRONE “CRAZY
BOY” SMITH!!!! Back to the recap position Mark Perletta: I, for one, not only didn't expect to see Loco Martinez
this week, but I certainly didn’t expect to call a match with
him in it. Start : Footage from the Match Loco drops a series of knees on Crazy Boy's torso, and finishes with
a stiff kick to his ribcage. Loco smirks standing overtop of Crazy Boy...
and begins grinding the sole of his Timberlands across Smith's forehead.
Two... Dan Stein. Stein smiles a "not so fast" smile at Loco and uncerimoniously dumps Loco back into the ring. The Lights following him in. Mark Perletta: Look at Loco crawling away from Stein, begging off. The crowd boos and a dazed Loco Martinez looks up from "covering"
Crazy Boy to the ramp where Stein smiles and points at Martinez. Loco Martinez starts to get to his feet and Dan Stein just shakes his head and walks up the ramp, headed back to the locker room area. Backstage
In the backstage area “The Ladies Man” Tim Jones emerges from a shadowy area with a beer in his hand. As usual he doesn’t stick to the same brand as this particular beer is a genuine Budweiser Select and last week‘s beer was a Coors Light. Tim’s wearing a solid pair of blue jeans, no fancy fade or stonewash, and a Buffalo Sabre’s Jersey. Tim turns the corner leaving the locker room area but he’s confronted with the frame of one Cronos Diamante much to his surprise. Cronos Diamante: Tim. What are you doing? Tim closes the gap between Cronos and himself just enough to reveal that the name on his jersey is none other than that of the Saber’s goaltender Ryan Miller. Tim Jones: Drinking a beer. What concern is it of yours? It’s glaringly obvious that the beer Tim is drinking at the moment isn’t his first by the look in his eyes as he stares at Cronos. Cronos Diamante: Concern? To be perfectly honest I’m concerned about your ability to do what you need to do in the ring tonight. I need to know that you have my back for at least this one night. Tim Jones: I don’t want to have your back. I don’t even want to be in this match with you. I don’t see what the brass is thinking, teaming us together. But I have to, don’t I? And you won’t even take my help when I offer it willingly. Cronos shakes his head and watches as Tim takes another sip of his beer. Tim is starting to notice the fact that Cronos isn’t happy about him drinking. And lucky for Tim, he has two more in his pockets. Cronos Diamante: I don’t want or need that type of help, Tim. It’s not - Tim cuts him off. Tim Jones: Honorable? Tim laughs and drops his empty beer can to the cement then opens another one while Cronos is solely focused on the dropped can. Tim Jones: Whatever. Why didn’t you just pin Chaos? It’s simple, Cronos. Cover him for a pin and win. Who gives a fuck about honor? It doesn’t pay the mortgage and it doesn’t buy my beer. Honor is - Tim goes to take another drink of his beer before Cronos grabs hold of his arm to prevent him from taking another drink. Tim Jones: - for suckers. Cronos Diamante: Are you calling me a sucker Tim? Cronos releases Tim’s arm and it seems Tim is finally getting the better of one Cronos Diamante. Tim knowing this, steps toward Cronos getting right up in his face. Tim Jones: Yeah. I am. And I bet you won't have enough balls to do anything - Tim chugs the rest of his beer and crushes it into Cronos’ chest then throws it at his feet. Tim Jones: - about it. Tim begins to walk away but finally Cronos has decided to push back at Tim albeit without any violence. Cronos Diamante: I’m impressed, Tim. You can crush a beer can against my chest. I don’t think very many men have the talent for that sort of thing. Tim Jones quickly turns around and shoves Cronos against the wall. Tim is visibly pissed off while Cronos’ calm and cool exterior has returned. Tim Jones: Listen to me you little, fucking prick. I did you a huge favor last week. You couldn’t have beaten Chaos and you know that. I took him out for you and you didn’t want to take the pin. You want to act like that isn’t honorable and he didn’t deserve to lose like that. How fucking noble of you. Tim takes a step back while Cronos steps toward him, still rather calm but not as much as he was. Cronos is pushed again and this time he almost falls to the cement. Tim Jones: Come on you fucking Boy Scout. Take a swing at me. You know you want to. Take a swing. You can have the first fucking shot. You might just have a chance at getting the upper hand since I have more than a few beers in me. Cronos finally loses it and shoves Tim against the same wall he had been pushed into moments ago. Cronos Diamante: A few beers, Tim. Only a few. And let me make this perfectly clear to you. I’m in a tag team match with you tonight. We are partners for 20 minutes. So you better be there when I need you because I’ll be there for you regardless of how much I disapprove of what you do, who you are, and what you stand for. Get used to the idea. Cronos lets go of him and steps back to distance himself from Tim. Tim Jones: I partner with no one in that ring, you just happen to a person that I can slap on the hand if I want to check out the ladies in the crowd. Cronos raises his pointer finger and damn near poking Tim’s eye out waves it in his face. The interference in the past couple weeks and the altercation with Tim at the moment is finally taking its toll on Cronos. Cronos Diamante: I swear if you mess this match up like you did last week and Chaos the week before that. I’m going to ask Rob for a match against you and Chaos next week, even if it has to be two on one. One way or another, all will be settled. Cronos turns and begins walking away, but before he’s completely out of sight he yells out. Cronos Diamante: By the way… Awesomo should be who you’re worried about tonight, not me! Matt Towers vs Tony Riggs vs Jake Blaine
Mark Perletta: After two opening matches which featured high energy individuals who use lightning quick strikes and aerial moves mixed in with submission technique to their advantage, our third match of the night couldn’t be a stronger contrast. Joey C: STRONGER being the operative word, Marky. Sure, Tony Riggs might have a few similarities to Dragon, Dan Stein, Crazy Boy or Loco Martinez, but Matt Towers and Jake Blaine really don’t. Jake Blaine has some quick jabs, but he’s more of a brawler. And Matt Towers, that guy is a powerhouse, plain and simple. Landon Savage: And it’s not like these guys were going out there to show what moves they could pull out of their arsenal, this match was more personal than anything, given what happened at our last show. Mark Perletta: What Landon is making reference to is the reason this match was signed. For those of you who might’ve missed it, Matt Towers interrupted the one-on-one match between Jake Blaine and Tony Riggs, beating the heck out of both men, leading to a no contest. Joey C: If I were Tony Riggs, I would’ve asked for a simple rematch, but that guy doesn’t seem to have as much in the brains department as he should, and he instead requested this match, showing all of us what kind of death wish he’s got. Mark Perletta: Early in this match, it looked like it was going to be a two-on-one situation, as Jake Blaine and Tony Riggs were teaming up to take out the big man. Landon Savage: It was Tony Riggs who had the idea for the double-team in the first place, but after they put Towers down onto one knee, instead of capitalizing, it was Tony Riggs who broke that teamwork pact as he then went after Jake Blaine. Joey C: Well this isn’t an elimination match, so it’s not like they could just eliminate Matt Towers and then focus on one another. No. At some point in this match, those two were going to each want to go for the win, and Tony Riggs was smart enough to go for it first. Mark Perletta: From that point on there was no more double-teaming going on. Who came out the victor? Let’s watch the footage. Start : Footage from the Match Jake Blaine lays some hard right hands into Matt Towers, rocking the big man backwards a few steps, though he doesn’t go down to the mat. When Jake takes a momentary break from sending in rights and lefts, Matt Towers steps in and DROPS Blaine with a huge headbutt. From there, Matt Towers walks over to the corner and stands there, catching a breather. Mark Perletta: The Big Mean Bastard sending the former boxing champion down to the mat with a headbutt, and I think it actually drew blood from The Hellion. Landon Savage: And Tony Riggs is looking to capitalize after getting up from the mat halfway across the ring. Seeing Jake Blaine laid out, Tony Riggs walks in and starts stomping down on his opponent, sending as many boots to Blaine’s ribs as he can despite still being a tad bit winded from before. Taking Blaine by the arm, Tony Riggs lifts his opponent up off the mat and sends him into the ropes. On the return Tony Riggs pivots and grabs Jake Blaine, lifts him up off the mat, spins him around… backbreaker!! Joey C: Hell of a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker there by Tony Riggs, and he almost seems to have forgotten that this isn’t the one-on-one match like was scheduled two weeks ago. Landon Savage: And it looks like Matt Towers isn’t going to let him forget… Before Riggs can do anything else to Jake Blaine, Towers comes in and nails Riggs with a huge clubbing clothesline, dropping him down to the mat. As Tony Riggs fights to stay in the match and works to get up off the mat, Towers grabs him by the neck, lifts him up high above his head… holds him there for a moment before turning and SLAMMING Riggs down into the mat. Joey C: FALLING TOWERS!!! Landon Savage: He looks like he isn’t satisfied with just one… Reaching down, Matt Towers grabs Jake Blaine by the neck and lifts him straight up off the mat, hoisting him up into the air, high above his head… he holds him there for a moment before turning and SLAMMING Blaine down to the mat next to where Riggs is already laid out. Matt Towers then drops down to his knees, putting one of his giant hands on the chest of each of his opponents, and then the referee slides into position and starts the count… ONE… TWO… THREE. Josephina Colbert: Here is your winner by pinfall... Matt ... Towers! Mark Perletta: And so after interrupting their match two weeks ago, Matt Towers gets put to the test to see whether his claims of being superior to Tony Riggs and Jake Blaine were true, and the results look to be conclusive. Joey C: Had Jake Blaine and Tony Riggs found a way to work together for the entire match, they might've been able to take Matt Towers down, but the Big Mean Bastard just has far too much momentum right now for anyone of Riggs' or Blaine's stature to take him out. Ringside
The fans reaction in a certain section of the crowd once again cuts Mark Perletta short, as Marcus Mirage is seen coming out through the crowd. Fans converge in the center of the aisle where Mirage is being led by an usher, all the while getting jeered. The usher double checks the ticket and hands it back to Mirage, pointing at an empty seat in the front row. Mark Perletta: What the hell is he doing now?! He’s an official member of the Legacy roster and has no business being out there like a fan. That ticket could have gone to a real fan! Mirage could've watched from the locker room for free! Joey C: Maybe Mirage feels at home with the Legacy fans. Besides…which of these people could afford a front row ticket anyway?! Landon Savage: That’s just ridiculous to even say, Joey. Mirage motions to the fans in the front row as if to say, “move aside”. Mirage makes his way to his seat, turns to the crowd, and holds that ‘other promotions’ world title up for all to see. The fans react with a resounding wave of booing while a few people start throwing trash his way. Mirage smiles and turns around…taking his seat while the ushers draw the attentions of the security crew to the individuals who were throwing trash. Cronos Diamante & Tim Jones
vs Gigantus Awesomo & Chaos Mark Perletta: Dating back to early January, various members of this match have been in encounters with one another. It started with Tim Jones and Chaos running into each other backstage which lead to a match between them. Landon Savage: All four of these guys were in the Opportunity Battle Royal at Brick by Brick, and that just continued to fuel things between Tim Jones and Chaos, as well as starting to add the others into the fire as well. Mark Perletta: We saw Cronos Diamante take on Tim Jones, a match that ended when Chaos showed up and a moment’s distraction meant for Tim Jones ended up costing Diamante the match. Joey C: And because of that, Cronos Diamante showed up at STRIFE 17 and challenged Chaos to an honorable match that took place two weeks ago at STRIFE 18. Tim Jones showed up and kicked Chaos in the jaw, knocking him out. Cronos Diamante saw it and didn’t want to take the win, walking out and causing a no decision. Mark Perletta: Well the front office obviously saw the bad blood between these four after everything that has happened between them in 2007, but instead of having a four-way dance, they decided to pair these guys up based on teams of least tension, and amazingly both of those teams feature pairings of individuals who have squared off in the past couple weeks. Landon Savage: There’s no way you could’ve had Gigantus Awesomo team up with Tim Jones, not after the backstage stuff between them recently. And you couldn’t have Tim Jones team up with Chaos, since there’s definitely no love lost between them. It came down to teaming someone up with The Ladies Man, and Cronos was the best fit of the three. Mark Perletta: Tim Jones and Cronos Diamante had a little chat earlier in the show, but that didn’t keep them from being able to coexist in this match. Cronos Diamante continues his string of honorable intentions driving his actions, and he stood beside Tim Jones as they battled it out with Awesomo and Chaos. Joey C: It was obvious, even early on in this match, that the individuals with the most hatred for one another were Tim Jones and Gigantus Awesomo, and every chance they got, they went at it, whether inside the ring or outside of it. Mark Perletta: All four men got about equal time inside the ring in this match, and all four men looked like they wanted to pick up the win for their teams, but since only one person could score the victory for their team, who was able to get the job done? Let’s take a look. Start : Footage from the Match When Gigantus Awesomo gets tagged into the match, he gets right in and goes right after Tim Jones. Jones gets a couple good shots, but Awesomo is an unphased juggernaut, taking Tim Jones down to the mat with a hard shoulder block. Tim Jones draws his knees in close and kips up to his feet. He then turns around and starts going after Awesomo, who lays in with some right hands of his own. Being the bigger of the two individuals, Awesomo forces Tim Jones to back up into the near corner, both men remaining on their feet. Sensing that Tim Jones might be at a disadvantage, Cronos Diamante reaches out and tags The Ladies Man on the shoulder, then enters the ring. Cronos pulls Gigantus away from Jones and then rocks him backwards with a hard right hand, followed up quickly by a second. Before either Cronos or Awesomo can do anything further, Tim Jones sends a kick into the gut of Gigantus Awesomo, doubling him over, and then Tim grabs Awesomo by the head and slams him backwards, down onto the mat onto the back of his head. Mark Perletta: Wait, Tim Jones isn’t even the legal man in this match for his team! Joey C: I don’t think he cares about that. Landon Savage: But it appears that Cronos does! Before Tim Jones can do anything further, Cronos steps in front of him and shoves him backwards a few steps. Diamante then turns his attention back towards Awesomo, but Tim Jones spins Cronos around and starts yelling at him. Cronos responds, and the two start arguing. While this is going on, Gigantus Awesomo rolls a few feet away and then gets up off the mat, stumbles backwards a few feet and then tags Chaos into the match. Mark Perletta: While Tim Jones and Cronos Diamante were fighting over which of them was going to get to do battle with Awesomo, Gigantus was able to make that argument irrelevant. Joey C: A huge missed opportunity, and I wonder what affect it’s going to have on the ending of the match. Seeing that Awesomo is now getting back out onto the apron, Tim Jones runs over and dives over the top rope, tackling Awesomo, both men crashing down to the floor on the outside. Meanwhile in the ring, Chaos comes over and tries to lock up with Cronos, but Diamante spins around and kicks Chaos in the midsection, doubling him over. He then follows that up with a muay thai style knee to the jaw which he follows up with an elbow smash to the back of the head that drops Chaos down to the mat. Chaos reaches up, grabs Cronos around the knees, twists around and drops Cronos down to the mat. Mark Perletta: Chaos getting a quick takedown on Diamante, giving him just enough time to be able to get back up off the mat. Chaos fires in with a hard right hand, rocking Cronos back a step. He then reaches in and starts choking Cronos with both hands, but Cronos fights back, wrapping his arms around those of Chaos and trying to pry them away. Not wanting to release his grasp just yet, Chaos steps in and drills Cronos in the nose with a headbutt, putting a halt to Diamante’s counter-attack, dropping Cronos down to one knee. Landon Savage: I bet that gives Cronos a headache and a ringing in his ears for the next week or more. Chaos reaches down to lift Cronos to his feet, but Diamante rises up and nails Chaos with a backhanded shot, then gets to his feet and puts a well-targeted roundhouse kick to Chaos’ gut, then spins him around and locks in a full nelson. Chaos tries to fight the hold, but Cronos has it locked in tight and there’s no way for Chaos to escape just by dropping down in his stance or trying to power out of it. To break up the hold, Chaos quickly backs up, drilling Cronos back-first into the turnbuckle. The first impact doesn’t convince Cronos to let go, but when Chaos takes a couple steps forwards and then shoves backwards and drives Diamante’s back into the turnbuckle a second time, that’s when Cronos decides to let go. Mark Perletta: Chaos wanting to follow things up… he turns… he drills Cronos with a hard right hand to the gut. Now a left. Cronos doubled over… Landon Savage: Chaos goes for the takedown attempt… NO! Cronos blocks it and starts nailing Chaos with forearm shots. A third consecutive forearm shot to the head from Cronos drops Chaos down to the mat. Cronos wastes no time in turning Chaos over onto his back, and he then locks in a full nelson again. Instead of just locking it in, Cronos switches around his feet into a Camel Clutch type of position and then arches Chaos backwards, still holding on to the full nelson. Mark Perletta: That’s the Ne-Han, Cronos’ favored submission move, and I can see why he likes it so much. There’s really nowhere Chaos can go! Joey C: Chaos is a tough guy, I don’t think you’re going to see him tapping out… Landon Savage: I don’t know if he’s going to have much of a choice, because I don’t think he’s going to be able to get out of it! Mark Perletta: The referee’s checking to see if Chaos is going to give up, but he’s shaking his head “no”. Landon Savage: If something doesn’t happen soon, Chaos might be seriously injured, all that strain on his neck… Joey C: Well Tim Jones and Gigantus Awesomo are still going at it tooth-and-nail on the outside, I don’t think either one of them is going to be getting involved. Mark Perletta: Chaos is fading, really feeling the effects of the Ne-Han… the referee checks to see if he’s going to give up… No response from Chaos… Landon Savage: I think this one is about to be over… The ref checks for consciousness… Mark Perletta: With both arms locked into that full nelson, he can’t check the regular way… The referee has to make a judgment call… and he calls for the bell! Josephina Colbert: The winners of this match as a result of a submission… Cronos Diamante and Tim Jones!! Landon Savage: So Cronos picks up the victory for his team, and Tim Jones on the outside barely even seems to notice that the bell has rung. Mark Perletta: You can bet that the front office is going to want to match up Tim Jones and Gigantus Awesomo in the ring sometime in the very near future. Backstage
The camera cuts to the back where Stephen Rawlings walking through the halls backstage. Suddenly Jimmy Smith steps out of the locker room wearing his wrestling attire, and Stephen Rawlings notices him, and then smiles and walks up to him. Stephen Rawlings: Hey Jimmy... Hows it going? Jimmy looks at Rawlings' confused by what is going on. Jimmy Smith: It's going... I have a championship match I'm heading off to right now, so if you don't mind finding me afterwards to talk, I'll gladly- Stephen Rawlings: Hey man... No worries! Your match is coming up... You’re focused... I feel ya man... I just thought I'd come over and wish ya good luck. Jimmy continues to stare at Stephen, not sure how to read whats going on. Jimmy Smith: Why? Stephen Rawlings: Because I feel it's important that all the wrestlers in this company know that there are people that care about them. That after tonight they will have a champion they can trust. A champion they can be friends with. A champion that supports all the good things about the company, including all the good talent. So I'm back here... wishing you good luck, not because I think you'll need it. But because I care about you and just wanted you to know that. Jimmy stares blankly at him for a moment... Jimmy Smith: You are one messed up individual. But thanks. He laughs it off and walks. Rawlings shouts after him. Stephen Rawlings: You’re welcome! Pass the message onto Pat as well! Stephen watches as Jimmy disappears. He then chuckles as the smile stays plastered on his face, feeling good about what he just did. He begins to walk through the hallway, but then stops as he turns a corner and sees Marcus Marion enter the arena, a simple Von Dutch trucker’s ball cap is what we see from the champ, with Nicole Rhodes supportively at his side. The video feed switches over to a cameraman located near the door through which Marion just entered to get a better view. His blonde hair which continues to grow more and more as every day passes is protruding a bit out of the cap over the sides of his ears. As the camera zooms in we can see that Marion’s skin picked up some golden brown pigmentation on his face and neck during his recent voyages. Marion wears a black trench coat, the World title slung over his right shoulder. Trusty Andrew Kelly notices Marion, walks over to him and gets a few words in edge wise. ANDREW KELLY: (Giving his watch a once over…) Mr. Marion a moment of your time please, I want to know and I’m sure the rest of the world wants to know is…why so late? Marion scans the unintimidating frame of Kelly, he responds in an offended fashion. MARCUS MARION: So late? On my watch, I’m right on time. Kelly gives Marion an inquisitively look. ANDREW KELLY: Yes, Mr. Marion, but your World title match with Stephen Rawlings is less than an hour away, and you seem almost unaffected by your lapse in judgment. The fans did pay to see a World title fight. Marion slightly annoyed responds. MARCUS MARION: And a World title ‘fight’ they will see. Lapse in judgment? Because I think that I’ll be back in the showers before my theme is over? Or is it because I’m not stretching, doing push-ups, all that filler, prelim stuff to “prepare” for this match like some people I know? News flash Kelly: Suicides and a Gatorade now is not going to put that idiot in any better of a position to win, if he wasn’t ready before, heh, there’s no way he’s ready now. I’m ready Kelly, after-all… I don’t have to beat him. He has to beat me. Kelly looks confused as he prepares to say something. ANDREW KELLY: True. But don’t you… Marion cuts him off, and motions him to come to his dressing room area. MARCUS MARION: Ah... you’ve said enough already. Come with me. Marion leads Kelly down the corridor toward his dressing room area. Marion walks in followed by Nicole Rhodes. Marion takes the mic from Kelly, bypasses the chairs, and sits on the cold hard ground. The World title on his lap. Nicole follows suit and sits down next to Marion, her head resting on the World title. The camera closes up on her to show a young woman with her nose pierced, just like the champion. MARCUS MARION: I was born for this. What Rawlings and the rest of you don’t understand is that this is in my genes. To be champion, World Champion, it’s in my lineage. LEGACY has it’s share of misfits and “superstars” - and I use that term loosely - but none of ‘em has got that big gold. I’m stinkin’ rich, I’m the face of the ENTIRE wrestling industry, and this belt….heh, even with all of that she still finds a way to spoil me rotten. Rawlings? He’s that little kid in middle-school that all the cool kids launched spitballs at and ignored while picking teams in recess. He’s gotten a little older since then, grown a couple of more inches, but the essence of who he is, and more accurately, who he isn’t, it remains the same. Marion strokes Nicole’s hair, as she lies on the faceplate of the big gold. The camera closes up on the sparkly gold. MARCUS MARION: He’s not a title-holder. And to be frank, he’s not much of a contender, either. He’s just a placeholder to be sent back down… flat on his face. The company is betting the farm on a gimp horse. It offends me on a deep personal level, and I’ll never take back anything I’ve said or done up until this point... This title? Rawlings needs to take a long hard look at it, because it ain’t going nowhere cause I’m a closet fan of superstition. I believed it when I was told one day that if you throw something out, and it returns back to you, that it was always meant to be. I’ve won, lost, and regained My Precious over here, so to me, that means we’re soul mates. We’re destined to live out this nice little life of lust and debauchery that we’ve built for ourselves. ‘Till death do us part. We’re penciled in to fill the same grave. Rawl… On that note Marion is cut off by an interrupting Rawlings, who has heard part of what Marcus has been saying as he walked up through the hall, and has heard enough. Nicole, startled, hops back instinctively. Marion with the back of his head on the locker looks up at Rawlings, his left fist clenched and he grits his teeth in anger. Stephen Rawlings: Alright Marcus... I've have enough of your goddamn bitchy ass attitude. It's starting to annoy the F*** out of me. Not because you keep ranting on and on and on and on and on about how you’re a born cheater... WHOOPIDY DOO. If I was born a man who had to cheat to win matches, I would be a scared little bitch too... But alas I’m not... I’m a pure bread winner... Rawlings holds up all the fingers on one of his hands, aside from his thumb. Stephen Rawlings: FOUR generations of Champions in my family... NONE of them failures. Do yourself and everybody else a favor and just shut the hell up for once, go into the ring, and prove to me that you’re not as much of a bitch, or as much of a loser as you've proven to me over the last two months you are. Go out there and BEAT ME... Prove that you can beat me, because I have already proven that I can beat you. We can all see it in your eyes. Marcus Marion doesn’t respond, just continuing to sit there on the floor, speechless for once. Stephen Rawlings: See you in the ring. Stephen Rawlings continues to stare Marion down as he backs up and heads out the door. World Tag Team Title Match
Fast Times vs The Syndicate © Mark Perletta: When the Syndicate first mentioned that they would be doing some research and trying to figure out who the next team to get a shot at the World Tag Team Titles would be, the two names at the top of most people’s lists were either Bushido Buntai or Long Island Hardcore. Landon Savage: Wait, let me guess what you’re about to say, Perletta. You’re about to say that no one considered Fast Times as their top choice to get the next tag title shots, right? I tell you what, people can’t imagine how much work the Syndicate had to do to determine who would get the next tag title shot, since the Old School Kings are unable to take advantage of their rematch clause with Eric Wolfson on the shelf. Do you really think Gryffin Anselm, James Win, and Hendrickson Tyler would waste their time and effort in this VERY serious matter by picking an unworthy team? Mark Perletta: They did mention that they see something promising in the team of Jimmy Smith and Pat Reynolds, and that the main thing those two needed was motivation to help bring out the very best in them. Joey C: And what better a motivator than a title shot? Mark Perletta: It pains me to say this, although I think Fast Times were not the best team to get this shot, I do agree in principle that the Fast Times do have potential as a team, and the motivation of a tag title shot did, in fact, make them more of a cohesive team, convincing them to train together on at least one occasion in the past two weeks, and the training showed in our match here tonight. Landon Savage: We can speculate all we want about who the top contenders SHOULD be, but we’ve got a match that took place tonight, so how about we get to that first and then some other day we can pick up this debate, shall we? Mark Perletta: With the number of matches we’ve got on the card here tonight, the show’s packed to the brim even with the third hour of programming the FX Network gave us tonight, so we probably should get to the match. Fast Times came out first, and on their way to the ring, Pat Reynolds looked a little nervous, as well he should, here in his first ever title shot. Landon Savage: The World Tag Team Champions weren’t nervous, though. They knew they were in for a good match, but those championship belts mean that they’re the top duo in the business, and they certainly weren’t backing down from this contest. The more confident team in this match, the Syndicate took control of this match early, setting the pace from the opening bell and making the quick tags, working over Jimmy Smith. Mark Perletta: When Racin’ Reynolds got into the match, though, he was able to use his brawling skills against James Win to turn the tide in the favor of Fast Times, and for the couple of minutes that followed, we saw the first glimpse of greatness from the combo of Jimmy Smith and Pat Reynolds in a tag team situation. Joey C: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Marky. Fast Times did alright during those couple of minutes against James Win, but when Gryffin Anselm got back into the ring, he evened things back up a bit. Mark Perletta: He certainly didn’t dominate like some people thought he was going to, though, and you have to wonder if that has something to do with a decrease in preparation for this match from the champions as they didn’t take this match seriously. Landon Savage: Bottom line: how did this match finish out? Were the Syndicate able to hold on for the win? How about we find out by checking out the footage? Start : Footage from the Match Jimmy Smith is whipped to the ropes with ease by the much stronger and heavier Gryffin Anselm, and Reynolds slaps Big Jimmy’s back to make the blind tag. On the rebound, Gryffin catches Smith with a gorilla press that wows the audience watching. Gryffin quickly drops Smith across his shoulder in a powerslam position but before he can slam him, Reynolds races in and connects with a big knee to the mid-section! In the process, Smith hooks an arm around his neck and falls back connecting with a falling reverse DDT! Smith quickly rolls out of the ring and Reynolds makes the cover! One! James Win is in with a stomp to the back before the referee can even reach two. Mark Perletta: Fast Times are showing much better unity here in this match-up than most people thought they were going to. Joey C: It’s a big match with big rewards hanging in the balance. Given the circumstance, a teenage garage band might have the same kind of luck. Landon Savage: Or they might choke and not be able to show up at all. Given that they’re facing the Syndicate, I’d say Fast Times are WAY over-achieving. Win talks a little bit of trash on Reynolds, but he fails in seeing Smith who has rolled right back in. By the time Win turns around, Smith connects with a big lariat that knocks the All-Star flat on his back! Taking a moment to swivel his hips, much to the satisfaction of all the female attendees, Smith grabs Win by the back of his neck and drags him to his feet, then tosses him through the ropes on The Syndicate’s tag corner to the outside. Joey C: Now what was that for? Talk about dirty under-handed tactics! Mark Perletta: Oh give me a break. The All Star and Anselm have been
cheating their way through this match since the opening bell. Mark Perletta: That was a devastating slam by Gryffin. Landon Savage: I’ll say. Gonna be hard for Mr. Racin’ Reynolds to come back from this. Immediately capitalizing on Reynolds’ prone state on the canvas, All-Star lays away with kicks to the head and shoulders that disable the challenger’s sense of ring awareness. Win, with a lot of energy and motivation behind him, quickly brings Reynolds to his feet but smacks him on the underside of the jaw with the bend of his arm in a nasty European uppercut. Reynolds reels back but before he can fall to the mat, Win sprints to the ropes that are facing Reynolds’ back. Using the recoil effect of the ropes, Win leaps forward, wraps his arm around the back of Reynolds head and drives it to the canvas with a perfectly executed bulldog! Mark Perletta: What a move! Joey C: Damn straight, Marky. Landon Savage: He could have this! He makes the quick cover! One! Two! This time Smith is there with a kick to the head, breaking up the pin attempt. Win curses under his breath as Smith once again exits to his tag rope. Win gets back to his feet and throws a nasty glare over at Big Jimmy, but not long enough to be distracted. Reynolds is brought to his feet again, and Win smacks him in the stomach with a short knee lift. Reynolds doubles over, and Win goes to the ropes again. Using the recoil effect rather effectively again, Win somersaults forward, catching Reynolds neck and twisting it down to the canvas with a jumping flip neckbreaker. He again goes for the pin... ... One! Two! Thr- Reynolds kicks out! With Reynolds seemingly out of it after the string of devastating offense, Smith starts slapping the turnbuckle and stomps the apron which causes the fans to clap and stomp in unison, rallying behind Big Jimmy’s tag team partner. Win mouths off some to the fans, while dragging Reynolds to his feet again, but while doing so he catches a stiff forearm to the face! And another! And another! And Another! AND ANOTHER! The fans get louder with each shot, and new life slowly seeps its way into the heart of Racin’ Reynolds. With the All-Star on spaghetti legs, Reynolds lets an adrenaline filled yell at the top of his lungs and runs to the ropes... where Gryffin was waiting with an extremely stiff kick to the spine. Reynolds buckles down to his knees on impact and winces in agony from the natural damage that sort of cheap shot would cause. Mark Perletta: Damn that Gryffin! Win shakes the cobwebs and slowly makes his way over to the corner where he tags in Gryffin. As Gryffin climbs through the ropes, Reynolds musters all the strength up in his body and dives across the ring where HE makes a tag to Jimmy Smith! Landon Savage: He makes the tag! Joey C: They both do, it’s on now! Smith and Gryffin make a beeline for one another, and fists start flying in equal portions. Left from Jimmy, right from Gryffin. Right from Jimmy, left from Gryffin. A fast and furious brawl seemingly emerges from the depths of this adrenaline-fueled tag team title match, and amazingly, the smaller Smith starts gaining the upper hand on the monstrously bulky Gryffin Anselm. Mark Perletta: Jimmy Smith just wants it BAD! Joey C: Ref! Forearms?! Hello?! Landon Savage: Uh, they’re legal Joey. Joey C: Since when? Landon Savage: Since like Hackenshmidt. Anselm’s stamina starts getting the best of him as Big Jimmy starts laying in the punches one after another, until he tries to seek refuge back in his corner. Smith follows him through, leading him by the shoulder with all his body weight into the ropes. Jimmy recoils off of the ropes and pulls on Gryffin who is whipped to the ropes. Gryffin holds onto Smith however, and reveres the whip. Smith quickly rebounds, and before Gryffin can use his muscle, Smith slides underneath the feet of Gryffin with his arms outstretched, effectively clotheslining the shins and taking Gryffin off of his feet and forward onto his face! Mark Perletta: What athleticism by Big Jimmy! Smith wastes no time and with Gryffin face down on the canvas, he wraps his arms around his legs and pulls back in a boston crab! Smith looks back at Reynolds and nods at him, motioning him to do something. With Win on the apron still gathering himself together. Reynolds enters the ring and sprints across the ring, dropkicking the All-Star off the canvas! Joey C: Come ON! This is BULLSH*T! As Gryffin screams in agony with the submission hold still applied Reynolds motions to the crowd for something. Reynolds climbs the second turnbuckle closest to Gryffin and Smith, carefully takes a few steps, four or five feet out along the ropes, and launches himself down on the back of Gryffin’s neck with a leg drop! Landon Savage: This would be the upset of the century! Joey C: COME ON GRYFFIN, SNAP OUT OF IT! Smith finally drops the legs of Gryffin, who looks to be out cold from the devastating double tandem maneuver. Smith points up at the sky, and swivels his hips, once again to the satisfaction of the ladies. Reynolds turns over Gryffin as Smith steps through to the outside apron and slowly climbs to the top rope. Mark Perletta: Looks like Jimmy’s gonna be Up... All.. Night! As Reynolds exits, Smith goes to leap off the top turnbuckle when a recuperating James Win jumps to the apron and pushes Smith forward, causing him to somersault forward all the way down to the mat! Landon Savage: Told ya he should’ve went for the cover! Joey C: COME ON GRYFFIN! The Champs aren’t out of this yet! After several moments and much rallying from the fans, both men get to their feet at the same time. Jimmy swings a fist first, but Gryffin instinctively ducks out of the way and knees Jimmy in the mid-section. Gryffin quickly gets Smith into position for a scoop up, as the All-Star sneaks around the ring to where Reynolds is standing. Gryffin lifts Smith up in a scooping slam position, holding him there while Win sweeps Reynolds’ feet and causes him to crash jaw first on the apron. After the seconds pass, Gryffin drives Smith to the canvas with a sit-out bodyslam piledriver! Mark Perletta: Damn it.. Joey C: YES!!! Landon Savage: Yep, a Devastator will do it. With Reynolds clutching what could be a broken jaw on the outside and Win using the ropes to slowly pull himself up on the apron, the referee slides into position for the count. One! Two! Three! Josephina Colbert: Here are your winners by pinfall... and STILL the LEGACY World Tag Team Champions... THE SYYYYYYYYYNDICAAAAAAAATE!!!!! Landon Savage: Just another example of the best tag team in our business today doing what they need to do to retain their championship belts. Mark Perletta: Can we admit to the fact that maybe, just maybe, Fast Times wasn't the most qualified team to get a tag title shot here tonight? Joey C: I dont' know about that... Jimmy Smith and Pat Reynolds performed just like The Syndicate said they were going to, stepping up to the challenge and having a much better outting than most people figured they would. Don't get upset, now, just because you were hoping the Syndicate would lose, Marky. No Limit Title Match
Isaac Entragian vs Diego de Cardenas © Mark Perletta: With one championship reign ending at the start of our show as the Tao of Valor Championship belt changed hands, everyone was watching closely to this match, trying to see if a second new champion would be crowned this evening as a result of this match. Joey C: Strong Style Dragon beating Dan Stein was something that seemed to shock virtually EVERYBODY. Going into this match, though, there were quite a few people predicting that the monster, Isaac Entragian, was going to prove to be too big, too strong, and too tough for Diego to deal with. Landon Savage: When you look at Isaac Entragian, it’s not hard to imagine him doing well in a hardcore match setting. Back when Diego de Cardenas announced that he wanted his shot at being the No Limit Champion, not very many people thought he was capable of competing for those very same reasons that Joey C just mentioned, but so far I think Diego has MORE than proven what he’s capable of doing despite his size. Mark Perletta: He has obviously used his speed to his advantage, but more than that, Diego has used his intellect to get this far, too. I don’t know how he did it, but somehow Diego managed to find a way to work the clause into the contract for this match that Isaac could not use barbwire, and so before this match even got started, the referee forced Isaac to unwrap his hand before the match could get started. Joey C: Definitely a great move on the part of Diego de Cardenas. It’s one thing to stand in the ring against a freakish monster like Isaac Entragian, but it’s a totally different story if that guy has his hand wrapped in barbwire. Mark Perletta: And as Isaac was getting the barbwire unaffixed from his hand part of it got caught, and with the momentary lapse in concentration, that’s when Diego de Cardenas got things started off, and he went at it quickly and relentlessly. Landon Savage: A damn good strategy, too, because using his speed and his technical wrestling talent, and his in-ring savvy to take the offensive, and there was nothing that Isaac Entragian could do about it. Joey C: And it was a beautiful thing as Cardenas was tearing into the albino circus freak just like he said he would, just like he had trained to do for the past two weeks. Mark Perletta: I didn’t get the idea that Isaac was regretting having picked to go after Diego de Cardenas, though. During Diego’s early control of the match, the only things I saw from Entragian were rage and determination, and as the match progressed, Isaac got a chance to take out his frustrations on Diego. Start : Footage from the Match As Diego de Cardenas works his way up off the mat, Isaac Entragian slams downwards with a axhandle smash to the champion’s back, and then with his other hand, he looks as though he’s going for an uppercut. Just after the point at which impact would have occurred, Isaac’s hand remains there, grabbing onto Diego’s neck and lifting him up off the mat. Entragian reaches in and grabs around Diego’s neck with his other hand and continues to lift Cardenas into the air, taking two quick steps towards the corner and then he launches Diego, sending him crashing into the top turnbuckle, which connects with the back of his neck. As Diego slumps down to the mat, Isaac walks over towards the edge of the ring. Joey C: What in the hell is he doing? Mark Perletta: He’s exiting the ring, but where’s he going and what he’s doing, I don’t… Oh no… this doesn’t look good at all… Isaac walks over to the steel guardrail and shoves a middle-aged man in the front row out of his seat, taking the steel chair he was sitting on, folding it up, and heading back towards the ring. By the time Isaac gets back up onto the apron and steps over the ropes, Diego de Cardenas is now back up onto his feet, trying to stand up straight despite having a bit of trouble doing so. Isaac slowly stalks around the ring, chair in hand. Purposefully slow and methodical, Isaac moves in behind Diego and slowly approaches his opponent, arching back with the chair, getting set to hit him in the back of the head. Just as he moves in and goes for the impact, Diego bends forward for a quick moment before throwing his legs backwards up over his head, nailing a Pele kick that connects with the chair, sending the top of it into the throat of Entragian. Landon Savage: One second he looks completely out of it, and the next moment he pulls off a gravity-defying move like that! The kid’s got skills! Joey C: That’s what I’ve been trying to tell people since he showed up here! A bit shaky still, Diego grabs and sets up the chair as if someone were going to be sitting in it, and then he goes over to the side of the ring, gets out onto the apron, and then gets to the top rope. There he waits for Isaac to get to his feet, and when the albino monster is nearly all the way back up to a vertical base, Diego leaps off the top rope, pulling his opponent’s head downwards, sending him crashing face first with a flying bulldog down onto the chair. Once he gets back to his feet, Diego walks over and tries to get the chair, but Isaac is laid out on top of it. As Isaac starts to get up, Diego reaches down and goes for the chair, but Isaac pulls it back from him. Slowly Isaac gets to his feet and swings the chair at Diego’s head, but Diego drops down and rolls out of the ring. Joey C: Smart move there by Diego de Cardenas to get out of the ring while that freak has a chair, because there’s no telling how much damage Isaac would do with it. Mark Perletta: And it appears that Isaac isn’t going to let him get away that easily. After tossing the chair to the mat, Isaac walks over to the edge of the ring, steps over the top rope and drops down to the outside, following his opponent to the outside. The champion sees the challenger coming, and as soon as Isaac hits the floor Diego hits a dropkick to the shin, then grabs Isaac by the head, lifts him to his feet and nails him hard into the steel corner post. With the monster struggling to get up off the ground, Diego walks over, gets Hannah Perez’s attention, and the two of them walk halfway around the ring together. Once they get there, they pull a table out from underneath the ring and set it up. Joey C: See, now things are going to get even more interesting. Mark Perletta: Both men spot what the other is doing, and they both appear to want to keep this match going, as they both get back into the ring. Diego gets back into the ring first, but on the side opposite him, Isaac isn’t far behind. Diego looks like he was going to try to attack Entragian before he fully got back into the ring, but he puts on the brakes as Isaac steps over the top rope sooner than expected. Isaac immediately looks for a lock-up, but Diego ducks under the attempt. Not wanting his opponent to regain control, Isaac swings a backhand shot that catches Diego on the jaw. Isaac then turns and takes a few quick steps and sends a hard boot to the head of Diego de Cardenas, knocking him down to the mat with a huge impact. Dropping down to his knees, Isaac chokes him for a moment, then suddenly stops and gets to his feet and starts walking around, stalking Diego. As Cardenas starts to get to his feet, Isaac reaches down, grabs the champion by the head, sets him up into a standing head scissors, then lifts him up off the mat, takes two steps to his right and tosses Diego over the top rope with a powerbomb, sending him CRASHING through the table on the outside. Landon Savage: Oh my God!! Mark Perletta: That’s the table that Diego and Hannah set up, and I don’t think they envisioned it being used like this!! Isaac gets a sick grin on his face, seeing the carnage he just caused, and then he walks over, steps over the top rope and gets out onto the apron. He then drops down to the arena floor and walks over to where Hannah Perez is huddled over Diego de Cardenas. Reaching down with his pale hand, Isaac grabs his opponent by the throat, lifts him up, pulling him away from Hannah’s grasp, and rolls him into the ring. As he steps up onto the apron, Hannah grabs him by the boot, trying to keep him from entering the ring. When Isaac turns his attention towards Diego’s girlfriend valet, however, she quickly lets go of his boot, and he enters the ring. Mark Perletta: Good decision by Hannah to not get physical with Isaac Entragian, because something tells me that chivalry isn’t one of his stronger qualities! Isaac lifts Diego up off the mat and slowly picks him up over his head. After hoisting him up into a gorilla press position, Entragian holds Cardenas up there for a moment, and then he flips him over so that Diego’s chest is facing upwards… only to flip him over on the way down, sending Cardenas’ gut crashing down onto his knee into a gutbuster. Mark Perletta: And that’s the Disembowler! Isaac drops down to his knees, going for the pinfall, and this one’s gotta be over… ONE… TWO… NO!! Having slid her upper body underneath the bottom rope, Hannah Perez reached into the ring, grabbed Diego by the ankle, and then pulled him out of the ring. Mark Perletta: Hey, wait just a minute… Isaac Entragian would’ve had that pinfall if it weren’t for Hannah Perez. Landon Savage: He probably would’ve had the pinfall if he would’ve, I don’t know, pushed down harder onto Diego to try to keep him down… or maybe hooked a leg. Something more than just kind of putting a hand on him. Mark Perletta: Lackluster pinfall attempt or not, Diego wasn’t getting up after that Disembowler… and he’s barely standing on his own as it is, needing Hannah Perez to stay up. Now hold on, where’s he going? Shaking the cobwebs loose, Diego says something to Hannah Perez and then points to the top of the ramp and the two start walking. Standing in the ring, Isaac looks confused as to what his opponent is doing, soon realizing that Diego is trying to ditch out on the match. Not wanting things to end this way, Isaac steps over the top rope, gets out onto the apron, and then drops down to the arena floor and starts following after Diego de Cardenas and Hannah Perez. Joey C: Isaac going right up that ramp, and he looks determined to bring Diego back down to the ring. Landon Savage: Isn’t this a No Limits match? I didn’t think a guy could get counted out during one of these matches… Mark Perletta: You’re right about that, Landon, but that doesn’t mean Diego or Isaac realize that. You have to remember, this division is still relatively young. And now that Diego sees Isaac coming after him, the No Limits Champion picks up the pace. Diego gets to the top of the ramp and immediately pushes Hannah Perez ahead of him, headed backstage through the curtain. Not going to let that stop him, Isaac gets to the top of the ramp and heads right for the curtain as well. A moment after he disappears backstage, Isaac Entragian comes falling backwards through the curtain, falling backwards down onto the steel entrance stage. The surprised crowd goes silent, not sure what happened, but they then start up a chorus of booing as Diego de Cardenas steps out from the back with a chair in hand. Joey C: HELL YES!! Mark Perletta: Diego must’ve gotten a chair as soon as he went backstage, and he knew Isaac was following him. He knew that the albino monster was going to be coming through that curtain, and when he did, Diego cracked him in the skull with that steel chair! After slamming the steel chair down into the monster’s face for a second time, Diego tosses it halfway down the ramp and yells at the referee, who was walking up the ramp to see what was about to go on backstage. Once the referee is close enough, Diego drops down to his knees, hooks both legs and goes for the pinfall attempt, the crowd booing him the entire time. ONE… TWO… THREE. The referee signals for the bell and as it rings, Hannah Perez steps out from the back, a microphone in hand, a smirk on her face, and she makes the announcement. Hannah Perez: Just like we said he would be… Diego de Cardenas is victorious here tonight and STILL the No Limits Champion!!! Mark Perletta: And although he does it in a somewhat controversial manner, Diego de Cardenas fights back the challenge of the much larger Isaac Entragian to retain his No Limits Championship. Joey C: Hold on, Marky, it's the "No Limits" Championship, not the "play fair and keep things honorable" championship. Diego did what he had to do to bring the gold back home with him, something that Dan Stein wasn't able to do tonight, and it's as simple as that. Mark Perletta: Maybe so, but you have to believe that Isaac Entragian probably isn't done with Diego just yet. Ringside Challenge
Back at ringside, "Welcome Home" by Coheed And Cambria hits
the P.A. system as the fans immediately erupt, knowing who's music that
is. We then see Justin Moreno emerge from behind the curtain making
the "X" sign across his chest with his arms before pounding
his chest and pointing out to the crowd with a smile on his face. He
has on a black LEGACY T-Shirt and black Adidas jogging pants with the
gold horizontal stripes down the side of the pant legs. He tags hands
with a few fans before sliding in the ring under the bottom rope. Adjusting the dead promotions World Championship title on his shoulder, Mirage stands up and reaches over the barricade, picking up the live mic Moreno just dropped. His actions are slow but fluid…there is an immense confidence to every move he makes. Turning to the fans behind him, Mirage feigns a backhand at them causing them to back off a step. Slowly lifting the mic to his lips, Mirage finally breaks the silence. Mirage: Hey. Hey! Moron-o. Joey C: Hahaha, he just called him Moron-o! Mark Perletta: Yea, that’s really funny, guys…really funny. During his ascent up the ramp, Moreno hears Mirage calling out, and so he stops and turns around. Mirage: Yea…you, Moron-o. I’m talkin’ to you. What, you think I wasn’t gonna respond?! You wanna know why I’m not backstage with the rest of this “roster”?! You wanna talk wrestling cliché about big fish in ponds up in Vegas or new ponds backstage here in Legacy?! I’m out here with these fans because as far as I’m concerned, what you guys got back there ain’t fish in a pond…it’s dead fish floating in a cesspool. The negative reaction starts slowly but increases significantly and quickly. Moreno looks to be offended, but not necessarily surprised. Mark Perletta: Oh my! Is this guy trying to start a war with the entire Legacy roster or what?! Listen to the negative reaction… Joey C: I don’t know what the hell he’s up too, but I like it! Mirage: I’ve been backstage at a Legacy show before… it’s no different from any other wrestling promotion out there. A bunch of two-faced, bullshit spewing, backstabbing motherfuckers that’ll wait for you to turn your back and shank ya while twistin’ the blade. People hate me because I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m out for ME. They hate me because they aren’t smart enough to know when I’m being honest…or when I’m lying through my teeth. Moron-o, this ain’t about a bunch of inferior r-tards yucking it up in the back that think they’re defending the good name of Legacy. This is about me *knowing* I’m better than anything this stupid promotion has to offer… and if it weren’t for the words on the back of this ticket saying “fans entering the barricaded section of the arena or playing field are subject to arrest”, I’d hop this guardrail and kick the livi... The remainder of Mirage’s words are easily drowned out by the fans reaction to Mirage dodging the challenge from Moreno. This draws an arrogant smirk to Mirage’s face…as he got the exact reaction he was looking for. Mark Perletta: Th-that’s ridiculous! Mirage is a member of the Legacy roster and he’s clearly hiding behind his “ticket”! Joey C: Mirage is right, I’ve read those tickets and he’d get arrested…you and all these fans would like that, wouldn’t ya, Marky?! Landon Savage: Would you two shut it…look at this, security isn’t allowing Moreno access back down the rampway. They’ve actually blocked his way! Joey C: As they should…those monkeys are finally doing the job their paid to do! Mirage is a fan, not a wrestler, and we can’t have out of control wrestlers like Moron-o attacking our fans! Knowing that he’s not going to get past the security guards in his way, Justin Moreno resigns himself to catching up with Mirage some other time, and he walks backwards up the ramp, keeping his eyes glued to the most famous person sitting in the front row. Mark Perletta: He’s not exactly just a fan, Joey, but tonight, he’s using that as an excuse to remain on the other side of the barricade. Joey C: Oh yeah?! And all of this, what’s this all about? What’s Justin Moreno’s excuse for coming out here and trying to get Mirage in the ring? Mark Perletta: I think he made that pretty clear… Joey C: Damn right he did, he made it perfectly clear, to anyone listening. He is yet again stepping up to someone he’s not qualified to be in the ring with. This is just some crazy attempt to further try to prove himself to Marcus Marion. Mark Perletta: I doubt that seriously. Justin Moreno has just as might right to be offended and angered by what Marcus Marion has been doing as anyone, and to insinuate that he’s only doing this because he wants something to put on his resume to help him prove he’s qualified to get back into the ring with Marcus Marion after the ordeal that went down between them 18 months ago… Landon Savage: It’s definitely a possibility, but honestly, I don’t think Justin Moreno is smart enough to realize that’s what he’s subconsciously doing. The kid should consider himself lucky, though. Both Marcus’ – Marion and Mirage – would put him back on the shelf if and when he’d get into the ring with either of them. Mark Perletta: A lot of people would disagree with that assessment. Justin Moreno’s style might not be traditional, but the kid’s got talent, and I think he’d fare well against either one of them… or just about anyone else, for that matter. Long Island Hardcore vs Bushido Buntai
Mark Perletta: Ever since they arrived on the LEGACY scene back in June of last year, the Bushido Buntai have been working to establish themselves as international superstars, but for a while they experienced difficulties in translating the success they had while competing in Japan to success here in the United States. Landon Savage: They thought they had fixed the problem when they brought over Osamu Hayashi’s girlfriend, but they could not foresee the next issue that would arise. Joey C: That “issue” happens to be one of the most cohesive and talented tag teams in the business today. When Long Island Hardcore was signed to the LEGACY roster, they wanted to make sure they started off on the right foot as they set out to prove themselves to be the top tag team in the company. Unike so many failed teams have attempted in vain, CJ Nelson and Jared Walsh didn’t start at the top. They wanted to start at the bottom, clearing themselves a path first. Mark Perletta: Whatever their reasons, Long Island Hardcore chose the Bushido Buntai as their first targets, announcing their arrival AND their intentions at Brick by Brick when they eliminated Osamu Hayashi from the Opportunity Battle Royal. Landon Savage: And now we get the chance to see them square off against one another in the middle of the ring, and when I saw how intense and concentrated each of the two teams looked when they made their respective entrances, I knew this match was going to be a “nonsense aside” battle, and I couldn’t have been more right. Mark Perletta: Things got started out quickly, with the smaller, more agile members of each of the two teams going at it. It was back and forth between Jared Walsh and Osamu Hayashi, with Walsh taking the early advantage, but then losing it not long after as he went for an outside-in flip over the top ropes, hoping to land a body splash on Hayashi, but the Bushido Buntai member moved out of the way. Joey C: Walsh went for that high risk maneuver and it cost him the offensive, but at least he went for an impactful move. Nothing that Osamu Hayashi was doing really appeared to be geared towards trying to incapacitate Walsh. Landon Savage: His offense seemed to be geared towards trying NOT to lose the match, which doesn’t always seem to get anyone closer to the goal of winning a match. Mark Perletta: I think Katsuro Yoshida was of the same opinion, and that’s why he got Osamu to tag him into the match, and that’s when things really started to progress at a good pace. Katsuro went full steam ahead, right at Jared Walsh, and in doing so he certainly inflicted some damage, but he also allowed CJ Nelson to get into the match. Joey C: That was my favorite part of the match, too, whenever Katsuro Yoshida and CJ Nelson were in the ring against one another. They’re both strong guys, not like the spot-monkey tag team partners they team up with, and just about everything they do inside that ring looks like it would cause normal people to be bed-ridden for at least a couple of days. And not only can they dish out the punishment, but they can absorb it and keep right on fighting, too. Landon Savage: To be honest, seeing Osamu Hayashi fight CJ Nelson and to see Jared Walsh taking on Katsuro Yoshida, that wasn’t bad either. It was an all-around fun match to watch, and I think we may as well get on to the footage… Start : Footage from the Match CJ Nelson picks Osamu Hayashi up off the mat, lifting him over his head and launching him halfway across the ring with a gorilla press. As Osamu gets up off the mat, CJ Nelson runs in and goes for a Yakuza Kick, but Hayashi ducks underneath it and pops back up behind his opponent. The Bushido Buntai member nails a kick to the back of Nelson’s knee, dropping him down to a painfully awkward position, though he doesn’t stay there long. Osamu grabs Nelson by the leg and pulls him backwards towards the middle of the ring before lifting part of Nelson’s body up off the mat by his ankle and then he SLAMS CJ’s knee down into the mat. Not letting go, Hayashi lifts Nelson’s leg up for a second time and for a second time drives the knee of his opponent down into the mat. From there he spins around and locks in a single leg Boston Crab. Mark Perletta: Good strategy there by Osamu Hayashi to go after that knee of CJ Nelson, and if he can weaken one of Nelson’s wheels, he and Katsuro Yoshida stand a much better chance of winning this match. Landon Savage: I think I spot another problem coming…! Mark Perletta: Just when Osamu was getting the advantage for his team, Jared Walsh comes into the ring illegally and takes Osamu Hayashi down to the mat with a flying face-plant bulldog! Landon Savage: Had Osamu locked on a move where he could keep an eye on his opponents, that wouldn’t have been a problem, Perletta. The inexperience against dishonorable teams like Long Island Hardcore could be a big problem that the Bushido Buntai need to rectify if they want to have any sort of long term success here in the United States, because not every team abides by the rules like the teams over in Japan. Mark Perletta: I don’t think ALL the teams in Japan are honorable, but I do know what you’re saying. As Jared Walsh gets up to his feet after taking Osamu Hayashi down to the mat and breaking up the single leg submission hold, the referee starts yelling at him to get back to his corner. Before Walsh can move a foot, however, Katsuro Yoshida reaches underneath the bottom rope, grabs Jared’s ankle and pulls backwards, dropping Walsh down face-first onto the mat before Katsuro pulls him out of the ring underneath the bottom rope. As soon as Jared is on his feet on the outside, Yoshida nails him with a strike to the throat, then a knife-edge chop to the chest that levels the Long Island Hardcore member down to the arena floor, much to the crowd’s appreciation. Landon Savage: I’m starting to think that maybe it’s just Osamu Hayashi who needs to figure things out, because Katsuro Yoshida seems to know what he’s doing. Mark Perletta: Their entire time in this organization, it has been Osamu Hayashi who has struggled while Katsuro Yoshida has actually fared quite well. He does a good job of making sure that, at least for the next couple minutes, Jared Walsh won’t have any significant impact on this match. Joey C: What he SHOULD be doing is getting into that ring to do a little Bushido Double Team stuff to make up for what his opponents just did, but that doesn’t look like his style. As Katsuro Yoshida hops back up onto the apron to watch how things transpire in the ring, he sees Osamu get back up first, and as Nelson gets up, he takes a quick step forward and nails a headbutt to the gut of Hayashi, stunning him for a moment. CJ gets to his feet and hits the ropes to gain some momentum, and on the return he goes for a clothesline, but Hayashi ducks underneath it, turns and nails a lotus kick that takes Nelson backwards, over the ropes and out of the ring. Not wasting any time, Osamu goes to the top rope, and as soon as CJ is back up to his feet on the outside, Hayashi comes off the top with an double-axhandle attempt, but Nelson nails him in the gut as he comes down, and both men crash down to the arena floor. Mark Perletta: High risk maneuver there by Osamu Hayashi doesn’t appear to have the desired affect, and now we’ve got two guys on the outside who are struggling to get back to their feet. Joey C: And you know who wants to join the party? The man who just got back to his side of the ring, and here comes Jared, getting involved again….! Having seen what happened as he returned to his side of the ring, Jared Walsh slides into the ring without even returning to the apron, runs and propels himself over the top rope to the outside, crashing down onto Osamu Hayashi and CJ Nelson, taking out both of them in a display that excites the crowd. Jared gets up first, followed by CJ Nelson, who doesn’t look extremely happy that Walsh just took him down too. Both of them grab Hayashi and in a joint effort, toss him into the ring underneath the bottom rope. Nelson quickly gets back up onto the apron and then back into the ring, immediately landing an elbow drop down into the middle of Osamu’s back. Lifting him up off the mat, CJ Nelson takes Hayashi by the wrist and irish whips him into the far corner, running in a few feet behind him to follow it up. Osamu somehow finds a way to slow himself down enough to where not only does he not hit the corner, but when he gets to the corner, he uses the ropes to propel himself backwards, sending his feet backwards like a missile, nailing CJ Nelson in the gut, knocking him down to the mat in the process. Landon Savage: He’s going to be feeling that one for the next few days… Mark Perletta: Osamu Hayashi with a big opportunity here, and he needs to make the tag in to Katsuro Yoshida. He starts crawling, trying to get up off the mat but wanting to make progress towards his corner, wanting to get there before anything can stop him. Joey C: Nelson starts to get up, Osamu’s time is running short here… CJ grabs Osamu by the ankle… Mark Perletta: Hayashi reaching out, he’s almost there… OH! Osamu Hayashi spins around and nails Nelson with an enzuigiri, and that’ll break Nelson’s hold on his ankle! And there’s the tag in to Katsuro Yoshida! As soon as Katsuro Yoshida gets into the ring, he stomps down onto the back of CJ Nelson, then pulls back both of Nelson’s arms and lifts him up to his feet. Locking him into a full nelson first, Katsuro then dragon suplexes CJ backwards, twisting around right after the impacting move and covering Nelson for the pinfall attempt… …1 …2 NO! Mark Perletta: Who would’ve guessed… Jared Walsh again enters the match illegally to stop the count. Landon Savage: That was a good idea on his part, because after the enzuigiri and then the dragon suplex, CJ Nelson might’ve been down for the count on that one. The referee forces Jared Walsh backwards, trying to get him to leave the ring. When he finally goes out onto the apron, though, Walsh climbs to the top turnbuckle. As the referee tries to yell at him to come down, Jared simply jumps over him, going for a dropkick on Katsuro, but Yoshida rolls away from it. As soon as Katsuro gets back to his feet, however, Nelson takes him down hard with a clothesline that turns him inside out. Nelson stands over Katsuro and lays into him with a boot to the head before he drops down to the mat and starts choking him. A wave of excitement rolls through the crowd as Hayashi gets into the ring and nails a spinning heel kick that takes Nelson off his feet. Jared Walsh gets into it with Osamu Hayashi. Mark Perletta: I don’t envy the referee right now, having to deal with all this mayhem here in the ring. It’s got to be a hard job that I… wait a minute, that’s Trent Logan coming down the isle, and Domination are a couple yards a head of him! Landon Savage: Now THIS is going to be GOOD! When Venom gets to the bottom of the ramp, he reaches into the ring underneath the bottom rope, grabs CJ Nelson by the leg and pulls him down to the mat and out of the ring. Taking him by the arm, he irish whips him towards the ramp, and a charging Rage clotheslines him down to the arena floor. After a couple good stomps by both members of Domination, they pick Nelson back up off the mat and slide him back into the ring before anyone notices what happened. The referee, who just got both Walsh and Hayashi to leave the ring, looks over to find Nelson laid out and Katsuro Yoshida slowly working his way back to his feet. When the Bushido Buntai member sees CJ on his back, he decides to try to gain the offensive as quickly as possible, and after picking him up off the mat, Katsuro DRIVES CJ Nelson down into the mat with an implant DDT, then reaches back, hooks the leg and goes for the pinfall… ONE! TWO! THREE!! Josephina Colbert: And the winners of this match by pinfall… Osamu Hayashi and Katsuro Yoshida… the Bushido… Buntai!! Mark Perletta: The Bushido Buntai pick up the victory here in Jacksonville, but I don't think they realize that they got a huge assist from Domination. Joey C: First of all, you're right, I don't think they realize that either, but secondly, I think it's a damn shame that Dominion decided to get involved in the first place! We were seeing a damn good tag team match, a match that I believe Long Island Hardcore was going to win, and then those two... meat-heads get involved? It's total crap! Landon Savage: I can't wait to see the fallout from this one, because if it means that we get to see Long Island Hardcore go up against Domination... well then that would be a good thing. Hendrickson Tyler vs Jake Dominion
Mark Perletta: In one way or another, Jake Dominion has been at odds with the Syndicate for quite some time now, whether it be Gryffin Anselm, James Win, or Hendrickson Tyler. And at Brick by Brick, the straw that broke the camel’s back took place. Joey C: Yeah, when the Syndicate not only took the World Tag Team Titles from the Old School Kings, but then when they attacked them backstage and assured that the Old School Kings would not be able to enact their rematch clause anytime in the near future by shattering the ankle of Eric Wolfson. Landon Savage: And so things became extremely personal for Jake Dominion, and I respect his abilities just as much as anyone else’s, but going at this on his own…. One man against the entire Syndicate… and he’s taking it upon himself to take them out, starting with Hendrickson Tyler, and it’s complete suicide. Mark Perletta: Whether or not he’ll make it through the entire Syndicate or not on his own, we’ll have to wait and see, but he chose to start with Hendrickson Tyler, and tonight, in this match, that’s who he was facing. Landon Savage: I knew this match was going to be intense, I knew that Jake Dominion was going to show up and want to absolutely tear into Hendrickson Tyler, but there’s no chance that the tallest member of the Syndicate was going to just lay down for him just because Jake has a vendetta. Joey C: He may be a tag team specialist, but Hendrickson Tyler is a world class competitor who demands respect inside that ring, and this match was no exception to that. Coming into this match, everyone was expecting that Jake Dominion would make short work of Hendrickson Tyler, but that didn’t exactly happen, now did it? Mark Perletta: Very early on in the match, the offensive WAS all Jake Dominion, but a couple minutes in, Hendrickson Tyler turned the tides and got things back to a more even footing, back to square one. Landon Savage: You’re damn right he did, and after some of the hard shots Jake Dominion took from Hendrickson Tyler starting as soon as Tyler got back into this match. Joey C: You know what? Instead of talking about it, I just want to watch the match. Let’s hit the footage. Start : Footage from the Match With Jake Dominion on his shoulder in position for a running powerslam, Hendrickson Tyler points to the turnbuckle closest to the aisle way. Taking a few giant steps towards the turnbuckle, Hendrickson pushes up on Jake’s body and lets him free fall off of his shoulder into the thin padding face first with a snake eyes... but Jake catches himself by landing both feet on the bottom ropes and both hands on the top ropes! Mark Perletta: What agility! Joey C: Holy crap! Jake hooks his arm around Tyler’s neck, squeezes... and DROPS him with a falling reverse DDT! Landon Savage: This one could be over! Jake with the cover! One! Two!! Hendrickson kicks out! Mark Perletta: Great falling reverse DDT by Jake. That whole sequence was awe inspiring. Landon Savage: Agreed. Jake slowly drags the big man to his feet, but Tyler swats Jake away instinctively. Jake backs it up a few feet, which gives Hendrickson plenty of room to swing his big left boot up in the air. The crafty veteran inside Jake Dominion was ready for it though as he sidesteps it. Jake shoulders the back of Hendrickson’s knee and looks at the audience as if he’s asking for their approval for something. Hendrickson and Dominion go nose to nose for a moment with Jake talking a bit of smack, but out of nowhere Jake uses some of that unpredictable quickness of his and spins around in a crouched position, sweep kicking Tyler’s other leg out from underneath him! Hendrickson lands hard on his back, and Jake wraps his arm around the leg he was just shouldering. With all his might, he steps over the back of his opponent, successfully turning him over into a half-crab. He uses both of his arms to hold the near seven-footer’s large tree trunk of a leg in a high angled position as the member of the Syndicate writhes in agony below him. Joey C: Come on Tyler! You were looking fantastic in this match up until now... Mark Perletta: Jake is using some of that veteran skill of his right here, folks.Landon Savage: He absolutely is, Mark. When you got a big man the likes of Hendrickson, the ole “Chop ‘im down to size.” ploy always works best. The referee continually asks Hendrickson if he wants to give up, but Tyler refuses to give into the pain. After about a minute and a half, Tyler uses his brute strength to pull himself a couple inches towards the bottom rope, where he simply outstretches his long arm to cause the ref to make the count and Jake to break the hold. Jake lets go on four, adding added damage to the painful maneuver. The referee admonishes the former LEGACY World Tag Team Champion, and Jake just nods his head as if to say, “Yeah, I know.” Mark Perletta: Jake has never been the type to shy away from bending the rules if it gets the job done. Joey C: Bending? Try breaking, Marky. Landon Savage: Whichever, really. Jake’s a former champion... he knows how to get the job done. Jake throws some stiff kicks to the leg that was crabbed. Three, four, five, six kicks later, Jake senses the opportunity growing nearer as he continues to work on the left leg. Clutching it in front of him by the back of Tyler’s ankle, Jake momentarily steps forward on Tyler’s right leg and then pushes off, almost yanking it out of its socket while flipping forward onto the mat. Hendrickson tries to get up off of the mat, but Jake pushes him back down an grabs the leg again, repeating the “leg yanking” process again. Hendrickson cries out in pain, and Dominion drops an elbow square in the knee for good measure. Mark Perletta: I’ve never seen Jake work a body part like he is in this match. He’s usually the “quick KO” type. Landon Savage: I agree. It’s a technical game I’ve never seen him play before, but he’s doing it well. Jake slowly brings Hendrickson to his feet again, but Tyler tosses some instinctive elbows into his mid-section and Jake doubles over. Hendrickson, favoring his left leg, clenches both fists together and clubs Jake square in the back sending him to the mat. This buys the big man a little bit of time as he limps away from Jake to a turnbuckle and steadies himself better. Hendrickson shakes his leg, trying to shake away the pain Jake has inflicted. Meanwhile, Jake has risen to his feet and holds the lower portion of his back after the clubbing blow from Hendrickson. Hendrickson limps his way out of the corner towards Jake, who seems to be lying in wait. Hendrickson throws a half-hearted short clotheslines at Jake who ducks, runs into the ropes, and then dives straight at the bend on the back of Hendrickson’s knee with a missile chop block. Hendrickson rolls around on the mat in painful hysterics as Jake Dominion gets to his feet and looks at the damage that has been done. Mark Perletta: That was DEVASTATING. Landon Savage: Hendrickson’ leg is never going to be the same after this one. Joey C: It’s called icy-hot, and it’s in aisle 5. Jake signals to the crowd for something, and Jake grabs Hendrickson by the back of his head and slowly brings him to his feet. Hendrickson can barely stand on his left leg with all the punishment he has withstood from the old school king, but he is on his feet nonetheless. Jake knees Hendrickson in the mid-section which promptly doubles him over. Jake wraps his arm around Hendrickson and sets him up for the patented fisherman’s neckbreaker he uses. Mark Perletta: I believe Jake is going for the Ice Breaker! Landon Savage: He hits this it’s over. Joey C: Don’t worry, cause Jake ain’t strong enough or even man enough to get Hendrickson Tyler up. Just before Jake lifted Hendrickson up, Tyler’s knee buckles from under him and he drops to the mat. Jake goes to bring him up again when all of a sudden, Stevie Paginello runs down the aisle way and quickly hops up onto the ring apron, which distracts the referee. Mark Perletta: What the hell? Joey C: Yes! Syndicate brothers forever! Landon Savage: I should’ve guessed. With his back turned towards Stevie and the distracted referee and not having a clue that someone is on the apron, Hendrickson Tyler reaches up with his arm and meat hooks Jake right in the crotch. Mark Perletta: NO! Joey C: YES! Wait, Jake don’t have a pair... Landon Savage: Hendrickson almost looked like he was on cue to low blow. Jake is down on his back and in a fetal position groaning in utter agony, and Stevie Paginello jumps down from the apron, grinning at the fans and taking in all the boos. He saunters his way back down the aisle he ran from as if to say “Mission accomplished.”. The referee meanwhile has focused back on the match at hand and Hendrickson is crawling towards the ropes to help himself back up to his feet. Hendrickson then mocks Jake and signals to the crowd. Joey C: Hahaha. Give it to him, big man! Mark Perletta: Jake had this thing won. Landon Savage: I don’t know, I’m wondering if he COULD’VE got him up in the Ice Breaker or not. 320lbs is a lot of weight to lift up and then spiral down to the mat. Hendrickson limps precariously away from the ropes and muster up the strength to drag Jake to his feet, who is still in a prone and ripe state on the mat; Jake’s audible deep coughs is enough for anyone to believe that he is going to be pissing blood come morning. Hendrickson bends Jake down in between his legs, and Hendrickson takes a deep breath and heaves with all his might to lift Jake in a powerbomb. Joey C: Syndicate Bomb! Landon Savage: No! Mark Perletta: He can’t do it! Halfway up in the air, Hendrickson loses steam and Jake flips back down on the mat between his legs again. One more time, Hendrickson takes three short breaths and tries to lift Jake, but his damaged leg goes out on him and Hendrickson is down on one knee. Jake is down on his knees, still trying to recuperate from the devastating low blow. Mark Perletta: Looks like the big man can’t get Jake up in his move! Joey C: Come ON Hendrickson! You can do it! Landon Savage: Jake has been a smart man by going after that leg. You take away the leg of a man who uses a big power move, you take away his greatest asset. Jake slowly rises to his feet and collapses his upper body against the middle of the ropes towards the apron that Stevie Paginello was distracting the ref on. Hendrickson groans as he puts enough pressure on his damaged leg to get himself back up on both feet. When all of a sudden.. ...WHAM! JAKE CONNECTS WITH A SUPERKICK! Mark Perletta: ICED OUT! HE HIT IT! Landon Savage: Hendrickson wasted too much time trying to go for the move on a bum leg. This match is over. Jake holds his crotch after nailing Hendrickson across the jaw, who is now flat on his back in the center of the ring. Still recuperating from the low blow, Jake gingerly makes his way towards Hendrickson Tyler, drops down across him, rolls back and hooks the leg for a deep cover. One! Joey C: KICK OUT! Two!! Landon Savage: Count to a thousand, ref. That guy’s out cold. Three!!! Josephina Colbert: The winner of the match by pinfall... JAKE... DOOOOMIIIIIIIIINIOOOOOOON!!! Mark Perletta: That is the best superkick in the business. Period. Joey C: I'm not a big fan of Jake Dominion, but I have to admit that it's rather impressive that he was able to catch Hendrickson Tyler in the jaw like that! Landon Savage: The guy's talented, and he could have a bright future here in LEGACY so long as he decides to stay clear of the Syndicate. Besides, he doesn't really have a tag team partner, so it's not like he'd stand a chance. The Arrival
Suddenly, the entire arena turns pitch black, which elicits a surprised and excitable reaction from the capacity crowd. Though it is difficult to see your hand for your elbow in the darkness, it's clear that many fans have risen to their feet, with the flashes suddenly going off all around. For the time, they are greeted by nothing but silence. There is no indication as to why this sudden occurence has transpired. Most are completely surprised by what's happened, but are curious to see where it leads. After an extended period of time, there is a growing concern amid the crowd and LEGACY staff, that this may well be an unfortunate and unexpected powercut. In the middle of a huge wrestling event for the company, in the midst of an important television deal, this is the last thing that owner, Rob Belote needs. Some fans start to boo, and while it cannot be certain, it seems that some might even be starting to leave!! It seems as if the STRIFE Supercard has experienced tragedy... That is, until the jumbo tron is filled with five words, that draw a tremendous pop from the live crowd. ...RAY'S UP... ...EVERYBODY... ...RAAAAIIIISSSEEEEE UUUUUUPPPPPP!!!!!!! 'This Fire Burns' by Killswitch Engage accompanied by a show of respect from the crowd, and a trail of fire, leading down either side of the aisleway, draw out the young Welshman from the back, who seems electrified by the introduction!! Mark Perletta: I can’t believe it! “Red Hot” Ray Willmott is in LEGACY?! I can’t believe it… Joey C: I can believe it, but I’m not exactly excited about it. This guy is going to do to LEGACY just what he’s done elsewhere, he’s going to steal the spot of someone deserving, I just know it… As Ray Willmott walks down to the ring he is all smiles as he slaps hands with many of the front row fans, who are clamouring to get a closer look. This is a man, whom some recognise and some of heard of from a slew of different organizations! He wastes no time in making his way to the ring, by sliding underneath the bottom rope, and clambering up onto the turnbuckles to pose for the crowd! By now, the lights in the arena have all come back on, and the young man is in full profile, for the World to see. He wears a smart, casual white shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. His medium length brown hair, has been spiked up at the top with gel, with the back cut very close to the skin. In his left hand, he is holding a piece of paper, with writing on that the camera cannot quite distinguish. It is difficult to trace, due to the speed that Willmott is moving around the ring! A chant of his surname, starts among the crowd, as he respectfully asks for a microphone Judging by his reaction, he seems as pumped up and energetic from his arrival as the fans are, and that settles with them, very well! He finally draws the microphone to his lips, in an attempt to interupt a hyped up crowd, and to utter his first words in LEGACY! Ray Willmott -- ...For those that know me ... DAMN it's great to see you again! He smirks as the crowd pops. Ray Willmott -- ...For those that don't ... My name is 'Red Hot' Ray Willmott ... and I'm a professional wrestler!! The confirmation of several suspicions draws a great reaction for the crowd, although it is mixed in with a few boo's. Undeterred, the young man continues... Ray Willmott -- ...Everybody had a theory on who Rob Belote's latest signing to LEGACY actually was. The dirtsheets, the insiders and out, everybody thought they had it figured out. Having paced the ring for a few minutes now, he suddenly stops in the centre and smiles, holding the microphone slightly closer to his lips. Ray Willmott -- ...Whether you were right or wrong is immaterial, because i'm here, and like it or not, I am standing in this ring, with a legal and binding contract with LEGACY! His statement is answered with a warm reception. Ray Willmott -- ...And with this contract, I ... A large WILLMOTT chant develops within the crowd, and lasts for several moments, which brings a smile to the face of the young welshman. Ray Willmott -- ...With this contract, I am prepared to come to show after show, to give A Class performances everytime I'm booked, taking every challenge seriously and without belittlement or discredit. This is as important a business decision as I've ever made, and I don't intend to squander all the rich opportunities it presents! He licks his lips, and takes a moment to study the packed out audience, to gauge their reaction and assess their thinking. He lets out a deep sigh before allowing himself to enter his next address. Ray Willmott -- When the SHOOT Project finally closed it's doors for good, I began to lose the passion that had been reinvigorated within me. Suddenly, I gave up hope on the industry. Suddenly, it all felt wrong, and I cared about little to anything. He starts to pace a little bit, moving around the ring as he continues. Ray Willmott -- After rehabilitating myself, a year removed from binge drinking and excessive drug abuse, I was ready for a new challenge. So I welcomed the beaming light that was professional wrestling back into my life. I dedicated myself, refined my training, and worked harder than ever, to get back into shape. He stops pacing. Ray Willmott -- SHOOT Project was one of the few places, that gave this washed out addict another chance and I seized that. I won championships and I became a contender! At a time when the megastars were looking to move on, I was ready to step up!! Yet without word, the company closed it's doors, moments before my star was set to shine it's brightest. Willmott sighs a little, and flicks his nose, bearevently. Ray Willmott -- ...That hit me harder than anything I've ever felt in my life. Sure, I've worked in over one hundred different organizations, across the span of the planet, but for the first time in my life, I felt alone. I was eight months into the biggest comeback seen in years, and was now left to rot. He looks up into the camera, a shred of remorse glinting in his eyes. Ray Willmott -- If the truth be told ... there were times when I nearly went back to square one. He hangs his head, dejectedly. Ray Willmott -- So I looked at ways to distract myself, to broaden my horizons, relishing the chance to work for independent promotions at a small fee. With the amount of dedication I put back into this sport, I'd essentially given up on a personal life, shunning away loves and all ties, so as to focus my full attention on becoming a World Champion for a ninth time! Seemingly out of respect, Willmott doesn't say anything more for a few moments, almost as if he is allowing their memory to live on, showing that it has helped structure the human being stood in the ring. Ray Willmott -- ...However, deals started to fall through with small time organizations, the competition while good, could not be at the same level I was used. The challenge and the drive, slowly was beginning to slip away. At which point, I went home, with the intention of never coming back. He pauses for a moment. Ray Willmott -- I bought a new place in my hometown of Wales, and I was ready to live out my days travelling, working on my writing, perhaps negotiating to star in a motion picture. As far as I was concerned, the ten year career of Ray Willmott as a professional wrestler, had finally come to an end. A half smile comes to the face of Ray, as he holds the contract up to eye level, and reads some of it's fine print. Ray Willmott -- ...However, in a turn for the books, Belote happened to be coming to the UK, and he'd heard about my success in the past, and was looking to expand the LEGACY brand. He personally came out to meet me, to come visit Cardiff, see the sights and take in the culture. We talked for a long time, we traded stories and shared jokes. In truth, we became good friends something I hadn't made with many of the people I've worked for in the past. Another quick pause. Ray Willmott -- I was blunt with him, I told him my interest was waning in wrestling, Willmott allows his arm to drop to his side, the contract still held tightly in his hand. Ray Willmott -- ... Nevertheless, he got me back!! He smiles. Ray Willmott -- ...I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a good sum of money involved in this deal. It's very generous and in all honesty, I am humbled by the package. But to be quite honest, if another representative from another wrestling company had come along, just waving a fat cheque in my face, offering me back into the loop, I probably would have turned them down flat. Willmott looks up hard into the camera, a unquenchable honesty very prevalent in his eyes. Ray Willmott -- The reason I'm looking into this camera, is not because of a cash sum. Believe me when I tell you, in a decade, I have made a fortune, from sacrificing my body, and giving my all in this ring. I've made more than enough to live and to survive, to maintain the welfare of my family, and to ensure that my later days are free from being spent out on the streets in the cold, living in a cardboard box. I don't spend money freely on flash cars and exquisite non-essentials. You can see the passion and honesty in his eyes continues to burn red hot. Ray Willmott -- I'm here because I believe in this brand! I believe the enthusiasm, the desire, the love that stems from LEGACY! And most importantly, from my point of view, I believe that I can still give you, the fans, a match worth the price of admission. That I still have what it takes to rise above and beyond expectation! Willmott's eyes glint. Ray Willmott -- I am here for love, nothing more and nothing less. Willmott holds the contract up to vantage point. Ray Willmott -- ...And with this, I swear to you all, from this day forward, that things will be very different from what you've grown used to. For those that know me, know that I can hang with the best in the World. For those that have heard the stories ... you don't need to believe in the hype ... you just need to get used to it! Ray smiles and is about to continue when someone interrupts over the loud speakers. "Whoa Whoa Whoa...." Those three words are echoed over the PA system just before Nickelback's "Leader of Men" starts up. The crowd, and more importantly, Ray Willmott all look confused, as out from the back steps none other than the 'nemesis' of Ray Willmott, "The Foundation" Alexander Harmston. Smiling and wearing a signature black sleeveless trench-coat, jeans and a t-shirt, he makes his way to a stunned Willmott and a shocked crowd. Harmston grins as he walks up the steps, then between the ropes, producing a microphone for himself. Alex Harmston: Surprised Ray? I've gotta hand it to ya. You had everyone in the back believing you were the shock, the surprise... Hell, you had everyone out here cheering you on and thinking that you were the big one. But here's a newsflash. The guy Robbie was referring to? It wasnt you. It was ME. I mean, look at us Ray. From New York to Vegas, to here, I've always been a step ahead of you. The only time you got the upper hand against me was when you had help, and quite frankly, I'm sick of that. Harmston sighs, and looks right into Ray's eyes, getting right in his face. Alex Harmston: I showed you respect last time we discussed this, but this time? I'm calling your ass out. We were supposed to have one last match back in Charlotte, but they closed down. I went after you in Vegas, but you were too scared to fight then. So now, here I am again Ray. One more time. A grin, almost mirrored by Ray's smirking, as he realizes what Harmston's saying. Alex Harmston: I want a match. One on One. One fall. That's all there is to it. I want my match that I deserve, and come hell or high water, I'm going to take that match. The crowd erupts when they hear this, most of them very familiar with the history between Harmston and Willmott. Alex Harmston: I once said that you were the one that brought out the best in me, that pushed me to better myself in this ring. We're gonna find out if that's still true, Ray. You name the time and the place, and you can bet your last pound that I'll be there to shut you down, because we all know that You and I? We've got unfinished business, and when we do have that match, you'll realize just like everyone else already has, that You Can't Shake The Foundation. Not even waiting for a response, Harmston drops the mic at Ray's feet, smiling, as he mimics the motions of someone tapping out, before turning and leaving the ring. Willmott blinks, looking ahead, as Alex starts to make his way up the entrance ramp, not even turning his head to see what Ray's reaction to his sudden challenge is. However, Willmott's next two words ensure that he gets his answer... Ray Willmott -- No need to wait... I accept!! Now it's Willmott's time to drill the microphone into the canvas with a resounding thud, which causes Harmston to stop, and turn around, if only to give his competitive rival a smile. For a time, both just seem to stare at each from a distance, neither making the motions to attack the other. Both just seem to want to embrace the moment, to get into each other's head. The crowd eat up the moment as 'This Fire Burns' blares over the public address system. All of the detail, and everything they've seen over the last ten minutes, is being absorbed by each individual in attendance, and their excitement level, is at feverpitch! However, for the two combatants involved, they know the stakes, the importance of the contest they have verbally etched into stone, and for the time being, all they see before them is the future, with no intention of bringing that into the present! Rocky Stellar vs Eli Storm
Mark Perletta: When Rocky Stellar showed up in LEGACY, he created a considerable amount of buzz. When he announced that he was taking part in the Opportunity Battle Royal, he was immediately considered a favorite to win that match. Joey C: And he got down to the final three individuals in that battle royal, meaning he had a good chance of winning, had it not been for the saving graces of Eli Storm. The Incredible One did a huge service to the large contingency of us who hated the idea that Rocky Stellar might be a champion here in LEGACY. Mark Perletta: A lot of people weren’t happy with Eli Storm costing Stellar the opportunity to have a title shot at a belt of his choosing, Rocky Stellar being one of them. From the moment Eli Storm eliminated Rocky from the battle royal, I think it was obvious to just about everyone that this match was inevitably going to happen, and now that it did, it was a hell of a contest. Landon Savage: A large portion of the crowd seemed to appreciate how things got started, with Rocky Stellar taking control virtually from the opening bell, putting back the attack of Storm and retaliating with an offense that wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. Mark Perletta: Somehow I don’t think a “pretty” offense was what Rocky Stellar was going for in the early part of this match. His strategy was probably to put Eli Storm on his back as often as possible while inflicting as much pain as he could, and I’d say the way he started things off went along those lines rather well. Joey C: Well Eli Storm might not be the old-as-dirt veteran like Old Man Stellar, but he’s not exactly a rookie, and Eli showed everyone that he knows his way around this ring, getting the control away from Stellar. Mark Perletta: And he did look impressive in doing so, but Stellar was able to make a comeback, finding an opening and slowing down the match back to a tempo that was more his style, and that’s when this match got really good. Let’s get to the footage. Start : Footage from the Match Sending Eli Storm into the ropes, on the return Rocky Stellar grabs his opponent off of the mat and whips him around and slams him down to the mat with a huge powerslam! Stellar gets up off his knees and picks Eli up off the mat, steps in next to him, grabs him around the neck and whips him backwards and down to the mat with a Side Russian Legsweep. Still not letting up, Rocky pulls Eli Storm up to his feet, grabs him by the wrist and sends him into the corner hard back first with an irish whip. Joey C: Oh look, Old Man Stellar needs a bit of a breather! Mark Perletta: Rocky Stellar has been relentless lately in this match, and now that he’s got a moment’s break, I don’t blame him for taking a moment to regroup… and here he goes again… Rocky Stellar charges in and drills his shoulder into the gut of Eli Storm. As Stellar looks like he’s going to start laying into Storm with right hands, Eli ducks underneath the top rope, getting his entire body from the waist up outside of the ring, forcing the referee to get in between Stellar and Storm to enforce the rope break. Taking a few steps back, Stellar waits for Eli to get totally back into the ring, and when he does so, the referee moves out of the way, and then immediately Stellar charges in, looking for another charing shoulder. Eli Storm moves out of the way at the last moment, sending Rocky Stellar shoulder-first into the ringpost. Joey C: Smooth move by Eli Storm to attack that shoulder… and he looks like he knows how to follow things up! Mark Perletta: Eli grabs Stellar by the back of his pants and pulls him out of the corner… only to throw him right back into the corner shoulder first! Landon Savage: THAT is good thinking by Eli Storm, continuing to go after that shoulder of Rocky Stellar, and this could be the strategy that wins him the match. Once Eli pulls Stellar out of the corner, he shoves him down to the mat and then grabs him by the injured arm and while holding it, Eli ducks under the top rope and gets out onto the apron. After wrapping Stellar’s shoulder over the middle rope, Eli continues to hold on to Rocky’s wrist as he hops off the apron, pulling down hard, putting a considerable amount of strain on Stellar’s shoulder. As the referee admonishes Eli Storm for using the hold despite Stellar being in the ropes, The Incredible One lets go of Rocky’s arm and then slides back into the ring. Grabbing Stellar by the arm, Eli lifts his opponent up to his feet. Twisting the arm he has been working on, Storm locks in a standing armbar, and then he yanks down hard on Stellar’s arm, adding strain to Rocky’s shoulder. Before he can do it again, however, Eli is taken off his feet as Stellar spins around and levels him with a variation of a short clothesline. After stomping down on Eli a couple of times, Rocky Stellar lifts his opponent up off the mat and spins him around, grabbing him up off the mat… dropping him back down to his feet with an atomic drop. Lifting Storm back up off the mat immediately, Rocky drops him backwards and puts him on the mat with a fallaway belly to back suplex. As soon as Stellar plants Eli into the mat, he gets up, grabs each of Eli’s legs, sets up into the wishbone position… and then Rocky STOMPS down onto the crotch of his opponent. Mark Perletta: For any ladies watching right now, let me just say that you can’t IMAGINE the pain coursing through Eli Storm right now. Landon Savage: It’s hard for me to believe that any non-eunuch male would cheer after seeing another man get kicked in the crotch, but leave it to Jacksonvill-ians… Letting go of Eli’s legs, Stellar grabs his opponent by the hair and hoists him up to his feet. Bending Storm forwards, Rocky grabs Eli into a gutwrench position, standing there for a moment before hoisting him up off the mat, throwing him backwards into a suplex attempt… but Eli instead lands on his feet, though slightly off balance. When Stellar gets up from one knee and turns around to continue the attack, he gets NAILED with a hard kick to the side of his face that drops him back down to one knee. Joey C: Damn that was a nice kick by Eli Storm! Landon Savage: It rocked Stellar back, but if he wants to win this match, Eli’s going to have to follow it up. Taking Stellar by the arm, Eli Storm sends his opponent into the ropes with an irish whip. As soon as Stellar hits the ropes, Eli Storm leaps up into the air to go for a lay-out dropkick, but the only problem for him is that Rocky Stellar put the brakes on and stopped himself from rebounding off the ropes. As soon as Eli starts getting up to his feet, Stellar takes a step forward, distancing himself from the ropes a step, then backs up, pushing his back into the ropes to get a little momentum, and as Storm gets fully up to his feet, Rocky Stellar LEVELS him with a crazy clothesline that turns Eli inside out on his way down to the mat after being completely taken off of his feet! Mark Perletta: That’s one hell of a clothesline there by Rocky Stellar… Landon Savage: I believe at one time that was called a Stellar-Line, though I’m not sure… and to be honest, I’m a little disappointed that I actually brought that up, because it sounds kinda… lame. Mark Perletta: I think it sounds like a good name for such a devastating clothesline… and it looks like Stellar’s not satisfied with just doing it ONCE… he wants to hit ANOTHER Stellar-Line clothesline! Stellar backs up into the far corner and waits, watching Eli Storm start to stir on the mat. The referee moves around, trying to make sure he’s out of the way, Rocky Stellar still just waiting and watching, catching his breath while Eli Storm struggles to get up off the mat, clearly dazed. As Eli starts to wobbly get to his feet, Stellar re-positions himself in the ring, hoping to hit another huge clothesline. This time instead of just backing into the ropes, Stellar turns and runs full force, gaining more momentum this time than he did last time. Also different about this time’s attempt, as Stellar comes in, Eli Storm reaches over, grabs the referee by the sleeve and pulls him in… Mark Perletta: NO! Eli Storm just pulled the referee into the path of the charging Rocky Stellar, and that vicious clothesline connected with him instead of Eli Storm! Landon Savage: Oh, poor Rocky… Look at the angry little look on his face… Mark Perletta: I’ll tell you this – I wouldn’t want to be Eli Storm right about now… Seeing the pissed off look on Stellar’s face, Eli Storm drops down to the mat and escapes to the outside, trying to keep Stellar from further attacking him, trying to catch a quick breather. Stellar’s not going to let that happen, though, and he immediately moves over and ducks underneath the top rope and hops out to the apron, then jumps down to the arena floor. Seeing that his opponent is going to be coming after him, Eli Storm starts making his way around the ring, first at a light jog, but as Stellar picks up the pace so does Eli, and the chase is on! The fans intensity level picks up as the two make their way around the ring, Eli trying to evade his opponent. As Storm passes by the time keeper’s table, he grabs an empty chair and tosses it into the ring underneath the bottom rope. Eli runs a bit further around the ring, slowing up a few steps to let Stellar nearly catch him, and then he slides into the ring. Eli gets to his feet and grabs the chair, and as Stellar hops up onto the ring apron and ducks underneath the top rope to come after his opponent… BAM!!! Mark Perletta: What a HUGE chairshot by Eli Storm on Rocky Stellar, and I don’t even think he even saw Eli throw that chair into the ring. Joey C: That’s because Eli Storm was sneaky when he did it and made sure that Stellar WOULDN’T see it! With Stellar nearly knocked out, Eli Storm drills Stellar with another chairshot to the head. Getting back to his feet, Eli Storm lifts the chair up, then drives it straight downwards into Stellar’s shoulder joint. He lifts up the chair again… and again he DRIVES it downwards into Stellar’s shoulder again, getting a huge chorus of boos from the crowd, which was already booing at a lesser intensity following the chairshot to the head. Eli looks over at the referee and notices him stirring, so he takes the chair and tosses it out of the ring underneath the bottom rope and then walks over to where Stellar is laid out, drops down to his knees and grabs one of Stellar’s arms. Mark Perletta: What’s Eli Storm doing now?! Rocky Stellar is already out… you mean he’s not going to pin him?! Joey C: Even better, Marky! Wrapping his arm around the opposite side of Stellar’s neck and using his other arm to twist one of Stellar’s arms around towards the near side of Rocky’s head, Eli Storm wrenches back and puts Rocky Stellar into the version of the Anaconda Vice he calls THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT. The referee moves in once he wakes up and checks to see if Stellar is going to submit. He sees that Stellar looks to be unconscious, so he takes Stellar’s free arm, lifts it up for the consciousness test, and as he drops it, that’s all the signal he needs to realize that Stellar is out cold, and so he calls for the bell. Josephina Colbert: The winner of this match as a result of a submission… “The Incredible”… ELIIIIII… STORM!!! Landon Savage: And so Eli Storm improves to 2 and 0 in LEGACY, thus far going undefeated. Joey C: You know what's great?! This is Rocky Stellar's SECOND LOSS IN A ROW! And we're not talking about tag matches or battle royals or whatever, we're talking about two matches in a row where Rocky Stellar is one-on-one against somebody and can't come up with the victory! How GREAT is that?! Mark Perletta: Were this a No Limits rules match, that finish would've been perfectly legal, but it wasn't, and so Eli Storm steals a victory over Rocky Stellar here tonight. Joey C: Cry all you want, Marky, but you can't reverse the decision of the referee, so that victory will stand! X-Calibur vs Ron Bailey
Mark Perletta: When X-Calibur made his LEGACY debut in the Opportunity Battle Royal at Brick by Brick, a lot of people were excited about it, but not everybody. Ron Bailey, for one, wasn’t excited about X-Calibur just showing up, and he let him know about it. Joey C: That’s what I like about Ron Bailey. A lot of people would see a guy of X-Calibur’s stature and fame, and they wouldn’t have the GUTS to step up to him and tell him about it. Ron Bailey did… Mark Perletta: And he got an X-Terminator for his troubles. Landon Savage: Vintage X, attacking people when they’re not ready, not man enough to step up to the plate, face to face, and give somebody a fair shot, and that’s how all the bad blood between the two of them got started in the first place. Joey C: X-Calibur probably would’ve moved on to someone who was of bigger stature, but when Ron Bailey turned the table and knocked out X-Calibur when X wasn’t expecting it… that’s when I knew that this thing was going to end up in the ring, one on one. Mark Perletta: So here we are tonight, and as these two started things off, you could feel the intensity brewing. Both of them looked like they wanted to carefully pick their spot, but they were cautious of over-committing and getting caught by the other. When they did lock up, it was back and forth non-stop action with both of them getting in their shots. Joey C: And let it be known that the first man to get the advantage in this match… was Ron Bailey. Mark Perletta: With those lighting fast, crisp strikes that consistently hit their mark on X-Calibur, Ron Bailey utilized his mixed martial arts background to control the offensive, but X-Calibur no doubt made the comeback, getting himself right back into the match with a mixing of brawling and technical attacks. Landon Savage: Whoa, don’t make it sound like he did much more than some suplexes, which, granted, are technical moves, but not your typical ones. Tell ya what, let’s just get down to the footage and stop debating the style of their attacks. This was a fun match to watch, so let’s get to it. Start : Footage from the Match Lifting Ron Bailey up off the mat, X-Calibur grabs his opponent by the head, twists around and looks as though he's going to try for the X-Terminator, but before he can hit the move, Ron Bailey gets his arms between him and his opponent and Ron shoves X forwards, sending him chest-first into the turnbuckle. Not wasting a second, Ron Bailey runs in and nails a jumping knee to the middle of X's back, then grabs him into position for a reverse ddt. Instead of dropping him straight to the mat, though, Bailey drills X down onto his knee. Mark Perletta: Interesting modified backbreaker there by Ron Bailey, who narrowly escaped an attempt of the X-Terminator. Landon Savage: Normally I'd say it's not good for a person to go for their homerun move unless they're sure they can hit it, but in this case it makes sense, because X-Calibur can snap off that X-Terminator from basically any position that he can get his hands around his opponent's neck and lay out flat. Mark Perletta: Anytime I've seen X hit that move, it's signalled the end of the match for whoever he's facing. Bailey drops a knee into the same spot on X's back that he hit both of his previous last two moves, and then he pulls X out towards the center of the ring and Ron heads for the corner. He turns around and then hops up, sitting down onto the top rope and measuring X up. To his surprise, X is getting up off the mat, so Ron hops down from the turnbuckle and looks to continue on the offensive. Reaching back, X-Calibur swings his arm around, looking to connect with a haymaker, but the attempt is blocked by Ron Bailey, who wastes no time as he fires in with a hard right hand. Then a left hand to follow that up. Now he connects with a back-fisted shot to the face, following that up with a kick to the gut… Ron Bailey steps in… judo takedown!! With X on his back, Ron Bailey just shifts his positioning until he’s on top of X’s chest and he starts laying into his opponent with forearm shots to the face. Landon Savage: Ron Bailey with those rapid fire shots in on X-Calibur, using his speed to his advantage. Mark Perletta: X-Calibur not wanting to stay in this position long, he gets both of his arms in the way to block the forearm shots… and there he goes, he pushes Ron Bailey off of him and works to get back to his feet. Ron Bailey is the first of the two to get back to his feet and he comes in and goes for a hooking punch, but X ducks underneath of it, grabs Bailey around the waist, spins, and throws Ron over with an overhead belly to belly superplex. Getting back to his feet, X lays into his opponent with a few quick stomps, turning him over onto his stomach, and then X reaches down and grabs Ron Bailey around the waist and hoists him up to his feet… then he immediately takes him up and over with a German suplex that rocks Bailey down onto his shoulders and the back of his neck. Once X-Calibur is back to a vertical base, he stomps down a few times into the middle of the chest of his opponent and then walks over towards the ropes. Mark Perletta: A couple of quick suplexes there by X-Calibur and the young MMA talent looks to be a bit out of his element… Landon Savage: X-Calibur SHOULD be trying to capitalize on this opportunity, but instead he looks to be going to the top rope… what’s he doing? As soon as X-Calibur gets to the top rope, he leaps off, extending the elbow… and he comes crashing down on the chest of Ron Bailey with that flying elbow drop and the crowd erupts in cheers! X-Calibur grabs Bailey by the arm and lifts him up and sets him into a standing head scissors. After regaining his composure for a moment, X-Calibur lifts Ron Bailey up off of his feet, going for a powerbomb, but as X pauses for a split second at the top before going to finish the move, Ron Bailey swings each of his legs away from X, forcing him to lose his grip on Ron, who drops down to his feet after blocking the powerbomb attempt. Mark Perletta: Ron Bailey getting back down to his feet, looking to capitalize... Ron immediately pivots to the side and then fires into the ribs of X with a hard roundhouse kick, doubling him over. Bailey steps in and grabs X around the neck, looking for a DDT, but X blocks the attempt. Unable to hit the move he originally wanted to, Bailey sends some hard knee lifts into the gut of his opponent, then wrenches in with his arm, jumps backwards, swings his legs up around X’s body as he falls backwards down to the mat with an omaplata. Landon Savage: Great Brazilian Jiu Jitsu hold there by Ron Bailey, and he’s got this thing locked in tight, choking X with his arms while he makes it harder for X to breath by squeezing in with his legs! Mark Perletta: X-Calibur reaching out, trying to do something to get out of this hold. Joey C: No such luck, Marky, ‘cause Ron Bailey has this thing perfectly locked in. Mark Perletta: X-Calibur with still a little bit of gas in the tank… he’s shuffling his knees… can he get to the ropes…? Joey C: C’mon, Bailey, you gotta find a way to keep him from moving on ya… Mark Perletta: X getting closer… getting closer… almost there… YES!! He makes it! The referee steps in and tells Ron Bailey that he has to release the hold, and at first he doesn’t seem to want to. The referee starts making his count, and Bailey lets go at the “four” count. X-Calibur feels the hold released and so he lets go of the ropes and starts to get up to his feet… and then he drops back down and starts pummeling Ron Bailey with hard right hands, and the crowd starts going wild. Trying to stop the flurry of punches coming in from X-Calibur, Ron Bailey reaches out and grabs the ropes. Mark Perletta: Now it’s Ron Bailey who gets a break in the action by grabbing onto the ropes, and now it looks like X-Calibur wants to get back to some offense from his feet as he gets up. Landon Savage: Not a good idea by X-Calibur to let Ron Bailey get back up too. As Ron Bailey is nearly back up to his feet, X-Calibur turns and runs into the ropes for some momentum and then comes charging in towards his opponent… but Ron Bailey drops down and takes X-Calibur off of his feet with a dropkick to the knee! Ron Bailey forces himself up off the mat, grabs X by the head as he tries to get to his feet on his own, and Bailey fires in a hard right hand shot that looks to have sent X back into a semi-unconscious state. Getting back to his feet, Ron slowly hoists X up to his feet, then picks him up and puts him over his shoulder…. Joey C: Here we go, we’re getting set for “The Sure Thing”…. Mark Perletta: If he can hit that knee to the face, this match will probably be over… As Ron Bailey swings X-Calibur over to hit the move, X gets back to life, swings his legs out in front of him and all in one motion pulls Ron Bailey down with him by the neck, snapping outwards into a falling neckbreaker drop. X-TERMINATOR!! X-Calibur rolls over and throws an arm across the lifeless body of Ron Bailey… ONE! TWO!! THREE!! Josephina Colbert: Here is your winner by pinfall... X-Calibur!! Mark Perletta: And X-Calibur picks up the victory in fitting fashion, pulling a move out of nowhere to get the advantage and then taking it to victory. Joey C: Yeah, it was a crafty little move, but you can't ignore the fact that Ron Bailey NEARLY pulled off the win. Mark Perletta: Had he hit "The Sure Thing", he very well could've scored the upset here tonight, but X-Calibur finds a way to win, and the fans couldn't be happier about it. John Thomas vs Crash
Mark Perletta: This next match is a big one. It’s very well known that Crash and John Thomas are not very fond of one another, things between them stemming back all the way to our last SuperCard, back in December of 2006 when Crash arrived in LEGACY. Landon Savage: The battle these two had at Brick by Brick was fun to watch, but John Thomas came out on top in that one, so in my mind, there’s not much of a reason to even have tonight’s match, but since Crash made it clear that he wasn’t going to give up on the idea of going after John Thomas without having a rematch, the front office decided to get this over with and they set up tonight’s contest. Mark Perletta: As you probably could’ve guessed, the action early on was intense, with John Thomas attacking Crash as soon as he removed his t-shirt after entering the ring! Joey C: A great strategy by Thomas, he choked Crash with the t-shirt and would not listen to the referee when he was told to release the illegal hold. As referee Leonard Nolan called for the to open the match, he admonished John for his illegal move until the choke was released, then he stepped back and basically just acted to count falls for the remainder of the match, thinking that it was in everyone’s best interest to just let them fight. Mark Perletta: And fight they did… Joey C: And once that slimeball Crash saw that the rules were going to be relatively loosely inforced, he grabbed John Thomas by his trunks and threw him to the floor and over the guardrail, brawling all over the arena for a good ten minutes! Nolan should've stopped them there! Mark Perletta: I have a feeling that he was instructed to let them go in a pre-match meeting with the front office, Joey. LEGACY brass wanted to see a clear cut winner with no controversy at all. We've done a little talking. We could talk about this match for a few more minutes, but lets just get down to the footage. Start : Footage from the Match Crash a bit groggy climbs up onto the apron, intend on following John Thomas back in the ring. Landon Savage: Crash doesn't want to give John Thomas a chance to breath. He's right back on him. Mark Perletta: I think Crash's total disgust and hatred of John Thomas is what is fueling him. He wants to show everyone that the last match between them was just a fluke. Joey C: John is just playing possum. He wants Crash to gas himself again and show everyone what an old fool that Crash is. As Crash climbs up onto the apron, John Thomas is already on his feet. He swings a right hand at Crash, but the veteran ducks. Crash hits John Thomas with a shoulderblock to the stomach, stunning his younger adversary. John Thomas leaves his hands on the ropes and is flipped to the outside of the ring, somersaulting over the top rope and landing on his back! Courtesy of a slingshot from Crash. Mark Perletta: Over the years, I've seen the slingshot used to bring people into the ring who were standing on the apron. I've never seen anyone slingshotted to the floor over the top rope! Crash takes a minute to catch his breath before he follows John Thomas to the floor. John Thomas hasn't moved since landing back/shoulderfist on the floor. Joey C: This is just plain getting out of hand now. If the LEGACY brass wanted a no disqualification match they should've booked one, instead of making it one. Landon Savage: Well Leonard Nolan is going to start his count soon and if both men aren't back in the ring by ten, he can disqualify them. He was told to use discretion though. Crash pulls back the padding on the floor to expose the concrete floor underneath. John Thomas is beginning to stir a little but before he can get up, Crash pulls him up by his hair. Crash hoists John up onto his shoulder and signals to the crowd, giving the sign for the Aero Zeppelin Driver! Joey C: They gotta stop this! This is gonna split his head open if Crash hits this move! Before anyone can continue, Crash does his corkscrew but before he can plant John Thomas, JT reverses the maneuver on Crash, getting him on his shoulder. John Thomas nails a shoulderbreaker on the floor, continuing his work on Crash's shoulder and neck area. Crash cringes in pain, feeling the effects of the move and continuous work on his arm and neck. JT takes a moment to get himself together before he moves in, locking Crash in a double chicken wing hold much like the tiger suplex, except he doesn't lift Crash to his feet. Instead, he does a front flip over Crash's head, bridging a submission lock Mark Perletta: I'm not to familiar with this move but I believe its called the Cattle Mutilation or Cattle Mutilator. Either way, this move is really doing a number on Crash! Landon Savage: Except John Thomas cannot get a submission win out here on the floor. Leonard Nolan wants the hold broken and the action back in the ring. Joey C: Yeah, he wants it in the ring now! When Crash was throwing John Thomas over chairs, down steps and spitting beer in his face, that was fine! Now that John Thomas gets control again, he's not allowed to use a submission maneuver. Landon Savage: When Crash was throwing John Thomas over chairs, spitting beer in his face and throwing him down staircases, the referee fought with Crash to return the action to the ring, like he's doing now. John Thomas releases the hold after the referee reaches four in his count. The damage has been done to Crash. After taking a second to catch his breath, he pulls his foe to his feet and slides Crash back into the ring. John Thomas follows him back in and covers him for the pin. ONE... TWO... THR.... KICKOUT! Barely. Mark Perletta: Both Crash and John Thomas are exhausted. This match is reaching near 25 minutes now. Its taken its toll on both men. John Thomas shakes his head, thinking the count was slow. He yells at the referee to quicken up his counts but that falls on deaf ears. John Thomas pulls himself back to his feet. He pulls Crash up by his arm and nails a shoulderblock into Crash's left shoulder. Crash slumps to a knee but JT pulls him back up again and repeats the move. Crash slumps down again, nursing the arm. John Thomas pulls Crash up once more. Instead of using a shoulderblock again, he throws Crash over the middle rope, so that Crash is facing the crowd. Mark Perletta: Whats he gonna do here? Hit the 6-1-9? Joey C: Don't be an ass, Marky. He's not gonna do that stupid move. Mark Perletta: I wasn't trying to be an ass. I was wondering aloud what he'd do. John Thomas runs across the ring, picking momentum up from hitting the ropes. He comes running back and leaps into the air, hitting a hesitation dropkick onto Crash's left shoulder! Landon Savage: My God! That was vicious! Joey C: Calculating Lando. Excellence. John Thomas climbs back to his feet. He covers Crash. ONE! TWO! Joey C: This seems like a faster count! A good count! Landon Savage: Crash puts his foot on the bottom rope! Mark Perletta: The count is broken and John Thomas isn't happy. John Thomas sits up and yells at the referee once more. He slaps his hand down on his other hand three times, showing the referee how easily he can count three. The referee jaws back with John and John gets to his feet, backing the referee in the corner, yelling at him. Mark Perletta: Well he's gonna get that DQ if he continues what he's doing now. He better keep his eye on Crash. Joey C: Crash is still down. He doesn't even know what day it is. John Thomas continues to jaw with the referee. Crash is getting to his feet slowly. John Thomas sees this and focuses his attention back on Crash. John steps in for an STO on his opponent but Crash slips behind him with a go-behind and nails a snap bridging German suplex! Joey C: I thought he wasn't going to use this move again! Hypocrite! ONE!
Before the referee has any chance to bring his hand down for the three count, Crash wiggles his hips and maneuvers John Thomas back to his feet, hitting another German suplex. Landon Savage: I think he's going for a rolling German suplex. Joey C: Ya think so Lando? Crash pulls JT up to his feet once. Crash quickly adjusts from going for another German suplex to a full nelson, setting up for the dragon suplex, except John Thomas is fighting hard for Crash not to lock his hands. Crash satisfies for a half nelson and attempts to use to a half nelson suplex on John Thomas but JT counters it with a back elbow to the head of Crash. This sends Crash back into the ropes. He bounces off and nails John Thomas in the face with an elbow smash with the injured left arm! Joey C: That hurt Crash more than JT! Landon Savage: I think your right. Crash grasps at his arm but before he's got a chance, John Thomas grabs him up in an armbar. JT quickly moves into a hammerlock and really begins to apply the pressure now. Joey C: This is John's bread and butter now and these fans know it! Mark Perletta: I hate to agree with you but your right. John Thomas applies more pressure and just smiles knowing he's got Crash where he wants him. John spins around to the DDT but Crash saw it coming and throws John Thomas to the ground hard with a spinebuster! Before John Thomas can react, Crash is on him with a single leg crab and on John's back now, locking in the stepover facelock. In other words... the STF! Joey C: Wait... No.. Landon Savage: Crash just rolled over on his back and has both arms locked now around the chin of John Thomas. John's eyes look like they're gonna pop out of his head! Joey C: Shut up, Lando! I think Crash's shoulders are pinned again! Crash applies more pressure to the maneuver but the maneuver itself is doing alot of damage to the back and neck of John Thomas. Crash rolls slightly on his side, leaving one shoulder up but applying constant pressure. Mark Perletta: The way it looks here Joe, John Thomas is getting very red in the face. Crash to. I'm not sure he can hold onto the move much more. Through all his pain and tears, John Thomas can see the ropes and tries to reach them. John isn't far away at all but the reaching is hurting him as well. He makes one last valiant effort to reach the ropes. He's almost there now. He reaches… He reaches… He… can’t… get there… He taps. Mark Perletta: Thats it! John Thomas has given up! The referee calls for the bell. Josephina Colbert: Here is your winner by submission... CRASH!!! Crash still has the hold locked in, not knowing the match has ended. The bell is ringing and Leonard Nolan is trying to get him to release it. As Crash hears his name announced, he releases the hold. More like collapsing. His hurt arm has gave away. Landon Savage: That was an amazing match fellas. Joey C: The trainer is coming to the ring now to check on John Thomas. If only Crash had released the hold. Crash has crawled back into the corner now. He's speaking with the referee. John Thomas is fighting his way to his feet now, even though the trainer is trying to check on him. Referee Leonard Nolan has gotten the microphone from Josephina Colbert and handed it to Crash. Crash: JT... Crash is on his feet. Crash: JT... That was one helluva match... John Thomas is sitting up, leaned against the ropes. The trainer is flashing a flash light in John Thomas' eyes. Crash: It all ends here. Now. The blood. The sweat. The bad blood it all meant something, but it all ends here now. I want you to shake my hand now. Crash walks over to John Thomas an extends his hand to him. John Thomas has pulled himself up now. He's holding the back of his neck and pretty much standing on one leg, holding the other one with his other hand. He refuses to shake Crash's hand. Crash: I can respect that. You've fought hard here tonight for me and these people. Even though I dislike your motives and tactics, you've earned my respect. Competition is what I live for and you've given me that. You fought your heart out like a World Champion, son. Crash wipes the sweat and tears from his face. Crash: Ya like to say I'm an old man but one thing the two of us like is a good fight. At least if ya won't shake my hand, gimme some kind of peace of mind, knowing that I took you to your limit and you took me to mine. Crash drops the mic and puts his fist out. John Thomas looks him in the eye, tearing up himself. He looks down at Crash's fist and reluctantly hits fists with him. "Good luck" is all Crash mutters to him. As Crash slowly climbs out of the ring, John entertains the thought of attacking him. The crowd begins to stir and get loud. John lets the thought go and falls to the mat, letting the trainer continue to do whatever work he wants to do to him. Joey C: Ya should've attacked him John. Show him it’s your time, not his. Mark Perletta: Thats it. Let it be. Both men want to move on. Landon Savage: An excellent ending to an excellent match. I can still see the evil intent in John Thomas' eyes but I think both men have gotten over a hurdle together. Backstage
The World’s Champion, for the first time in six weeks, has returned to the LEGACY tour. What could tear him away from the beaches of Mexico, France, or other exotic vacation spots? A title defense against a rising start in LEGACY who Marcus Marion feels is beneath him. Walking down the hall with his World Title belt around his waist, the two-time champion heads towards the gorilla position with his lovely valet at his side. The fans boo as they see him on the LEGACY Vision Jumbotron, but he’s unphased by the reaction. Switching the feed to a different cameraman, we spot Jake Dominion walking in the opposite direction, having just picked up a water bottle to quench his thirst after having won his match earlier in the show. Dominion spots the look on the champions face as he passes Marion, so he stops, quickly back-peddling a few steps, easily catching up with Marcus. Stepping in front of Marion, Jake impedes his progress down the corridor. Dominion looks down at the belt, then looks Marion in the eye, fuming a bit about something. Jake breaks the silence just as Marion was about to speak up. Jake Dominion: Do you even realize what you're holding? Jake waits a quick moment and then continues, not waiting for an answer to the rhetorical question. Jake Dominion: Yeah, you may be a two-time holder of it, but do you even realize what that belt means? Because all this vacationing you’ve been doing, getting in your rest and relaxation… It says you DON’T. HAVE. A CLUE. He shakes his head in disgust and then continues, not letting Marion have a word in. Jake Dominion: You might not give a damn about Stephen Rawlings, you might think he's not worth your time, but that belt... Jake taps the belt. Jake Dominion: That belt IS worth it. It's worth spending every waking minute you have between title defenses preparing TIRELESSLY for the next one, doing whatever you have to do to make sure you don't let it slip from your grasp. Jake shakes his head in disappointment. Jake Dominion: If I were the one standing across the ring from you, I'd make sure to kick your teeth down your throat before that match was done to make SURE you regret all those margaritas you drank south of the border, all those glasses of Bordeaux and champagne you drank while gazing at the Eiffel Tower with little miss... whatever her name is. Finally, Jake pauses long enough that Marion speaks up. MARCUS MARION: Then why don't you step up? I don't have a dance partner for the pay per view yet, and it's obvious you want what I've got. I’m sure we could try to make it happen. With the right recommendation from yours truly, I’m sure the front office would let you try your best to win the prize all the big boys are gunning for. Slowly Jake starts shaking his head “no”, declining the offer even before he gives his reason. Jake: As much as I’d like that… I've got some unfinished business I plan on taking care of at the pay per view, so I'll have to decline. Besides, what's to say you'll still have that belt when you wake up tomorrow?" A smirk forms on Dominion’s face and then he walks off. After shrugging his eyebrows slightly, Marion walks off towards the ring for his title defense. World Title Match
Stephen Rawlings vs Marcus Marion © Mark Perletta: Ever since he started in this business, Stephen Rawlings has had two primary goals: to be absolutely PERFECT inside the ring, and to one day become the World’s champion. Joey C: Look, he won the Hawkins Memorial Tournament, so Stephen Rawlings earned his shot at Marcus Marion, but it’s not like this is his first ever World Title shot. I know it was months and months ago, but Rawlings has already had two title shots. Mark Perletta: Technically, yes, he has, but one of them was a triangle match, so that wasn’t a one-on-one with the champ, and prior to that, when he did get a match with the champ alone, he didn’t get a clean finish because that match ended with Dan Stein running in and causing the DQ. Landon Savage: Well tonight he gets another one-on-one match, the front office is taking measures to ensure that the finish is clean, and so I think it’s clear that tonight’s main event represents a last chance for Stephen Rawlings. Mark Perletta: A loss in tonight’s main event, if it’s a clean finish, would certainly leave no reason for him to have a rematch, and if you look at how hard Stephen Rawlings prepared for this match, if you look at the focus he has been showing, you can tell that HE knows that a rematch probably won’t be in his future… at least not until he earns another shot. Joey C: The LEGACY roster right now is filled with people who want their shot to fight for the World’s Title, and so my guess is that some new names are given a chance in the next few months to see how they might do. Mark Perletta: As many people might have guessed based on the amount of time he has spent training for this match, Stephen Rawlings started thing off in this match quickly, catching Marcus Marion off guard. From what I’ve seen of him tonight – whether it was his demeanor backstage or how he looked as he walked down the ramp for this match, or how he performed in the first half of this match – I think the World’s champion should’ve spent more time preparing for this match instead of vacationing for the past five weeks. Landon Savage: I was surprised how apathetic Marcus Marion looked before the match, as well as how sluggish he looked starting things out. I hate to admit it, but Stephen Rawlings’ training paid off for him, especially in light of the apparent lack of preparation that Marcus Marion did while vacationing. Joey C: As we all know, nothing is over in a wrestling ring until the final bell sounds, and yeah, Stephen Rawlings dominated Marcus Marion early on in this World Title match, but he didn’t dominate the entire match, and the only thing that really matters is how the match ended, so let’s see how things played out. Start : Footage from the Match Taking his opponent by the arm, Marcus Marion goes for an irish whip, but Stephen reverses it. On the return Rawlings leaps up into the air and connects with the sternum of the World Champion with a high flipping dropkick, sending Marion down to the mat. Instead of getting up off the mat, Marcus instead rolls under the bottom rope and down to the outside where Nicole Rhodes comes over and helps him to his feet and talks some strategy. Joey C: Smart move by the champion to slow down the pace of this match a little bit. Mark Perletta: He definitely doesn’t appear to be in as good of physical conditioning as Stephen Rawlings so far in this match, and he probably didn’t do himself any favors with the vacationing he did after regaining the World Title at Brick by Brick… and it looks like Rawlings isn’t going to let Marion just “hang out” outside the ring. Seeing Marion on the outside, Rawlings runs into the ropes on the opposite side of the ring where Marion is standing on the outside and then on the return hits a baseball slide, connecting with his opponent and sending Marcus slamming into the steel guardrail. Stephen rolls underneath the bottom rope and gets to the outside and follows things up, grabbing Marion by the wrist, turning, and sending him back-first into the steel guardrail. Moving in, Stephen grabs Marion by the head, puts it under his arm and quickly snaps him over with a snap suplex, the move on the outside upsetting Nicole Rhodes. As she tries to see if Marcus is okay, she gets moved back as Stephen Rawlings keeps in on the attack, grabbing Marion by the head, lifting him to his feet, and then rolling him into the ring underneath the bottom rope. Landon Savage: Stephen Rawlings not wasting a damn bit of time, not giving Marcus Marion a moment’s rest. Joey C: That’s the ONLY way Stephen Rawlings is going to win this match, if he keeps in on the attack and doesn’t give Marion a chance to change the pace. Once he rejoins Marion back in the ring, Stephen Rawlings takes Marion by the head, lifts him to his feet, spins around and sends Marion to the mat with a snap-mare takeover. Not giving Marcus a moment to rest, Rawlings lifts his opponent to his feet yet again, tucks his head underneath Marion’s arm and then springs backwards, driving Marcus down to the mat with a Northern Lights suplex, bridging up onto his toes as he holds on for the pinfall attempt which sends a wave of excitement through the crowd. ONE… TWO… NO!! Marcus Marion shoulders out just after the referee’s hand hits for the “two” count, and Rawlings lets go. Stephen looks determined still and so bends over and he takes Marcus by the head and starts to lift him up to his feet when Marcus reaches up and gouges at the eye of the challenger. Momentarily blinded, Rawlings stands up and tries to regain his vision, but that’s all the opening that Marion needed, and he pivots and nails Rawlings in the chest with a knife-edge chop. Then another one. He takes Stephen by the wrist and it looks like he’s going to irish whip him across the ring, but then Marion changes course and sends Rawlings into the near corner, following it up quickly with an elbow to the face. From there, Marion grabs Rawlings by the foot and puts it up over the middle rope. Grabbing on to the top rope for balance, Marcus then fires a boot into the side of Stephen’s knee. Landon Savage: Nice shot there by the Champ, and you can tell he’s proud of the look of pain that just flashed across Rawlings’ face. Mark Perletta: And it doesn’t look like Marcus is done just yet, backing up a few steps while he’s got Stephen’s leg still hanging over that middle rope… Having backed up halfway across the ring, Marion then nails a running kick to the side of Stephen’s knee, further intensifying the look of pain on Rawlings’ face. As Stephen Rawlings dislodges his leg from the ropes and starts to get out of the corner, Marcus Marion steps in and grabs Rawlings by the little hair that he has, clenching it in his fists and then in one fluid motion pivots, and slings Rawlings half-way across the ring. With a cocky smirk on his face, Marcus walks over and stomps down on Stephen’s leg as he starts to get up off the mat, putting him back on the mat. With another sharp shot, Marion drills down into the side of the knee of the challenger, and then grabs him by his head and starts to lift him to his feet. As he gets Rawlings all the way up to his feet, Marion bends Stephen’s leg at the knee, lifts him up and drops him back down onto his extended leg, hitting him with a knee-breaker. Not letting go, Marion lifts Rawlings back up off his foot and then hits another knee-breaker. Joey C: Marion really going to work on that knee. Mark Perletta: The World Champion looking the best he has all match, and he’s going to need to step it up if he wants to keep his belt. He’s doing some damage to the leg of Stephen Rawlings, but so far he hasn’t done nearly enough if he wants it to lead to a successful title defense. With a confident smirk on his face, Marcus stomps down again onto Rawlings’ knee, then he follows it up with two more stomps, and the crowd voices its displeasure with what’s going on. Turning his attention away from his opponent, Marion walks over to the ropes and starts taunting the crowd, further inciting them, the volume of their booing increasing significantly. Mark Perletta: Marion is spending too much time on something that doesn’t matter, inciting the fans instead of working Rawlings over a little more, and he’s giving Stephen a chance to get back into this match. Joey C: He’s a two-time World Champion, Marky, he knows what he’s doing. Mark Perletta: Rawlings is getting up, and this looks like a wasted opportunity that Marion might regret… Landon Savage: Don’t over-react, Perletta. It’s not wasted just yet, Marion sees him getting up and now he’s headed for him again. As Stephen Rawlings works to get completely back to his feet, Marcus Marion stalks in behind him and then takes Stephen back down to the mat with a chop block. Rawlings tries to get back to his feet, but as he puts pressure on his leg, he can’t force himself back up to his feet, and he rolls over onto his back. Before he can try to use the other leg to get up, Rawlings’ leg is grabbed by Marcus Marion, who forces Stephen back over onto his back. Mark Perletta: He’s setting up… he’s spinning around that leg… Joey C: Figure Four Leg Lock! He’s got it locked in right in the middle of the ring! There’s nowhere for Rawlings to go! Stephen Rawlings gets his elbows underneath himself, trying to fight the figure four submission hold. He looks backwards, trying to see if he’s close enough to grab the ropes, but as he tests it, he realizes that he’s not within reach. He tries using his elbows to move himself closer to the ropes, but after he moves as far as he possibly can, he leans back and reaches out… still short of the ropes. Having moved his arms, his elbows are no longer there to support him, and so Stephen’s shoulders are both on the mat. The referee sees this and makes the count… ONE. TWO. NO! Rawlings realizes his shoulders are on the mat and he sits up in time, putting his elbows back underneath himself. Trying to break the hold, Stephen first gets his right fist underneath him, then he lifts himself up and puts his left fist underneath him. Reaching up with his right arm, he tries to turn the move over. Marion looks surprised by the attempt and he tries to fight to keep the move from being reversed, and as the struggle between the two of them continues, the excitement level amongst the fans grows in intensity as they hope to see Rawlings reverse the hold. Mark Perletta: Rawlings struggling now, hoping to turn this match around by flipping over onto his stomach, which would reverse the hold and put the pressure on Marion instead… Landon Savage: That’s his only hope because he’s NO WHERE near the ropes at this point. Joey C: C’mon Marion… c’mon… don’t let him reverse it… Mark Perletta: And…. YES! He does it! Stephen Rawlings turns the move over, and now Marcus Marion is the one who is getting the worse of it! Marion screams out in pain and tries to break the hold, but Marion uses his fists to dig into the mat, moving them across the ring, the motion keeping Marion from getting a chance to break the hold. When Rawlings finally stops moving, Marion is able to rock to one side, giving him the chance to break up the hold. Stephen Rawlings gets back up to his feet, Nicole Rhodes gets up onto the apron and gets Stephen’s attention before he can attempt to regain the offensive. Walking over to the ropes where Nicole is standing, Stephen Rawlings tells her to get down off the ropes. She reaches out and tries to slap the challenger in the face, but he backs up a step, avoiding the slap. Rawlings reaches out to grab her, but she hops down off the apron just in time. While his back is to the middle of the ring, Rawlings gets rolled up by Marcus Marion, who slinks up behind him and pulls him backwards into a cradle pinfall attempt. ONE! TWO! NO!! Mark Perletta: Nice try there by Marcus Marion, but no such luck. Marion tries to get Rawlings up to his feet… no, Rawlings shoves him back a step. Rawlings steps in… forearm shot to the side of Marion’s face! After a second forearm shot, Rawlings backs up a step and then runs in and nails a running forearm shot that knocks Marion backwards and spinning him around. Marion drops to his knees and his chest falls across the middle rope, facing out towards the excited crowd. Not wasting a second, Rawlings turns around and runs towards the ropes, gaining momentum on the return, and when he gets near Marion he jumps over the top rope and on his way to the floor pulls down on Marion’s neck, pulling him down further into the middle rope and then letting him go, propelling him backwards. Landon Savage: A high risk maneuver there by Stephen Rawlings, as he could’ve twisted an ankle or something when he landed there on the outside, and I’m not even sure if that move bought him much of anything! Mark Perletta: I think he realizes that he isn’t going to score a pinfall off of that move, but with Marion holding his throat after getting choked up after having his throat pulled down across that middle rope, there’s definitely an opening coming for Stephen Rawlings. As Rawlings gets back into the ring, Marion gets up to his knees and sees his opponent coming right for him and Marcus begs off. He holds up his hands as he shuffles backwards with his knees, trying to convince Stephen Rawlings not to stay in on the attack, but to no avail. Stephen grabs Marion by the hair and lifts him to his feet, immediately firing in with a European uppercut which rocks Marcus backwards. Marion hits the ropes and rebounds, sending a thumb to Rawlings’ eye. Before Marcus can follow that up, however, Rawlings hits another European uppercut despite not being able to see very well. Marion again hits the ropes, this time rebounding right into the waiting arms of Stephen Rawlings, who picks Marcus Marion up onto his shoulders, and then he immediately dives to his side, dropping Marion down onto his head with a Death Valley Driver. Mark Perletta: High impact maneuver there by Rawlings, and this might be it! Landon Savage: Wait a minute, Rawlings isn’t letting go! What’s he doing?! Still holding onto the head of the World Champion, Stephen Rawlings wrenches upwards on Marion’s neck, locking him into a dragon sleeper directly after hitting the DVD. Marcus Marion gets his feet underneath him and tries to pull out of it, but Rawlings drops down to his knees and widens his base, not going anywhere. Marion struggles, trying to break the hold, then realizes that he can not. He reaches out with each of his arms, but he’s nowhere near the ropes with either of them. Marion then tries to reach out with his foot to get near the ropes, but that doesn’t work either. Mark Perletta: Stephen Rawlings has this Dragon Sleeper locked in tight there in the middle of the ring, and Marcus Marion has nowhere to go! He can’t get to the ropes with either of his hands or his feet, and the chance of him retaining the belt don’t look good. Joey C: He won’t tap out to this, he’s got that iron resolve, Marky! No chance is he going to tap out! Landon Savage: I don’t know, the champ looks to be fading fast… Mark Perletta: His eyes are closing… you can see the straining on his face… He’s fading… The referee checks for consciousness… The arm is lifted once…. …and it falls. ONE! The arm is lifted again… …and again it falls! TWO!!! The arm is lifted for a third and final time… …the referee lets go… …there’s a moment of silence all over the arena as they wait in anticipation… …and the arm falls again!!!
Mark Perletta: He did it! He did it! Stephen Rawlings has won the LEGACY World Title! Marcus Marion passed out to that Death Valley Driver Dragon Sleeper combination, and Stephen Rawlings has won the LEGACY World Title! Joey C: You’ve gotta be kidding me!!! Josephina Colbert: The winner of this match as a result of a submission… and NEW LEGACY World Champion… Stephen…. RAWLINGS!!! The referee gets the LEGACY World Title from the time keeper just as Nicole Rhodes steps in and tries to take the belt away, and then he walks over and hands the belt to Stephen Rawlings, who is still on his knees. When Rawlings takes the belt, tears start coming down from his eyes as he looks at the gold, holding it in his arms. The referee raises Rawlings hand in victory, but Rawlings stays on his knees, basically in shock over what just happened. Mark Perletta: April the 19th, 2007, we have crowned a new World’s Champion, Stephen Rawlings getting his first ever championship of this magnitude, and this is a day that he will never forget. Landon Savage: It’s a day that Marcus Marion will never forget, either, and you can bet that Marcus Marion is going to use that rematch clause a lot faster this time than he did after his first reign. Joey C: OH yeah, you can count on it! There’s no way he’s going to let Stephen Rawlings walk around with that belt in his possession, especially after the amount of time Marion waited before getting it back from Greyson Blade! Mark Perletta: Well we’re out of time here tonight, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens in two weeks on STRIFE 20. Good night everyone! The parting shot of the show is of Stephen Rawlings, still on his knees, the World Championship belt in his grasp, the fans going wild as they stand, cheering in their seats. |
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